After their eventful reconciliation, Emil and Anna left the medical bay of the Nautilus, ready to retreat back to their dorms to prepare for tomorrow’s matches. Before they could take a single step out of the facility, however, they were immediately swarmed by a group of Academy staff members.

  Suddenly encircled, Emil and Anna eyed each other in confusion.

  “Ummm, did we do something?” he asked sheepishly.

  “Take them away.”

  What the hell?!

  Alarmed, Emil tried to protest until the futility of his resistance sunk in. They were flanked on all sides by powerful Exalted. He and Anna quickly surrendered and obliged with the staff’s demands. Still confused at what was going on, Emil racked his mind for answers as they were escorted away.

  …Is this about the incident with Ellen and Professor Callum?

  The thought sent shivers down his spine. Anna seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion as she shot him a horrified glance.

  No. It can’t be. There’s nothing connecting the two of us to that incident. I made sure of it. But then why?

  He was still trying to convince himself that he was overthinking when they arrived at a gated mansion. The grand building was secluded in the far corner of the campus’ northwestern quadrant. It was fenced off and guarded by a mixture of Sentinels and Academy staff.

  This doesn’t seem like a place where they would interrogate students.

  “You’ll be staying here for the duration of the Clash of Dawn. You won’t be permitted to leave the premise unless it’s for a match. But worry not, all of your needs will be taken care of. There are training facilities, chefs, medical staff, along a myriad of other specialized personnel available for you on demand. If there’s something that’s unavailable, please speak to one of the staff on premise. They’ll do their best to meet your request.”

  Emil blinked, taken aback by the unexpected twist of events. The whiplash of confusion to dread to relief was overwhelming. He shot a look at Anna. The girl simply shrugged.

  “Then…I like to have some of the pudding that’s served regularly in the cafeteria,” he requested out of sheer curiosity to see what they would do.

  “Understood,” the person in charge turned towards one of the staff members escorting them. Immediately, they sprinted off without a word—apparently gone to grant Emil’s request.

  “Your request will be fulfilled in about thirty minutes. Please look forward to it. Anything else you would like before we show you to your rooms?”

  O-Okay?

  Emil shook his head with an uneasy smile. The machine-like behaviour of the Academy staff quickly became unsettling.

  ***

  They were given a tour of the mansion. There were spacious training halls, entertainment areas, luxurious rooms the size of the campus cafeteria with an ensuite spa, dazzling chandeliers dangling from every ceiling, and chefs and staff on demand waiting to attend to their every needs. Even the floor was covered in linen carpets woven with gold threads.

  Emil was exhausted by the end of it.

  The opulence on display made his head spin. The excessive shine and sparkles were something unfathomable for someone who had spent most of his formative years fighting to survive in the slums. He couldn’t help but feel bitter.

  If we just had a tiny fraction of this wealth back then…

  He thought back to the kids that lived alongside him in the slums. To them, that cramped, dilapidated compound filled with rot and decay was their paradise. That’s how low their standards were. And that’s all they will ever know.

  “Emil?”

  Anna shot him a worried glance.

  “Nothing.”

  The staff member in charge led them to the entrance of a common room before finally leaving them be. Emil let out a long sigh.

  “…I don’t understand this Academy sometimes. Couldn’t they just have told us about this arrangement instead of ushering us away like criminals?”

  “Well, I’d imagine some of students who came from wealthier backgrounds would take issue to being, essentially, locked up in a fancy jail.”

  “Fair. I guess not being allowed to leave the premise under the event is over feels rather draconian,” he muttered, making sure that none of the staff members nearby were in hearing range.

  “This is the Academy after all. When have they ever done anything normal?” Anna said, “Although even if this is a jail, it’s at least a pretty damn comfortable one.”

  “Was this really necessary though…?”

  “The true purpose of the Clash of Dawn to serve as a marketplace for advertising the Academy’s next up-and-coming talents,” Anna explained, “From the Academy’s perspective, we’re products that are being prepared for sale. Obviously, you would want to keep your wares polished and spotless before putting them on display.”

  If I had to guess, this rule was put in place after some of the contestants got a little too rambunctious celebrating the end of the preliminaries. These sorts of absurd rules and setups were usually always because of some stupid reason.

  On the other hand, Anna’s analogy made them seem uncomfortably close to slaves being displayed at an auction. Emil winced at the comparison as he pushed open the doors that led to the common room.

  It was a large, lavish space, almost resembling a decorated reception hall for a banquet. Emil would have been in awe by the room’s extravagance—if not for the chilling glares being shot his way.

  There were a group of students resting on the couches to his left. A bunch of faces that Emil didn’t recognize. He reckoned they were likely the contestants of the knockout stage. Their eyes were vicious, staring daggers into Emil’s skulls as if they were eager to pounce on him at a moment’s notice. The glamorous ambiance of the mansion suddenly turned tense.

  “…Is it just me, or do they look like they want to murder us?” Emil asked Anna quietly.

  “It’s just you.”

  “Oh good, I thought I was going crazy—”

  “We’ve been through this before, Emil,” she said with a heavy sigh, “What I meant was, it’s just you that they want to murder.”

  “Oh.”

  Emil scanned their faces. Indeed, each of their expressions darkened with animosity as their eyes met. A vague bloodlust hung in the air.

  Should I be sleeping with one eye open? Emil mused. After surviving the preliminaries, he realized that the students of the Academy were fiercely competitive. Those of noble descent were enormously proud of their ‘superior’ bloodlines while the commoners were desperate to prove themselves before a life-changing opportunity.

  Hearing Emil’s name resound across the Nautilus over and over again must have made them sick.

  “Sucks to be so popular, don’t you think?” Anna said smugly as she strolled towards the dining hall.

  “I think the correct word is notorious,” Emil replied, following her, not wanting to left alone in a den of hostile eyes.

  Anna shot him a cheeky gaze. “Not bothered?”

  “As if I’m going to be intimidated by a bunch of students,” he scoffed.

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  Inside the dining hall, Emil’s puddings were already waiting for him on a table. Without asking, Anna immediately seized one for herself. This girl— Emil was about to complain until he noticed the presence of another contestant.

  Sitting by himself at the rear of the room, a male student was in the midst of finishing up his meal. His posture was immaculate. His hands operated the fork and knife with a practiced and refined elegance as they sunk into the food. There was a regal air to his movements. His hair, dazzling blond, seemed to almost glimmer under the dim chandelier lights. Emil was reminded of Princess Aoife on the day she addressed the first-years.

  He must be the Second Prince.

  Rory von Astrea.

  Emil didn’t know much about the Second Prince of Ardair, except that he was a promising Exalted and betrothed to Liesel.

  I can’t even imagine having the Ice Maiden as a wife. He nearly made a face at the disturbing thought. The vicious personality of Liesel flashed in his head as he recalled their encounter in the preliminaries. His shoulder suddenly throbbed—the exact area where she had slashed with her ice blade. Eh. Then again, plenty of men are apparently into being dominated. He wasn’t one to judge others for their preferences.

  Obviously, the engagement between Rory and Liesel was likely a political arrangement, but Emil couldn’t help but entertain the possibility that it was out of love.

  Rory raised his head as he finished his meal. Their eyes met. Instantly, the composed glance on his face turned wary. Wow, people really don’t like me here. Without a word, Rory rose from his seat and promptly left the dining hall. The corners of his eyes trailed Emil as he exited.

  “That felt a little personal,” Anna teased as she shoved a spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

  “Should I have bowed in reverence and addressed him as His Highness?”

  Anna laughed, “No, Rory is pretty amicable usually. But I can understand why it might be hard to remain composed when facing a home wrecker.”

  “What? Me?” Emil was aghast.

  “Remember those rumors about you catching Liesel’s attention?” Anna’s eyes danced with a mischievous glint. “Something about a chance encounter at the training field? And then there was her impassioned attitude towards you during the preliminaries. I’m not surprised that the prince might not be able to hold his composure in front of such a nasty person.”

  “Just what the hell have those rumors been saying?!”

  A third voice suddenly slithered into their conversation.

  “I happened to be there, and my, oh my, was it a spicy encounter.”

  It was Kai. The half-Gharian strolled into the dining hall with an irritating smirk across his face.

  “I almost had to shield my innocent eyes from all the tension in air,” he said, pretending to cover his eyes with his fingers.

  “Oooo, do share the details,” Anna added.

  Kai covertly snatched up one of Emil’s puddings on the table for himself.

  “What more can I say? It was like I was just a side character in one of those forbidden romances between a princess and a commoner, watching as the two of them conveyed their passionate desire for each other in thoughts and shy glances. It was—ow, ow, ow!”

  Emil slammed a hand on Kai’s shoulders and squeezed down with an ironclad grip.

  “I appreciate it if you didn’t make up some bizarre fantasy in your head!” he warned as he intensified his grip with every word. Kai squirmed, gasping in pain.

  “Okay, okay! I yield! I yield!” he squealed.

  ***

  “What do you want?”

  Kai was massaging the side of his shoulder. “Good grief, your grip strength is ridiculous,” he winced before dropping his arms. The mischievous glint in his gaze vanished as he suddenly grew serious. “I like a moment of your time. Man to man. Alone.”

  Emil raised an eye at the sudden change in mood. He and Kai weren’t exactly close—they were more antagonistic than amicable to each other. But he seems genuine. Emil couldn’t sense any of the usual conniving and scheming aura permeating Kai’s vicinity.

  He shot a glance at Anna, giving her the go-ahead to leave them be. Without another word, she left the dining hall. The sound of the door closing behind her resounded loudly in the silent venue.

  “Well?”

  Emil blinked as a flash of azure suddenly gleamed from Kai’s wrist. A shiv of water suddenly emerged in Kai’s hands, pointed to the side of Emil’s throat.

  “Scary,” he muttered sarcastically, barely managing to hold his composure. The feigned attack caught him by surprise—mostly because Kai didn’t radiate a single smidgen of bloodlust. This entire act was for show. I hope so, at least. He was in deep trouble if he was wrong.

  “I have an important question. Please answer honestly.” Kai’s tone was chilling. The shiv continued to loom dangerously close. “Why did you spare me during the preliminaries?”

  “Spare you?”

  “Don’t pretend that it was a mistake. We both know that I would have been eliminated if you didn’t kick me out of my own attack. You could have escaped with ease without doing that,” Kai growled, “Was it pity? Was it to humiliate me? Was it to tame me and make me indebted to you? Why?!”

  The edge of Kai’s hands was shaking. His teeth bared. A spiral of emotions filled his eyes.

  I see. He’s just like Anna.

  Emil finally understood. The students of this Academy were immensely prideful of their abilities. They despised being looked down upon. They would rather lose pitifully on their own terms than desperately grab onto someone’s hands for a second chance.

  He couldn’t understand that mentality, not as someone who had lost everything and then had to claw his way up from the very bottom of Ardair’s hierarchy. All Emil ever wanted was someone to extend him a helping hand. And yet, these students in front of him rejected that idea completely, wanting to prove themselves with their abilities alone.

  Such a privileged mindset.

  Those were his honest thoughts, but he didn’t necessary hate that naivety either.

  “It was out of respect. I liked your tenacity. Your cunningness and tactics during our fight was impressive. If you didn’t let your guard down after you lost sight of me, you might have won. I wanted to acknowledge that, and so I decided not eliminate you,” Emil explained, “It was just a whim. If I offended you because of it, then I apologize.”

  Silence filled the air. Emil maintained his unwavering gaze. Finally, he felt Kai retract his Gift.

  “You’re an infuriating guy, you know that?” Kai clicked his tongue. Without another word, he disappeared out of the dining hall.

  Emil sighed, tired of all the attention. He gathered the remaining puddings into his arms.

  Maybe I should just retreat into my room before someone else decides to pick a fight with me.

  ***

  So that was the infamous Emil Milligan.

  The male delinquent who got into a ruckus on the opening day of the school term. The person who caught Liesel’s interest leading up to the Clash of Dawn. The ranked one student and main character of the preliminaries who eliminated the opposition with his emphatic martial prowess.

  Rory narrowed his eyes as he walked through the corridors of the mansion. Somehow, this mysterious, unknown student suddenly became on the forefront of everyone’s minds. The name Emil Milligan had infamy before the event, and so Rory was expecting to see a rough, rugged person with an imposing physique to match his reputation of being a monstrous close-combatant. Instead, what he saw was a teenager with an average build and a boyish face that had still yet to mature.

  The contrast between his appearance and his reputation was confounding.

  Just who is this guy?

  He was starting to think that the rumors around Emil might have been exaggerated. Still, none of that particularly mattered to him. It was mere curiosity. If there was someone at the Academy who could pry the scrutinizing eyes off of him and Liesel, then he would welcome them with open arms.

  As the Second Prince, Rory was used to living in the shadows of his elder brother.

  Aidan von Astrea—the Crown Prince and jewel of Ardair. Competent, charismatic, and confident, he possessed all of the qualities needed to be a king.

  Compared to someone as blindingly bright as his elder brother, Rory was just a regular person. A run-of-the-mill member of the royal family, who will one day have his portrait in the far corners of the palace walls. Just a footnote in the history books. A contingency plan that didn’t need to be used.

  Rory was resigned to that fate—to play a supporting role in his elder brother’s legacy. There were much worse ways to live in Ardair.

  He eventually arrived at the place that he was called to visit. He was in front of the room of his betrothal, Liesel.

  He gulped, swallowing down his nerves before giving the door a firm knock.

  “Liesel? It’s Rory.”

  After a few agonizing seconds of silence, she responded, “Come in.”

  Rory pushed the door open. Immediately, he was assaulted by a wave of frigid air. Liesel was standing in the center of her room, dressed in a loose night gown, her hands outstretched. Mana tenderly caressed her body as they slowly accumulated in her palms. A shard of ice then manifested into existence, woven in an intricate pattern, resembling the petals of a flower in full bloom. Seemingly satisfied with her performance, Liesel let out a quiet exhale as the ice slowly sublimated into air.

  Rory watched in stunned silence. This was an exercise that Liesel did often to train her mana control. Yet, each time he witnessed it, he was left with a jaw-dropping impression.

  A once-in-a-generation talent. Those were the only words fit to describe Liesel’s ability as an Exalted. And such a person was to be his wife.

  “Sorry to make you wait,” she said, beckoning towards a chair nearby, “Take a seat.”

  He obliged after shutting the door behind him. Liesel pulled another chair close. The two of them sat across from each other. Silence quickly lingered. Rory felt his heart race, watching as his betrothal stare pensively at the floor, seemingly in deep thought.

  This was a rare moment for them. Like most engagements amongst the nobility, theirs was born out of political interests between their families. House Belle were the rulers of the Rosales province, and Liesel was their sole daughter.

  In recent times, the elites of Ardair were growing increasingly powerful, using their immense wealth to amass Exalted talents under their ranks. The royal family had been able to maintains its dominion by strictly controlling the circulation of Azurite. Without the rare mineral, Exalted cannot use their Gifts. By carefully balancing their distribution of this strategic resource, the royal family were able to exert their influence.

  Lately, however, the royal family found its authority beginning to slip amongst the elite factions. This generation of elites was unusually ambitious. Feeling threatened, the royal family had planned to use Rory and Liesel’s reunion to consolidate their power via an alliance between them and House Belle.

  “It’s rare for you to seek me out like this,” Rory finally said to cut the silence.

  The only times he could remember speaking with her like this were at banquets, formals, ceremonies, and other public events pertaining to the court. Even then, their times spent together felt like fleeting formalities.

  How did Liesel feel about him? What was lying behind that maiden gaze?

  He had been hoping their time together at the Academy would be able to clarify their relationship.

  “So, what did you want to talk about?”

  The silence remained. The awkwardness continued to linger. Rory was growing impatient when Liesel suddenly let out a long sigh.

  “I was trying to think of the best way to approach this, but nothing made sense. It’s times like this where I curse my lack of eloquence. And so, I will just be direct.” Liesel raised her head. Their eyes met for the first time. Rory felt a chill ran down his spine. Her gaze was unfathomably cold.

  “Rory, I am going to annul our engagement.”