The Grand Hall of the Elusian Royal Academy was designed to intimidate. The ceiling was a vault of enchanted glass that showed a perfect, cloudless sky (despite the rain outside), and the walls were lined with the austere marble statues of previous headmasters, all of whom looked vaguely judgmental.
I found my assigned seat in the vast sea of identical dark-blue-and-silver uniforms.
"Wow," Rosalie whispered next to me, vibrating with excitement. "It's even bigger than the Vanya Emporium's winter ballroom! Oh, look! There's Prince Stefan! He looks so... intense."
I followed her gaze to the raised platform reserved for high-ranking nobles and the student council. My A-Rank `[Deceive]` skill kept my face a mask of polite, neutral curiosity, but my mind was cross-referencing Miki's old rants with my own intel.
The game's "prologue" was finally starting, and the entire cast was present.
My eyes swept the platform.
