Pradiles Empire.
The only human kingdom ruled by an empress.
"How many young people went to Demor for the exchange?" a woman seated on the throne demanded of her informant.
"Not many went for the exchange, Your Majesty, although… the vast majority are sons of nobles who oppose you."
The woman's expression darkened as she recalled something from nearly eighteen years ago.
"Mmm… I hope this isn't what I think it is."
"What worries you, Your Majesty?"
The woman's violet eyes offered no answer, plunging the room into absolute silence.
…
Meanwhile, Elizabeth found herself alone with Thalassa in her office.
The latter looked noticeably nervous, but relieved to see that Adela had left without suspecting anything. Thalassa looked Elizabeth in the eyes, letting an almost imperceptible gleam cross her pupils.
"Thank you for trusting me in front of her, Elizabeth," murmured the mermaid in a voice that sounded strangely melodic and captivating.
Elizabeth blinked a couple of times, feeling an unusual warmth that clouded her judgment for a second before she regained her professional composure.
"It was the most logical thing to do, Thalassa. Your power is necessary for the plan against the Lothe."
Thalassa smiled faintly—a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
…
A few days after Cassane lost control.
Princess Elara was heading to a class when Valeria Astaford stopped her in the hallway.
"My mother wants to see you. I think you understand why," Valeria stated in her usual direct tone. "Sylvia and my mother have been friends for a long time. If she supported you, it's not strange that my mother is interested in you."
The golden-haired woman tried to maintain her composure so her nerves wouldn't show. She knew that facing the matriarch of the Astaford family was a trial by fire. If she managed to convince her, the throne of Demor would be much closer to her grasp.
"I'll go see her on Sunday afternoon," Elara replied, recovering her confident air. "Tell her to expect me that day."
Valeria nodded slightly and looked at her, hesitating whether to say anything else. The silence stretched for a second before she decided to speak honestly.
"You should bring the Marchioness Vane with you, or anyone else who supports you…" Valeria warned in a somber tone. "She won't go easy on you, Elara."
On the other hand, the "Ice Queen," who was feeling much better now, stood in front of a certain someone's door. She raised her hand to knock, but stopped right there, her fist hanging in the air.
"Come on, Cassane… it's just thanking him for the other day. It's not that hard," she whispered to herself, trying to recover her usual coldness.
"Mmm… but what if I'm bothering him?" she murmured immediately, turning around ready to flee from the men's dormitories.
Slap!
Cassane smacked both her cheeks with her hands to pull herself together.
"No, I have to see him. Besides… he owes me a date," she added, while an intense blush covered her face, completely betraying her title as the Ice Queen.
At that moment, before she could knock, Adela suddenly opened the door. She looked with deep puzzlement at the woman standing there.
Cassane, upon seeing the woman who always followed Cassian, immediately tried to regain her untouchable appearance and asked with forced calm:
"Is Cassian here? I wanted to see my fiancé."
Adela shot her a sharp look; if that gaze could cut, Cassane would already be in pieces. The air grew heavy between the two, a silent friction that neither was willing to yield.
"I'll tell him you came to see him," Adela replied in a frigid voice. "If he doesn't want to see you, don't expect me to insist."
Without waiting for a response, Adela turned around, leaving the "Ice Queen" waiting in the hallway.
Meanwhile, Cassian, who was lying down, noticed that Adela had returned too quickly and frowned upon seeing her sour expression.
"Your little ice cube is at the door, Master," Adela said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
Cassian raised an eyebrow, silently asking what exactly she meant by that nickname. But after a second of silence, he let out an amused laugh once he understood who was waiting outside.
"Tell her to come in," he ordered calmly, "and then come help me change."
Adela nodded, though she couldn't hide the resentment in her gesture.
…
I looked at the woman sitting in front of me, anxiously staring at her hands.
She is a woman whom fate seems to drag me toward constantly, no matter how much I try to ignore her.
"So, what did you want to tell me?" I asked as I sat down relaxed in the chair opposite her.
She stopped fidgeting with her hands and began interrogating me with her eyes.
"First, I wanted to thank you for the other day… It seems I can control my attribute much better now. But… I can't help but wonder: what level are you currently at? You can't hide it from me anymore. You clearly used some kind of energy that day—whether aura or mana."
I looked at her with exhaustion, unfazed.
"I don't think I owe you any explanation."
Cassane bit her lip, clearly annoyed by my response.
"But you do owe me something, remember? You stood me up on Saturday."
"I think you know what happened that day, don't you? And I also don't remember promising I would go."
"But it's too late now. Since you don't want to explain anything, at least come with me to do what we couldn't do the other day."
My face said it all: accompanying her on some boring outing was not on my agenda. She immediately noticed my contempt.
"Why are you looking at me like that? Going out with me is not a waste of time. Anyone in this Academy, or any noble our age, would give anything to go out with me."
"Cancel the engagement, Cassane. I have no intention of playing house with you."
My words were the spark that ignited the fire. Her eyes shone with dangerous determination.
"The more you ask me to cancel it, the less I'll do it. You'll see; you'll end up begging me to keep it."
As I watch her storm out of my room angrily, I start to have a bad feeling: this woman is going to bring me a lot more trouble.
But someone who would definitely fulfill those words arrived not long after Cassane left.
A woman soaked by the early morning rain, wearing a black cloak and clearly showing urgency and anxiety in her posture, as if she were fleeing from something.
Her eyes, hidden in the shadow of her hood, locked onto mine with an intensity that left no room for doubt.
"Cassian…" she murmured, her voice broken by cold and exhaustion. "I had nowhere else to go."