Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Chapter 39: Stench of Trouble

Elara:

I stepped out of Professor Fenrith’s office and released a long breath, letting my shoulders drop for the first time in the past hour.

And surprisingly, the sigh had nothing to do with what I’d learned during the special class. In fact, the lesson itself had been useful. Professor Fenrith had finally started explaining more about Starfall’s magical structure, the seal, the basics of spellcasting, and the different ways magical energy moved through the body.

I had filled almost half my notebook with information, and for once, I felt like I was actually making progress.

The reason for my exhaustion was entirely the man himself. Following Esmeray’s advice, I’d gone straight to Professor Fenrith after my regular classes and apologized for walking out of his special class days ago.

I had expected another lecture, perhaps some cold remarks or at least a little stubbornness after he had ignored me for nearly a week. Instead, the moment I apologized, he simply looked at me, nodded, and said, "Good. Sit down."

That was it. No grudge. No punishment. No dramatic speech. He proceeded with the lesson as though our argument had never happened in the first place, explaining everything with the same calm expression he had always worn. And somehow, that irritated me more than if he had actually been angry.

Apparently, he could throw a tantrum for a week and then erase the entire thing from existence the second I apologized.

By the time the hour ended, I’d made a very important mental note - I was never crossing Professor Fenrith again if I could help it. My sanity simply wasn’t worth it.

With all my classes finally finished for the day, I packed my things and headed back toward my dorm. I was already thinking about food when I reached the staircase leading toward my floor. I hadn’t even reached the top when a foul smell hit my nose.

I stopped so abruptly that a student behind me nearly bumped into my back.

"What the..." I muttered, immediately covering my nose.

The smell was so horrible that it seemed to coat the inside of my throat. I noticed the usual closed doors of my neighbors were wide open as other girls had stepped into the hallway to investigate. And the moment I stepped in the hallway, their eyes moved away from the open door of my form and landed on me. The expressions on their faces were almost accusing, as though I’d personally committed some crime against their noses.

I hurried toward my dorm, my stomach twisting with every step, and the moment I reached the doorway, I understood why. The smell was coming from inside. My dorm smelled as though someone had opened a garbage truck and emptied its entire contents into my living room.

"My goodness!"

My voice came out muffled behind my hand.

Every window and door inside had been thrown open, yet the stench remained stubbornly trapped inside. Myra was already there, scrubbing the floor furiously with a mop that smelled strongly of flowers.

She looked exhausted. Her hair was coming loose, her sleeves were rolled up, and there were faint streaks of dirt across her face. She looked like she had spent the entire day cleaning a sewer.

"Myra?" I called.

She turned around, and the relief on her face was almost comical. "Princess!" She hurried toward me before stopping herself a few feet away. "I’m so sorry. I tried everything."

I stared at her. "What happened?"

She pointed helplessly toward the living room. "When I came about an hour ago, the entire place was filled with garbage. Food waste, rotten vegetables, old paper, broken things... I don’t even know where it all came from. I have already thrown everything away and scrubbed the entire floor twice. I even opened every window, moped the dorm, and even burned floral scent crystals, but..." She waved her mop toward the room. "The smell refuses to leave."

I was speechless for a moment. Then my disbelief turned into anger. "How did garbage even get inside my dorm?" I asked.

I knew exactly how low some people here were willing to stoop. Reign, Alaric, Liliana, and probably half their little circle had enough reasons to make my life miserable. But there was one major problem.

"I locked the door this morning." I knew that for sure.

Myra looked at me for a moment before giving me an almost apologetic expression. "Princess..." She hesitated. "This is Moonveil Academy."

"Yes, I have noticed."

"It’s a magical academy." She pointed toward the door. "A normal human lock isn’t enough here. Someone with even a little magic could open it."

I stared at her. "You are telling me a child could break into my room?"

"Probably." She winced slightly. "Everyone puts a locking spell on their dorm door. Without one, anyone with the right magic can enter."

I closed my eyes.

Of course.

Why would anyone bother telling me that before I got my dorm trashed?

"Just great," I muttered.

Myra lowered her mop. "I can clean the place, Princess. I’m sure it will start smelling normal in a while."

I looked around the living room, wondering whether I should be angry, depressed, or simply exhausted. Then my thought immediately went to my familiar.

Usually when I returned after my classes, he would be sitting on the living room couch like the owner of this place, ready to be served. But there was no sign of him right now.

I quickly looked around the living room and kitchen before heading to the bedroom. But there was no sign of the cat. I even checked the balcony but he wasn’t there either.

Though he sometimes liked to wander around the academy, he usually did it during night. So his absence at this hour of the day was making me worry.

What if whoever had done this to my dorm had taken away my cat?

"Myra," I called as I returned to the living room. "Have you seen my cat?"

Much to my relief, Myra nodded quickly. "He’s here when I came. But then left when I was cleaning."

She barely finished speaking when the sound of footsteps had both of us turning toward the doorway just as someone stepped inside.