Chapter 106: [Review Criteria Bonus] Selection [1]

The hall was completely still.

Every noble, every minister, every guard along the perimeter walls stayed exactly where they were and waited. Even the echo of the gavel had faded. Nothing moved except the dust particles drifting in the cold light above the marble floor.

Isabella stood facing the king.

"So. What will it be, Your Highness?"

Alistair’s hands were flat on the cracked desk. His jaw was so tight a muscle kept jumping in his cheek. He stared down at the table like he was trying to find a way out written somewhere in the grain of the wood.

He knew where this was going. He had known for the last thirty seconds.

The moment Alden entered Upper Academy custody, the crown’s grip on him disappeared. If the boy survived the war, came back breathing and standing, he would return as something the public called a savior. Executing the person who held the line for humanity would make the monarchy look like petty, grieving cowards. The Upper Academy would protect him. The people would love him. No court in the kingdom would hand down the sentence.

His fists stayed clenched under the table.

’She is taking him right out of my hands.’

The Chief Magistrate cleared his throat carefully. "Given the imminent threat of war and the need to gather every capable fighter we have, postponing the proceedings would be in the kingdom’s best interest." He looked at Alistair with quiet gravity. "However, this concerns the death of a member of the royal family. Your son." He folded his hands. "Therefore, the final decision rests with you, Your Highness. Do you wish to continue the proceedings, or accept Lady Isabella’s request?"

The silence that followed was long.

Then Alistair slowly unclenched his fists. His shoulders came down a fraction.

"I agree," he said.

Leon’s fist closed at his side. Roselle’s eyes went bright.

"I formally request that the proceedings against Alden be postponed until the circumstances surrounding the war have been resolved."

The Chief Magistrate raised the gavel.

"Considering the imminent threat of war, the request of the Upper Academy, and the agreement of His Highness, this court orders that the proceedings against Alden be suspended." The gavel came down hard.

BANG.

"The case shall remain on hold until the conclusion of the war. Until then, the accused shall not face further punishment under this case."

BANG.

"This hearing is adjourned."

The echo rolled through the hall and faded.

For a single, breathless second, no one moved.

Then Leon threw both fists in the air. "He’s safe!"

Roselle pressed both hands over her mouth. "Thank goodness."

Darius released a long, slow breath. "We got lucky this time."

Nicholas stood quietly. His eyes went to Isabella standing besides Alden. The corner of his mouth moved upward, just slightly, and he looked down so no one would see it.

’I guess I’ll have to thank you for this later, sis.’ he thought.

In the center of the hall, Alden said nothing.

He simply turned his head and found Alistair across the stone floor. Their eyes met. The king’s face was dark with something that had no clean name. Anger and grief and the specific bitterness of a man who has just been outmaneuvered and knows exactly how it happened.

Alden held his gaze.

The faint smile at the corner of his lips said everything his voice didn’t.

’I won.’

________

The heavy doors closed behind them.

Alden walked the wide palace corridor surrounded by Isabella, Theodore, Nicholas, Roselle, Leon, and Darius. There were no chains. For the first time in what felt like several lifetimes, he was moving through a building as a person rather than a prisoner.

His hands were still bruised from the cuffs. His body had opinions about every step he took. The palace staff had given him a simple set of clothes that fit loosely across the shoulders. None of it mattered. He was moving.

Theodore, walking beside Isabella, dragged a hand slowly down his entire face.

"Oh, God."

Everyone looked at him.

He stopped walking, grabbed his own head, and stared at the ceiling with the expression of a man who has just fully understood the consequences of something he agreed hours ago.

"’The Upper Academy has officially selected Alden,’" he said, mimicking Isabella’s calm voice. "’The Upper Academy is requesting one favor.’" He dropped his hands and turned to her. "Why did you lie about all of that?!"

Isabella continued walking at exactly the same pace.

Theodore hurried to catch up. "We’ve already revealed the existence of the vampire war! and now all these lies..." He pointed at her back. "Do you understand what happens to us when the higher authorities find out what we just did?!"

Isabella glanced at him sideways. "We’ll probably lose our heads."

Theodore stopped walking entirely. He stood in the middle of the corridor with his mouth open.

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT SO CALMLY?!"

Leon, Roselle, and Nicholas all stopped behind them.

"Wait." Leon stared at Isabella. "Did she just say..."

Roselle’s eyes went wide. "The Upper Academy didn’t actually select Alden?"

Nicholas looked at Isabella, then at Theodore, then at Alden.

Darius turned toward Isabella with a very specific expression. "Lady Isabella. Are you telling me that the selection was fabricated?"

"Yes," Isabella said.

She said it the way you confirm that water is wet.

Darius stared at her for a moment. "...I see."

Leon immediately pointed at her. "Then WHY did you lie?!"

Isabella looked at Theodore. "Ask him."

Theodore’s face contorted. "Why does everything keep circling back to me?!"

"It was your idea to save him."

"I suggested finding A way to save him! I didn’t suggest lying to the royal court and announcing a classified war before the High Command convened!"

"You agreed to the plan."

"I agreed to the war part! Not all those lies about the Upper Academy selecting Alden!"

Leon turned slowly and looked at Alden. Then at Isabella. Then back at Alden.

"So the entire thing," he said carefully, "was planned from the start?"

Roselle turned to Alden with the expression of someone whose brain is still catching up to what her ears are telling her. "The whole trial was... part of a plan?"

Alden adjusted the loose collar of his temporary clothes.

"Of course it was," he said. "Did you really think I was going to sit there quietly while everyone discussed whether I should die?"

Roselle blinked. "Then you three planned all of this before the trial even started?"

"I knew within the first ten minutes that the court wasn’t going to go in my favor," Alden said. "So I needed another way out. I had help of these two Spires."

Theodore let out a long and deeply suffering sigh. "Calling what we did ’help’ is going to sound a lot less impressive when someone comes to collect our heads."

Alden completely ignored it.

Roselle looked at him without saying anything for a moment. She had always found him hard to predict. But this was something else. He had been standing in that hall, chained, surrounded by people who wanted him dead, with bruises across half his body from the night before.

And the entire time, the situation was already moving the way he needed it to move.

Darius watched him with a quiet, satisfied look. He stroked his chin.

’Unpredictable as always,’ he thought. ’Even when everything seems stacked against him, he finds the crack in the wall and walks through it.’

’Keeping my eye on this boy was absolutely the right decision.’

Meanwhile, Theodore was still muttering about his career being over.

Isabella turned to him. "By the way."

Theodore looked up miserably. "What now."

"Now that the war has already been announced publicly," Isabella said, her expression thoughtful and completely unbothered, "we may as well head back to Astral Academy and recruit nine more cadets while we’re here."

Theodore stared at her.

The corridor was very quiet.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" His voice bounced off every stone wall in both directions. "I’m standing here trying to figure out how we avoid getting executed, and you are already planning the NEXT step?!"

Isabella blinked. "Why are you so worried?"

"WHY WOULD I NOT BE?!" He pointed one finger at her. "We’re done for! Don’t you understand?" Another finger at Alden. "We fabricated an Upper Academy selection!" Both thumbs back at himself. "And apparently I’M the one who came up with the idea! And who knows you’ll simply blame me while the Chief asks."

"Correct," Isabella said.

Theodore’s face fell. "You were supposed to reassure me."

"Relax." She turned and walked ahead. "I will ensure Alden is registered as already selected for the Upper Academy secretly so don’t you worry, I have ways of handling things."

Theodore watched her go, his mouth slightly open. "That sentence has never once made me feel better in my life."

Alden laughed. It was small and quiet and slightly painful because of his ribs, but it was real.

Leon looked at him sideways. "You seem very relaxed for someone who almost got executed an hour ago."

"Why wouldn’t I be?" Alden glanced back at the closed doors of the Judgment Hall.

"I knew I wasn’t going to die."

Nicholas shook his head with a small smile. "Of course you did."