Chapter 105

Chapter 105: Chapter 105

The afternoon sun had begun its slow descent toward the horizon, painting the arena in shades of amber and gold. The entertainment continued on the central stage a troupe of acrobats from the northern territories performing feats of balance and strength that drew gasps from the crowd but not everyone’s attention was fixed on the spectacle.

In an empty classroom down the eastern corridor, far from the noise and the crowds, two figures stood in the shadows. The only light came from a single torch flickering on the wall, casting long, dancing shadows across the stone floor.

Xavier stood with his back straight and his hands clasped behind him, his easy smile replaced by an expression of cold professionalism. Before him stood a figure cloaked in shadow, their face obscured by the dim light, their voice low and commanding.

"Is everything in place?" the figure asked.

"Yes. Everything has been arranged exactly as you instructed. The distractions are prepared. The guards’ rotations have been noted. No one will suspect anything until it’s too late."

"And Killian? Is he still under control?"

Xavier’s lips curved into a thin smile. "Killian has sent his lackey to make sure everything is in place. Draven is loyal to him, and Killian is loyal to the mission. There won’t be any mistakes this time."

The figure nodded slowly. "Good. You’ve done well, Xavier. I’ll be sure to let my father know of your... dedication."

"Thank you." Xavier inclined his head. "It’s an honor to serve."

The figure stepped forward, and the torchlight caught the edge of a cold smile. "Thorne won’t know what hit him. Or should I say... Nyra Astrlyn?"

A laugh echoed through the empty classroom cold and cruel and full of dark anticipation.

Xavier’s smile widened. "She doesn’t know we’re aware of her true identity. She thinks her secret is still safe."

"That’s exactly what I want. I told only you because I want it kept secret until I decide the perfect moment to expose it. Even my father doesn’t know yet." The figure’s eyes glittered with sadistic pleasure. "I would love to see the look on the King’s face when he discovers his precious son is in love with a princess pretending to be a prince. A woman who has been fooling the entire academy for months. Impersonating a dead heir. Deceiving the Crown."

"It will be quite a show," Xavier agreed, his own smile turning cruel.

"This is why I like you best, Xavier. You understand the value of patience. Of timing." The figure stepped back into the shadows. "You can go now. I need to return to the arena before anyone notices I’m missing."

The figure slipped out of the classroom, their footsteps silent on the stone floor. Xavier remained behind, his smile lingering. He waited a few minutes, counting the seconds, before he too slipped out and made his way back toward the arena.

In another part of the academy, far from the first classroom, Valeria walked down a quiet corridor, her heels clicking against the stone. The sounds of the showcase were distant here muffled music and the occasional roar of applause. She had excused herself from the arena, claiming she needed to check on something in her office. It wasn’t entirely a lie.

A hand shot out from a darkened doorway and grabbed her arm.

Before she could cry out, she was pulled into an empty classroom, her back pressed against the cold stone wall. Her heart hammered and then she saw the face of her captor.

"Elias." She let out a breath, half relief and half irritation. "You scared me."

"Have you been ignoring me?" Elias dark eyes searched her face. His hands rested on her hips, his fingers tracing slow circles through the fabric of her gown. "You haven’t called me to your suite in a while, Vanessa."

Valeria smiled and reached up to touch his jaw. "Why would I do that to the person satisfying my needs? I’ve just been very busy these past few days. The showcase. The King’s arrival. There’s been no time for... recreation."

"And after the showcase?"

"After the showcase, we’ll see each other more often." Her hand slid down his chest, lower, until her fingers brushed the buckle of his trousers. "I promise."

Elias’s breath hitched. "I’ll hold you to that. But for now—" His hand traced down her thigh, sliding beneath the fabric of her gown. "I need you."

Valeria gasped as his fingers found her, her head falling back against the wall. "Elias..."

"Shh." His lips brushed her ear. "Someone might hear."

She bit her lip, stifling her moans as his fingers worked their magic, his pushed two fingers inside her and his other thumb was rubbing her clit, pleasuring her in a different way.

Valeria muffled against his hands as he blocked her mouth from moaning out loud, his fingers making wet sounds as they slid in and out fucking her.

Mhmm, fuck, Eli..yes right there..faster...shit I’ve missed this she said in a muffled tone as he continued fucking her with his fingers, he added a third finger stretching her.

Fuckk...I’m about to come she said as her moans became louder and she came on his fingers, her juices sliding down his hands as he brought out his fingers and licked it then he kissed her allowing her taste herself on his lips.

She sucked on his lips, her hands finding it way down his trousers as she unbuckled it and removed his pants, his cock sprang free free and she bent down and started stroking it.

Eliast grunted as he she took him whole, she was sucking him so bad, his eyes was filled with pleasure as she sucked him deeper.

Fuck, take it more Valeria, he said as she was sucking him faster and he soon cummed in her mouth.

After that, she stood up and he bent her over and adjusted her panty, he stroked himself a little and pushed his length deep into her.

Her moans filled the room as he fucked her brutally exactly the way she liked it.

The showcase continued outside, the crowd cheering for the acrobats and the dancers, completely unaware of what was happening in the shadowed classroom.

Back in the arena, the entertainment was winding down. The acrobats had finished their performance and taken their bows. The last of the afternoon light was fading, and the arena torches had been lit, casting a warm golden glow over the assembled crowd.

In the Shadowmoon student section, Nyra sat with her friends, her eyes on the stage but her mind elsewhere. The pageantry would begin soon. Soren would perform with Selene. She would have to watch them dance, watch them smile, watch them kiss.

"Thorne."

A voice broke through her thoughts. She turned to see a girl standing at the end of their row a Silvermoon student she recognized vaguely from the dormitories. She was short and round-faced, with warm brown eyes and a nervous smile.

"Maureen," the girl said, as if anticipating the question. "Maureen Holt. I’m in the year above you. I hope I’m not interrupting."

"You’re not," Nyra said, though her brow furrowed in confusion. "Can we help you?"

"Actually, I was hoping to talk to Jasper." Maureen’s cheeks flushed pink. "If that’s alright."

A moment of stunned silence fell over the group. Then Finn let out a whoop of laughter.

"Jasper! Someone wants to talk to Jasper! Our Jasper! The one who only communicates through books and sarcasm!"

"Shut up, Finn," Jasper muttered, his sharp eyes fixed on the girl with an expression of barely concealed panic.

"Don’t be rude, Jasper." Nyra was already smiling, her earlier melancholy momentarily forgotten. "Of course you can sit with us, Maureen. Here, take my seat. I’ll squeeze in next to Finn."

"No, really, I don’t want to—"

"Nonsense." Nyra stood and gestured for Maureen to sit down beside Jasper. The girl did so, her blush deepening.

"Hi," Maureen said, turning to Jasper with a shy smile.

Jasper stared at her as if she had just materialized from another dimension. "Hello."

"I’m Maureen. Maureen Holt. I saw you in the strategic warfare simulation today. You were amazing. The way you held off Team Stone’s entire army by yourself? That was incredible."

Jasper blinked. "I lost."

"But you bought enough time for the victory. That’s what matters. You sacrificed yourself for the team. That’s real leadership."

Jasper opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "I... thank you."

"You’re welcome." Maureen’s smile widened. "I was hoping we could be friends. I’ve seen you around the academy since I came with my school, but you’re always reading, and I didn’t want to interrupt."

"We can’t be friends," Jasper said flatly. "I don’t know you."

"That doesn’t matter. As long as we know each other’s names, we’re already friends." She tilted her head. "What’s your full name? I told you mine. It’s only fair you tell me yours."

"Jasper Reed."

"Jasper Reed." She tested the name on her tongue. "I like it. It suits you. Quiet and mysterious."

Finn was practically crying with laughter. Marek’s shoulders were shaking. Even Nyra was grinning openly.

"Jasper has a girlfriend," Finn sang under his breath. "Jasper has a girlfriend—"

"I do not have a girlfriend," Jasper hissed. "This is not a—we are not—"

"So, Jasper," Maureen continued, utterly undeterred, "what did you think of the potions exhibition? I saw you taking notes during Corvin’s presentation. Do you study alchemy too?"

"No."

"I do! I’m in the intermediate potions track. Maybe you could help me study sometime. You seem like you’d be good at explaining things."

"I don’t explain things. I observe them."

"Same thing, really."

"It’s not the same thing at all."

Maureen just smiled, completely unfazed by Jasper’s prickliness. She continued chattering about the showcase, asking him questions about the combat exhibition and the strategic simulation, praising his performance with genuine enthusiasm. Jasper answered mostly in monosyllables, his discomfort painfully obvious, but Maureen didn’t seem to mind.

"She’s perfect for him," Finn whispered to Nyra. "Absolutely perfect. She’s immune to his personality."

"Some people like quiet people," Nyra whispered back.

"Quiet is one thing. Jasper is a fortress. She’s laying siege with sunshine and compliments."

Nyra laughed, but as the entertainment continued, her smile gradually faded. The sun had fully set now, and the arena was lit by hundreds of torches and floating lanterns that bobbed gently in the evening breeze. The pageantry would begin at any moment. And she still hadn’t spoken to Soren. Not properly. Not since their stolen moment in the empty classroom.

Corvin noticed the shift in her mood immediately. He leaned closer, his voice low enough that only she could hear. "It will be over soon. The pageantry. The ball. And then you can talk to him as much as you want."

Nyra nodded, but her expression remained troubled. "Corvin... doesn’t it hurt you? To say things like that? To comfort me about Soren when you—" She stopped, unable to finish the sentence.

"When I have feelings for you?" Corvin finished quietly. "Yes. It hurts. Every time I see you look at him the way I wish you would look at me. Every time I hold your hand knowing you’re thinking of someone else. It hurts more than I can say."

"Then why do you stay? Why do you keep helping me?"

"Because I can’t force my feelings on you." His voice was gentle, steady. "Because you didn’t choose this bond. Neither did I. Neither did Soren. We’re all just trying to navigate something none of us expected. And I would rather have your friendship than nothing at all."

Nyra’s eyes glistened. "I’m sorry. I’m sorry I can’t reciprocate. I wish I could—"

"You don’t have to be sorry." Corvin reached up and brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. "You did nothing wrong. We are friends. That’s more than enough for me to ask. So don’t talk as if you want to stop being friends with me all of a sudden."

"I don’t want to stop being friends." Her voice cracked. "You’re one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I don’t know what I would have done without you these past months."

"Probably gotten yourself killed several times over."

She laughed despite herself. "Probably."

"Then it’s a good thing I was there." He opened his arms, and she leaned into him, resting her head against his chest. He held her gently, his chin resting on top of her silver hair. "Thank you," she whispered. "For everything you’ve done. I don’t take any of it for granted."

"You don’t need to thank me. It’s the least I can do for you, as your mate. As your friend." He paused. "Whatever you need me to be."

They stayed like that for a long moment, Nyra drawing comfort from his steady presence, Corvin silently memorizing the feel of her in his arms.

Then the trumpets sounded.

The crowd stirred. The torches flared brighter. And at the entrance to the arena, the pageantry participants began to assemble.

Nyra pulled back from Corvin’s embrace, her eyes scanning the entrance. And there he was. Soren, dressed in his formal pageantry attire a fitted black coat with silver embroidery that caught the torchlight like captured stars. His dark hair was swept back, his expression composed, every inch the crown prince he had been born to be.

And beside him, her arm intertwined with his, was Selene.

She wore a gown of pale gold that flowed around her like liquid sunlight, her dark hair arranged in elaborate curls, her amber eyes sparkling with triumph. She looked like a queen. She looked like she already owned him.

Soren’s eyes swept across the crowd. He found Nyra almost immediately, he always found her—and for a moment, his composure cracked. Something soft and desperate flickered in his dark eyes. Then he saw that she was sitting beside Corvin. That Corvin’s arm was still around her shoulders. That her eyes were red from almost crying.

His expression fell.

Selene followed his gaze. Her amber eyes landed on Nyra, still nestled against Corvin’s side, and her jaw tightened with barely concealed fury. But she recovered quickly, her smile returning like a mask sliding into place.

"My love," she said, her voice loud enough to carry to the nearby spectators. She squeezed his arm possessively. "Shall we?"

Soren didn’t answer. He was still looking at Nyra.

The trumpets sounded again. The pageantry was about to begin.

And Nyra watched the man she loved walk into the arena with another woman on his arm.