Chapter 190 — Make Your Pick

Chapter 190: Chapter 190 — Make Your Pick

~ Raven ~

Someone made a strangled noise nearby.

Adelaide’s head snapped toward Raven, and whatever shock had been there disappeared instantly.

"Oh, fuck," Brielle murmured.

Adelaide surged to her feet.

Raven barely had time to shift her stance before two women caught Adelaide from either side.

"Let go of me!"

Another woman grabbed her arm. "Adelaide—"

"Get off!"

She fought against them hard enough that one nearly lost her grip.

Raven remained where she was.

"Let me fucking go!"

"Everyone is watching!"

"I don’t give a shit!"

When Adelaide twisted halfway free, a fourth woman rushed in and wrapped both arms around her from behind, dragging her back before she could reach Raven.

By then, the corridor outside had stopped completely.

Linkslates were everywhere.

Adelaide either did not see them or had stopped caring because her eyes remained fixed entirely on Raven.

"You fucking bitch!"

Raven raised an eyebrow.

"I’ll kill you!"

That produced a different kind of silence.

Even Raven’s amusement disappeared.

One of Adelaide’s friends grabbed her face and forced her attention toward the doors. "Stop. Look outside. Everyone can see you!"

Adelaide tried to wrench away. "Fuck!! I said let me go!"

Brielle stepped closer until her shoulder nearly touched Raven’s.

Raven did not retreat.

She simply watched Adelaide struggle against three women from her own circle while half the hall and an increasing number of students outside recorded every second of it.

Second Seat.

Perfectly composed Second Seat.

Being physically restrained by her own friends after trying to attack Raven over a fall.

It was a beautiful sight.

Then a voice cut cleanly through the chaos.

"What is going on here?"

Every head turned.

Instructor Berry stood in the doorway.

Nobody answered.

Her gaze travelled slowly across the room, taking in the students clustered outside first, then the raised Linkslates and finally Adelaide still being held by three women.

Her attention eventually settled on Raven and Brielle standing together several paces away.

Berry closed her eyes for a moment.

When she opened them again, she looked profoundly tired.

"I am just twenty minutes late."

Still nobody answered.

Berry pointed toward Adelaide. "Can she stand without attempting murder?"

One of the women holding her hesitated.

Adelaide glared at Raven.

Berry sighed. "That was not reassuring."

Someone near the back laughed before attempting to disguise it as a cough. Another woman covered her mouth.

Berry looked toward them until the noise stopped.

Mostly.

"I do not care what happened before I walked through that door. Whatever idiocy this is, resolve it somewhere that does not interfere with tomorrow’s Ball."

Adelaide finally stopped struggling, and her friends released her carefully.

She immediately straightened her uniform with shaking hands while Raven turned away before the smile threatening her mouth became visible.

Berry moved to the front table and dropped several slates onto it.

"Now, since apparently none of you are capable of remaining unsupervised, we are going to handle the actual reason I needed all twenty of you here."

The room gradually settled, and Raven’s amusement faded with it.

Berry looked across them. "First Seat Marchmont remains medically unavailable. Unless that changes before tomorrow evening, someone else will perform the representative duties attached to First Seat during the Renewal Ball."

A few women glanced toward Adelaide.

Berry noticed.

"This does not change Court Standing. Marchmont remains First Seat. Whoever is endorsed today represents the Court for one evening and one evening only."

Good.

At least that could not become another rumour by dinner.

Berry picked up the first slate. "Traditionally, this is simple. Second Seat assumes the responsibility whenever First Seat is unavailable."

Her attention moved toward Adelaide.

Most of Adelaide’s composure had returned by now, although the colour still sitting high across her cheeks made the recovery less convincing than she probably wanted.

Berry looked around the room. "Is anyone uncomfortable with Adelaide Fenn performing First Seat’s representative role tomorrow?"

Silence followed.

Raven kept her hand firmly at her side.

As much as she disliked Adelaide, she had absolutely no interest in turning this into another fight.

Second replaced First.

That was simply how this worked.

Berry waited several seconds before glancing down at the slate. "Excellent. Then unless someone has an objection, there is no reason to waste another fifteen minutes on a formal endorsement process."

A hand rose near the back.

Berry stopped.

Raven looked over.

One of the lower Seats stood with her hand raised.

Berry stared at her. "Yes?"

The woman hesitated before saying, "I want the vote."

Something shifted through the room.

Adelaide’s expression changed.

Berry frowned. "You want a formal endorsement?"

"Yes."

"For Adelaide?"

The woman swallowed. "No."

Raven’s attention sharpened.

Another hand rose.

Then another.

A fourth appeared among the middle Seats, followed quickly by a fifth.

Raven looked around slowly.

What the hell?

Women who had barely spoken all afternoon were raising their hands now. Lower Seats, middle Seats, even one woman Raven had seen standing near the First Circle earlier hesitated for several seconds before lifting hers.

Beside Raven, Brielle turned slowly, confusion written plainly across her face.

Raven leaned slightly toward her. "What?"

Brielle kept staring ahead. "This doesn’t happen."

That was not reassuring.

More hands rose.

Adelaide had gone completely still, while Celeste looked around the room and, for the first time all afternoon, something close to uncertainty appeared on her face.

Berry stared at the collection of raised hands with growing irritation before placing the slate back on the table.

"Fine. If nearly all of you are determined to make this more complicated than it needs to be, we’ll vote."

Nobody lowered their hands.

Berry’s gaze swept across the room. "Who exactly are you endorsing instead?"

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then the first woman lowered her raised hand.

Raven watched the movement.

Except the hand did not drop to her side.

It extended forward.

Toward Raven.

Her eyes widened.

Another woman followed.

Then another.

Across the rehearsal hall, hands began turning one after another until they were no longer raised toward the ceiling.

They were pointing at Raven Rivers.