---Three Days Later---
After the memory alterations were complete, the princesses, Vandel, and I retreated to the royal study. Closed off from prying ears and eyes, I divulged a redacted explanation of what those entities were. I detailed their origin, their purpose for lurking around the palace, and the involvement of the Rachelle Holy Kingdom. Upon learning what would become of the world if left unchecked, Hertrude proposed a temporary ceasefire and alliance. It took hours of negotiation, but both parties left satisfied.
“You… You got the Principality of Fanoss to agree to all of this?” Prime Minister Atlee reviewed the stack of documents I had just handed him. “I knew you were a warrior, but to think you were a talented politician as well…”
“I was skeptical of your abilities past combat and magic, but you proved me wrong. When I next see the Guildmaster, I must apologize for dismissing his assessment of you.” Duke Redgrave took a sip of tea. “The Kingdom has sent negotiators to the Principality over the years, but not one has made progress. In a single afternoon, you brought our people home and convinced them to put aside old grudges to join us against the Holy Kingdom.”
While the two leaders offered praise, the other men in the room sharpened their weapons. They waited for the order to round up Marquis Frampton and his faction. On top of everything else, Hertrude had delivered a gift for saving their lives, handing over copies of her entire intelligence file on the Marquis with a smile. Combined with my existing evidence, the traitors faced execution and asset seizure.
A platinum-blonde woman burst into the room, her chest heaving from exertion. “I just heard the news! Is it true?”
The Duke and Prime Minister nodded. Without warning, the woman rushed forward and pulled me into a tight embrace. As she thanked me repeatedly, the aroma of honey and lilac reached my nose. This woman, Mylene Rapha Holfort, was my favorite figure from the original story. Her bubbly, doting personality made my knees weak and made my heart skip a beat.
“Words cannot express the happiness this news brings. While the ceasefire is temporary, we might bury our old grudges during this period and forge a lasting peace.” Mylene squeezed me tighter. “We will compensate you for everything you have accomplished. Since Frampton’s time as a nobleman ends today, I intend to grant Leon his lands and title. After everything, he has more than met the requirements. Right?”
The noblemen nodded. As the person who exposed Frampton’s treachery and provided the tools to bury him, it only made sense for Leon to claim the man’s station. Even given his youth, he had proven himself a once-in-a-generation genius.
“The only problem now is that we must find you a suitable marriage partner. A man like you needs a special woman to stand beside him. We need someone with a strong will, a good heart, and most of all, the fortitude to walk beside you through thick and thin.” Mylene released her grip, taking a step back to examine me. ‘It’s hard to believe someone with his handsome face has not yet been claimed. He has looks, wealth, and a promising political career. By every measure, he is a catch.’
“If that is your wish, I accept your reward.” I bowed my head. ‘Thank goodness she let go when she did. My poor heart could not take much more.’
As I lifted my head, I inquired if they needed me for anything else. If not, I wanted to return to the Academy to catch up on classwork. The Queen granted permission, her gaze following me as I exited the room.
“Ahem, Your Majesty.” The Prime Minister cleared his throat. “About Frampton, when would you like to proceed with the purge? Our forces are ready to move at your word.”
An icy expression settled on her beautiful face. “Mobilize our forces at once. I want this wrapped up before dusk today. Make sure not one of those traitors escapes the capital or the country.”
Driven by her command, the noblemen—except for the Duke and the Prime Minister—shot to their feet and saluted. With royal authority granted, they stormed out of the room with bloodthirsty smiles. At the forefront of the group, Lord Field gripped his saber with a death grip. Frampton had placed his beloved wife and young children in danger. He would see the old man die by his own hand.
“Are the two of you not going?” Mylene glanced back.
“My son, Gilbert, will handle the logistics. As my heir, it is important he gain experience leading our men in situations like this.” Vince took another sip of tea.
“Clarice and the other fiancées are carrying out my orders on Academy grounds,” Prime Minister Atlee added with a grin. “The children of the traitor houses will be rounded up, along with Frampton’s spies, and brought here. Executing them alongside their parents feels excessive, so I am considering thirty years of forced military service as punishment.”
Mylene smiled, appreciating the restraint shown in the sentence. The idea of executing misguided children would leave an unpleasant taste in her mouth. This offered both a penalty and a path to forge a new life unstained by their families’ treason. She could only hope they realized the opportunity and took advantage of it, though she knew that was a stretch.
“Alright, how about we review potential candidates for Lord Aremus?” Mylene pulled up a chair and began listing promising women she knew.
---3rd Person POV---
With a pained groan, Marie’s consciousness returned. She opened her eyes, taking in a musty, damp cobblestone room. Moss grew from the ceiling overhead, dripping cold water onto her bare skin. Unfamiliar with her surroundings, she sat up to explore, only for her stomach to churn in protest. When she forced herself to stand, her legs gave out, sending her sprawling onto the floor.
“Why is my body acting so…” A sudden flash of memories cut off her thought. “Shit, that is right. Those robed psychopaths took my family, my servants, and me hostage. I need to get out of here right now.”
Marie placed a hand against the wall to steady herself as she tried to stand again. This time, her legs held her weight, though she trembled under the effort. Driven by urgency, Marie explored every corner of the small, eight-foot cell. Aside from a waste bucket, a thick oaken door, and the stone slab she had slept on, the room was empty.
“Hello?” Marie leaped up and grabbed the bars set into the oaken door’s small window. “Someone answer me, please! I am too young and beautiful to die in a hellhole like this!”
Instead of a response, only the terrified groans of other captives echoed through the corridor. Unable to see much outside her cell aside from identical doors, she let go of the bars and dropped. She was about to cry when she noticed rays of sunlight piercing a small opening near the ceiling.
“Why does it have to be so far away!” Marie glared at the tiny window twelve feet above. “I have nothing to pick the door lock, so that window is my only option.”
With gritted teeth, Marie dug her fingers and toes into the seams between the stones and climbed. Inch by inch, her bloodied digits carried her up the wall. When she peered through the opening, she was startled to find the royal capital’s cityscape a short distance away. The imposing royal palace rose from the center of the city alongside the mansions of affluent nobles.
‘Why am I in the capital’s slums?’ Marie thought. ‘Those kidnappers were my parent’s debt collectors from the Holy Kingdom and Principality, right? This should be the last place they want to be… unless…’ A sudden realization hit her. ‘Those damn hussies! They weren’t satisfied with running me out of the capital; they took my entire household captive, too.’
Driven by pure rage, Marie squeezed through the small window and dropped onto the roof two feet below. Certain that her captors would soon discover her absence, she ran. She used a nearby rain spout as a sliding pole, dropped to the muddy ground, and bolted straight toward the Academy campus. Marie was done playing games. Once she led the authorities back here to expose Angelica and company’s misdeeds, she would have her sweet revenge.
---Leon POV, Two Hours Later---
From my balcony, I watched as thousands of guards and soldiers purged the Academy of its traitors. Hundreds of contracted servants and slaves, along with their masters, were led away. A select few, like Stephanie Fou Offrey, were spared because they helped expose their family’s misdeeds. When the dust settled, they would inherit their parents’ titles and land as a reward for their loyalty. I thought escaping sentencing was enough, but the palace had other ideas.
“Ah, nothing beats dinner and a show.” I smirked, watching Miauler, my older sister Jenna’s slave, get dragged toward a prisoner wagon.
While the beastman hung his head in acceptance, Jenna argued with the guards, trying to secure her favorite toy’s release. The men tolerated her behavior until she tried to intervene. When she lunged at them like a feral beast, they did not hesitate to put her back in line with a swift backhand. Jenna stumbled backward, tripped, and fell onto her backside.
“How dare you, peasant scum!” Jenna glared at them. She was about to hurl insults when she caught sight of me watching with mild interest. “Leon!”
I raised my teacup, offering a mocking bow. While we shared blood, I lacked an ounce of familial love for her. We had always been at odds, and I thoroughly enjoyed the spectacle.
“We may no longer belong to the same house, but we do share ancestry. Please stop making a mockery of our lineage.” I took a sip of tea, leveling a piercing glare at her. “You only have yourself to blame for this. Father told you getting a contracted slave was a bad idea, but you refused to listen.”
“You had a hand in this, didn’t you?! Get down here and fix this right now!” Jenna stomped her feet like a child throwing a tantrum.
I rolled my eyes, embarrassed on her behalf. “Stop acting like a spoiled brat. This is not our family’s estate; it is the real world. I have no duty or obligation to save your traitorous toy. Instead of being angry, you should be grateful the palace didn’t see fit to charge you as an accessory to his crimes. After all, it is thanks to you he gained access to the secrets of countless noble houses.”
Jenna’s face paled. In her desperate bid to save Miauler, she had ignored the warnings everyone else had been shouting. Now that she understood her own life was at risk, Jenna scurried away like a coward.
“It’s hard to believe I am related to that woman…” I leaned back in my seat. “The show is over. Time to take a hot shower and study some magic tomes.”
As I prepared to head inside, a commotion started at the main gate. A nearly naked Marie was shouting insults at the Academy’s guards. She was covered in cuts and bruises, her hair caked with dried blood.
“I am a student here! My name is Marie Fou Lafan!” She tried to force her way through the perimeter. “Angelica and her cohorts took my family hostage and did this to me! Arrest them! I can lead you straight to where my family is held!”
From the center of the courtyard, Angelica and the other fiancées turned to look at her. Their agents had reported Marie missing, assuming she had fled home to escape them. Seeing her return battered and bloodied, they wondered if their subordinates had crossed a line. But why was she claiming they had taken hostages?
“What nonsense are you spewing now?!” Deirdre walked over, leveling an annoyed look at Marie. “We are many things, but we are not kidnappers.”
“Bullshit!” Marie pointed a bloody finger at them. “Since exam day, I have not known a moment of peace. Your people attack me every time I get close to the Prince and his friends! They beat me black and blue, destroyed my belongings, and torn apart my room! All of this just because I tried to be near your fiancés!”
Prince Julius and his entourage stopped assisting the guards and turned toward their fiancées. Before they could speak, Stephanie and the fifth fiancée—a woman I did not recognize—stepped forward to pacify them. The two women tried to downplay the accusations, but their defense only confirmed parts of Marie’s story.
As the two kept talking, the color drained from Angelica’s, Clarice’s, and Deirdre’s faces. They watched as every word their colleagues spoke chipped away at the goodwill they had built. By the time Stephanie and the other woman noticed the shift in temperature, it was too late.
“I was a fool for believing you had changed, Angelica.” Julius clenched his fists; his head hung in disappointment. “Everyone, I have an announcement to make!”
Angelica sensed what was coming and moved to stop him. She wanted to block out the words, but she was too slow.
“I, Julius Rapha Holfort, declare my arranged marriage with Angelica Rapha Redgrave void,” Julius said with cold determination. “From this moment on, we are strangers.” He turned and walked toward the dormitory.
“We end our arranged marriages as well.” His four friends followed him without looking back.
The declarations made the courtyard fall silent. Angelica and the other fiancées begged for them to listen, but the men were done. As the prince and his entourage disappeared into the dormitory, the broken women collapsed and began sobbing. Just as the happiness they longed for appeared, it had been ripped from them with cold finality.
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