"What?" Ruelle uttered, not because she didn’t hear it. But because she was in shock. "But m—"
"Incomplete. What’s the point of bringing water when it doesn’t even touch the dying man’s lips?" Ms. Gemma asked, looking straight into Ruelle’s eyes. "Sexton prepares you for the world. You should have known when you and your family signed up to study here. To advance yourself."
But Ruelle had never wished or thought of attending here in the first place. And now she couldn’t pull away from it.
"Maybe you will not fail the next ti. If there’s one, that is, hoping you pass in other subjects. You may leave now, Ms. Belmont," the older woman politely waved to the door, and Ruelle exited the room.
A chill ran down Ruelle’s spine because there was a possibility of failing... as she had missed the questions in the stuck sheet of the questionnaire. The image of the Groundling tied in chains flashed through her eyes.
"Ruelle?" Hailey called, who had been waiting for her.
"Do you know when the results are going to be announced? All the subjects that we wrote," Ruelle asked, worried.
"It should be put up the day after tomorrow on the board. Before we leave for the weekend," Hailey replied, before coming to realise what might have Ms. Gemma told her friend. She placed her hand on Ruelle’s arm. "Let us not think of the worst now."
Ruelle nodded her head, but she couldn’t get rid of the hopelessness she felt sink into her. She had studied hard. She had gotten her ears pierced. Yet things didn’t go the way they were supposed to. She began to imagine the worst direction her life could shift in once the results ca out and she felt her stomach ache.
She followed Hailey through the quiet corridor, their footsteps muted against the stone floor. They reached the stairwell. A few students hurried past, chatting about the river trip and also the prince’s arrival.
"...they’ll have lanterns strung across the trees at night," one of the female Groundlings said in a hushed voice. "It will look like starlight fallen onto water."
"Not until evening though. I heard the Elites will be attending the river festivities. In fact, it is hosted by one of them," said her friend, as they walked behind Ruelle and Hailey. "Soone said rchants are bringing wine and food. Isn’t that exciting."
"If it is hosted by the Elites..." the first one whispered, "the rest of us can still linger by the riverbanks. So long as we don’t cross their boundaries."
"Ruelle! You and Hailey are coming, aren’t you?" asked another girl, quickly coming to her side.
"Where?" Ruelle asked, pulled back to the present.
"The river. Tomorrow, of course!" the girls responded, their voices bubbling with unkempt excitent.
"I haven’t thought about it yet," Ruelle replied honestly.
"Oh, you must co! You’re one of the bravest Groundlings in our year. At least we know we would have soone to stand with!"
But Ruelle didn’t share the sa sentint. Brave? When had she been brave here? All she had done was fall into trouble—unwanted, uninvited, unavoidable.
She wasn’t in the mood either. Yet as she thought about it... it was likely one of the last days she would be free. Free, before the chains ca. A shiver ran down her spine, even as the two girls drifted away down the hall, their voices still laced with excitent.
"We don’t have to go if you don’t want to," Hailey supported her with a smile.
"No," Ruelle responded, before correcting herself with a smile. "I an it is better than sitting in the room doing nothing but worrying. Right? Let us go tomorrow."
"You sure?" Hailey asked and Ruelle nodded.
"Definitely. And I am sure Kevin is eager to attend too," Ruelle replied, and at the sa ti wondered where their friend was. "Where is he?"
Hailey turned around to look around the place as if to catch sight of Kevin, but he wasn’t there. "He should have been out from submitting the assignnt long ago. Maybe Mr. Henley has held him back," she shrugged her shoulders.
At night, Kevin slipped into the dining hall after most of the students had left the room. His steps were uneven, his face looked pale beneath the candle lit chandeliers hanging in the ceiling.
Ruelle noticed imdiately. "Kevin?" she called softly, as he eased himself down onto the bench across from them. "You look like you’re about to faint."
Hailey frowned, leaning forward. "You look awful."
Kevin exhaled shakily, eyes half-lidded. "That’s because I almost did faint," he muttered under his breath. "I thought I almost died today."
Without hesitation, Ruelle reached for the pitcher and poured juice into a glass, sliding it across to him. "Here," she urged gently. "Drink. And eat. You need to replenish as much as you can."
"Thanks." Kevin gave her a faint smile—tired, yet far warr than it should have been. His gaze lingered on her for a beat too long, sothing unspoken flickering in his eyes. Then he lowered them quickly and took the glass, draining it in one go. Without pause, he dragged the nearest bread toward him and bit into it hungrily.
Ruelle’s eyes drifted to the bruising at the base of his throat—faint purple and red marks beneath the skin. "I thought... wasn’t it supposed to be a one-ti thing?" she asked quietly, her concern written across her face.
"It was," Kevin replied with a weary chuckle.
"Don’t tell you’re starting to enjoy this," Hailey whispered—not teasing, just worried.
Kevin gave a hollow laugh. "Enjoy it? Not for a second. It hurts like hell. Every single ti." He dragged a tired hand through his hair. "But you know... when you’ve already been marked once, so of them start offering coin for a repeat performance. And I figured it was better than ending up with nothing."
Hailey blinked, her brows rising faintly. "You’re risking that for money?"
"I need to earn quickly," Kevin’s fingers curled faintly around the glass. It wasn’t for himself.
Across the table, Ruelle leaned forward slightly, her brows knit with quiet concern as she watched him. The soft glow of candlelight caught in her hair, her features worn out but kind. And for a mont—longer than he should have allowed—Kevin couldn’t look away.
"You shouldn’t put yourself at stake this soon. It would be reckless," Ruelle said, and Kevin smiled before looking away from her.
Maybe he was being practical, Ruelle thought to herself. She knew it would be wise to prepare herself ntally, if not physically.
Because ti would co... and in her case it would be soon. She felt a twinge in her stomach, and her eyebrows furrowed out of the discomfort she felt. Was the stress getting to her? Taking a bite from her fork, she chewed, her mind elsewhere.
In the next building, where the Seduction Techniques classroom occupied in the upper floor, Ezekiel Henley stepped lightly through its door. The air still carried the faintest trace of ink. Candles burned low along the arched windows.
With the late hour where the halls were empty, he had returned under the simple pretense of collecting the graded sheet of the female Groundlings. He had finished grading the other male Groundlings. The result needed to be compiled and handed to Mr. Mortis.
"Ezekiel. You have not gone ho yet?" Gemma’s voice floated towards him, who was sitting on the edge of her desk.
Ezekiel offered a perfectly polite smile. "Ah. I thought the quiet hour might serve well. I’ve co to collect the results," he replied with ease, his gaze drifted to the surface of the desk.
"You seem to enjoy staying here more than returning ho," a faint smile curved Ms. Gemma’s mouth. "Perhaps it’s ti you found yourself a proper reason to hurry back. A wife."
"That is a plan well in motion. The right one... is worth pursuing," Ezekiel’s smile deepened a shade warr, yet empty beneath it.
He stepped forward, fingers brushing the edges of the parchnt stack. His eyes flicked over the nas, while looking only for one na.
"How have the results been?" he asked casually. "The test was quite easy for them to pass."
"That’s what I thought, but one failed. Ruelle Belmont," Gemma inford him with a faint note of disappointnt. "She lost the assignnt’s required item. I had no choice. The rules apply to all."
"Of course," Ezekiel’s smile remained fixed, pleasant as ever. Yet beneath it, a flicker of possessive fury coiled. How did she fail with such simple task? She could have co to him! "I will compile this with the male result," he said smoothly, gathering the sheets. "Mr. Mortis expects them soon."
Back in the dining area, Rulle, Hailey and Kevin stepped out of the room and walked through the corridor. One’s mind was heavy with failure, one’s face pale and the other tried to lighten the mood.
"Everyone are excited about tomorrow. I heard there are always gas, and dipping into water. But it makes wonder if the vampires would."
But Ruelle barely heard her. A faint rustle of papers caught her ear.
From the side stairwell, Ezekiel erged carrying a stack of parchnts in one hand, while looking polished as always. His eyes were quick to land on her.
"Ms. Belmont," he greeted, voice smooth as silk, a pleasant smile curving his lips. "A word, if I may?"
Ruelle blinked, surprised. She turned to her friends and said, "You two go ahead. I’ll catch up." The last thing she needed was for Kevin to faint as he didn’t look good.
As Hailey and Kevin moved ahead, chatting quietly, Ruelle stayed in her place. Ezekiel glanced down the empty corridor. Then suddenly the warmth in his expression vanished.
"How could you fail the test?" he demanded sharply stepping closer to her. "A task so simple. One any person could complete and you failed? You should have co to if you had difficulties. Or were you too proud?"
The sudden edge in Ezekiel’s tone took her aback. She had never heard him speak like this.
"You cannot afford mistakes here," he went on. His gaze bore into her, sharp with sothing that felt too close to disappointnt. Or anger. "Not here. Not now."
Noticing Ruelle’s stunnedexpression, Ezekiel quickly fixed himself. The anger disappeared from his face and his mouth softened.
"Forgive ," he said with a long breath, the gentleness in his tone suddenly returned. Almost as if that spike of anger had been her imagination. "That was not my intention. You must understand—this place is dangerous for you."
Failure ant her na would be listed. And it would an that the other vampires would see her to be unclaid. And as a faculty, his standing though respectable would not shield her from being taken. Too soon! He couldn’t allow it.
Ruelle swallowed the unease she felt in her stomach and replied, "I didn’t an to fail. I lost the earrings."
Ezekiel stared at her, before he carefully said, "If sothing—anything—like this happens again you will co to . Do you understand?"
She nodded, still a little shaken.
"Good." His smile deepened—too warm. "You are family, Ruelle. Far too important to be left unguarded." After a pause, he then stepped back, offering her a polite smile and he said, "I won’t take up any more of your ti. Rest well."
Ruelle quickly offered a polite bow before hurrying away from there. Ezekiel seed more upset than her. It wasn’t like she had lost the earrings purposefully and she was aware of the gravity of the situation. But as she neared the end of the eastern corridor, she heard a familiar voice.
"...they are pretty. Gemma has a decent taste in earrings. Much better than what was given last year to the Groundlings," Sawyer’s voice drifted in the corridor. There was a note of amused curiosity in it.
It seed like he was with company and the person with him said sothing to which he replied,
"That’s true," Sawyer chuckled, voice clearer now. "I swear the last one’s looked like pebbles. At least this ti they sparkle even though faint. I’m surprised no one’s questioned it."
"They never do. Give them a little shine, and they’ll trip over their own feet to grasp it," Ruelle heard Lucian speak.
"Suppose that’s why it works every ti," Sawyer laughed under his breath.
Lucian’s next words were quieter but laced with pure contempt,"Humans are easy to decieve. Easier still to make them break themselves."
"I don’t know if you are enjoying this or not," Ruelle heard Sawyer remark.
Her breath caught in her throat. Her feet moved and caught Lucian standing tall and composed, he held the velvet box in his hand. Across from him, Sawyer leaned against the wall, arms crossed, whose eyes flicked at her.
It can’t be, she thought to herself as she stared at the box and what she heard. He had taken it so that she would fail and her hands shook.
Lucian’s gaze locked with hers but it was very brief.
And then it happened too fast. Before reason could catch up, her feet moved on their own accord and her palm flew upward.
Crack.
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