A frozen castle stood in silence.
Deep within its icy walls, at the very top of the highest tower, there was a room untouched by ti. Its windows stood open to the night, letting in the cold wind that drifted softly through the stillness.
Beyond the tower, the sky stretched endlessly.
The stars shone brighter than anything below, scattered across the dark like countless silver lights, and the moon hung so close it felt as though it could be reached with an outstretched hand.
A strand of silver hair moved gently in the breeze.
By the tower window stood a woman, tall and still, her pale figure almost blending into the frost around her.
Her face held no visible emotion as she gazed into the night, yet in her eyes there was the faintest trace of sothing softer—sothing buried so deeply it was almost invisible.
"The stars are as beautiful as ever..."
Her voice was quiet, almost distant, like she was speaking more to the sky than to anyone else.
Behind her stood another girl.
Younger.
White-haired as well, though the air around her felt far different—less ancient, less cold.
Snow watched the woman by the window in silence.
The Frost Queen, Celestine, slowly turned, satisfied after taking one last look at the stars.
Then her gaze settled on Snow.
"Don’t you think so?"
Snow didn’t answer imdiately.
Her eyes shifted toward the sky beyond the window, toward the stars that seed endless.
"...Yes."
Her reply was soft, but there was a trace of weariness beneath it.
And perhaps—
A subtle annoyance.
Celestine noticed.
But she said nothing.
She understood.
After all, Snow had undergone her trial.
She had lived through years within that frozen place, years spent beneath that sa endless sky. Though she still looked like a young woman, sothing in her had changed.
Ti had left its mark.
Her thoughts, her presence, even the way she carried herself now held a quiet weight that made her seem older than the body she wore.
The silence between them lingered for a mont before Snow spoke again.
"...Celestine."
The Frost Queen looked at her.
"Was this what you always wanted...?"
The question was simple.
But the aning behind it wasn’t.
Snow wasn’t only asking about the trial.
Or the inheritance.
Or the power.
She was asking about everything.
The years of waiting.
The preparation.
The reason behind choosing her.
Celestine understood all of it.
For the first ti, the Frost Queen’s expression softened almost imperceptibly.
Then she gave a slow nod.
"Yes."
Her voice was calm.
"You have gained my everything..."
She stepped closer, her pale eyes gentler than before.
"And I have gained my—"
—
Rattle!
Shake!
The sound broke through the silence.
The frozen tower vanished.
Snow’s eyes slowly opened.
The soft jolt of movent beneath her body pulled her fully awake as the carriage wheels rolled over stone.
For a mont, she stayed still, staring blankly ahead as the dream faded like mist.
Then the sound of the wheels ca again.
Rattle.
They were crossing Gatrefall Bridge—the massive stone bridge that connected the academy to the rest of the continent.
Light spilled in through the carriage window, and beyond it the familiar outline of the academy grounds could already be seen in the distance.
Snow blinked once, then slowly sat up.
The dream lingered in the back of her mind.
The tower.
The stars.
Celestine’s unfinished words.
Her hand moved unconsciously toward her chest.
"...What did you an?" she whispered under her breath.
But no answer ca.
Only the sound of the carriage moving steadily forward as they returned to the academy.
"Good morning, Snow... did you say sothing?"
Snow blinked, the last traces of the dream still clinging faintly to her thoughts before fading away. She turned slightly toward him, her expression softening.
"Ah... Riley. Good morning. Don’t worry, it was just a dream."
She glanced toward the carriage window, the light outside a little brighter now.
"...Have we arrived already?"
"Yes."
Riley gave a small nod.
They could’ve arrived much earlier if they wanted to.
Between Cheshire’s portals and his own authority, distance didn’t really an anything to them.
But right now, cutting corners wasn’t worth the trouble it might cause.
The academy’s barrier systems were still under repair.
Using sothing like that carelessly could interfere with the process, or worse—set off unnecessary alarms.
And more than that—
Snow wanted their return to be seen.
Gatefall Bridge wasn’t just a crossing point. It was where information flowed the fastest.
Anyone important enough would already know they had arrived before they even stepped through the gates.
Including the principal.
Which, considering everything that had happened, was probably for the best.
They’d been gone for about four days now.
The academy had only extended the break by two.
Which ant—
The Continental Grand Festival was still ongoing.
Preparations, managent, coordination... all of it would already be piling up again, and knowing the state of things, it was probably worse than usual.
Snow had already made it clear she’d be helping the principal handle it.
Which naturally left—
Riley.
With the other problem.
"...Right."
He let out a quiet sigh, rubbing the back of his neck as the carriage slowed to a stop.
The other girls.
He could already picture it.
Questions. A lot of them.
Where they went. What happened. Why they disappeared without a proper explanation.
And sohow—
Explaining all of that without making things more complicated than they already were.
"...This is going to be headache."
He muttered it under his breath as he stepped out of the carriage.
His eyes lifted, landing on the familiar sight ahead.
Killian Hall.
The massive, castle-like residence that housed the top ten students of each year stood just as imposing as ever, untouched by the chaos that had happened beyond the academy’s reach.
For a mont, Riley just looked at it.
"...Haven’t seen this place in a while."
There was a faint sense of familiarity—sothing almost nostalgic.
He might’ve even appreciated it more...
If he wasn’t currently trying to figure out how to explain the last four days without causing a headache for himself.
’Rember—keep the part about gaining the First Queen’s authority a secret for now... I want to surprise them myself~’
Snow’s voice still lingered in Riley’s head.
She had said it so casually, right before heading off to Heavenly Hall—the student council building—as if she hadn’t just dropped sothing massive on him.
And now he was stuck with it. Walking back alone, hands in his pockets, he kept going over what he was supposed to say... or more importantly, what he wasn’t.
He let out a quiet breath.
Thinking about it too much wasn’t helping. If anything, it was just making things more complicated than they needed to be.
Then, out of nowhere, Cheshire ca to mind.
Yeah... that cat.
Considering his personality, there was a good chance Alice already knew everything.
Cheshire wasn’t exactly the type to keep things to himself if it amused him.
But at the sa ti... he wasn’t the type to interfere either.
If anything, he’d just sit back and watch it all unfold for his own entertainnt.
Riley clicked his tongue softly.
"Yeah... sounds like him."
Which ant, for now, nothing would blow up unexpectedly. Probably.
Well... aside from the usual.
He rubbed the back of his neck as a dry thought slipped through.
Guess getting grilled by the girls isn’t anything new at this point.
It was strange, though.
A while ago, this kind of situation would’ve stressed him out way more.
But now?
Sowhere along the line, he’d gotten used to it.
Their personalities, their reactions... even the jealousy.
Especially the jealousy.
They were all different, but in that one aspect, they were pretty much the sa.
And sohow, he’d adapted.
...Still didn’t make it any less surreal.
By the ti he reached his dorm, the familiar door ca into view.
His personal dorm, technically—but at this point, it was more like a shared space with four other girls living in it.
Riley paused for a second, hand on the handle.
Then he exhaled and knocked lightly before pushing it open.
"Everyone... I’m back..."
His voice trailed off.
The room was... quiet.
Too quiet.
He stepped in, glancing around. No movent. No voices. No sudden ambush like usual.
"...Huh."
For a mont, he thought he was alone—
"Snooze~"
A soft, rhythmic sound broke the silence.
Riley blinked and turned toward his bed.
There, curled up comfortably like she owned the place, was Seo—fast asleep. She was hugging sothing close to her chest...
...sothing small.
...sothing very familiar.
Riley walked closer, squinting slightly.
"...Is that... ?"
It was.
A miniature plush version of him, held tightly in her arms like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"...Seo?"
He said her na quietly, a bit unsure whether to wake her or not.
Honestly, he was surprised she was the only one here.
There wasn’t anything particularly important going on today, so where did everyone else go?
Did they head back to the festival again?
He frowned slightly, thinking it through.
But as far as I know... they don’t have any matches scheduled today.
Which made this even weirder.
His gaze drifted back to Seo, still peacefully asleep, completely unaware.
"...What are they up to?"
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