A day had crawled by since the chaos of last night.
Roxana stood outside the academy gates, her arms crossed tight against her chest like she was holding herself together. Lunch hour ant the grounds were buzzing with students, but her focus was laser-locked on one specific bastard.
Jax.
He hadn’t said a single fucking word to her since last night. Not one. After he’d sent Zharina ho with his driver, he’d just gone straight to bed like nothing had happened. No revenge. No punishnt. No smug threats about what he’d do to her for eavesdropping and... touching herself while listening.
Just silence.
And that silence was eating her alive.
’This twisted motherfucker. I know what he’s doing. This is worse than any punishnt. The waiting. The not knowing.’
Roxana had made a decision this morning, one that made her want to vomit. She was going to apologize. Her. Princess Roxana. Apologizing to soone for the first ti in her entire gods-damned life.
She hated everything about it.
But watching him now, she felt her confusion multiply. Jax was walking toward a simple food stall at the edge of campus. Not the fancy academy dining hall. Not so expensive restaurant. A literal street stall with wooden benches and a hand-painted sign.
’What the hell is he doing?’
She watched as he approached the stall owner, a middle-aged woman with tired eyes and flour on her apron. His face... changed. The predatory coldness lted away, replaced by sothing that looked almost... warm?
"Nyara, business is good today, I see," Jax said, his voice carrying genuine respect.
The woman smiled, wiping her hands. "Professor Jax! Yes, yes, we can barely keep up."
A small boy, maybe seven or eight, peeked out from behind the counter. "Uncle Jax!"
Jax’s expression softened further. He crouched down to the boy’s level. "Hey, Brian. You helping your mom today?"
"Yeah! I’m in charge of drinks!" The kid puffed out his chest proudly.
’Uncle Jax? What the actual fuck?’
Roxana felt like she’d stepped into an alternate dinsion. This couldn’t be the sa man who’d slapped a dragonkin professor and fucked her into submission. This couldn’t be the monster who’d blackmailed her and treated people like disposable toys.
Jax scanned the crowded stall for a seat. Every bench was packed. Students, staff, even so rchants from town all cramd together, eating and laughing.
Then she saw his eyes lock onto one empty spot.
He walked over without hesitation and sat down at the only available seat. The two people already sitting there looked up.
Princess Seris., daughter of King fucking Theron.
And Astrid. Another royal.
Roxana’s brain short-circuited. ’Is this place so famous that even royalty eats here? What, do they have so secret michelin star I don’t know about?’
’Wait, no. Focus, Roxana. You’re here to apologize, rember? Co on. Move forward.’
But her feet stayed frozen because what she was witnessing was too bizarre to ignore.
Back at the table, the welcoming aura was nonexistent.
Both girls had turned their faces away the mont Jax sat down, their expressions screaming "fuck off and die."
Jax smiled, completely unfazed. "So, what brings you lovely ladies to this humble, peasant-tier establishnt? Slumming it with the commoners today?"
Silence. They kept eating, pointedly ignoring him.
"Oh, right! How could I forget?" He snapped his fingers. "Fear! You’re here because its my FEAR. Glad to see you’re using those pretty little brains of yours."
Still nothing. They just continued eating, faces calm, completely unscared.
Jax leaned back, his smile widening. "But Astrid, cutie, you still haven’t accepted my other request." He pointed at Seris with his thumb. "You know, the one about ditching this bitch?"
The words hung in the air for exactly two seconds.
Then Seris’s chair screeched back as she shot to her feet, her face flushed with rage.
"You disgusting, low-born piece of shit!" Her voice cracked like a whip. "How dare you speak to like that! Get your filthy face away from this table, from this stall, from my sight! If I see you again today, I swear I’ll have you thrown into the stocks!"
The entire stall went quiet. Every head turned toward their table.
Roxana’s eyes went wide. ’So he IS the sa professor I know. Of course he is. Pissing off another princess. Classic.’
Jax saw the anger building in both their eyes, saw the crowd starting to murmur and point. His jaw tightened.
’I want to punch her so bad. Right in that pretty royal face. But...’
His eyes flicked to Nyara, who was watching with worry creasing her forehead. To little Brian, whose excited expression had faded into fear.
’Not here. Not in their place. They don’t deserve the trouble.’
He forced his expression to relax, holding up both hands in mock surrender. "Fine, fine. Sit down. I don’t want a fight here."
Astrid’s eyes narrowed. "YOU don’t want a fight? Oh, hello, Professor, YOU were the one who started this!"
"You’re absolutely right," Jax said, his voice dripping with sarcasm so thick you could spread it on bread. "I am so, so sorry for my terrible behavior, my dear students. Please, forgive this humble professor of yours. I’ll be better. I promise."
The mockery was laid on so heavy it was practically offensive.
Both girls’ faces went red, veins visibly pulsing at their temples. But they caught the stares from the crowd, felt the weight of watching eyes, and forced themselves to sit back down.
They picked up their utensils and started eating again, chewing with barely restrained violence.
A mont later, Brian appeared with a steaming bowl. "Here, Uncle Jax! Mom made your favorite. But eat carefully, it’s really hot!"
"Thanks, buddy." Jax ruffled the boy’s hair gently.
Brian sighed, glancing back at the crowded stall. "I have to handle other custors now. There’s such a rush today. I can’t even play in the back anymore, These custors.. hiss.."
Jax’s hand stayed on the boy’s head, his expression serious for a mont. "Hey. Don’t say that in front of others, okay? People might get offended."
"Okay, Uncle Jax."
The kid ran off, and both Seris and Astrid just... stared. Unable to process what they’d just witnessed.
They weren’t the only ones.
Roxana stood frozen, her mouth slightly open. But then Jax’s eyes found hers across the crowd.
His face changed. The warmth evaporated like water on hot steel, replaced by that predatory gleam she’d co to recognize. The look that said "I will make you pay ten folds."
Then he looked away, dismissing her.
’Shit. He saw . Fuck, fuck, fuck.’
She gathered her courage, forcing her feet to move. One step. Two steps. She was almost at his table, her mouth opening to speak, when—
"Professor Roxana!"
A man in the academy’s courier uniform appeared out of nowhere, slightly out of breath. "You have a letter. Delivered by soone from your kingdom."
Roxana blinked, her train of thought derailing completely. "What?"
anwhile, Seris and Astrid who were sure that the drama was about to happen maybe a fight between these two professor, now went sad due to interruption.
The courier held out an envelope. Expensive paper. Royal seal.
Roxana took it, her hands suddenly unsteady. ’From my kingdom? But why would—’
Then she saw the na written in elegant script on the front.
From: Sylvie
Her sister. The Queen.
’Sothing’s wrong.’
Without another thought, she tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter, her eyes racing across the words.
Dearest sister Roxana,
I’m writing this letter as what might be our last conversation. Before you panic and think your sister is dying of so disease or got poisoned by court politics, no. Your sister is too strong for that shit, and you know it.
But what I’m facing now? This is different.
Roxana’s hands started shaking.
We have a war, Roxana. Not just any war. We’re being invaded by people who call themselves "Heroes sent by the Gods." I know how that sounds. Trust , I didn’t believe it either until I saw them with my own eyes today.
They’re not like any enemy we’ve faced before. They conquered the Veldora Kingdom before coming here, completely crushed them in less than a 2 days, and then without even stopping to rest, they marched straight for us.
These "heroes" are... wrong. They wear strange clothes, like nothing from our world. They fight like maniacs, like they feel no pain, no fear. And here’s the part that’s going to sound completely insane: when we kill them, their bodies don’t stay dead. They dissolve into blue particles and float away like dust.
They brought the entire Veldora army with them, enslaved sohow, plus forces from a dozen smaller kingdoms they’d conquered on their way till now. Today was our first real battle against them.
We lost almost everything in a single day, Roxana. Most of the soldiers. Three of our best generals. Half the eastern wall of the capital.
I don’t know if they stopped because they needed to eat and rest, or if they’re just toying with us, but if they’d pressed the attack... we wouldn’t have lasted another hour.
So I’m writing to you now, my stupid little sister, to tell you this: don’t think about . Don’t think about us. Just live your life. Be happy. Enjoy every mont at that academy. Make friends. Learn things. Fall in love if you want. Just... live.
And Roxana? Don’t you DARE think about revenge. Don’t co back here. Don’t try to be a hero.
Because tomorrow, you’re going to hear about . The whole world will. They’ll hear about Queen Sylvie, the woman who —
There was a smudge here, like a water droplet had fallen on the ink. Then the writing continued in a slightly different tone, like she’d paused and co back to it later.
— the woman who stood against gods and their lapdogs with nothing but steel and spite. The Queen who looked at impossible odds and said "fuck you" loud enough for the heavens to hear. The ruler who made monsters bleed before she fell.
Pretty badass legacy, right? Your sister’s going out in style.
Don’t cry for . I lived exactly how I wanted. And I’m going to die the sa way.
Love always, Your insufferable, dramatic, soon-to-be-legendary sister, Sylvie
P.S. - You better na your first daughter after . I’m serious.
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