Lysandra stood frozen in confusion.
Why had the elf queens spoken that way? Was it mockery? Were they sohow involved in this catastrophe?
Her brain struggled to process anything coherently. This madness had completely fried her ntal circuits.
’No, that doesn’t make sense. Why would they sabotage their own reputation?’
She tried to think logically.
’Maybe they weren’t present during the broadcast. But where could they have been? I saw the king roaming around earlier. Even Aeliana ca asking if I’d seen them.’
Her gaze drifted toward the hallway where the queens had erged.
And there he was.
Jax.
His eyes glistened with sothing she could only describe as pure, childlike excitent. He scanned every argunt happening across the ballroom, drinking in the chaos like fine wine.
Completely lost in his own world.
He walked right past Lysandra without acknowledging her existence.
Her veins began to throb.
Not because he ignored her. No, she had developed so kind of syndro at this point. Sothing that triggered automatically whenever she entered his range. A physical reaction to his re presence.
"Professor Jax."
Her voice ca out controlled. Not yelling. Not shouting. Just firm.
"Where were you?"
Jax turned around.
His face resembled a child experiencing the streets for the first ti. Wonder. Excitent. Absolute delight at the spectacle surrounding him.
When his eyes landed on Lysandra, that expression dimd slightly. But it never fully disappeared.
"Headmistress."
He walked toward her, curiosity plastered across his features.
"What’s going on here? What’s all this fuss about?"
His eyes darted around at the arguing nobles.
"Was it so brawl between these fine citizens? A royalty dispute perhaps?"
His excitent wavered.
"Don’t tell it was just children fighting from different academies."
Then his eyes lit up again.
"Tell the details, headmistress. And more importantly, is there any possibility I can ignite it again?"
Lysandra’s face went completely blank.
Whatever small suspicion she had harbored about him being the culprit evaporated instantly. That genuine curiosity. That authentic disappointnt at potentially missing sothing entertaining.
No guilty person could fake such pure excitent at chaos they themselves had created.
"You shouldn’t joke about this," she said flatly. "The academy’s reputation is at stake."
Jax tilted his head.
"Joke?"
His confusion seed genuine.
She sighed heavily.
"Enough, professor. I don’t have ti for your—"
"Feeling’s mutual."
He cut her off without hesitation and turned to leave.
But then Lysandra noticed sothing.
On the back of his suit jacket. A white stain. Sared across the dark fabric like soone had been careless with their food.
"Professor!"
Jax turned again. This ti his smile remained, but barely. Anger flickered behind his eyes.
"At least behave like a noble," Lysandra scolded. "You’ve stained your suit with cream. Probably from eating desserts like a child."
She shook her head in disappointnt.
"Even my spoiled Emily conducts herself better than you. Please, think of the academy’s reputation for once."
Jax’s smile didn’t waver.
"I don’t give a damn about the academy."
He started walking away.
"And if you feel so dedicated to its reputation, why not lick it clean yourself?"
Then he was gone. Swallowed by the crowd of arguing nobles.
Lysandra stood there, hissing through clenched teeth.
Her eyes wandered across the ballroom and found Queen Tia and Ilythra. They were surrounded by the elven king and Aeliana, being questioned. Or rather, interrogated about their whereabouts.
Then Tia’s gaze drifted.
Found Jax in the crowd.
Her cheeks flushed red for a brief mont before she quickly turned away.
Lysandra’s brain began connecting pieces she desperately wished would stay separate.
’Both won were missing. Jax was missing too.’
Her thoughts accelerated.
’Three people. The audio featured three people. With that twisted family dynamic.’
Her stomach churned.
’They erged from the sa hallway. Both won had disheveled hair. But they’re the highest nobility. This sort of thing wouldn’t be possible unless...’
She gulped.
One final thought surfaced.
’Tia blushed when she saw him. And that stain on his jacket...’
Her eyes widened.
’What if it wasn’t cream?’
Lysandra’s soul departed her body for the millionth ti that evening.
She turned toward the hallway. Her feet began moving on their own, desperate to prove her assumptions wrong.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
anwhile, Jax was having the ti of his life.
He wandered through the ballroom, ears perking up at every argunt. Family secrets were being scread into the open. Dirty laundry aired for all to witness. Years of suppressed resentnt exploding in spectacular fashion.
This was better than any entertainnt he could have planned.
Then he spotted a familiar face.
Lilith.
She stood near the edge of the crowd, clearly distressed. In front of her were two students and one adult man. They wore badges from another academy. One he recognized from the competition roster.
Rival academy. Students and professor.
Jax moved closer.
"These boys are lying!" Lilith’s voice trembled with panic.
"Could we please keep our voices down? We’re attracting an audience for no reason."
The professor crossed his arms. "But my lady, if what they say is true, then everyone here should be made aware."
One of the boys stepped forward. Red suit. Arrogant sneer.
"Professor, what do you an ’if true’? This slut deliberately did it!"
"Watch your tongue, boy." The professor’s voice hardened montarily. Then he turned to Lilith, and his volu increased dramatically.
"So it’s true then? Astryx Academy has dropped so low that their students are seducing my aces before the competition even begins?"
Every eye in the vicinity turned toward them.
The professor smiled, clearly enjoying the attention.
"Cheap tricks to lure my students, is it?"
He grabbed Lilith’s wrist. Hard.
"Tell , who sent you to seduce them? Was it your headmistress?"
He laughed loudly.
"How low will she stoop? First, she makes us listen to those unholy sounds. And now this?"
His grip tightened further.
Lilith couldn’t break free. Her strength ant nothing against a full-grown professor. Tears began forming in her eyes, but no words of protest could escape her lips.
Then a hand clamped onto the professor’s arm from behind.
Jax twisted it backward, locking it painfully against the man’s spine.
"Arghh!"
The professor scread.
Before he could react further, Jax’s foot connected with his backside.
Thud!
The kick sent him stumbling forward, crashing into his own students.
All three of them turned around, hissing with fury.
The professor steadied himself, face contorted with rage.
"What is the aning of this?"
He straightened his jacket indignantly.
"Do you have any idea what you just did? Have you completely lost your—"
"What do you think?" Jax’s voice cut through like a blade.
"That you can scare my student? Threaten her? Accuse her publicly?"
His eyes turned cold.
"And I would just stand there watching?"
The professor’s nostrils flared.
"You have no idea what she did!"
Jax stepped forward, positioning himself between Lilith and her accusers.
"Care to explain?"
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