Luckily, she didn't seem bothered by it.
"I heard the Victoriad is going to be different this ti around."
Sansa nodded.
"That's right. Normally, there's a qualifying phase to determine the top sixteen from each division. Then it proceeds to one-on-one matches until the finals."
Yeah… that was the standard format—the one I had personally designed.
In the final match , Snow and Ghost are supposed to face off… and, as expected, Snow cos out victorious.
"What exactly is going to change this ti?"
Sansa took a few seconds before answering my question.
"I don't know all the details… but the traditional qualifiers have been completely canceled. Instead, there will be a massive test to determine who qualifies."
"A test?"
"Yes."
She nodded, then pointed out sothing important.
"And the years will overlap."
"What?!"
This ti, I was genuinely shocked.
But from the look on her face, Sansa wasn't joking.
"It'll only apply to the test itself. But unlike previous years… we'll be facing our seniors this ti."
I couldn't hide the shift in my expression after hearing that.
Normally, the Victoriad is held separately for each academic year… to keep things fair.
But this ti… if Sansa's words were true…
I'd have to face second-years—and maybe even students beyond that.
That was a serious problem.
I couldn't use Balerion during the Victoriad… Even if everyone knew I had it, they'd never allow a weapon from the SS tier to be used.
That would literally ruin most of the strategies I've been building for so long.
For the past year, I'd imagined myself fighting against students my own age—hundreds, maybe thousands of tis.
But I never planned to face upperclassn.
I had to restrain the burning urge to curse this world and all the ridiculous changes constantly thrown at .
"You seem… disturbed."
And why wouldn't I be? This was a matter of life and death.
"From that terrifying look on your face… what does the Victoriad an to you, Frey?"
At her question, I gave her a strained smile, locking eyes with her.
"It ans everything, Sansa… absolutely everything."
Her face twisted slightly the mont she heard my answer.
I must've looked like an obsessed lunatic… and honestly, my words weren't that hard to understand.
"So, you intend to win it all."
"Exactly."
Sansa blinked in surprise, but her expression soon returned to normal.
"Then… I wish you good luck."
I laughed at her response.
"You're not going to tell it's impossible for ?"
"And why would I do sothing like that?"
She played with her fingers as she continued.
"I told you before—I can read people's emotions just from their expressions. And I can tell how serious you are. Saying sothing like 'you don't stand a chance' would be an insult to your resolve."
"…"
I stayed silent for a mont, caught off guard by her unexpected answer.
I suddenly rembered that Sansa was supposed to be soone who died long ago. That's why I never knew how to deal with her… I couldn't predict her at all.
Maybe that's the reason for the awkward air right now.
I tried to say sothing—anything—just to break the silence. This was getting weird.
"Do I really look that scary right now?"
I echoed her earlier words about my "frightening" face, and Sansa caught on to what I was doing and responded in kind.
"Kinda… You look like a dark lord from a fallen kingdom."
"What a bizarre description… So between this look and my previous one, which do you think is better?"
"Hmmm…"
Sansa seriously pondered my question before answering.
"Not much has changed, honestly. Your old look was scary too… but it was—how do I say this—a bit goofy?"
"What?"
"But now you look more mature. I think the current one is better."
"You really gave that more thought than I expected…"
Did I really look goofy back then?
Seeing my blank expression, Sansa tried to adjust her answer a bit.
"Ah—if you ant it in a different way, then your current look might earn you so popularity with the girls."
"Really?"
"Maybe?"
A mont of silence passed between us as we stared at one another before I continued.
"What about you?"
"?"
"Yeah... which one do you prefer?"
Sansa lowered her head before answering in a voice barely above a whisper.
"The current one..."
"I see..."
The conversation had taken a strange turn, but I didn't mind. Sohow, it helped halt the train of negative thoughts that had been tornting ever since I learned the details of the Victoriad.
So, I decided to push a little further.
"Sansa, can I ask you sothing?"
"What is it?"
"You and … what kind of relationship do we have?"
"…"
Silence lingered for a while.
The princess tended to overthink things, so her answer was quite detailed.
"Frey… was a friend, I guess. Though, he only ca to when he needed sothing… But I appreciated those tis. He was dumb enough to not have any hidden motives, which made it easy to talk to him naturally. So yeah, I suppose he was a bad friend."
A dry laugh escaped in response to how she phrased that.
"Heh… You talk as if and Frey are two different people."
"That's because… my relationship with you is different from the one I had with Frey. It's more ambiguous."
"But I am Frey, you know…"
"Maybe… but you're completely different."
"Huh?"
Was she just extrely perceptive? Or simply saying what ca to mind? Either way, she had no idea how right she was…
"But…"
Sansa suddenly stopped herself, piquing my curiosity.
"But what?"
This ti, she smiled—a sweet, genuine smile. Unlike all the forced ones she'd shown before.
"I think… I prefer the relationship we have now."
…
That smile—and her unexpected words—froze for a second. But I quickly brushed it off.
"That's good… I guess."
…
What followed was a long silence as we both sank into our own thoughts, realizing this was the end of our gentle little conversation.
"…It's ti to go."
"Yeah, it is."
We both stood up at the sa ti and walked side by side toward the Elite Dorms.
The building looked the sa as ever, untouched by the changes outside.
When we reached the first floor, Sansa's room was the second one down the hall.
As soon as we arrived at her door… we paused for a mont.
"See you later, then."
"Yeah…"
I replied briefly, then added jokingly:
"Let's hope I don't face you in the Victoriad… You might find out my appearance isn't the only scary thing about ."
"Is that how you talk to a young lady like ? How rude."
Sansa laughed, then her smile faded just a bit.
"Unfortunately, that won't happen. Even if I pass the upcoming test… I won't be participating."
"Oh? And why not?"
The conversation had been going so smoothly that I asked without thinking. But Sansa hesitated.
She clasped her hands together and lowered her head slightly.
"Umm… I still can't control my powers properly."
Seeing how sensitive she was about it, I didn't dig any deeper. That was the limit our relationship allowed to reach.
"I see… That ans my path just got a little easier, huh?"
"Yeah…"
…
"See you tomorrow, then."
"Yeah… good night."
"Good night to you too."
After exchanging a few more words, Sansa entered her room while I headed toward mine.
Thinking back to her words…
Sansa's golden eyes hadn't shone the way they usually did today.
She seed, sohow…
"darker."
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