I didn't sleep.
Not because I couldn't.
Because I wasn't allowed.
The moment I left the vault, my brain refused to shut down. Every memory from my training, every lie Alden buried, every smirk from Adrian—the White King—played like a slideshow on loop.
I returned to my dorm long after curfew. The lights were off, but someone was sitting on the window ledge.
Kael.
He didn't turn when I walked in.
Kael: "How deep did you go?"
I dropped the file on the desk beside him.
Me: "Far enough to know you were right. I should've never taken the scholarship."
Kael finally looked at me. "You regret it?"
I leaned against the wall.
"No," I said. "I regret believing it was just a school."
His eyes softened. "So what now?"
I met his gaze.
"I'm going to burn the table."
---
Morning – King's Table Hall
The King's Table met every Friday.
Eight chairs, each handpicked to represent the elite criminal bloodlines.
Adrian sat at the head.
He was flawless as always—white gloves, silver ring, and that calm, calculating smile.
But something was different.
He was watching me today.
More intently than usual.
As if he knew.
I walked into the hall like I belonged—like I wasn't one spark away from detonating the entire legacy he'd built.
Ryker sat to my right, slouching with a knife in his boot.
Aris was missing.
Darius sat to my left, unreadable.
Vale spun a pen beside me like this was a casual meeting.
I could feel the weight of their expectations pressing into my spine.
Adrian's voice cut through the stillness.
"Let's begin."
He snapped his fingers.
A projection lit up the center of the table.
A map of the academy.
Zones were marked in red. Security breaches. One tower completely blacked out.
Adrian (calmly): "Lucian breached us. Again. No casualties, but the breach is symbolic."
Ryker: "He's not symbolic. He's suicidal."
Adrian: "Which is why we're declaring him a rogue agent."
He looked at me.
"Ash. You were his student. Any idea where he'd go next?"
The boys watched me.
Vale held his breath.
Kael's gaze narrowed.
I looked Adrian dead in the eyes.
"Yes," I said.
Adrian blinked. "And?"
I smiled slowly. "Straight through the front gate. Because cowards sneak in. Lucian wants everyone to see him coming."
Some chuckled. Darius smirked.
But Adrian only leaned back.
And clapped.
"Well said," he murmured.
But his eyes told a different story.
They knew.
And I had just made the first move.
---
After the Meeting – Rooftop Overlooking South Grounds
I needed air.
Of course, Darius followed me.
He always did when things got too quiet.
He leaned against the ledge beside me, not touching, not speaking.
Finally, he asked, "What did you see in that vault?"
I didn't answer.
Darius: "Did it say I was supposed to kill you?"
I turned to him sharply.
His expression didn't flinch. He was asking honestly.
Me: "No. Worse. It said you were supposed to understand me."
He looked down.
Darius: "That's what scared me too."
The wind picked up.
I studied him. Not the fake name. Not the sharp jawline or assassin's eyes.
But him.
Me: "You remember what you said when we met?"
He blinked. "Something charming and probably inappropriate?"
I smiled.
"You said I danced like someone trained to kill."
He laughed softly. "Guess I wasn't wrong."
Silence again.
Then he added, "You're still that girl."
Me: "Which one?"
Darius: "The one who makes assassins forget they're supposed to follow orders."
I turned to face him fully.
"Then what are you now?" I asked.
He didn't blink.
"Undecided."
---
Elsewhere – Abandoned Arena Beneath the Gym
Aris stood in front of a concrete wall covered in names.
His name was there too.
E.V.E.03
But someone had scratched it out.
Beside it, a new one had been etched:
> Project Requiem: Subject R0-Z3
He traced the letters with a gloved hand.
"You always were the masterpiece," he whispered.
Behind him, Lucian emerged from the shadows.
Lucian: "She'll need you soon."
Aris: "She doesn't trust me."
Lucian: "She doesn't trust any of us."
Aris turned. "That's why she'll win."
Lucian handed him a flash drive. "Then give her this when the time comes. She deserves the truth… about Alden. About herself."
Aris pocketed it.
"You're not going to live long enough to do it yourself, are you?"
Lucian smiled faintly.
"No."
---
Midnight – Library Tower, East Wing
I found Vale sitting at the highest tower, typing something into a cracked laptop.
Me: "What are you doing?"
Vale: "Leaking."
I blinked. "Leaking what?"
Vale grinned. "Adrian's hidden offshore accounts. His private assassin recruitment fund. The fact that he's been laundering money through the student council's charity projects."
I sat beside him, stunned.
Me: "When did you become a hacker?"
Vale: "When you started trusting me less than Kael."
He handed me an earpiece.
Vale: "Tomorrow at the Founder's Assembly, the Kings will vote on whether to grant Adrian full control of international table expansion. It'll make him untouchable."
Me: "And you want me to interrupt the vote?"
Vale: "No. I want you to ruin it."
---
Final Scene – Hidden Passage, Under the Founder's Statue
Later that night, I stood alone in front of the Founder's statue. Torchlight flickered across his carved eyes.
So many secrets buried under this school.
Under me.
Inside me.
And I had one chance left.
One vote.
One shot.
One final war to ignite.
And I was done playing nice.
Tomorrow, the girl they all thought was just another scholarship boy…
Would walk into the hall—
Not as prey.
Not as a player.
But as the queen they never saw coming.
---
End of Chapter 42