The sunlight was soft, filtered through enchanted glass. For a moment, the world felt... calm.
"You know," Ruka started carefully, "If we didn't have to deal with... y'know... underground fight rings, missing students, assassination attempts... I might've actually studied."
"Same," Yuxin muttered. "I'm starting to forget what it's like to be a normal student."
Blanche sipped her tea, thoughtful.
"I don't think we ever were."
"Great," Yuxin said, stabbing her rice with a spoon.
"Love that for us."
They were still sitting by the window, trays half-empty now, mana-lights flickering softly above. Nobody really talked much after that last round of complaints.
But Yuxin suddenly leaned back in her chair, arms folded behind her head. Her eyes drifted toward Blanche, expression unreadable.
"Hey. Can I ask something?"
Blanche blinked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course."
"Why do you even do all that council stuff?"
"I mean... you don't have to, right? You're not, like, legally chained to Silas."
Blanche straightened a little, her posture instinctively sharpening.
"It's part of my diplomatic training," she said simply.
"My family wants me to be ready for future political roles. Working with the Council teaches me how to handle pressure, manage people, and understand the system."
Yuxin let out a soft scoff.
"Wow. Sounds exhausting."
Blanche smiled faintly.
"It is."
Yuxin looked away, out the window, her voice quieter this time.
"You know... if I hadn't said yes to you that day... I wouldn't be in half this mess."
"No underground fight clubs, no shadow battles, no weird tea with poison girls."
She paused. Her hand clenched slightly on her fork.
"This whole thing...
It's a lot. For first-years. For anyone."
There was silence for a second.
Even Ruka and Vila didn't say anything.
"I didn't come here to get dragged into Council business. I just wanted to learn, graduate, keep my head down."
"But now... look at us."
Blanche looked down at her tea.
She didn't argue.
Didn't defend herself.
Just sat quietly.
The table was quiet again.
Ruka quietly picked at her bread roll.
Vila looked like she was lost in thought, eyes on the sky outside.
Blanche finally turned toward Yuxin, the calm in her voice slightly thinner this time.
"You said you didn't plan to get involved.
So why'd you say yes?"
Yuxin didn't answer right away.
She leaned back in her chair, her shadow barely visible beneath the table—flickering like it had a heartbeat of its own.
"...Dunno," she muttered at first.
Blanche waited.
No pressure. Just presence.
Yuxin exhaled, low and sharp through her nose.
"You reminded me of someone."
That made Blanche tilt her head slightly.
"A friend?"
"Someone I used to know," Yuxin said flatly.
"Back when things were... different."
She didn't elaborate.
Didn't look at anyone.
"She had that same look. That 'I'll do everything myself even if it kills me' energy."
Her fingers taped against her cup.
"So when you came to me asking for help, acting like it was no big deal...
I said yes before I could think of a reason not to."
Silence again.
Just the sound of forks clinking and trays being picked up from nearby tables.
Blanche looked like she wanted to ask more.
But then—
Yuxin added, tone sharper:
"She's dead now."
Everyone at the table froze for a second.
"Died doing the same stupid thing," Yuxin continued.
"Trying to be useful. Trying to fix things.
Got herself killed for it."
Her voice wasn't trembling.
Her face didn't crack.
Just anger—subtle, coiled beneath her skin like smoke behind glass.
"So don't get the wrong idea. I'm not here for some noble reason."
"I just didn't want to watch another idiot turn themselves into a goddamn tragedy."
She stood up, grabbing her tray in one smooth motion.
"Finish your tea, Equinox."
And just like that, she walked away—shadows trailing behind her like the only part of her that knew how to mourn.
The air around the table was still a little tense after Yuxin stormed off.
No one spoke at first. Ruka kept her eyes on her half-finished plate. Blanche stared out the window like she was chasing shadows. Vila sat still, head slightly tilted.
Then—
"Where is she from?"
Vila's voice was calm, but direct—just loud enough to break the silence.
Blanche blinked, turning toward her.
"You mean Yuxin?"
Vila nodded.
"I don't know," Blanche admitted after a moment. "She doesn't talk about it."
She looked toward Ruka.
"You knew her before the academy, didn't you?"
Ruka flinched a little, like she didn't expect to be brought in.
"Kinda…"
"Do you know where she's from?"
"Umm… same region as me, I think. South of the Lioren border. She's... a baron's daughter."
"Baron?" Blanche raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah. House Lea, her mother. I don't know the full name, just that they held some minor land in the outer districts. My family lived nearby."
Vila stayed quiet.
"Did she have any close friends back then? Maybe the one she mentioned?"
Ruka shook her head, slowly.
"Not that I remember."
She tapped her fingers nervously against her cup.
"Yuxin… she wasn't the type who let people close. Even back then. We never went to the same school, but people talked. She kept to herself. A bit scary, honestly."
Blanche was listening carefully now.
"And her family?"
Ruka's voice softened a little.
"They were kind. Her parents used to give out food to the workers. There was this one winter—really bad storm—and a bunch of people couldn't afford heating."
"Yuxin's family gave out extra grain and coats. No cameras. No noblesse oblige show. Just… helping."
Blanche folded her hands under her chin, thoughtful.
"So she comes from warmth… but carries all that anger."
"Maybe she's just good at hiding the burn," Vila murmured.
Blanche leaned back slightly in her seat, still absorbing what Ruka just said. Across from her, Vila quietly chewed a piece of mana-bread—then casually dropped a verbal grenade.
"What if that wasn't her real family?"
Blanche blinked.
"Excuse me?"
Vila swallowed, calm as ever.
"Zhen Yuxin. What if she's adopted?"
Ruka looked up, surprised.
"Huh? No way. I mean… her name's the same, right? Zhen Lea's"
"That proves nothing," Vila replied flatly. "You can give a name to anyone. Papers can be forged. Identities rewritten. Especially in rural noble families that don't attract much attention."
Blanche narrowed her eyes a little, intrigued.
"You think she was taken in?"
Vila nodded once, slow.
"If you observed her behavior... her detachment, the way she talks about people—even the way she avoids using the word 'family.' It's all distance. She respects them. Grateful, probably. But it doesn't sound like blood."
"It makes sense," she added. "But it's hard to believe."
Ruka hugged her arms, brows furrowing.
"I mean... I always thought she was just... like that. Not very social."
"Or maybe she never felt like she truly belonged," Vila said calmly, eyes drifting toward the window.
The air between them got a little quieter.
Blanche finally spoke, her voice low but thoughtful.
"If that's true… It explains a lot."