He held is breath not wanting to make another noise. Evie was looking straight at him but with sleepy eyes she said "Five more minutes Hetty." and laid her head back on her pillow.
He exhaled relief he wasn't caught but at the same time annoyed how much of a heavy sleeper Evie was. He couldn't waste anymore time here he set to work: the paper butler he had already replace and added fire-, water-, and earth-proof seals; he place the mana paper barrier across the window, stronger than the Baroness's original work, with a few of his own tweaks. He wanted to make sure he could go into Evie's room, just you know - in case of emergency.
He gently took off the the charred necklace around her neck, fingers deliberate and oddly tender, and slipped out of her room.
Lemeric braced himself ready to run at top speed while casting a neutralizing spell against the barrier surrounding Makiling Hall. He snuck out the way he snuck in and he was almost in the clear— when a dry voice cut the night.
"Sneaking into Makiling Hall, bypassing barriers even S-ranks can't pass," Vince said, stepping from the shadows with a slow clap. "Impressive."
"It's only you," Lemeric sighed lowering his guard.
"I wonder who you had a rendezvous with so late at night," a sly smile tugging at his lips.
Lemeric gave no reply, only kept walking.
"How did you manage to pass through the barrier it sure is impressive. Does it have something to do with how easily Evie's been slipping past us these past few days. She appears, disappears— not a single trace of mana. Did you have a hand in that?"
"Nope," he muttered before he could stop himself. After all, Evie's teleportation was her gift alone and he did not want to take credit for that.
"So you do know how she does it?" Vince pressed.
Silence.
Then Vince's attention caught something. "What's that necklace you've got there?"
Lemeric shoved it into his pocket.
Vince's grin only widened. "Looks like a protective enchantment. Even the little gem you wear got blasted off. Did you two fight? Or maybe... you confessed and got rejected?"
"No, I didn't! I wasn't—I mean, I wouldn't be!" Lemeric's mind spun with scenarios. Confess to Evie? How could he? He couldn't... could he? "Stop making assumptions!" he snapped at Vince, turning away, his face burning red.
Vince's eyes gleamed. "Not a confession then. Did you sneak into her room without her knowing?"
Lemeric froze mid-step.
Bingo. Vince's grin like a cat who finally cornered his prey. "If you're not going to tell me," he sang with an overzealous sleuth "maybe I should just ask the cheese directly."
"I'm warning for your own good - stay away from her." Lemeric's tone was calm, but his eyes carried a chill sharp enough to slice steel.
Vince Nathalion or by his real name and title, Crown Prince Verince Althion, did not heed the warning. In fact, he seemed too interested in Lemeric's anger so he courted it some more.
Over the next few days, he made it his personal mission to show up where Lemeric would show up and sure enough Evie was there. Instead of following the Caerwyn twins and trailing after their beloved "little cheese," Evie, he changed targets entirely. He began following Lemeric.
This, of course, did not please Lemeric. But Vince hardly cared. He found Lemeric's candid, overprotective, and occasionally murderous glares quite interesting to the point of amusing. His noble title had long shielded him from such bold treatment, and to be on the receiving end of it was, in its own strange way, exhilarating.
His father, the Emperor of Serendale, had sent him into the world disguised as an earl's son—an exercise in humility, or so he claimed. Vince had used the opportunity well, observing noble houses, unraveling hidden alliances, and even thwarting more than one quiet coup. But all that intrigue eventually dulled, as most puzzles did.
By his second year, life at the Academy felt rather uninspired. He still spent time with the Caerwyn twins—Elsan, with his sharp wit and endless thirst for knowledge, and Eleur, with his simple love for strength and sparring—but they had grown predictable. The twins were charming, yes, but easy to read. Too easy.
Then through the twins he met Lemeric.
Lemeric had been a freshman then—brilliant, composed, and utterly uninterested in court politics despite his powerful lineage. With grandfathers from both East and West, he could have commanded attention, yet he never sought it. He kept to himself, unbothered by rank or rumor.
Until the incident.
A group of mischievous seniors stole a small box from his room—one that contained, of all things, a letter. The Caerwyn twins had charged in to reclaim it, confident and righteous as ever. Vince, ever curious, decided to join in—after all, when else could he test his strength without someone holding back?
But the seniors' advanced techniques quickly turned the fight against them.
They were, naturally, beaten black and blue. And just when it seemed they'd have more than their pride broken, Lemeric arrived.
He was silent, but his anger was a storm all its own. By the time the dinner hall opened the seniors were dangling upside down from the forest trees behind the academy, howling apologies into the wind.
Without a word, Lemeric tossed a small, unassuming candy toward Vince. The prince caught it, curious—and the moment he bit into it, every wound and ache vanished.
Since that day, Vince had been determined to unravel the mystery that was Lemeric. And ever since Evie came to campus it seems that she's the key to solving it.
"So, where to now?" Vince asked lightly, falling into step beside Lemeric as he exited his classroom.
Lemeric ignored him.
"Ah, how cruel," Vince sighed dramatically, lowering his gaze with mock sadness. "How could you treat your senior this way—it breaks my heart, truly."
Just then, a group of girls passed by, giggling and whispering behind their hands as they called out Vince's name.
"Vince, you're not with the Caerwyn twins today?" one of the girls asked, adjusting the ribbon on her uniform with a shy smile.
Another leaned forward eagerly. "Have you prepared for the Foundation Day Student Wars?"
"I wish I were a freshman," sighed a third. "That way I get paired with you this year!"
Vince chuckled softly, deflecting their attention with practiced ease. "Ah, how delightful—it's that time of year again." His voice was smooth, teasing. "Well, since we're all in our third year now, we're tasked with protecting a freshman's lantern. Such a noble duty, don't you think?" He gave them a conspiratorial grin. "Though between you and me, I'm rather looking forward to seeing which second year dares try to steal mine."
The girls followed his glance and immediately noticed Lemeric at his side—quiet, unreadable and scanning the halls for someone.
One of them whispered, "Isn't that... Lemeric from the sophomores?"
"Didn't he survive last year's student wars? Even though he was with the lowest ranking senior?"
Vince smiled slyly. "The very same. And rumor has it as a sophomore he's one of the strongest contenders this year."
Lemeric's eyes flicked toward him, unimpressed.
The nearby girls practically melted at his blazing stare.
Vince only smiled wider, entirely too pleased with himself. "I bet Lemeric will take first this year again."
Lemeric wanted to walk away from this conversation.
But one of the girls blocked her way "Go easy on me this year, Lemeric. I hope I won't be up against you. I'd rather not have my lantern stolen in the first ten minutes."
Another leaned closer with a playful tilt of her head. "Or maybe... you could teach me a few tricks before the games begin?"
A third smirked. "If you're offering lessons, I wouldn't mind sparring with you after class."
Lemeric overwhelmed backed away and was pinned against the wall. Vince took this opportunity to walk on over to Evie's classroom.
She had exited her classroom with Almira, chatting animatedly.
"Well, look who it is," Vince said, stepping forward with that familiar gleam of mischief. "Hello again lady Evie"
This courted some jealous stares Evie's way.
Evie flinched at the sound of her name—followed immediately by a storm of jealous glares sharp enough to pin her in place.
Almira turned. "It's that Vince your brothers always hangs around with."
Evie instinctively grabbed Almira's sleeve and scanned the corridor. "Are my brother's with you?"
"It's alright," Vince's voice came softer this time, his tone teasing. He leaned closer, lowering his head to her ear. "Your brothers are safely occupied on the opposite side of campus. I might've... told them I saw you heading there."
Evie sighed in relief, Vince found that amusing. "Can you please tell them to stop following me around? They should be focusing on their Ranking Exams, shouldn't they?"
"A special request from Lady Evie herself? I'm honored." Vince's grin deepened as he reached to tuck away a loose strand of her hair.
Only Almira swatted his hand aside just and at the same time Lemeric grabbed Vince by the scruff of his uniform, yanking him back in one swift, effortless motion. Vince landed on the floor with an undignified thud.
Vince was on the floor bewildered.
Evie gasped. "Your Highness—!" Her eyes widened and she immediately turned to Lemeric. "What are you doing?! You can't just throw someone like that!"
"I didn't see him," Lemeric said flatly tucking his arms inside his pocket trying not to look guilty.
Evie crossed her arms. "What sort of excuse is that?"
Before Lemeric could answer, a pair of booming voices interrupted—
"Evie!"
Her brothers, Eleur and Elsan, barreled down the hall, each grabbing one of her arms.
"Come, little sister!" Eleur declared, dragging her right.
"It's Lunch time!" Elsan added, pulling her left.
Within seconds, Evie was being whisked away, half-floating between them as Lemeric followed without so much as a backward glance.
Vince sat up slowly, dazed. Wait a second.
Did Evie just call him by his title?
No one on campus was supposed to know who he really was.
He turned to the only one still with him—Almira, clutching a massive alchemy tome that looked suspiciously familiar. Vince blinked. That was a book that was missing from the Founding Emperor's collection. He has never seen it but he recognized the binding matching the missing collection from the Imperial Library.
"Care to lend a hand?" he asked with a smile, offering his hand.
Almira took it without hesitation. "Yes, Your Highness."
Vince froze mid-motion.
Did she just—?
"I think you have me confuse with someone." He said trying to laugh it off. He gulped.
Wait. Who in the world leaked his identity?
That evening he tried to get Evie alone. Three menacingly protective people were surrounding her. After an entire day of being dragged around campus by the Caerwyn twins—who, for some reason managed to wrangle their sister. They made it their mission to escort her everywhere. He and Lemeric had followed them from a polite distance (or so he claimed). And in between classes their little chase had been... enlightening, to say the least.
Eleur carrying Evie over his head like she was lightweight. Elsan throwing entrapment spells around Lemeric and Vince. Lemeric being adept at magic easily escaped. Needless to say when Vince got to his room he was exhausted.
He tossed his coat onto the armchair and sat by his desk, the soft glow of his mana lamp flickering against parchment. He picked up his quill and began to write a letter to his father—the Emperor.
His identity had been compromised.The strange part was how. No one in the Imperial household had ever interacted with the Caerwyn family besides him. No political ties. No correspondence. No reason for them to know.
He tapped the quill against his chin, thinking. He could write to his father for aid, yes—but that would defeat the purpose of being here in the first place. If he went running to the Emperor for every minor inconvenience, he would be no better than Prince Dominic, who flaunted his title like a banner.
But if his identity was compromised he should report it to his father right away.
"Bridge," he called quietly.
From the edge of the dimly lit room, the shadows stirred.
"Your Highness, you summoned?"
A man stepped forward, cloaked in black that seemed to swallow the light around him. On his chest was the sigil of the Shadow Order, the secret guardians of the Imperial line. A group is bound to an heir, trained to protect and await in the shadows.
"I need you get your people to check on two students," Vince said, his tone clipped but calm. "Evie and Almira. Be discreet."
The man bowed deeply. "As you command, my liege."
As he slipped back into the darkness, Bridge paused mid-descent. "This isn't a romance ploy, is it?"
"What—No!" Vince sputtered, nearly falling out of his chair.
"Because if it is," Bridge continued coolly, "I'm required to report to the Empress before taking action."
Vince narrowed his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be my shadow? Why are you reporting to my mother?"
"The empress promised me a dukedom if I got you engaged before your ranking ceremony."
Vince felt his blood pressure rise. "Don't go falling for her tricks! Mother has no business rushing my marriage!"
Bridge only shrugged.
Vince groaned and leaned on the table, elbow propped as his hand formed a lazy triangle—knuckles pressed against his temple in sheer disbelief. "Why are you even accepting bribes from random people? Aren't you supposed to be loyal to me?"
"Your Highness, times are tough," Bridge said solemnly. "You need to produce more heirs so my new recruits can have steady work. Besides…" He tilted his head, smirking as he descended to the shadows. "That stranger happens to fund your monthly allowance."
A bottle of ink sailed through the air landing on the floor but Bridge had already gone.
"He says it like picking a wife is an easy thing to do," Vince muttered, slumping into his chair.
Perhaps for Vince Nathalion, son of an Earl, choosing a wife would have been a simple, harmless affair. But as Crown Prince Verince Althion, every decision carried weight. The woman he chose wouldn't just be his partner—she would become the empress, that decision alone would have ripples in magnitude across the realm.
If only his parents would arrange it and be done with it. But no—his father and mother, married for love and nearly tore the empire apart for the sake of their hearts. They expected him to "find love" as well.
He exhaled quietly, leaning back. Love. What a dangerous thing to solve. He'd seen what it did to people—the longing, the sacrifices. To bring someone into this gilded gold cage - is that love?
His mother seemed to thrive, yes, her days filled with counsel meetings and banquets, her name revered in every province. Yet behind closed doors, she was a woman trapped—her words measured, her solitude constant, her life dictated by duty she could never escape.
Vince shifted to his bed, one arm over his eyes as the faint lantern light from the campus flickered through the window.
He smiled despite himself."Who are you really, Evie Caerwyn?" he murmured. He can't get close to her but there was someone else who called him by his title.
"It's just an interesting puzzle" He said feeling the rapid thumping of his own heart. The longer he stared at the flickering lights outside, the more he believed it.