NOVPUBThe next day...
The sun was barely peeking through the clouds, and the academy grounds were still quiet. Mist curls around the cobblestones like soft fingers.
After yesterday's chaos with the twins, I'd woken up feeling... surprisingly content.
But of course, peace never lasted long around here.
I still needed to meet up with Selene, and here I was, staying under a small pavilion near the training field, hands in my pockets, back leaning against a wooden pillar.
And as expected…
Tap… Tap… Tap…
Selene arrived fashionably late.
Her long legs peeked from beneath a tight skirt, her top wrapped snugly around her figure, and her usual smirk already painted on her face.
Her cyan-colored tails swayed like they owned the wind, and her ears flicked lazily with every step.
She stopped in front of me, cocking her head.
"Good morning~ Did you miss me?"
I stared flatly at her.
"You're late."
She giggled at my words.
"I was picking out what panties to wear. Strategy meetings require proper undergarments, you know?" she cocked her head with a lazy grin, and then continued.
"Besides, I had to dodge a stalker on the way here. It's not easy being hot, you know?"
I didn't respond.
She pouted.
"Right."
She slid into the seat across from me at the stone table, sighing as she tossed a few rolled-up notes onto the surface.
They landed with a soft thud.
"Got some news overnight," she said, her teasing tone gone.
I raised an eyebrow.
She tapped the parchment.
"My little foxes in the capital say the Emperor met the Pope. In person. No royal guards. No public record. Just the two of them behind closed doors."
I went still.
"And?"
Selene shook her head.
"No clue what they talked about. But something's definitely up. When those two shake hands, somebody loses a kingdom."
I frowned.
'So... it really happened.'
Selene watched my expression.
"You already knew?"
"...Not really," I said vaguely.
She squinted her eyes at me.
"Sureee..."
I didn't elaborate.
Selene didn't press.
Instead, she unrolled one of the maps.
"Whatever they discussed, we should assume it's bad news for us. The Pope doesn't move unless prophecy's involved. And if he's showing up in the capital?"
Her voice dropped.
"Something's about to burn."
My fist clenched at her words, but I quickly distracted myself.
I stared at the map.
Selene had marked the major academies, key noble families, and known members of the Star Society. There were no red Xs or dramatic flourishes this time.
Just clean notes.
"What's your plan?" I asked.
Selene smirked at my question, her fingers gliding over the surface of the parchment like a pianist about to strike the first note.
"My plan?" she echoed, eyes flicking up to meet mine.
"Simple. We strike them first."
I waited.
She tapped a circle she'd drawn just outside the central district of Silverleaf City. It was a normal-looking district on the surface.
Shops, cafés, and even a mage clinic.
But her nail hovered over a nondescript building nestled between two warehouses.
"One of their bases," she said.
I blinked.
She leaned forward, her expression darkening just a little.
"Along with the Emperor, there's also another organization that we need to be extremely careful about, and that is the Star Society."
"The Star Society isn't just a noble club or an old political faction. They're a shadow network. Old bloodlines. Secret contracts. Cults. Prophecy fanatics. The type of people who believe the world belongs to them—and that anyone who stands in the way is simply delaying fate."
She leaned back, twirling a strand of her hair.
"Some of the members have infiltrated the Silverleaf Academy. Others sit at the Emperor's table. But their heart—their operations—start here."
'They actually infiltrated Silverleaf...?'
'This is going to be a fucking problem... I was too much time away. I'll need to check every student carefully then.'
She pointed again to the circled building.
"They use this place to move people, artifacts, relics... and information. High-level encrypted letters. Magical scrolls with royal seals. Some of them vanish inside and never come out."
I narrowed my eyes.
"And you want me to infiltrate it?"
Selene's grin widened.
"Bingo."
She slid a smaller piece of parchment toward me—a floor layout, hand-drawn, but shockingly detailed.
Three levels, the underground sections, ward circles, and even the guard placements and their working hours.
"Disguises won't work. Too many detection barriers. You'll need to use stealth or cold, hard violence. Preferably stealth, but hey~ I'm not here to stifle your artistic freedom."
I stared at the plan a moment longer, then back at her.
"You seem awfully prepared for someone who doesn't know what they're up to."
She rolled her eyes.
"I've been tracking them for years. I just never had a partner with sharp enough claws to act."
'Sharp enough claws, huh…?'
I didn't say anything.
Selene crossed one leg over the other, her voice turning a bit more serious.
"The Star Society has their hands on something dangerous—maybe even something that explains the dream I had about you."
I tensed.
She didn't seem to notice.
Or maybe she did, and just pretended not to.
"If we want to stop whatever's coming… we start here," she said.
"You infiltrate the base. I'll handle cover on my end—suppressing reports, jamming the ward signals, and making sure your exit stays clean."
I folded the parchment and slipped it into my pocket.
"You sure about this?"
Selene smiled with those wicked, fox-like eyes.
"Of course~ You're the only one reckless enough to pull it off."
I rolled my eyes at her words, but I was quickly attracted by her movements.
Tap... tap!
She tapped the corner of the floor map with her nail.
"Two nights from now," she said.
"Midnight. The guards change shifts at exactly 00:14. There's a seventy-second window before the next batch arrives."
I nodded slowly, committing the detail to memory.
She reached into her satchel and pulled out a slim black case, sliding it toward me across the stone table.
"Your toys," she added with a wink.
"A suppression charm for your mana, a scroll that temporarily blocks detection fields, and… a poison dagger from a very angry widow in the south. Try not to ask how I got it."
I popped open the case for a moment. Each tool was neatly secured in padded slots, glowing faintly with faint enchantments.
I closed the case and tucked it under my cloak.
"Got it."
Selene stretched like a cat, arms above her head, then let them fall with a yawn.
"That's all I have for now, cutie. Go sharpen your sword or something."
I turned, ready to leave.
But before I could take a step, she moved in close—too close.
Without warning, her arms snaked around me in a soft, brief hug from behind. Her breath brushed my ear as she whispered:
"Try not to die~"
I immediately shoved her away with a half-scowl, stepping forward without another word.
Selene just laughed behind me, the sound echoing off the cold pavilion.
But then—
I stopped.
Because just a few feet ahead… standing half-hidden by the hedges near the path…
Was Ella.
She wasn't exactly moving or doing anything in particular.
Instead...
She was watching us.
Her light blue eyes locked on me—but not me exactly.
No.
They were locked on Selene.
And those eyes, once filled with shyness and sunshine, looked hollow.
Like glass.
Like the kind of glass that only broke when no one was watching.
Her hands were at her sides, fingers slightly curled, knuckles white. The breeze caught her long silver hair and made it flutter gently, like she was just another girl on a morning walk.
But her eyes…
They didn't blink.
They didn't sparkle.
Just stared.
My stomach tightened.
She took a step forward—heels clicking lightly against the path.
"Esty~"
That voice was sugar.
But cracked.
'...Is that a nickname for me?'
"You weren't at the training ground."
I opened my mouth, but she didn't let me speak at all.
"I waited. I even brought your mana-tonic, which you mentioned that you liked. The one with honey and lemon. I made it myself."
Another step.
"I checked your dorm. You weren't there either."
A smile stretched across her face—too wide.
"So I thought maybe you were injured. Or kidnapped. Or cursed. Or gone. And I got so, so worried..."
She giggled.
It sounded like a lullaby sung in a locked room.
"...But then I saw you."
Her head tilted.
"You were hugging... that girl."
Another step.
She was in front of me now.
Too close.
Her eyes locked onto mine—no longer hiding anything.
"I don't like hugs, Esty."
Her voice dropped.
"Unless they're from me."
She suddenly reached for my arm, gripping it tightly, her fingers trembling slightly, as her knuckles slowly turned bone-white.
"You'll come with me now, won't you?" she whispered. "I made cookies. I stayed up all night. My fingers still hurt from kneading the dough."
She leaned in close, close enough that I could feel her breath.
"And I added something special this time..."
She giggled again—so softly, so lovingly, it made my skin crawl.
"...A drop of my blood."
I froze slightly.
"I read in a book once," she whispered in my ear, "that if you eat something with someone's blood... they'll never forget you."
She pulled back, beaming at me with the most angelic smile ever.
That is, if her eyes didn't look so damned carzy.
"Isn't that romantic?"
My heart thudded once.
But I smiled anyway.
"Can't wait to try them."
She squealed—genuinely delighted.
And yet…
Her grip didn't loosen.
Not even a little.
And as she turned me around and led me away from the pavilion, her soft voice drifted back over her shoulder—
Still cheerful.
Still smiling.
"But if she touches you again…"
Her voice dropped to a murmur, like a prayer:
"...I'll carve her name out of the academy's roster."
Fuck.
I can't believe my first official relationship was with a Yandere...
A Yandere Princess.
Also, I really don't wanna eat her cookies.
