Night sky.

Venzel dragged himself into his dorm, exhaustion settling into his bones as he collapsed onto his bed.

"Well… today was eventful," he murmured to himself, staring at the ceiling.

He had spent the entire day successfully avoiding Angie.

Sparred against Professor Ivy—and won. Though, if he were being honest, he had gone way too easy on her.

Saved Karina from those bullies.

And then…

He met her.

The bold girl who had the audacity to actually mess with a prince.

Venzel sighed, rubbing his temples.

He needed to be careful.

An abrupt change in behavior would raise too many suspicions—especially during this time where the throne was still a hotly potato.

His mind drifted, sorting through scattered thoughts, but before he could settle into his rest—

Knock. Knock.

Venzel's brows furrowed.

"Ugh… who now?" He groaned as he lazily pulled himself up and trudged toward the door.

With little enthusiasm, he swung it open—only to come face-to-face with a man who bore a striking resemblance to him.

Except for one thing.

Golden hair.

The Kaelith family's natural golden hair.

Venzel clicked his tongue. How fitting.

Gold coins were worth more than silver coins.

And, once upon a time, people had talked rumours that his silver hair was a disgrace.

Until, of course, they were silenced by the sheer weight of his mana.

His eyes narrowed.

"What do you want?"

The golden-haired man—his brother, Star Kaelith—tilted his head, smirking.

"That's no way to greet your older brother."

Venzel flashed a sharp, insincere smile.

"And your smile irritates me."

"Tch." Star clicked his tongue, clearly unimpressed. "I'm not here to argue with you."

"Good. Because I don't have the time to listen to your whining." Venzel moved to shut the door, but—

Star's hand shot out, stopping it.

"Seriously?" His voice edged with irritation. "I am your older brother, you know."

"Doesn't matter." Venzel pushed against the door again. "I'm busy."

"At least hear me out."

Venzel rolled his eyes. "Then speak already. What are you, a sloth?"

Star blinked. "What the hell is a sloth?"

Venzel scoffed. "Of course, you wouldn't know. You'd have to attend school to learn that much."

A brief silence settled between them.

Then, Star's expression shifted.

"Did you have a fight with Angie?"

Venzel didn't respond right away. He simply stared at Star, his expression unreadable.

"…What made you come to that conclusion?"

Star hesitated, caught off guard by the question.

"Ah—uh—well… isn't it obvious?" He scratched his cheek, looking oddly nervous.

Venzel scoffed. "Humph. Angie sent you, didn't she?"

Silence.

Star didn't deny it. He only stared back at Venzel, his lips pressing into a thin line.

"I have a fiancée," Venzel said flatly. "It's pointless."

For a second, Star blinked at him.

Then—

He burst into laughter.

A deep, genuine laugh that echoed through the hallway.

Venzel remained unimpressed, his expression deadpan as Star wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.

"Haha! It seems your sense of humor is finally improving!"

Without another word, Venzel slammed the door in his brother's face.

Star stood there, frozen, the laughter still caught in his throat.

"…What the hell?" He blinked in disbelief. "Is he mad?!"

Muttering to himself, Star stormed off down the hall.

Meanwhile, inside the room—

Venzel stared at the door for a long moment.

Then, a smirk tugged at his lips.

"I just did that, didn't I?" He exhaled in amusement.

Slamming a door in someone's face…

That was actually kind of fun.

With that thought, he flopped back onto his bed, his smirk lingering—

As sleep claimed him, the academy settled into a quiet hush—unaware of the thoughts that plagued another soul that night.

______

The night sky stretched endlessly, shimmering with countless stars. A gentle breeze rustled the curtains, carrying with it the quiet hum of the academy settling down for the night.

Karina sat by the window, her gaze fixed on the heavens above, yet her thoughts were elsewhere.

"I'll go get your things back. I promise."

That voice. That moment.

It caught her off guard.

Could it really have been him? The boy who had ignored her for years—the one who basked in attention—had taken down three noble heirs in seconds just for me. Why?

What makes you think he would? she scolded herself.

She exhaled sharply. No, she wouldn't get her hopes up.

She was already too deep in this mess.

The sound of the door opening pulled her from her thoughts.

"Oh, Karina, you're already in."

A familiar, lighthearted voice.

Unlike Venzel, who had an entire dorm room to himself, Karina shared hers with another student—Charlotte.

Karina turned as her roommate entered, graceful as ever. Charlotte's long golden hair cascaded over her shoulders, her emerald eyes gleaming under the soft glow of the lantern.

Then, like always, she smiled—that delicate, effortless smile that seemed almost unreal.

"You're getting more and more beautiful," Charlotte teased with a small giggle.

Karina said nothing, instead slipping off her glasses.

Lately, things had been feeling strange.

Venzel's sudden kindness.

And Charlotte…

Karina wasn't certain, but she suspected that Charlotte might be into women.

That thought alone made her uneasy.

No—she didn't want anything to do with that.

"You're late," Karina murmured, changing the subject. "Some of the boys dropped off gifts while you were out."

Charlotte barely glanced at the pile of neatly wrapped presents on her bed. Instead, she simply smiled as she pulled out her hairpin and let her golden locks fall freely.

"Forget about that," she said dismissively. "I met Venzel in the library today."

Her voice was light, playful—almost like a girl recounting a dream.

Karina stiffened.

"I'm not interested," she replied flatly.

Charlotte pouted. "Oh, come on. Don't you want to know more about your fiancé?"

"No."

"I'll tell you anyway," Charlotte said, undeterred. "He barely even glanced at me. Can you believe that?"

There was a lilt of amusement in her tone.

Karina blinked, caught off guard.

"Isn't that… bad?" she asked without thinking.

Then, realizing she had fallen into Charlotte's trap, she quickly pressed her lips shut.

Charlotte grinned. "See? You do care."

Karina huffed, looking away.

"You forgot, didn't you?" Charlotte mused. "That's not very friend-like of you. Remember when I said I'd only date a boy who isn't shocked by my beauty?"

Karina stared at her for a long moment.

Then she sighed.

Charlotte had always been like this—teasing, laughing, dancing around the truth like it was a game.

"He's still my fiancé."