Chapter 2

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The morning sun cast a golden glow across the Academy courtyard, but Evelina barely acknowledged it as she strolled toward the entrance. The whispers had already begun.

She wasn't surprised.

Her indifference to Seraphina yesterday had broken the script that everyone had expected her to follow. There should have been insults, cruel laughter, humiliation. Evelina should have sneered and thrown petty jabs at the girl.

But she hadn't.

And now, the Academy was unsettled.

She could hear the murmurs as she passed, the hesitant way students glanced at her.

"She didn't react at all…"

"Is she sick?"

"I heard she's plotting something worse."

A small smile tugged at Evelina's lips.

It was almost amusing.

People were more afraid of her silence than her previous cruelty.

She stepped past a group of noble ladies, their silk skirts rustling as they huddled together. Clarisse Ivonne, the Academy's greatest gossip, barely concealed her curiosity as she whispered to her friends. Evelina didn't need to hear them to know her name was on their lips.

But what truly interested her were the male leads.

The ones meant to circle around Seraphina.

They were already reacting to her differently.

Prince Cassius Lorian had hesitated.

Leon Valcrest, heir to the Knight Commander, had openly stared.

And Adrian Everhart… well. He hadn't made a move yet, but Evelina could already feel the threads of fate shifting.

She had stolen the first scene.

The story was no longer Seraphina's.

And that meant anything could happen.

Evelina's lips curled.

Good.

---

She stepped into the grand lecture hall, a high-ceilinged chamber filled with ornate wooden desks arranged in tiers. The scent of aged parchment and ink lingered in the air as students murmured among themselves, waiting for class to begin.

Evelina had barely taken her seat when she felt a presence settle beside her.

Too close.

She turned her head slightly—

And met a pair of sharp, steel-gray eyes.

Leon Valcrest.

The future Knight Commander.

A man known for his unyielding sense of justice, his devotion to the royal family, his inability to be charmed or manipulated.

And yet—

Here he was.

Sitting beside her.

Evelina let a long pause stretch between them before she finally spoke, her voice calm and unreadable.

"Sir Leon."

He didn't respond immediately.

Instead, he studied her as if she were a puzzle missing a crucial piece.

"You're different," he finally said.

Evelina lifted a brow. "Oh? In what way?"

Leon didn't look away. "You aren't causing trouble."

She smiled faintly. "Disappointed?"

His expression remained neutral, but Evelina caught the flicker of something beneath the surface.

Not disappointment.

Suspicion.

Leon Valcrest was the kind of man who only respected strength. He saw the world in clear-cut divisions—honor and corruption, good and evil.

And Evelina Aurelius had always been firmly on the side of corruption.

Until now.

She met his gaze steadily. "If my presence disturbs you, feel free to move."

Leon's jaw tensed slightly.

"I didn't say I was disturbed," he muttered.

Evelina almost laughed.

He was annoyed. Irritated that she wasn't acting the way she was supposed to.

Good.

She had no intention of playing a role he understood.

---

The professor entered, silencing the students with a sharp tap of his cane against the floor.

"Today's lesson will focus on military strategy."

Evelina's interest piqued.

She had expected something tedious—noble etiquette, court diplomacy—but this? This was valuable.

The professor posed a question.

"You are leading a force against an army three times your size. What is your best option?"

Several students hesitated.

Then—

Leon spoke first.

"Divide the enemy before the battle begins. Disrupt their supply lines, weaken their morale."

The professor nodded approvingly. "An excellent response, Lord Valcrest."

Leon sat back slightly, clearly confident in his answer.

Then, the professor turned to Evelina.

"Lady Evelina, how would you counter Lord Valcrest's strategy?"

The room stilled.

Leon's gaze sharpened, locking onto her.

This was a test.

And Evelina?

She never failed tests.

She tapped her fingers lightly against her desk, letting the silence drag before she answered.

"If I suspected misinformation," she said, her voice smooth, "I would counter it with my own."

Leon's eyes narrowed slightly.

The professor tilted his head. "Explain."

Evelina smiled faintly.

"If my enemy was spreading false intelligence to manipulate my movements, I would plant even more convincing false reports—ones that paint my forces as weaker than they are. I would let them believe they were winning. Then, once they overcommit to an attack, I would lure them into a false victory."

A long pause.

Then—

A low chuckle.

Leon actually laughed.

Not loudly, but softly, under his breath.

He shook his head slightly. "Dangerous."

Evelina's smile widened. "That's the idea."

The professor exhaled. "That is… not an honorable strategy."

Evelina tilted her head. "And yet, it is effective."

Murmurs spread through the hall.

The students were seeing her differently now.

Not just as the spoiled villainess.

But as someone capable.

Evelina's smile lingered as she turned her attention back to her notes.

Leon Valcrest was still watching her.

But this time?

It wasn't suspicion.

It was interest.

---

By the time class ended, Evelina had fully secured the shift in power.

She had taken a scene meant for Seraphina and made it hers.

And Seraphina?

She was cracking.

Evelina caught sight of her near the lecture hall doors, standing awkwardly as nobles whispered around her.

She was supposed to be rising in status, gaining respect, proving herself.

But instead, she was falling behind.

Seraphina bit her lip, her hands clenched at her sides.

Then, as if gathering courage, she hurried toward Evelina.

"Lady Evelina," she called.

Evelina stopped, turning with calculated grace.

Seraphina hesitated.

Her confidence wavered, just for a second.

Then she smiled—too forced, too rehearsed.

"I was wondering if we could start over."

Evelina studied her for a long moment.

Then she smiled.

"I wasn't aware we had a conflict."

Seraphina's breath hitched.

A flicker of uncertainty crossed her golden eyes.

Evelina watched her for another heartbeat before stepping past her without another word.

The whispers followed her.

Seraphina was no longer the center of attention.

And Evelina?

She had just stolen another moment from her.

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