The debate was over.
But its aftermath was only beginning.
Word spread beyond the academy walls—into noble houses, military halls, and even the emperor's court. That Evelyne Ardent, the disgraced villainess once sentenced to execution, had stood her ground against the Vellmont heir.
And won the crowd.
They called her clever.
They called her dangerous.
They called her… a contender.
In the Imperial Palace, the whispers reached a young man draped in black and gold.
Crown Prince Lucien Verentis.
He held the report in one hand, a letter from his father in the other. His cold, elegant eyes moved over the parchment.
"She's still alive," he said, almost to himself.
The knight beside him bowed. "Lady Evelyne was granted admission last month. She's—"
"I know what she is," Lucien interrupted.
He rose to his feet.
"She's my fiancée."
The knight tensed. "The engagement was annulled, Your Highness."
Lucien's lips curled into a smirk. "Not yet."
He walked to the window, the sun casting sharp lines across his face.
"Send word to the academy," he ordered. "I'm returning. Let's see what my little villainess has become."
—
At the academy gates, word of the prince's arrival struck like lightning.
Girls fussed with their hair. Boys straightened their uniforms.
Evelyne?
She stood at the dueling arena, training alone.
Elisse found her first. "The Crown Prince… he's coming back. Today."
Evelyne froze.
Her past life, her execution, the bitter betrayal—it all returned in a single breath.
"Let him come," she whispered.
This time… she wouldn't flinch.
This time, she would make him kneel.
---