Chapter 187: For A Fleeting Second,
[Music recommendation: Secession Studios - The Unforgiven]
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As soon as she did, Damien released Valen and lunged forward to reach Ivan. "Ivan!" he called out. But before he could take another step, a row of sceptres blocked his path, thrusting toward him by the royal guards. In the next instant, they unleashed a heavily charged magic attack straight at him.
Everything happened too fast.
Professor Dante immediately stepped in front of Damien, while Seira lifted her hands, summoning a surge of bright purple light from her palms. A dome-like barrier burst forth around all of them, deflecting the incoming magical blast with a sharp ripple of energy.
Queen Viva’s eyes hardened. "What do you think you’re all doing?!"
Dante’s cold voice cut through the tension, "The real question is, what do you think you are doing, Queen Viva?"
Seira kept her hands raised, maintaining the shimmering barrier around them. "No one harms my students under my watch," she declared, her voice laced with warning.
Viva scoffed. "You cannot expect my guards to stand idle when a threat approaches me, can you?"
"Lord Damien was trying to reach his brother," Dante replied icily. "Which part of that counts as a threat?"
The queen narrowed her eyes at the audacity in his tone. "It is a threat," she spat, "when moments ago he had my son’s neck in his grip. That alone warrants his execution. And as the ruling monarch, I have full authority to take action against such insolence."
Her pale green gaze swept slowly across the group before she continued, "And furthermore...I have every right to arrest all of you for aiding that threat."
Dante’s cold face twisted into a maniacal grin as he raised a brow. "I don’t think you can do that, Your Majesty. Blood Moon Academy is an institution beyond the control of any monarch from any kingdom. The only person with the authority to punish us is the king of our own land....King Iskara Ignia De Ashen."
"That rule applies only once you are back in Versailles! Until then, any threat must be contained within my kingdom! Guards! Arrest them all!" Viva barked, her rage echoing through the corridor.
"You can try arresting us, and let’s see what happens when word reaches the higher-ups that you captured professors of an independent academy and jeopardised the safety of nobles from across the lands. Let’s see whether those kingdoms won’t raise war against your kingdom, Queen Viva," Dante’s cold voice cut through.
Viva glared at the man, but he went on, "In fact, I dare you to do it. But let me tell you this....your next action will be considered a direct act of war against every kingdom on the continent. And let’s not forget what you’ve done to the crown prince of the most powerful kingdom among them all."
"What do you mean by what I have done to the prince?! You can see he agreed to everything himself! You cannot blatantly slander royalty." Viva’s rage-filled voice echoed through the corridor.
Dante’s smirk turned vicious as his gaze shifted to the struggling Ivan. He spoke in a voice barely above a whisper, "We are not blind, Queen Viva. And whatever is being done here...is a very dangerous game you’ve chosen to play." His tone was dark and cryptic.
Viva clenched her hands into tight fists as she listened to the consequences she might face. She knew well that Blood Moon Academy was not only prestigious but powerful in its own right. It was the academy that operated independently, unaffiliated with any ruling monarch. The only reason it abided by the laws of the Kingdom of Versailles was because it happened to be located within its territory, making King Iskara the sole authority who could hold them accountable should anything go wrong.
By the terms of the non-aggression alliance signed by all kingdoms, no ruler was permitted to interfere with or harm the Academy’s operations. This was precisely why nobles entrusted their children to study there. It was also why even King Solan had been unable to interfere, despite wanting to.
That being said, any unlawful actions on the Academy’s part would still be punishable under the King of Versailles, ensuring that the Academy did not misuse its power, especially considering the safety of nobles from multiple kingdoms who resided within its walls.
And what Queen Viva was attempting now was a direct violation of the non-aggressive treaty. Dante knew that since Damien had attacked the prince of this kingdom, there would certainly be consequences he would have to face, but that didn’t mean Dante would simply stand by and allow this deranged woman to do whatever she pleased just because she was the queen.
Not when he had seen with his own sharp eyes that something was very clearly wrong with Prince Ivan. Dread coiled in his gut at the thought of how King Iskara would react once he learned what this foolish woman had done to his only son.
But until they could prove it, he couldn’t point fingers blindly. So instead, he used every other means at his disposal to remind the queen of the consequences she would face for attempting to imprison them.
While silence blanketed the corridor, Eve’s tear-filled gaze remained locked on Ivan’s rigid, curled-up form. Even from where she stood, she could see the faint, involuntary tremors running through his hand as if he were in immense pain.
Her heart twisted so violently she thought it might tear apart.
At that moment, she remembered her promise to herself that she would do anything to save him. Her eyes swept around, and a cold truth settled in her chest: the current situation was not in their favour at all. If this continued, every single person she cared about would be in danger. And god knows what the Queen might do to Ivan next.
She swallowed hard at the terrifying thought.
Her gaze drifted to Damien, who stood like a protective wall before her, then to the professors holding firm against the queen’s tyranny. Eve had seen it clearly that it was Queen Viva controlling Ivan like a puppet. But those brief, flickering moments when he struggled...when his hand trembled as it held hers. Even if only for a fleeting second, she had felt him trying to claw his way back from whatever darkness held him chained.
She understood the one truth: Ivan’s life hung by a thin thread in the queen’s grasp, a thread that could snap at any moment.
But in her heart, she held on to one thing....there was still a chance. Because she had seen it. Even under that sinister influence...he was still fighting.
So she took a deep breath and raised her shaky hands to wipe the tears from her face. Then she stepped forward and gently gripped Damien’s arm, making him turn his dark crimson eyes over his shoulder in question.
She looked into his eyes, silently asking him to trust her.
Damien’s brows pulled together as he stared at her for a few seconds and then shook his head slightly, as if he already figured out what she was about to do, and he didn’t approve. Her eyes filled with tears again as she held his gaze for another trembling breath before she stepped past him, moving toward the front, where Professor Seira still held the barrier in place.
Every pair of eyes was drawn back to her.
Cece, still held back by Edward and not far away, spoke in alarm, "Evelyn, what are you-"
Cece stopped when Eve raised a hand, her gaze turning sharp as she fixed her eyes fiercely on Queen Viva.
"Queen Viva, I would like to speak to you alone." Evelyn’s soft yet firm voice cut through the deafening silence, and everyone stared at her in disbelief, as if she had completely lost her mind.
It was then that Prince Valen, who had only just recovered from Damien’s crushing grip, pushed himself unsteadily to his feet, one hand caressing the tender skin of his neck where Damien’s fingerprints were surely imprinted.
Viva’s sharp eyes shifted to her son before returning to the young princess who dared to demand a private audience. She needed Evelyn alone anyway to further her plans, but she couldn’t appear too eager, so she pretended to play hard to get.
Viva narrowed her eyes at Eve and said coldly, "And why should I grant you that, Princess Evelyn? Truth be told, your parents would be greatly disappointed to learn of the company you choose to keep."
Eve gritted her teeth at the mention of her parents, but right now, nothing mattered except saving Ivan. She lifted her chin and met the queen’s gaze head-on.
"Does that matter?"
"What?" Viva narrowed her eyes further, trying to decipher what the girl was attempting.
"I mean," Eve continued flatly, "does the company I keep matter when I’m soon to be married off to your son?"
Viva and Valen were taken aback by her sudden question, which rendered them speechless. But it wasn’t just the two of them....everyone in the corridor froze as well. Their eyes slowly shifted from Evelyn to Ivan, who remained unnervingly still. They swallowed hard, clearly not liking where the conversation was heading.
