"We need to inform Orion and the Starweaver twins," someone suggested, voice carrying the desperation of drowning people grasping for anything that might float.
"They already know," Lady Daphina responded with bitterness. "And they’re probably as worried as we are."
Because the Starweavers had more to lose than anyone. Had been negotiating carefully, maintaining leverage, keeping Luna desperate enough to accept their terms but not so desperate she’d do something drastic.
That delicate balance could shatter if Ren involved himself. If he offered Luna alternatives they hadn’t anticipated.
Selphira watched from her position, her eyes shining with satisfaction.
She reveled in the opportunists’ expressions when some left moments later, their faces pale and tense with concern.
She’d seen this coming. Had watched the pieces fall into place with the satisfaction of someone whose student had just demonstrated he’d learned lessons she’d thought would take years to internalize.
Yes, she thought while watching panic spread among the opportunistic nobles. Let them worry. Let them suffer a bit imagining all the implications.
♢♢♢♢
The confrontation came that same afternoon.
Julius and Selphira were ’working’ in the administrative office when the door opened without knocking. Three men entered, followed by Lady Morgain, Lord Balethon and the others.
The Starweaver uncles.
Magnus and Dorian, identical twins with eyes sharing the same blue tone as Luna’s. And Orion, the eldest, the leader, with an unpleasant presence that filled any room he entered.
The kind of presence that came from years of getting what you wanted through intimidation and political pressure. From never being told no without consequences for the person refusing.
"This is a joke in bad taste," Orion declared without preamble, his voice cold and annoyed. "And I demand to know who manipulated the assignments."
Julius looked up from the documents he was reviewing, his expression bored. Not impressed nor intimidated... Just vaguely annoyed at having his work interrupted by people who thought they deserved his immediate attention.
"The assignments were made following standard protocol."
"Standard protocol doesn’t pair a peasant with our niece," Magnus growled, barely containing his fury.
The insult was deliberate. ’Peasant’ despite Ren’s achievements, his wealth, his connections, his basically assured near future high standing. Because acknowledging Ren’s actual status would mean acknowledging he was becoming something bigger they couldn’t simply dismiss or ignore.
"Unless," Dorian added with a poisonous tone, "someone was trying to push an agenda."
Selphira smiled, and it wasn’t a pleasant smile.
It was the smile of a predator who’d been waiting for prey to wander into range. The expression of someone who’d prepared for exactly this confrontation and was about to enjoy every moment of it.
"How interesting that you mention agendas. We’ve also been perceiving some lately."
She placed a folder on Julius’s desk, dropping it with enough force that the sound resonated in the tense silence. The thud of paper hitting wood somehow carried more weight than a simple physical impact, promising consequences that extended far beyond a simple folder.
"Information about foul play," Julius explained casually while opening the folder. "Very interesting foul play, in fact. A house with strong historical ties in Goldcrest territory, led by Morgain, for example... Wasn’t satisfied with just one fine and transgression."
Lady Morgain went pale. The color draining from her face so completely she looked like she might faint. Her carefully constructed composure cracking as she wasn’t sure exactly how much they knew, how deeply they’d investigated.
"Balethon," Selphira continued, her smile growing, savoring each name like fine wine. "Aldric, Caelum... Even some suspicious transactions from a minor branch of the Dravenholms... Right, Daphina?"
Each name landed like a hammer blow. Evidence that they’d been watched, tracked, investigated without realizing the net was closing around them.
"What are you insinuating?" Orion asked, his voice falsely calm.
The kind of calm that came from recognizing a trap too late while trying to find an exit that didn’t exist.
"We’re not insinuating anything," Julius closed the folder. "We’re directly stating that we have sufficient evidence to suppose multiple noble houses were involved in financing and organizing an assassination attempt against a student of this academy in the last gathering exam."
The silence that followed was absolute.
You could have heard breathing if anyone dared breathe.
"Although strong, they’re still suppositions... so the investigation," Selphira continued, enjoying every word, savoring the nobles’ growing horror, "will have to be extensive. Much larger than we originally planned. Because if these relatively large houses were involved, who knows how many others are as well."
She paused significantly, letting that sink in.
"In fact, we were considering implementing ’red nose’ tests on all noble houses with connections to the academy. Just to be sure, you understand?"
The faces of the nobles present went livid.

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