The mood at the Dorne estate didn’t improve much after Branford left, but at least the air felt less suffocating, like a spell had been lifted or a wolf finally got out of the house. Felix hadn’t said much after the confrontation, though I could tell the tension in his shoulders had eased just a fraction. The silence between us felt like an old friend, one I was used to after spending years in front of an empty screen or alone in my thoughts. But now, in a room full of people, it seed heavier.
Felix finally cleared his throat. "I... appreciate that. You didn’t need to get involved."
I tossed my fork onto the plate with a clatter. "I didn’t need to, no. But you’re a ss when you try to hold it all in. And let’s be honest, it’s funny to watch you squirm."
His lips twitched in what might’ve been a smile, though it barely reached his eyes. He was still shaken, and it wasn’t about Branford anymore. It was about sothing deeper, sothing he’d buried in that tangled ss of a life he called his family.
"You’re not exactly subtle, are you?" he asked.
"Subtlety is overrated. And really, if you want to talk about ’subtle,’ just rember I didn’t break his jaw. I was polite."
Felix’s eyebrows rose. "I think he’s a little too important for you to..."
I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "Important? To who? To people who think having a family na ans they get to be dickheads forever? Please. That guy was a walking embarrassnt to all of noble society. Half the ti, they can’t even keep their titles in the family. You know why?"
Felix stayed quiet, and I didn’t need him to answer.
"Because they forget the most basic thing in life," I said. "The higher you are, the harder you fall."
"You’re not wrong," Felix admitted, though there was a hint of bitterness in his tone. "But it’s still not easy, you know? Living with that weight on your shoulders. Being treated like I’m sohow less because my family isn’t the greatest—"
"Boo-hoo," I interrupted, leaning forward and tapping the table. "What, you think I didn’t have a few ’lesser’ days? No one’s born on top, Felix. If you’re going to whine about it every ti soone throws it in your face, you’ll be stuck in the mud forever. And I can’t drag you out forever."
Felix glared at , the first real fire I’d seen from him in ages. "You don’t know anything about it, Lucian."
I cocked my head to one side. "Oh, I don’t? Let guess. You were the cute little noble, but soone bigger than you ca along and decided you weren’t worth their ti. Because that’s how it always works, right? You think they’ll lift you up, but instead, they make sure you stay in your place."
His jaw tightened. "Sothing like that."
"Well, guess what?" I leaned forward, grinning like a madman. "I was never born on top. I don’t even know if I was born anywhere worth rembering. But I made my place. And I sure as hell didn’t sit around hoping soone would toss a bone."
Felix stayed silent, his fingers curling around the edge of his cup. It was strange seeing him like this—vulnerable, but not in the way I expected. I wasn’t here to comfort him, though. He didn’t need that. But the way he was looking at ... It was like he was seeing the person I’d been, and maybe for the first ti, I wasn’t just the obnoxious bastard who made sarcastic comnts for fun.
I straightened up, trying to shake off the unexpected mont of reflection. "Anyway, this isn’t a therapy session. The dinner’s over, and you’ve got more important things to do than having a heart-to-heart with ."
Felix nodded slowly, but he didn’t move to stand. "Yeah... I guess so."
I gave him a sideways glance, my usual cocky grin returning. "Don’t worry, noble boy. I’m sure the Dorne family’s problems are absolutely fascinating. But let’s not get all emotional here. Who knows, you might be able to laugh about it in a decade or so. Or I’ll be dead and you can laugh about it right now."
"Charming," he muttered, finally standing up. "I’ll see you in the morning, Professor."
"You know where to find ," I said, a lazy smirk curling on my lips. "Right here. Waiting for the inevitable chaos. You’re welco for the entertainnt."
Felix gave a half-hearted glare as he left, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit of satisfaction at having gotten under his skin. Not that it was hard, of course. But still, seeing him a little shaken, a little out of control? It was a nice change of pace.
I took a deep breath and looked around the empty room. The others were probably already retreating to their own corners of the estate, dealing with their own sses. Felix might’ve been in denial about a lot of things, but maybe, just maybe, this trip was the first step in getting him to see things in a clearer light.
And as for ? I was just here for the ride. For the chaos. The cody. The inevitable monts of glory—or disaster.
Either way, I wasn’t going anywhere anyti soon.
The next morning, Felix and I were back at it—, the ever-grinning mocker, and him, the brooding nobleman who seed to be slowly learning that life didn’t revolve around his family’s reputation. We’d left the estate in a hurry for sothing that had to be done and were walking down the narrow cobbled streets of the lower district again. The market was as chaotic as ever, the sound of vendors shouting their wares filling the air, but for once, Felix wasn’t completely brooding. He’d gotten a little less stiff over the past few hours.
"Don’t tell you’ve gone soft, Felix," I said, glancing sideways at him with a grin. "It’s cute, really. But not in the way you think."
Felix rolled his eyes but didn’t respond right away. His shoulders weren’t as tense as the day before, but the hint of unease still lingered behind his gaze. I had no intention of letting him sit in his own head too much today. That wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.
I nudged him with my elbow, making him stumble a bit. "C’mon, are you really just going to let do all the talking?"
Felix finally looked at , his lips twitching into sothing of a smile. "What do you want to say, Lucian? ’Oh, how wonderful it is to have your back at every turn’? I’m sure you’ll say sothing even more sarcastic to make it feel better."
"Now you’re catching on," I said with a satisfied grin. "No, no need to pretend to be an emotional wreck. But hey, the next ti soone looks down on you, at least you’ve got the option of telling them that you’ve been roasted by the best. . And trust , that really stings more than anything else."
Felix gave a half-smile, the kind that was slowly edging into the realm of real amusent. But just as I was about to continue, I noticed sothing out of the corner of my eye—movent near the edge of the market. A figure stepping into the crowd with purpose, and I imdiately knew what was coming.
Great.
"Ah, here cos the next round," I muttered to myself.
Felix glanced in the direction I was looking and followed my gaze to the familiar figure. "It’s that person from the academy again, isn’t it?"
I nodded. "Yep. The one with the ’I’m so important, I make your life miserable’ face."
The attendant from the academy’s external affairs—what was his na again? Ah, who cared—was striding toward us. His usual stiff deanor made him look more like a well-pressed paper doll than a human being. But when he approached, he didn’t even bother with pleasantries. He just thrust a letter at , almost as if he were trying to shove it down my throat.
"Lucian Drelmont," the attendant began, his tone as cold and professional as ever. "The academy requests your presence in the administration building. It’s regarding the upcoming students’ festival."
"Wait," I interrupted, raising an eyebrow, "so now we get another event to look forward to? What is this, an endless cycle of mandatory fun?"
Felix shot an amused look, though I could tell he was getting a little uncomfortable. The attendant, however, wasn’t laughing. He didn’t seem capable of it.
"The academy is requiring each class to submit a plan for participation in the festival," the attendant said, his voice flat and devoid of anything resembling enthusiasm. "As Class C’s instructor, you will be expected to guide your students in this matter. And if you don’t, I’m sure the academy will make a note of it for your evaluation."
I rolled my eyes dramatically. "Oh, what an honor. To be evaluated for not caring about so nonsense festival."
Felix, looking more and more disheveled as the minutes passed, muttered, "What are we even supposed to do for this festival? It’s not like we have a reputation to uphold."
"Exactly," I said, smirking. "Who cares about a festival when you’re teaching the best class in the entire academy, huh?" I turned my attention back to the attendant. "Do we get any guidelines for this so-called ’festival’? Or are we just supposed to wing it and pray no one dies of boredom?"
The attendant didn’t flinch. "The academy expects you to submit sothing aningful and entertaining. Good luck with that."
With that, he turned and walked off, leaving us standing in the middle of the bustling market. I glanced over at Felix, whose face was already showing signs of stress.
"So, what’s your plan, Felix? Going to try and impress everyone with so ridiculous stunt? Or are you going to fold under the pressure like last ti?"
Felix glared at but didn’t have an imdiate response. He was too busy running through possibilities in his head.
I shrugged. "Fine, I’ll figure sothing out. If all else fails, I’ll just roast everyone until they can’t tell if we’re doing a performance or a roast battle."
Felix shot a look, but then a small chuckle slipped from his lips. "You never run out of ideas, do you?"
I winked. "You should know by now. Anyway, let’s go back to the estate. I’ll take care of it. We don’t have ti to waste on this nonsense."
Felix gave a small nod, looking less like he was about to crack and more like soone who was learning to survive with the madness rather than running away from it.
"Fine," he said, his voice a bit more resigned. "Let’s get this over with."
And with that, we turned to leave the market, back to the Dorne family estate. But for once, I wasn’t rushing. Not because I had no idea what to do. But because I realized, just maybe, that the chaos we were about to create in the festival wasn’t sothing to dread. It was just another part of the unpredictable ride we were all on.
And I wasn’t about to let anyone take that away.
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