Seraphina’s POV

I stood in front of Principal Astor’s office and took a deep breath, trying to steady myself even though I knew it wasn’t going to help much. My chest felt tight, and I couldn’t tell if it was because of the decision I had already made or because of the fact that I was now standing here, waiting to be questioned. Leaving school wasn’t something that could just happen quietly, not when I was going to a completely different kingdom. I needed permission, signatures, approval, all the things that made everything feel more real than I wanted it to be.

When I had gone to the administrative office earlier, I had expected a simple refusal. It would have made sense. I wasn’t going back to Aldoria, my own kingdom. I wasn’t going somewhere safe or familiar. I was going to Varynthia, a place that had nothing to do with me, a place I had no real reason to go to other than something personal that I couldn’t explain without making everything worse.

The woman at the office had looked confused the moment I told her, and I could tell right away that she didn’t like what she was hearing. She had excused herself and made a call, and at that moment, I had already started preparing myself.

I had thought Astor would refuse. I had been so sure of it that I had already started thinking of what I would say, how I would argue, and if I had to, how I would use my engagement to the prince of Aldoria as leverage since I was technically almost a royal. It wasn’t something I liked to bring up, but I knew it carried weight, but instead of coming back to tell me that my request had been denied, the woman had looked at me with a slightly different expression and told me that the principal wanted to see me personally.

That had thrown me off more than a refusal would have, and now I was here.

I shifted slightly where I stood, my eyes flickering briefly toward Mrs. Hawthorne, who sat at her desk in the outer office. I could feel her looking at me, even without turning fully to confirm it. There was something about the way she watched me that made me uneasy, but I didn’t have the energy to care enough to question it. My mind was too focused on what was behind the door in front of me.

After a second, I raised my hand and knocked.

The response came almost immediately.

"Come in."

Astor’s voice was calm, controlled, and steady in a way that made my stomach tighten just a little. I let out a quiet breath before reaching for the handle and pushing the door open, stepping inside without hesitation even though everything in me told me to be cautious.

The first thing I noticed was that she wasn’t sitting behind her desk like she usually did.

Instead, she was seated at the side of it, facing directly toward the door as if she had been waiting for me to walk in. Her posture was straight and composed, and her eyes were already on me the moment I entered. It felt intentional, like she had chosen that position for a reason, and the way she watched me made it feel like I had already been placed under a microscope.

I stopped a few steps inside and bowed my head slightly in greeting, keeping my movements respectful even though I didn’t feel calm at all. "Good morning, ma’am," I said.

She gave me a small, tight smile in response, the kind that didn’t quite reach her eyes. "Seraphina," she said, her voice even as she lifted a hand and gestured toward the chair in front of her. "Take a seat."

I hesitated for a brief moment before moving forward and sitting down where she indicated. The moment I settled into the chair, I became very aware of how close I was to her, how direct everything felt. It wasn’t like sitting across from a desk where there was space between you and the person asking the questions. This felt different. It felt like I had been pulled in closer on purpose.

Like I was about to be interrogated.

I shifted slightly in my seat, trying to ignore the way my shoulders had tensed up. I didn’t like this feeling. I didn’t like the way she was looking at me, calm and observant like she already knew something I didn’t.

"Don’t be so nervous," Astor said suddenly, her voice cutting through my thoughts.

I looked up at her, surprised that she had picked up on it so easily.

"I didn’t call you here because you’re in trouble," she continued, her tone still calm, almost reassuring, though it didn’t fully ease the tension in my chest. "You haven’t done anything wrong."

That only confused me more.

"If I’m not in trouble," I said slowly, my brows drawing together slightly as I tried to make sense of it, "then why am I here?" I paused for a second before adding honestly, "Because right now, it really feels like I’m about to be interrogated."

Astor shrugged lightly, as if my words didn’t bother her at all. "I have a few questions," she said simply. "That’s all."

The simplicity of her answer didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, it made me more alert. People like her didn’t call students into their office just to ask casual questions, especially not about something as serious as leaving school for another kingdom.

She leaned back slightly in her seat, her gaze still fixed on me in a way that made it impossible to look away for too long. "And I want you to be completely honest with me," she added.

There was a brief pause after that, just enough for the weight of her words to settle.

"Do you think you can do that?" she asked.

For a moment, I didn’t answer. I just looked at her, trying to read her expression, trying to figure out what she already knew and what she was trying to find out. My mind ran through a dozen possibilities in seconds, each one making me more cautious than the last.

Honesty.

It sounded simple, but I knew better than to take it at face value. There were things I couldn’t say, things that would only complicate everything if they came out the wrong way, but at the same time, refusing to answer or trying to dodge her questions would only make me look more suspicious.

I let out a quiet breath, my fingers curling slightly against my lap as I made my decision. "I’ll try," I said finally, my voice steady even though I didn’t feel completely calm.

Astor watched me for a second longer, her expression unreadable, before giving a small nod as if she accepted that answer.

"Good," she said.