Seraphina’s POV

The silence stretched longer than I expected, and the longer it went on, the worse it made me feel. Principal Astor didn’t say anything after I told her I would try to be honest, and she didn’t move either. She just sat there, watching me, like she was studying every little thing about me without even trying.

At first, I thought she was still giving me time to settle down, but the longer she stayed quiet, the more it felt like something else. It felt like she was waiting for me to crack on my own, like she didn’t even need to ask anything yet because she already knew what she wanted to know.

I shifted slightly in my seat, trying not to look as uncomfortable as I felt, but it wasn’t working. My thoughts were starting to race again, jumping between different possibilities of what she might ask me, and none of them were good. I kept telling myself to stay calm, to just answer whatever she asked and get out of here as quickly as possible, but the tension in the room made that easier said than done.

Finally, she spoke.

"Why do you want to go to Varynthia?"

Her voice was calm, but the question hit harder than I expected. It wasn’t just what she asked, it was how she asked it. There was no hesitation, no softness, just a direct question that felt like it had been sitting there the entire time, waiting.

I didn’t answer right away, and she didn’t seem bothered by that. Instead, she continued speaking, her tone still even but her words becoming more pointed.

"For starters," she said, "you’re from Aldoria, and according to your file, the one that was submitted when you arrived here months ago, you have never been to any kingdom besides Aldoria and now Elmeria."

I felt my chest tighten slightly, but I kept my expression as neutral as I could.

"And yet," she continued, her eyes still fixed on me, "just under a month after you were discharged from the hospital after being stabbed, you suddenly want to travel to a kingdom you have never been to before."

The way she said it made it sound wrong and suspicious, like there was something hidden behind it that I wasn’t saying out loud.

Which wasn’t entirely untrue.

For a split second, I had the urge to tell her that I had been to Valternor before, that I had already left Elysium once and come back, but I stopped myself before the thought could even fully form. That would only lead to more questions, questions I didn’t want to answer, questions that would eventually circle back to Electra, and right now, the last thing I wanted to do was bring Electra into this conversation.

So instead, I chose the safest answer I could think of. "I have something important to do in Varynthia," I said, keeping my voice steady. "And I’m only going to stay for a few days."

She didn’t react the way I hoped she would. Instead of accepting the answer or even questioning it directly, she tilted her head slightly, as if she was considering my words, before speaking again.

"How long you plan to stay is not the issue," she said. "What I am interested in is why you want to go."

I felt my fingers tighten slightly in my lap, but I forced myself to stay still. This was going exactly the way I didn’t want it to. She watched me for a second longer before continuing, her tone shifting just enough to make it clear she wasn’t going to let this go easily.

"Since you don’t seem interested in explaining it directly," she added, "how about I ask you something more specific instead?"

My brows furrowed slightly at that, confusion mixing with the growing unease in my chest. I didn’t like the sound of that. Not at all.

"What do you mean?" I asked, even though a part of me already knew I wasn’t going to like whatever came next.

She didn’t answer that question directly. Instead, she asked another one.

"Does your visit to Varynthia have anything to do with Yuna Ashwyn?"

The name hit me harder than anything she had said so far, and for a brief moment, I forgot how to breathe.

My mind went completely blank, and all I could see was Yuna’s face, and then, just as quickly, that image twisted into something else. The rooftop and the way everything had ended. Just hearing Yuna’s name was starting to get a huge reaction out of me, and I wasn’t sure I could mask it.

I forced myself to stay still, even though my chest felt tight, like something was pressing down on it.

"She was the student who jumped from the rooftop and died on the same day you were stabbed," Astor continued, her voice steady, as if she was just stating facts and not reopening something I was still trying to accept with difficulty.

I didn’t say anything. I couldn’t.

"And before you try to deny it," she added, her gaze sharpening slightly, "I am aware that the two of you were friends when you first arrived here."

My jaw tightened slightly.

"Yuna Ashwyn," she continued, "is also the only person from Varynthia that you have had any known connection with."

I could feel her watching me, waiting for me to respond, but I didn’t want to answer her question, not like this, and not when she was laying everything out like she already knew the truth and was just waiting for me to confirm it.

So instead of answering her, I asked something else. "Do you know everything about all your students?"

The question came out before I could stop it, and the moment I said it, I knew I had shifted the conversation, even if only slightly. It wasn’t an answer, but it wasn’t a denial either.

For the first time since I walked in, she moved.

She pushed herself up from where she had been sitting at the side of her desk and began to walk slowly across the room, her steps calm as she paced in front of me. It wasn’t rushed, and it wasn’t aggressive. If anything, it felt controlled, like she was thinking through her response while making sure I stayed exactly where she wanted me.

"Elysium Girls High," she began, "is a school for thousands of students."

Her voice filled the room easily, steady and clear.

"Girls from different kingdoms, different backgrounds, and different age groups," she continued. "Some of them are barely teenagers, still trying to figure out who they are, while others are already dealing with responsibilities far beyond what they should be handling at their age."

She stopped walking for a brief moment, then turned slightly, her gaze settling back on me. "Do you really think it would be possible for me to know everything about every single student in this school?" she asked.

It sounded like a simple question, but there was something about the way she said it that made it feel like a test.

I didn’t answer immediately. Instead, I watched her, really watched her, the way she stood, the way she spoke, the way her eyes never left mine for too long. There was something about her that didn’t match her words. Something that didn’t sit right, and then I understood.

"You don’t know everything," I said slowly.

She didn’t respond.

"But something tells me," I continued, keeping my eyes on her, "that you know enough."

The words stayed in the air between us, and for a brief moment, neither of us spoke, but the look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know. She already had her answer, and she was just waiting to see if I would say it out loud.