Seraphina’s POV

I stared at Principal Astor like I had just heard something completely impossible, like my ears had decided to twist her words into something they were not supposed to be. The question she had just asked me did not sit right in my head no matter how I tried to process it. She had looked me straight in the eye and asked if I was going to Varynthia because I didn’t believe that Yuna Ashwyn’s death was a suicide. Just like that, with no hesitation and no attempt to soften it. It felt too direct, like she was trying to pull something out of me instead of simply asking a question.

For a moment, I didn’t say anything. It wasn’t because I didn’t have an answer, and it wasn’t because I didn’t want to speak. It was because I didn’t know how to respond without stepping into something dangerous. My mind started running through everything I knew about this school, about Astor, about the way things were handled here. I had been here long enough to understand one thing clearly, and that was the fact that the school’s reputation always came first. It didn’t matter what happened, who got hurt, or what the truth actually was. If something threatened the image of Elysium, it was buried quickly and quietly.

That was why I was careful. That was why I hesitated.

If I said the wrong thing, if I agreed too quickly, or even if I denied it in the wrong way, there was a chance she would twist my words into something else. She could accuse me of spreading rumors, or worse, accuse me of trying to damage the name of the school, and I knew very well that if it came down to it, she would not hesitate to make an example out of me. That was the kind of person she was.

So I stayed quiet, and apparently, that was the wrong move.

"Do you enjoy playing mute?" Astor asked suddenly, her tone still calm, but there was something sharp hidden under it that made my shoulders tense slightly. She tilted her head as she looked at me, her eyes steady, like she was studying every little reaction I had. "It’s a simple question, Seraphina. Yes or no would do. Your silence only makes you look more suspicious."

Her words snapped me out of my thoughts immediately, and I forced myself to respond before my silence made things worse than they already were. I straightened slightly in my seat, keeping my face as neutral as I could, even though my mind was still racing.

"The reason I didn’t answer immediately," I said slowly, choosing my words carefully, "is because I’m trying to process the fact that my principal is asking me a question like that."

I paused for a second, watching her reaction, but her expression didn’t change. She just kept looking at me, waiting for me to continue.

"As far as I know," I added, my tone steady now, "Yuna’s death was ruled as a suicide. That’s what we were told." I let the words sit for a moment before continuing, making sure not to rush. "But if you’re asking me this question, then it makes me wonder if there’s more to the story that we weren’t told."

I could feel the tension in my chest as I spoke the next part, but I didn’t stop. "Especially since the school tends to protect its reputation," I said, "sometimes more than it protects the students."

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt it. That small shift in the air, that subtle change that told me I had stepped just close enough to the line without fully crossing it. I didn’t let it show on my face, though. I kept my expression neutral, my posture steady, like I hadn’t just said something that could easily be taken the wrong way.

For a second, Astor just looked at me.

Then she laughed. It wasn’t a loud laugh, and it wasn’t warm either. It was short and controlled, like she found something amusing, but not enough to fully react to it.

"Nice save," she said, her eyes narrowing just slightly as she watched me.

I didn’t respond to that. I didn’t smile, I didn’t frown, and I didn’t react at all. I kept my face exactly the same, refusing to give her anything she could use against me. If there was one thing I had learned, it was that people like her noticed everything. A small change in expression, a flicker of emotion, anything could be used.

She studied me for another moment before speaking again. "Make sure you keep being that smart," she said, her voice calm, but there was a warning in it that I couldn’t ignore. "And make sure you don’t say things you shouldn’t say to the wrong people. You don’t want to get yourself into trouble."

That made me frown slightly before I could stop myself. Her words didn’t feel like advice, they felt like a threat. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t understand what exactly she was trying to say. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, my confusion clear this time as I looked at her.

For a moment, I thought she would answer, but she didn’t. Instead, she simply straightened slightly and waved her hand toward the door, as if the conversation we were having had already ended.

"You can head back to the admin office," she said, her tone shifting back to something more formal. "I’ll inform the person in charge to prepare what you need."

I blinked, caught off guard by how suddenly she changed the direction of the conversation. "Prepare... what I need?" I repeated, not fully understanding.

"For your trip," she replied simply, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "To Varynthia."

For a second, I just stared at her. I wasn’t sure if I had heard her correctly.

"You’re... giving me permission?" I asked, my voice coming out a little more surprised than I intended. "To leave school and go to Varynthia?"

She looked at me like I had just asked a very unnecessary question. "I am," she said, her tone calm. "Isn’t that what you wanted?"

I nodded slowly, still trying to process what was happening. "It is," I admitted.

"Then take it," she replied without hesitation.

There was something about the way she said it that didn’t sit right with me. It felt too easy and too quick. I had walked into this office fully prepared to argue, to defend myself, maybe even to use my nonexistent status if I had to. I had expected resistance, I had expected questions and conditions and was very certain I would get a refusal, but not this. Not a simple yes.

"Of course," she added after a moment, as if she had just remembered something important, "you will need to sign a form before you leave."

I frowned slightly. "What kind of form?"

"A liability form," she said. "It states that once you leave school grounds, Elysium is no longer responsible for you. Whatever happens to you in Varynthia will not be our concern."

Her words were clear, direct, and final. For a second, I just stared at her again, trying to understand what she was really saying. It sounded simple on the surface, but there was something underneath it that I couldn’t quite place. It was like she was giving me exactly what I wanted, but at the same time, she was making sure I understood that I would be completely on my own once I left.

"I understand," I said finally, nodding slowly even though I still didn’t fully understand her reasons. Because that was the truth.

I didn’t understand why she was letting me go so easily. I didn’t understand why she had even asked me that question about Yuna in the first place, and I definitely didn’t understand why it felt like she knew more than she was saying.

There was something else going on here. Something I wasn’t seeing yet, but at the same time, I wasn’t about to question it too much, not when I was getting exactly what I needed. If there was one thing I had learned, it was that opportunities like this didn’t come often, and if I hesitated too long, they could disappear just as quickly.

So I stood up slowly, giving her a small nod of respect before turning toward the door. "Thank you," I said, even though the words felt strange coming out of my mouth.

She didn’t respond, or maybe she didn’t need to.

As I reached the door and stepped out of her office, I could still feel her eyes on me, like she was watching me leave, like she was already thinking about something else entirely. The feeling stayed with me as I walked past Mrs. Hawthorne and out of the outer office, making my way back toward the admin office.

My mind was still racing because nothing about that conversation felt normal. Nothing about it made sense, and yet, I was walking away with permission to leave.

As I stepped into the hallway, I let out a slow breath, trying to steady myself, but the feeling didn’t go away. If anything, it grew stronger.

Something was off, but I just didn’t know what it was yet.