Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I'm Stuck as Their Baby!-Chapter 128: Two Years Later

[Exactly,] the system whispered. [And now we ask the real question… Who?]

That question had echoed endlessly, like whispers through a darkened corridor, for two long years.

Now, at ten years old, I'd become intimately acquainted with suspicion. The naïve princess who once believed herself invulnerable had faded quietly away, leaving behind someone quieter, sharper, more cautious. My silver hair, once tangled wildly with childish defiance, now fell neatly over my shoulders, braided elegantly to keep stray strands from betraying anxiety or fear. One blue eye, one gold, each now held careful scrutiny where innocence once lingered.

Even my magic had settled, shifting subtly beneath my skin from reckless tempest to controlled storm, ready to strike precisely where needed, never wasting a breath of power. I learned to think more, speak less. Observe quietly, act deliberately.

And that was how I had survived these last two years.

The Arcanum had changed drastically, reflecting the severe rule of Madame Nyx. Where there was once noisy chatter, laughter, and energy spilling freely through halls and gardens, now an eerie silence lay like frost. Students moved quietly, voices muted, eyes nervously darting toward corridors where professors stood grim-faced in rigid uniforms.

Discipline was everything now. Curfew absolute. No whispers after dark, no questions asked without explicit permission. It felt less like a school and more like a fortress, fortified against an unknown enemy.

Mara and Elira wore their guardian uniforms proudly, respected sometimes feared by students and staff alike. Mara's gentle heart hadn't diminished beneath her stern exterior, but Elira now commanded with quiet authority, her sharp eyes catching every detail, every whispered secret. They were ever-present shadows, my silent protectors in an increasingly uncertain world.

But not everything had changed.

Riven still drove me mad. Two years older had done nothing to curb his sarcastic mouth or casual disregard for rules. He lounged carelessly beside me in our morning classroom, black hair deliberately tousled, uniform shirt perpetually untucked.

"Must you look like a walking disaster?" I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

He grinned broadly. "What, and deny the world my natural charm?"

[Charm?] The system echoed mockingly. [He's lucky I don't have eyes to roll.]

Aria, at least, had matured dramatically. Once bubbly and innocent, she'd grown serious, her soft eyes now carried a thoughtful intensity. Today, her expression remained focused as she took meticulous notes on Professor Merrin's droning history lecture, while Riven scribbled something suspiciously resembling a rude caricature of the professor.

I glanced sideways at him. "You're going to get us all detention."

"You say that like it's not part of my long-term plan," Riven replied calmly.

The classroom door creaked open suddenly, breaking the monotonous rhythm. Professor Merrin paused, eyebrows knitting in annoyance at the intrusion. Madame Nyx herself stood there, her long gown trailing smoothly across the polished marble floor, crimson eyes calmly scanning the classroom before settling gently on Merrin.

"A new student," she announced quietly, her voice barely above a whisper but somehow filling the entire room. "Please make her feel…welcome."

The figure that stepped quietly into view was striking enough to silence every murmur instantly. Her skin was ghostly pale, almost luminescent beneath the classroom's filtered sunlight. Glossy black hair cascaded in gentle waves down her back, framing a face delicate yet severe. Her eyes, vivid crimson like rubies set in porcelain, swept lazily across the students gathered before her.

"This is Velka Nightthorn," Madame Nyx murmured gently, voice silk and ice. "She joins us from the north."

Velka inclined her head slightly, the barest acknowledgment of introduction. Her gaze settled upon me just a moment but I felt a cold shiver race down my spine at the quiet contempt flickering briefly through those red eyes.

[Oh good,] the system remarked drily. [Just what we needed a moody vampire.]

Professor Merrin cleared his throat awkwardly. "Take a seat, Miss Nightthorn."

Velka moved silently toward an empty seat across from mine, gracefully settling herself with an expression that managed to convey simultaneous boredom and superiority.

Riven leaned over slightly, whispering dramatically. "Friendly, isn't she?"

Aria shot him a quick glare of warning, which he completely ignored.

"Do you suppose she drinks blood openly, or is it more of a private affair?" he continued thoughtfully.

"Perhaps she just enjoys feasting on idiotic classmates," I murmured flatly, "in which case you'd make a delightful snack."

Riven smiled cheerfully. "Finally, someone who appreciates my worth."

Velka's gaze flicked briefly toward our whispers, red eyes narrowing faintly in annoyance. Her voice, when she finally spoke, carried a delicate contempt. "Is it common for students here to behave like unruly children, or is this merely an isolated case?"

Professor Merrin coughed sharply, clearly uncomfortable. "Please pay attention, everyone."

Velka returned her gaze calmly to the front, effectively dismissing us as beneath her notice. Riven sulked dramatically, slumping further into his chair. Aria suppressed a smile, quickly returning her attention to her notes.

The lesson continued in stiff silence, broken only by Merrin's droning voice. Yet my attention wandered restlessly back to Velka. Something about her presence felt oddly familiar, echoing faintly in the darker recesses of my memory.

[You're staring,] the system pointed out dryly.

I blinked quickly, glancing away. "She reminds me of someone."

[Our cryptic dream girl, perhaps?] it suggested lightly.

A chill slipped softly down my spine. "Maybe. But there's something… sharper here."

[You mean scarier,] the system agreed. [Those eyes practically scream 'I'm plotting to bite you.']

I fought a faint smile, disguising it behind my hand. "Not helping."

[When have I ever been helpful?]

As class ended and students filed silently from the room, Velka remained seated, meticulously arranging her notes. Riven shot her one last glance as we exited.

"Do you think vampires have friends?" he asked thoughtfully.

"Certainly," I replied flatly, "but only as midnight snacks."

Outside, the hallways were quiet, dimly lit by pale magical lanterns. The entire school felt watchful, its silence heavy and oppressive.

Aria fell into step beside me, casting a worried glance backward. "She feels…dangerous."

"I agree," I said softly, unease coiling gently in my chest. "But she might not be the real danger."

[Trust no one,] the system reminded solemnly. [Especially new girls with sinister aesthetics.]

Riven shrugged carelessly. "Well, if we survive, at least things won't be boring."

Aria sighed softly. "Must you always tempt fate?"

He grinned cheerfully, completely unrepentant. "It's my specialty."

Despite my worry, I smiled slightly. Riven might be impossible, but at least he was consistent.

As we walked away, the faintest prickling sensation traced the back of my neck. I paused briefly, glancing over my shoulder toward the classroom door. Velka stood there, motionless in the shadows, red eyes locked unblinking onto mine.

Her expression was unreadable, yet something flickered briefly behind her carefully guarded gaze a challenge, perhaps, or a quiet warning.

"Let's go," I murmured softly, turning quickly away.

[You've got a talent for making friends,] the system whispered mockingly. [Perhaps try being less magnetic to trouble.]

"I wish," I muttered dryly.

*****

Velka's POV

I watched Elyzara turn away, her silver hair catching the faint glow of the lanterns lining the dim corridor, her friends falling effortlessly into step beside her. Their quiet banter, the easy camaraderie it was something utterly alien to me, something I envied despite myself.

This content is taken from fгeewebnovёl.com.

My crimson eyes narrowed slightly, tracing the subtle lines of Elyzara's profile as she moved away. From the moment I had arrived, whispers about the princess filled the halls like shadows clinging stubbornly to every corner. Rumors painted her alternately as hero or villain, genius or tyrant. The only consistent truth was her strength, which resonated through every movement, every careful word.

Strength fascinated me, and Elyzara had it in abundance.

Yet something deeper tugged at my attention, something elusive and unsettling an inexplicable familiarity. When our eyes first met, I felt as though I were gazing into a mirror reflecting a fractured memory, blurred but unmistakably there. The sensation had been brief but startlingly intense, enough to leave my usually controlled heart racing uncomfortably.

I shook my head slightly, dispelling such irrational thoughts. I was here for a purpose, one clear and defined, handed down by my family: establish myself, gather influence, cultivate connections. Elyzara Thorne was essential to my mission, whether she knew it or not. Her friendship would open doors I desperately needed access to yet I had absolutely no idea how to approach someone so thoroughly guarded.

She wasn't like the others here, easily swayed by a whispered compliment or subtle manipulation. Elyzara's caution ran deeper, her suspicion sharper. It was as though she viewed the entire world as a carefully laid trap, patiently waiting for it to snap shut.

I knew that caution well I shared it.

Quietly, I gathered my notes, fingers neatly aligning parchment and quill. I had spent years carefully building my armor disdainful, aloof, untouchable. It had kept me safe, respected, feared even. Yet now, when I needed connection more than ever, my defenses had become a barrier nearly impossible to breach.

"How utterly frustrating," I murmured softly under my breath.

I stood slowly, smoothing the folds of my uniform before stepping silently into the shadowed hallway. My presence seemed to cast a chill wherever I went, students quickly making space for me, their whispered conversations abruptly silenced. Usually, I enjoyed the respectful fear it kept others at bay, maintaining the distance necessary for my family's ambition. Now, however, it seemed a cruel irony. The very thing I'd worked tirelessly to create had become my greatest obstacle.

I needed Elyzara's trust an impossible task if she only saw me as another threat among many. My mind raced, analyzing potential approaches, each idea quickly dismissed as too obvious or insincere.

The halls around me darkened gradually, the shadows deepening as students dispersed, leaving me briefly alone beneath softly flickering lanterns. For a single unguarded moment, I allowed myself to feel the weight of my isolation, sharp and heavy against my chest.

Elyzara had friends annoying, noisy, utterly exasperating friends but they stood beside her unwaveringly. I envied that more deeply than I cared to admit.

"I suppose I'll have to figure it out," I murmured quietly into the empty hallway, straightening sharply as determination flooded swiftly back through me. I would approach Elyzara carefully, methodically. I'd watch and learn, find cracks in her carefully crafted armor.

One step at a time, I'd earn her trust, however slowly.

After all, patience was something vampires understood intimately.

And despite her caution, despite the barriers she'd built, Elyzara Thorne had never faced someone quite as determined as Velka Nightthorn.

Soon enough, she would.