Samantha returned to her room, exhausted after spending two days observing Nreu and Heia.
During that time, she had managed to draw a few conclusions.
Nreu turned out to be a rather hot-tempered young man, deeply envious of other people's success.
His sister, on the other hand, was far calmer and constantly tried to help her brother get closer to his goal.
Like everyone else, Samantha had been shocked by the final results of the trial.
However, she had no way of learning what exactly Trey had done during the third stage.
Only Cassandra possessed that information, having observed him throughout the entire trial.
As a senior whose assigned juniors had successfully passed the selection, Samantha received certain privileges, additional currency, and the right to participate in this year's tournament.
Deciding to clear her mind, she headed for the shower.
Today was a day off, which meant that after talking with Cassandra, she could relax a little, go for a walk, or simply rest.
Classes would begin again tomorrow.
Like any stufon, Samantha had absolutely no desire to return to studying.
But as the next heir to the throne, she was obligated to possess sufficient knowledge about how the world functioned.
Unlike her older sister, Samantha couldn't simply run away and leave the kingdom of light elves to its fate.
After finishing her shower, she stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel.
Wet hair fell over her shoulders.
It was at that moment that Samantha noticed her ritual stone was practically going insane.
Messages kept arriving one after another.
Someone was persistently trying to contact her.
Not understanding what was happening, she was just about to check the messages when the incoming call suddenly stopped, only to be immediately replaced by another.
The moment she saw who was trying to reach her, Samantha let out a heavy sigh and accepted the call.
"Greetings, Your Majesty King and Queen," Samantha said respectfully, lowering her head slightly.
One hand held her towel in place while the other attempted to tidy her wet hair.
"Let's get straight to the point. We don't have time," the queen said in a serious voice, carefully observing her daughter's reaction. "Are you aware of what happened to your sister Keyrin?"
Samantha had never liked the way the king and queen sometimes spoke to her.
At times, they addressed her less like a daughter and more like a subordinate.
But all she could do was wait until her academy years were over and return to the kingdom of light elves.
"No, I haven't seen her in a long time. What happened to her?" Samantha asked in surprise.
The very topic of the conversation was already beginning to make her uneasy.
"What exactly are you even doing at the academy? You should have learned about this first and reported it to us immediately, not the other way around—receiving news from us!" the queen said irritably, glaring at her daughter with clear displeasure.
Samantha badly wanted to answer with something biting, but restrained herself in time.
This was far from the first such conversation—and certainly not the last.
"In case you didn't notice, I just got out of the shower," she replied dryly. "What happened to Keyrin?"
At the moment, that mattered far more to her than yet another pointless argument with the queen.
The queen let out an annoyed snort before finally getting to the point.
"Your sister appeared at the academy today. And as it turns out, she is now the servant of a certain Trey—a half-elf."
For a moment, Samantha froze.
"She publicly demonstrated her submission to him. Your task is to bring Keyrin back to the kingdom of light elves," the queen concluded in a commanding tone.
As Samantha listened, one emotion replaced another on her face—shock, disbelief, irritation, and growing anger.
Her sister.
Had become the servant of some half-elf named Trey?
But how was that even possible?
The last time they had spoken, Samantha hadn't noticed anything unusual in Keyrin's behavior.
Which meant all of this had happened very recently.
"And what if the half-elf refuses to let her go?" Samantha asked thoughtfully.
"According to academy rules, you can challenge any stufon, can't you?" the queen asked in an almost casual tone.
Samantha frowned slightly.
Not fully understanding where this conversation was headed, she began mentally reviewing the rules of ranking duels.
She could challenge anyone ranked below her.
As for those ranked above her, she was only allowed to challenge them once per month.
"Yes, I can. But I don't know his rank. If he's above me, then I'll only have one chance," Samantha said slowly.
After a brief pause, she continued.
"But if he wins... what exactly am I supposed to stake?"
Her puzzled gaze settled on the queen.
And for some reason, she did not like the expression on her mother's face at all.
The rules of ranking battles in the academy were simple.
Each opponent could set their own condition.
In the event of victory, they would receive not only the ranking change, but also whatever their opponent had staked.
This kind of practice wasn't used very often, but the rules allowed stufons to wager practically anything they wanted.
Samantha understood perfectly well where this conversation was leading.
"I believe I've already answered your question regarding what exactly you should stake in the event of his victory," the queen said in a grim voice.
Samantha lowered her gaze.
She knew her mother was right.
If this half-elf was greedy, he would undoubtedly agree to the terms.
And if he was a coward, he would refuse.
In that case, Samantha would be forced to challenge him every month until he finally accepted the duel.
From a strategic perspective, it all made sense.
But she hated what was being proposed as the wager.
"As you command, Your Majesty. Allow me to begin preparing," Samantha said sadly, already intending to end the conversation.
"Don't fail, Samantha," the king suddenly said, his voice unexpectedly sorrowful.
Samantha raised her eyes.
The king clearly disliked using her in this way.
But judging by the look on his face, he truly saw no other option.
After ending the conversation with the king and queen, Samantha remained motionless for several more seconds, staring at the ritual stone.
She wanted to cry.
An unpleasant feeling had settled deep inside her, so intense that she suddenly felt dirty, as if she needed to return to the shower and wash the sensation away.
Taking several deep breaths, Samantha tried to calm herself.
What she needed now was information.
Selecting Cassandra's contact, she sent a call request.
While waiting for the connection, Samantha thought about what she should wear.
She knew almost nothing about Trey.
Only that he was a talented swordsman and possibly a mage.
After some brief consideration, she settled on a tight-fitting black dress of medium length.
At that moment, Cassandra finally answered.
"Hi, long time no see," Samantha greeted, trying to keep her voice calm.
"Hi. I'm already aware of the situation with your sister," Cassandra replied.
They had known each other for two years already and had long since learned to understand each other almost without words.
"How strong is he?" Samantha immediately asked the most important question.
For her, this was what mattered above all else.
Cassandra silently looked at her for several seconds, as though considering how to answer.
Samantha didn't understand what was troubling her so much, but chose not to rush her friend.
At last, Cassandra spoke.
"I don't know."
Her voice sounded unexpectedly subdued.
"How is that possible? You observed him for two whole days! You saw him use his spells," Samantha said in astonishment.
Cassandra slowly shook her head.
"In those two days, he didn't use a single spell. He only summoned his servants," she replied thoughtfully, clearly returning in her mind to the events of the past few days.
"How? Are his servants really that strong?" Samantha asked in genuine shock.
If anyone else had told her something like this, she simply wouldn't have believed it.
But this was Cassandra.
And Samantha trusted her judgment.
"Yes. To be honest, even now, I can still feel the danger coming from them," Cassandra said, shivering slightly as she unconsciously glanced around her room, as if checking whether someone might be watching her.
"Do you think I have any chance of defeating him and his servants?" Samantha asked.
This was the question troubling her most of all.
Hearing it, Cassandra fell silent once again.
She stared at Samantha carefully, as if trying to choose the most honest answer possible.
A heavy silence settled over the room.
Only after several minutes did Cassandra slowly shake her head.