"What?" Adrian's eyes widened at what Ariana had just told him about Aries's stepmother.
Ariana nodded, her tone dry. "I thought she was joking, to be honest—but no, she wasn't." The silver-haired woman let out a short snicker. "She actually tried to bribe me into failing the girl."
Adrian leaned back in his seat, eyebrows raised. "How did she even approach that? Just showed up and offered you money?"
Ariana chuckled softly. "Not directly. She said her husband wants to see his daughter live a happy, peaceful life. You know—get married, settle down. But if Aries graduates from the academy, she'll aim to become a Warden."
"And that's a problem because…?" Adrian asked, trying to piece together the politics of the Antromel family.
Ariana sighed, shrugging. "If she becomes a Warden, her father would have no choice but to see her as a potential heir to the throne."
