Chapter 28: Dilemma
'This must be what you told us back then, father. These people, despite being our relatives, they don't care about us. I always knew that they disliked us, but I could never believe it was to such an extent,' looking into her aunt's eyes, she could tell straight away. The latter was basking in her misfortune, eagerly waiting to bring down judgement upon her.
"Disobedience will not be tolerated in this academy, young lady," the Principal said, then continued. "As your punishment, you shall be suspended until further notice. Leave this establishment immediately."
Everything happened right before her pleading eyes. Instructor Smith had taken it upon himself to exit her out of the school premises, leaving her to go the rest of the journey back home. The old man didn't even bat an eye to the fact that she was royal. To him, she was just another delinquent student, one who was stripped of her backing within the academy.
"How do I explain this to mother when I get back?" Raven's words were barely a whisper, her shoulders slumped as she stared at the ground intensely. Eventually, she found the courage to head back to the castle, every step she took filled with deep worry. She knew her mother had no real power within the castle. After all, she was her father's wife, not a direct member of the family. Whatever power she held was tied directly to Kael, and now that he was no longer around, she was now regarded as merely an honorary member of the family.
Arriving at the massive gates leading into the castle, the guards stationed there spared her intense gazes before stepping aside to allow her passage. Entering the castle, she walked past various members of the family, both young and old who were busy living their lives. Their gazes lingered on her as she went by varioud hallways, steps, and corridors, their whispers bouncing off the walls of the gargantuan structure.
"Tsk. Look at her, all helpless and pitiful. I can't forget how that brat acted so pompous back when her father was still here."
"Indeed, that insolent girl even had the nerve to talk back at me when I told her to get me a drink one time. I almost slapped her if not for the fact Kael intervened just in time."
"Him and his family are so wretched. If only he wasn't blessed by such dreadful powers, maybe we could've dealt with him after that night."
Raven felt her blood boil, but after her last experience, she forced herself to maintain her composure. At the academy, her aunt had merely suspended her, while the instructor didn't even lay a finger on her. Who knew what these people would do to her if she stepped out of line?
Soon, she found herself at the entrance to her mother's chambers. After a series of knocks, she heard her mother's voice on the other side telling her to enter. Opening the doors, she was greeted by an extravagant living space with an assortment of designs all across. At the heart of the chamber, a massive portrait of Vivian and Kael was hung, dwarfing every other item within the bedroom.
"Raven? Why are you back from school so early? Was there a problem there?" Vivian asked, laying leisurously atop the massive bed.
Raven didn't want to reply right after. She didn't want to give her mother more reason to worry, still , she knew she'd only be delaying the inevitable by keeping quiet. "I was suspended," she finally gathered the courage to say.
"...Is that so? That…is really an issue." Vivian asked, her tone sounding dispondent. She wanted to say something more, but really, she didn't know what to say at this point.
The system was currently against them at this point, and if they weren't careful, a suspension would be the least of their worries.
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Life moved on as usual for the rest of the students. After a long period of lectures, they were all allowed to head back to their respective residences. Loki waited patiently outside the school premises for Mars to arrive, pacing back and forth with his thoughts in disarray. He kept replaying the altercation that happened between his sister and that female student, and he couldn't stop cursing her for being so reckless with her actions.
He watched as students departed from the academy, laughing and chatting amongst themselves. Most didn't even spare him a glance, while those who did did so with malicious intent. More than a few were glad that the once dotted-upon offspring of the previous Emperor were now nothing but favourless members of the Bloodfang Academy. They no longer had to bother themselves with maintaining false images when interacting with them. They could be as rude, vicious, and callous as they deemed fit.
'Bunch of fakers,' Loki thought contemptuously. He couldn't forget how the students back then, both male and female, used to fawn over him. They treated him like the prince he was. Greeting him when he passed by, offering him their assistance even when he didn't ask for it, and so much more. He was treated like a king within the academy, but now, he was looked down upon like a great man fallen from grace. 'And I actually believed their crap. How idiotic.'
It wasn't long till he caught sight of Mars making his way to the gates. His expression looked lost, distant. "What took you so long? I've been waiting here for a while now." although he spoke those words, he could see that the latter that the latter didn't care for what he had to say. Mars soon walked past him, not even bothering to acknowledge his existence.
"This guy…" Loki muttered as he walked behind him, his gaze shuffling in every direction. A series of magnificent structures came into view as they began their journey back to the royal castle. To his right, a colossal stronghold designed to hold the Empire's bioluminescent creatures was built. To his left, various residences for the opulence of Nefaria were located. Such individuals were high-standing within the Empire, possessing resources and influence on-par with the Emperor and the ruling gangs of such fabulous cities.
Loki watched dejectedly as the citizens went about their lives as usual. He saw a young vampire chatting casually with a woman on the streets, a cohort of lavishly-dressed vampires chatting in their closely-knit cliques, a bunch of schoolers strolling on their way back home, and many other vampires engrossed in their own activities.
He focused his attention on one of the girls conversing with her peers. For a brief moment, their eyes locked, and she grimaced before whispering something to her friend that was standing next to her. Both of them turned their heads to face him, snickering as their whispers swiftly spread through their entire clique.
"Bunch of brats…" Loki muttered, averting his gaze from the female students as he struggled to push their jarring words to the back of his mind. His eyes fell on Mars' back, his posture straight and focused ahead. 'He seems to be doing a pretty good job keeping his cool. Well, I shouldn't be surprised. He is better than us, at the end of the day,' though he said that in his mind, he could never being himself to say such a thing out loud. 'He's already so smug. I can't give him more reasons to be full of himself.'
Their journey back home continued, neither of them speaking a word to each other. The noise of rustling leaves and chattering vampires were carried by the steady breeze. Their hair swayed with each step they took, partly covering their faces as they looked ahead. From the corner of Loki's eyes, he saw a small nocturnal creature scurrying about. It was a four-legged creature with a series of spikes protruding from its back, its skin an armour of obsidian black scales and a plethora of serrated teeth adorning its wide, drool-producing maw.
'An Umor…' Loki spared the creature a second glance before returning on the trail ahead.
"Hey, Loki," a voice called out to him for ahead, sharply drawing his attention. Mar's steps cames to a halt, but he didn't turn back to face his brother. "Raven… what happened out there with her?"
'Oh, right. He was already in class when it happened. Maybe if he stayed behind, he would've been able to stop her from acting out. Damn, that brat really doesn't respect me at all.'
"Well…she got into a fight with some student, and an instructor came out to break the fight," Loki later explained. "I tried stopping her, though, but she still insisted on getting herself in trouble. My gosh, that girl is just filled with troubles. At least I made a run for it when that instructor arrived. I wouldn't want to get dragged into her mess, as well."