The Academy was in an uproar. The supposed 'Hero' Abel was dead. His killer was the prince who had supposedly sacrificed himself in order to protect Abel and the female student who had been with them.
Now Julia's name had become infamous as everyone accepted the truth that Cain had claimed when he had returned.
Whispers spread like wildfire through the halls. Students stopped mid-step in the corridors, exchanging wide-eyed glances and hushed speculation. The news had broken through the usual chatter and rumors, igniting shock and disbelief in equal measure.
Julia's name was on every tongue. Her reputation, once untarnished, had been shredded in an instant. The moment Cain had returned and revealed the truth, it had become impossible to ignore. She was no longer merely a student of note, but a symbol of betrayal and cunning, infamous across the academy.
