The tension in Ivan's jaw didn't ease, hearing the man speak with Evelyn, even after he had dismissed him. He lifted his glass again to have another sip, he looked calm as ice on the outside but the faint crack on the stem of the goblet told a different story.
"Touchy little rat." He murmured under his breath.
Damien and Cece, who heard Ivan with their great hearing, nodded in agreement.
Cece then looked at Eve with her raised brow, "I am glad you were firm with him," she said, then smirked "Looks like you attract drama the way Damien attracts swords from emotionally unstable enemies."
"Yeah! Good thing you've got a brooding guard over there." said Damien with a wide grin on his face. He cleared his throat the moment he met Ivan's glaring eyes.
Evelyn pursed her lips and chose to remain silent while Ivan continued swirling the blood in his glass before turning his intense gaze on her. There was a storm brewing in those intense molten red eyes but nobody really knew what was going in his mind.
Eve suddenly remembered something, asked in a low voice, "Um.. so what happened to.. Emily?"
Damien's face twisted in disgust at the thought of her, "Oh she is lucky alive. She woke up at night after fainting from that little incident and then she was expelled."
Cece added, "She has also been taken into custody by the royal guards for harming the prince of the kingdom."
Eve was too stunned to react for a moment, then asked hesitantly, "So.. what will happen to her next?"
When Damien and Cece didn't reply, Ivan answered in a nonchalant tone, "She'll probably be executed or exiled. Harming the crown prince is treason of the highest order."
Evelyn was not naive to think it would go any other way since Emily unintentionally did harm Ivan, even though the attack was meant for her. Still the thought left a bitter taste in her mouth.
She sighed softly and heard Ivan say, "Don't feel sorry for her. Remember, if I hadn't stepped in, it would've been your face and body permanently disfigured. And she wouldn't have stopped with just with that one attack. Some people can't be helped."
She sighed again and said, "You're right, it's just that death... seems a little extreme."
Cece responded, "Evelyn some punishments are set so that no one ever dares to commit the crime and treason is never tolerated in any kingdom. I know you are aware of that. Whether she harmed Ivan unintentionally or not, she tried to harm you as well. And you're a royal yourself. What do you think your father would do if he heard his daughter had been attacked?"
'He probably won't care or...he might take the same action as King Iskara, since it happened in public. He'd only do it to preserve his kingdom's image.' she thought.
She gave Cece a nod of acknowledgement and tried not to think about her father anymore. She then turned to Damien and asked, "What about your partner, Damien? Did they assign you a new one?"
"Oh no, I think we can all agree I can do without one for a while, so they didn't assign me anyone. Besides, there isn't a single student left without a partner. Unless a new student magically appears out of nowhere." Damien replied dramatically.
Later that day, they stood on the academy grounds for their physical education class.
Everyone wore their academy uniforms. Men wore a sharp, cream white military-inspired uniform with high collars, black leather harnesses, and gold accents, making them look both elegant and commanding. The women wore the same black uniform as Evelyn.
The Physical Education professor was a strong, robust man with light red hair and green eyes. He was one of the first human professors they had been introduced to at the academy. He stood beside a woman with purple hair and grey eyes.
He spoke in a firm voice, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Hello, my name is Professor Leo Maxville, and I will be your Physical Education teacher."
The woman beside him also introduced herself, "And my name is Professor Seira Morr. I'm also part of your Physical Education class, but I'll be teaching you mostly sorcery." She, too, was human.
He swept his gaze over everyone and continued, "As you know, the world outside is not safe for anyone. Evildoers will do everything in their power to rise above. And as those who sit on top of the society's hierarchy, it is up to all of you to prevent them from rising and to defend the defenceless."
"This class will teach you various arts of combat, defence and sorcery. As you can see, I am a human and so is Professor Seira, but that has never stopped us from taking down any species that poses a threat to the academy or the society. You will learn to become stronger, regardless of the race you belong to."
Professor Seira spoke next, "For humans who don't have natural magical attributes like Lumens, or the strength of vampires, sorcery and physical combat skills will be your saviors in dire situations. That said, sorcery is to be practiced strictly within this class until you graduate. If you are caught practicing sorcery elsewhere or tapping into the forbidden magic, you will not only be expelled from the academy but also be handed over to the royal authorities for punishment. So, anyone who is feeling a little adventurous, do keep that in mind."
Just as Professor Seira finished speaking, a vampire snickered and spoke in a not so hushed voice, "Is this a joke? We're supposed to learn combat from mere humans now?"
Another one followed with a scoff, "I swear, I thought this academy hired the best Professors. Guess that was just a lie."
Professor Leo heard them and called out, "You there, yes, the pair of talking parrots, step forward."
Both the vampire students, who had been looking down on human professors, stepped forward arrogantly, thinking, what could he possibly do compared to the vampires.
Professor Leo smirked and said, "How about we give the other students a little demonstration on how to defend one selves in case vampires attack?"