The royal dining hall of Lupenstein was silent except for the faint clink of cutlery on porcelain. Morning light filtered through tall windows, catching the silver in the goblets and the dust motes in the air. Prince Theo sat at the far end of the table, staring at a plate of food that had gone cold.
He could feel his father's gaze on him, steady and expectant.
"Theo," the king said at last, voice carrying easily down the length of the table. "It's time we discussed your education."
Theo glanced up, wary. "I already have an education. I can recite the bloodline of every ruling house in the supernatural world, from the Dragon Courts to the Merfolk Dynasties."
"And yet," the king said, folding his hands, "you have never been to Grimwald Academy."
Theo set down his fork. "That place where all the other royal heirs go to learn how to glare at each other across banquet tables?"
The king's expression didn't change. "It's where rulers are made. It's where you will form alliances that may one day save your crown."
Theo's stomach tightened. He had heard the stories — a fortress-like school where politics were taught alongside combat, where centuries-old feuds played out in dueling halls, and where failure could ruin a dynasty's standing for generations.
"I don't need Grimwald to prove I can rule," Theo said carefully.
"You need Grimwald to prove it to them," the king replied. "The other houses will judge you there. Better they see your strength now than question it later."
From the shadows near the wall, Aunt Magda — Theo's bodyguard and self-proclaimed 'personal shield' — stepped forward. "I'll accompany you. No one will touch a hair on your head." Her tone suggested dire consequences for anyone who tried.
The king reached into his robe and produced an envelope sealed with black wax stamped with the crest of the Academy: a crown beneath a crescent moon.
Theo hesitated before taking it. The wax broke cleanly, and inside was a single sheet written in looping silver script:
To His Royal Highness, Prince Theodor LupensteinBy decree of the High Council, your attendance at Grimwald Academy is hereby required.Term begins at the first moonrise of autumn. Bring only what you can carry.
Theo folded the letter back into its envelope. "Do I have a choice?"
"No," the king said simply.
The rest of breakfast passed in silence. Theo didn't eat. The eggs had gone cold, and so had his appetite.
By nightfall, he would be leaving the castle. By moonrise, he would be standing inside the gates of Grimwald — surrounded by the heirs of every house that might one day call itself his ally… or his enemy.