The door to the candidates' waiting room closed with a soft, expensive click.
It did not slam. It did not echo. It simply decided, gently, that the noise of Nevermore Palace did not belong here.
Inside, the air smelled different. Cleaner. Cooler. Like perfume that had been sprayed hours ago and never fully left. The carpet was thick enough that footsteps turned into whispers. The lighting was warm but controlled, the kind that made skin look smoother and eyes look brighter, even if you had been awake all night and pretending you hadn't.
A sign on the door read: Candidates and Authorized Guests Only.
And somehow, XH was on the inside.
He stood near the wall at first, hands in his pockets, jacket still on, because he did not know what to do with his shoulders in a room this polished. The couches looked like they had never hosted a real human problem. The mirrors were full-length and cruel. The table held a tray of tiny pastries that looked more decorative than edible.
June had told him to wait here.
Not outside. Not in the crowd. Not among the boys.
Here.
As if that decision alone meant something.
June adjusted the strap of her gown and glanced back at him like she was checking if he was still real.
"You came," she said, quieter than usual.
"I said I would."
"I know," June replied, but her voice carried the smallest tremor of relief anyway. "Still. People say things and… they disappear."
XH didn't answer right away. Not because he didn't understand, but because the truth was heavier than the room.
He looked at June's hands. They were steady, but the fingers kept re-gripping the fabric of her dress like she was holding herself together stitch by stitch.
"You invited me," he said. "So I'm here."
June's lips twitched, almost a smile.
"You know this room is for… exclusive people," she said, as if testing the word on her tongue. "Family. Close friends. Partners."
XH's throat tightened on the last word.
June watched his face, searching for a reaction like it was a quiz she did not want to fail.
"So?" he asked softly.
June lifted her chin like she was walking onto a stage, not confessing in a private room.
"So I'm saying," she murmured, "don't act like you don't know what it looks like."
XH held her gaze. His heartbeat sounded too loud inside his own skull.
"It looks like I'm your guest," he said.
June's eyes narrowed, amused and annoyed at the same time.
"You always do that."
"Do what."
"Answer like you're dodging."
XH's voice lowered. "You want me to stop dodging?"
June's breath caught. Her cheeks warmed, and she hated that he could see it.
"I want you to stop pretending you don't feel anything," she whispered.
The room was too quiet after that.
Outside, the palace buzzed with voices, music, and the bright violence of attention. In here, June's words landed like a secret dropped onto velvet.
XH stepped closer, slowly, like he was afraid a sudden movement would break the moment.
"I feel a lot," he said.
June's eyes flashed. "Then why do you keep acting like I'm asking for too much."
XH's mouth parted, then closed. He looked away for one second, just one.
June caught it.
"There," she said softly. "You do it again."
XH turned back. "Because when I answer honestly, someone gets hurt."
June's throat tightened. "Are you talking about me."
XH didn't say yes.
He didn't say no.
He said, "I'm talking about the people I care about."
June stared at him like she wanted to grab the truth with her hands and pull it out.
Before she could, the door opened again.
Kitty walked in like the room had been waiting for her too.
Her dress was simpler than most of the other candidates' gowns, but it fit her like it had been designed around her breathing. Her hair was pinned in a way that made her neck look long and elegant, and her eyes were calm, like she already knew the ending of a story everyone else was still guessing.
She paused the second she saw how close June and XH were standing.
Then she smiled.
Not sweet. Not bitter.
Just present.
"So this is where they hide you," Kitty said lightly, closing the door behind her. "I thought the palace swallowed you."
June's shoulders loosened just a little. Kitty's presence did that. June would never admit it, but even her pride breathed easier when Kitty was near.
Kitty's eyes flicked to XH.
"And you," she added. "You got invited twice. That's rare."
XH tried to keep his face neutral.
"June told me to wait."
Kitty's smile widened, faintly mischievous. "June? Or Kitty? Because I also told you to come here."
June's head snapped toward Kitty.
Kitty shrugged like it was nothing.
"I did," she said casually. "If he's going to be the anchor for both of us tonight, he should at least be inside, not floating around in the crowd."
June's eyes narrowed. "Anchor?"
Kitty stepped closer, stopping beside June, shoulder almost touching hers. Close enough to look like sisterhood. Close enough to feel like rivalry.
"You know," Kitty said softly, "the crowd outside wants you to trip. They're hungry for it."
June swallowed. "I won't trip."
Kitty tilted her head. "I know. I'm just saying they'll try."
June looked at her, suspicion and gratitude tangled together.
Kitty reached into her small bag and pulled out her phone.
"Come," she said, all business now, like she was suddenly a coach. "You told me you wanted the walk to look natural, but you keep walking like you're carrying a heavy textbook on your head."
June frowned. "I do not."
Kitty tapped the screen and opened a saved video.
A runway clip. A model turning slowly, chest open, chin slightly lifted, a confident pause at the end like she was letting the camera fall in love with her.
Kitty held the phone up between them.
"Watch," Kitty said. "Chest open first. Not aggressive. Just open. Chin up like you're greeting the lights, not begging them. And the twist, it's not a spin. It's a slow decision."
June stared at the screen like it was a cheat code to survival.
Kitty replayed the moment where the model turned.
"See that," Kitty said. "She doesn't rush. She lets the crowd wait."
June's lips parted. "She looks arrogant."
Kitty smiled. "Exactly."
June scoffed. "I'm not arrogant."
Kitty's gaze sharpened, affectionate and blunt. "June. You're competitive. That's your version of prayer."
June looked away, but she didn't deny it.
Kitty stepped behind her, adjusting June's shoulders gently.
"Okay," Kitty said. "Stand. Feet steady. Don't curl inward."
June obeyed without thinking, and that obedience itself was its own kind of intimacy.
Kitty placed two fingers lightly beneath June's chin and tilted it up.
"Like this," Kitty murmured. "You don't look down at the floor. You look like the floor is lucky you're stepping on it."
June laughed despite herself. "That's insane."
"It works," Kitty said. "Now twist. Slow."
June turned.
Too fast.
Kitty clicked her tongue. "Again. Slower. Like you're turning to face someone who matters."
June's eyes flicked, unintentionally, toward XH.
Kitty saw it.
XH saw it.
The room held its breath for a second.
June tried again, slower this time. The movement was not perfect, but it was better. The confidence came in pieces.
Kitty nodded, satisfied.
"Good," she said. "Now, when they ask you questions, don't answer like you're apologizing for existing."
June crossed her arms. "I don't."
Kitty's smile was small. "You do sometimes. When you're scared."
June's jaw tightened. "I'm not scared."
Kitty leaned closer, voice low so it felt like a secret.
"You're scared because you want it," Kitty whispered. "You want the crown, you want to prove something, and you want him to… be yours in a way you can show."
June's face went hot. "Kitty."
Kitty raised both hands like surrender. "I'm helping. That's what you asked."
June exhaled slowly. "Fine. Help."
Kitty's eyes softened. "Okay. Candidate questions. If they ask why you deserve the title, don't list achievements. Everyone lists achievements. Talk about effort. Talk about the people who carried you and the people you carried back."
June frowned. "That sounds emotional."
"It is," Kitty said. "And this is a festival. They want emotions more than logic."
June's gaze flicked again to XH, and this time she didn't look away as quickly.
Kitty noticed. June noticed Kitty noticed.
That was the strange thing about them. They could be rivals and still hold each other steady. They could compete and still fix each other's crowns.
For a brief moment, it felt like the world outside did not exist. Like the only things that mattered were the three of them and the unspoken tension that kept growing between their sentences.
XH cleared his throat quietly.
"Are you okay," he asked June.
June looked at him like the question itself was a touch.
"I will be," she said. Then softer, almost vulnerable. "If I don't embarrass myself."
XH's voice went lower. "You won't."
June's eyes searched his. "You sound sure."
"I've seen you," XH said. "When you want something, you don't stop until you reach it."
June's chest tightened.
Kitty watched them with a calm expression that did not match what she felt. A crown had not been placed on her head yet, but something else had already settled there. The knowledge that she was standing inside a triangle that kept sharpening.
Kitty forced her voice lighter.
"So," she said, clapping her hands softly once. "We did runway, we did answers, now we do one more thing."
June blinked. "What."
Kitty glanced at XH. "You."
XH frowned. "Me?"
Kitty nodded. "You're invited by both of us. So you act like you belong to the room, not like you're trying to escape it."
June's lips twitched. "He does look like he wants to escape."
XH muttered, "I'm just… not used to this."
Kitty stepped closer to him and adjusted his jacket collar like it was nothing, like she was allowed.
"There," Kitty said. "Now you look like a man who's supposed to be here."
June's eyes flicked to Kitty's hand on XH's collar.
It was quick. It was small.
But it landed.
Kitty withdrew her hand and met June's gaze.
Rival.
Sister.
Both.
For the moment, they chose sister.
Kitty gave June a quiet nod.
June swallowed and returned it.
Then Kitty's phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen and rolled her eyes.
"JP," Kitty said.
June sighed like she already understood. "What did he do now."
Kitty read aloud, trying not to laugh.
"'Emergency. Bro down. Alcohol did something to my soul. If I die, tell the world I was handsome.'"
XH closed his eyes briefly. "He's drunk."
June's brows knit. "He's not supposed to be drunk here."
Kitty tucked the phone away. "He brought something stronger than the soft drinks. I can feel it."
June exhaled. "Of course he did."
Kitty looked at XH. "Go. Before he starts a war."
XH nodded, but before he turned, June caught his sleeve.
Not fully.
Just enough to stop him.
"Come back," she said quietly.
XH looked down at her hand on his sleeve.
Then up at her face.
"I will," he promised.
Kitty watched June's hand let go, slowly.
Then XH left the waiting room.
And the quiet inside it shifted again.
June stood straighter, fixing her hair, swallowing down nerves.
Kitty watched her, then spoke softly.
"You're going to do well."
June's laugh was small and tense. "You're saying that like you don't want to win."
Kitty's eyes stayed calm. "I want to win. I also want you to survive losing."
June stared at her.
Then, for one second, the rivalry faded and only the friendship remained.
June whispered, "Thank you."
Kitty nodded once. "Anytime."
And then the door reopened and closed again, as if sealing them into their own private battlefield.
XH found the boys near a marble pillar just outside the main ballroom.
They looked like a disaster wrapped in friendship.
JP was leaning forward with both hands on his knees, breathing like he had sprinted up ten flights of stairs. TZ held him steady by the shoulder, half annoyed, half protective. HS stood close, alert and quiet, like a guard dog pretending he wasn't concerned. NS was watching the crowd with sharp eyes, and the moment he saw XH, his jaw tightened in relief.
"You're alive," NS said.
XH looked at JP. "Barely."
JP lifted his head and grinned weakly. "I'm building character."
TZ muttered, "You're building vomit."
JP swayed.
XH stepped closer. "Bathroom. Now."
JP did not argue. He only croaked, "Freedom," like that word could save him, and stumbled toward the corridor.
The boys moved as a unit, instinctive.
They slipped out of the ballroom's light and into the quieter hallways.
The moment the music softened behind them, JP's confidence collapsed.
"I need to pee," JP whispered. "And also maybe die."
TZ snorted. "Pick one."
JP made a sound that could have been laughter or pain.
They reached the men's restroom and JP rushed toward the sinks first, as if his body could not decide which emergency to prioritize.
He retched hard, gripping the porcelain.
TZ held his shoulders like he was handling a wounded soldier.
HS handed paper towels without a word.
NS stood slightly behind, arms crossed, scanning the entrance.
XH hovered near the door, listening to the distant festival noise that kept going, indifferent.
JP spat, wiped his mouth, and breathed through his nose.
"Worth it," he rasped.
NS muttered, "You're going to get us kicked out."
JP smiled, eyes watery. "Only if someone snitches."
The door opened.
And the universe delivered the snitch.
Shinso walked in like the bathroom had been built for his ego.
White dyed hair, sharp grin, jacket half open, the look of a guy who thought being loud counted as being powerful.
His eyes landed on JP and brightened with cruelty.
"Well," Shinso drawled. "This is interesting."
XH straightened slightly.
Shinso wrinkled his nose. "Someone smells like premium regret. Nevermore Palace rules are strict, you know."
He held up his phone like it was a badge.
"I could report this."
TZ stepped forward half a pace. "You're not sober either."
Shinso shrugged. "I handle it better."
His gaze slid toward the ballroom doors, and his grin sharpened.
"Tonight," Shinso said, "I'm taking both Kitty and June. Left and right. VIP room."
The air changed.
JP stopped smiling.
NS's jaw tightened.
HS's expression went flat.
XH felt heat rise behind his ribs.
"You don't talk about them like that," NS said, voice controlled.
Shinso laughed. "Why. They're not yours."
JP straightened slowly, wiping his mouth one more time like he was resetting himself.
"You know," JP said, too calm, "I was feeling sick."
Shinso smirked. "You look sick."
"But now," JP continued, "I feel clear."
Shinso's eyes narrowed. "You're drunk."
JP nodded. "Yes."
Then he smiled.
"And you're about to learn something."
XH stepped in, voice steady. "No drama. We're in a palace."
Shinso scoffed. "Then behave like palace guests."
JP's eyes flicked to NS, then TZ, then HS.
A silent group agreement.
Not violence.
Logistics.
JP pulled out a small packet from his pocket.
NS noticed it and his brows lifted slightly. "You carried that."
JP whispered, "Medical track advantage."
Shinso watched, confused. "What is that."
JP smiled sweetly. "A gift."
He reached toward Shinso like he was offering peace, not revenge.
"Look," JP said, "you don't snitch, we don't make a scene. You want money, right? We'll buy your coins. Right now. Cash."
Shinso hesitated.
Greed beat caution.
"Fine," Shinso said, stepping closer. "But don't waste my time."
JP nodded and picked up Shinso's drink from the counter.
He poured the diuretic packet in smoothly, like stirring sugar into tea.
Shinso didn't notice.
JP handed it back.
Shinso drank.
It took minutes.
Just long enough for Shinso to relax again.
Just long enough for him to smirk and say, "See. You boys don't bite."
Then Shinso's face changed.
"Uh," he muttered, hand going to his stomach. "What… what is this."
JP tilted his head sympathetically. "Consequences."
Shinso rushed for a stall.
The sounds started almost immediately.
The boys stood there in a quiet line like they were listening to an orchestra of justice.
TZ leaned toward XH and whispered, "This is insane."
XH whispered back, "He asked for it."
HS, very calmly, went to the toilet paper holders.
And removed them.
All of them.
NS took Shinso's phone from the counter and wiped the screen with a paper towel, deleting anything open, powering it down, leaving it clean.
JP taped a maintenance sign on the outside of the stall door.
TZ checked the latch.
Shinso's voice rose, panicked and slurred.
"Hey! Where's the paper!"
JP sighed dramatically. "You wanted VIP. This is your VIP."
Shinso banged on the door.
HS leaned down and said softly, "Think before you speak next time."
Then they left.
They walked out of the restroom like nothing happened.
Back into the palace noise.
Back into music and lights and smiles.
JP breathed in through his nose, pale but proud.
TZ muttered, "You're a menace."
JP grinned. "I'm a king candidate."
NS scoffed. "You're a stomach candidate."
XH glanced back once at the corridor behind them, then forward again.
The festival was still moving.
King selection registration was creeping toward its closing time.
And somewhere behind a maintenance sign, Shinso was learning that running your mouth comes with a price.
XH looked at his friends and felt something warm behind the chaos.
Not the palace warmth.
Not the fake glamorous warmth.
The real kind.
The kind that stays even after the music ends.
"Come on," XH said. "We're late."
JP raised a trembling fist. "Wings Gaming never bows."
TZ laughed. "You're literally bowing right now."
JP pointed at him. "I'm bowing to strategy."
They moved together, back toward the ballroom, toward the stage, toward the hour that would decide who wore a crown and who wore their pride like a wound.
And in the candidates' waiting room, June was practicing her slow twist again, chin up, chest open, learning how to hold herself steady.
While Kitty stood beside her, rival and sister both, helping her shine.
For the moment.
Only for the moment.