Her thoughts briefly drifted to the things she just heard about the infamous vampire lord.
To her, love was nothing more than a foolish game, one that people willingly walked into despite knowing how dangerous it could be.
Aurora sighed softly.
She wasn't interested in love or becoming part of any Lord's team.
Who wanted that anyway?
Court life was tedious, complicated, and dangerous. Aurora would rather focus on her studies and earn a position through merit rather than serve under any Lord.
She turned toward Calypsera as they continued eating.
Calypsera pulled out the small notebook she carried everywhere and wrote something down before sliding the page toward Aurora.
Aurora read it and smiled.
"Oh! You want to know about the Lords and their teams?"
"You don't know about it, do you?"
Calypsera shook her head.
"Alright," Aurora said, straightening slightly.
"Let me explain."
As she began speaking, something interesting happened.
The surrounding table gradually went quiet.
Students nearby subtly leaned closer, clearly listening.
"The vampires conquered the world long ago," Aurora began.
"In the end, every other species relinquished power to them, on the condition that all species would still be represented in governance."
"After much deliberation, the Ebon Concord was formed."
"That translates to the Dark Concord."
"It was an agreement that every species would send their most promising candidates, princes, princesses, nobles, or anyone qualified, to study at Nocturne Academy."
"They would train here for four years."
"And after that, the best among them would be selected to rule alongside the vampire leadership."
Aurora paused before continuing.
"Now the Vampire Lords, most of whom are royal vampires, pure-blooded vampires, or individuals granted lordship, hold powerful offices in the kingdom."
"Some are ministers, others command entire regions."
"And those positions require trained individuals to help carry out their duties."
She leaned slightly closer to Calypsera.
"Imagine a Lord investigating a magical crime committed by witches, maybe a poisoned potion."
"Of course he would want a skilled witch by his side who understands potion craft, especially if it involves secret formulas."
Aurora smiled.
"Apart from serving under Lords, many graduates go on to work directly within the royal court."
"But every year only a few are selected."
"Last year's graduating class was said to be the highest number ever chosen."
Aurora continued.
"It's important to note that not all Lords can appoint teams."
"Not every office requires a covert team either."
"In fact, only three Lords currently maintain such teams,just like their fathers did."
"Lord Darius, the son of the Viscount of Malfrost."
"Lord Sebastian, whose father is the Duke of Silverton."
"And lastly, "
At that exact moment, the massive doors of the dining hall swung open.
The Devils walked in.
At their center was Nik.
He wore an all-black outfit with a long black trench coat draped over his shoulders. The moment he stepped into the hall, the temperature seemed to drop.
Aurora finished her sentence quietly.
"Nikolai Nightshade, Duke of Lakeville. His father is the king."
All eyes turned toward him.
Aurora continued speaking softly.
"While the other Lords already have at least one person in their team… Duke Nikolai Nightshade has refused to pick anyone."
"And he's in his final year."
The hall immediately erupted into murmurs again.
Some students glanced at Nikolai with curiosity.
Others looked at him with calculated interest.
Many believed they still had a chance.
Aurora sighed and turned back to Calypsera.
"I hope you understand the system now," she said gently.
Calypsera nodded.
"You must stay away from Nikolai at all costs," Aurora added quietly.
"He's trouble. Dangerous trouble."
"Don't let the good looks fool you."
"How do you know all these things?" Nesera suddenly asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
She had been listening the entire time and clearly didn't like the attention Aurora was receiving.
She especially didn't like that a mermaid was overshadowing her.
Aurora simply smiled.
"Have you never heard of the whispers of water?"
Nesera narrowed her eyes but chose not to argue.
Everyone knew the old saying.
Water carried secrets.
And mermaids were known to be excellent spies, because water itself bent to their will and could retain memories.
Meanwhile, Nikolai took his seat.
His expression remained stoic and unreadable.
His eyes slowly drifted toward the table of new students.
He had heard most of what was said about him.
Maybe not every word.
But enough.
His gaze lingered briefly on Aurora… before shifting to the quiet girl beside her.
For a young mermaid, she seemed unusually composed.
Her eyes held a calm, almost ancient wisdom.
"Interesting," he muttered.
Around the hall, several students nearly fainted when his gaze passed their direction.
Many insisted he had looked directly at them.
Some of them would go to sleep that night with bright smiles on their faces, convinced fate had favored them because Lord Nikolai had laid his gaze upon them.
For some of the new students, the moment felt like a blessing.
But the same could not be said for the elite ladies.
Or more precisely,
The pure-blooded vampiresses.
They had been glaring all night.
The arrival of new beauties meant new competition.
And no one enjoyed competing in a game they weren't sure they could win.