I was simmering with rage. In just two days Ryne had managed to annoy me beyond measure. First, he gave me a severe punishment out of bias. Then, forbade Kiera from using her powers on me which made the mark hurt even more. He left me in that dungeon with the vampire when he knew that I was weak and vulnerable. As if that weren't enough, he openly rejected me in the cafeteria. It was only a matter of time before the news spread to the whole school that Prince Arlan's fiancé wasn't welcome in his friend circle. Like being a warlock wasn't enough, he also had to be annoying.

"Meredith! Wait up!" J-Vil yelled. I took deep breaths before slowing down so she could catch up.

"Back there," she said breathing heavily, "You were so-"

"Cool?" I asked with a smirk. I was proud of myself for calling out Ryne's bullshit too.

"Stupid! I told you to never mess with the higher echelons, especially de. Where does your confidence come from?"

I shrugged, "So, did you get over the Your Highness phase?" Just a few minutes back she was so awkward around me.

She seemed to suddenly remember who I was.

"Of course not, Your Highness," she muttered sheepishly.

I chuckled, "I was kidding, don't ever call me that please."

She nodded, "Prince Arlan wanted to follow you but-"

"I don't care about that. You came, that's enough," I said.

"Of course, what are friends for?" J-Vil replied as her cheeks pulled up in a wide smile.

I raised my brow. She lost the smile and said with a nod, "Keelin kept glaring at me like she wanted to rip me apart."

"That's what I thought," I said scoffing, "You wouldn't sacrifice lunch for friendship."

"Glad you know me so well," she replied bumping my shoulder with hers.

I smiled before biting my lips with a sigh. Although I had said that I didn't care...

"I... why did Arlan not come again?" I asked her.

Arlan had been my best friend since I was three years old. We were the same age but, he had always taken care of me. The only memories I had of my childhood were training in my mother's study and playing around with him. I was burdened with responsibilities as soon as I was old enough to talk. My mother would not allow me to do anything other than study and train to be a queen. However, she did not mind me spending time with him as we were betrothed. He was my only reprieve and I would eagerly wait for him to visit me.

When I left home with my teacher, I thought I would not see him again unless I failed my quest. But, three years ago, we followed a trail to the ancient Iodoro Forest. Coincidentally, we happened upon Arlan who was with his father for a diplomatic meeting there. I met him for mere moments so I refuse to call it love. But I felt something for the boy I had spent my childhood with. However, with that feeling came the knowledge that I was running out of time. I was nearing the age of marriage.

"Prince Arlan stood up to follow you, but then Gyrod held him back," J-Vil said bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Gyrod? The white-haired fae?" I asked before remembering how he had inserted himself between Arlan and Yuvien before almost possessively. I also remembered that he was seated right next to Arlan.

"Yes, him. So many girls chase him around but he is not interested in the least. Most fae are like that, so it's not a big deal. However, he is very close to Prince Arlan. They're all really close to each other. After all, they've been friends since childhood."

"I had forgotten," I muttered.

"Hmm?" J-Vil looked at me with her signature smile.

I didn't respond to her. I had forgotten that Arlan was not just a part of my childhood.

***

We walked towards the West Wing where most of our classes were held. We both had Global Economy in sometime. I raised my arm to shield my eyes from the blinding light of the sun. A shooting pain erupted from the mark on my right hand and it suddenly felt as heavy as iron. My other arm felt strangely heavy as well. In a second that feeling travelled to both my legs and I collapsed on the cobbled pathway.

"What the hell?" I whispered as all my energy seemed to seep away into the ground.

"You'll be fine. The marks probably just want to be consummated. I don't... like this, though," J-Vil said with a sigh as she kneeled down in front of me.

"Consummated? What do you mean?"

She pressed her lips together as if she had said something she shouldn't have. "It's no big deal. Here, I'll help you up," she said as she grabbed my shoulder.

The numbness disappeared as quickly as it came. I got up, brushed the dust off my plaid skirt and continued to stare at her.

"We need to run or we'll be late," she said, avoiding my eyes.

I caught her arm, "What are you hiding?"

"I... I can't say," she said, stuttering.

"Hey, you can tell me anything," I said softly.

"No, I literally cannot tell you," she said as she pointed at her tongue.

I frowned, "You were charmed?"

"No, it's just... When someone is sentenced with mark collection, no one is allowed to give them any information that they don't already know. It's a punishable offence. I can't tell you anything unless I want my tongue to be cut off."

My eyes widened, "Is it that serious?"

She stared at me as if she was trying to tell me something. I thought back to what she said. "...any information that they don't already know..."

"The Global Penal Code!" I said and she sighed in relief.

"I didn't worry about you before because I thought you were just another student. But you are betrothed to Prince Arlan. If you're going to be the queen of all humans someday, you should know more about the punishment you've been given," she said.

'Queen of all dragons,' I corrected her in my head, 'And I already am her.'

"It should be in the library, right?" I asked her.

"Teriwada Block, south of West Wing," she said.

I nodded at her, "Guess I'm skipping class today."

***

My library back home was nothing compared to the one at Adelmiro Circle. It had five floors which were all visible at first glance. The ceiling was a marble dome with intricate carvings. Luminous letters and ancient symbols danced around on the walls and every once in a while, climbed up to the ceiling to merge with it. Large wooden tables were placed on the ground floor. At the far end of the room, a door opened up to a café. The smell of freshly brewed coffee wafted through the air every time someone pushed open the door.

I climbed up the stairs at the side of the hall. J-Vil had said that books about the working of the Circle were on the first floor. The granite tiles of the first floor were so slippery that I had to walk slowly to avoid falling on my face. Thankfully we had to wear sneakers as a part of our uniform. I couldn't ever imagine walking on this floor in heels.

The sections were labelled in huge wooden prints. So it wasn't very hard to find. I pulled out the book, "Global Penal Code" and carried it to a nearby table. It was very heavy, after all it was an extensive guide to all the crimes against the Circle and the punishments for such offences.

I glanced at the topics and found the ones relating to, "echelon disruption" - a fancy term for disrespecting a higher echelon. I scanned the possible punishments:

a. Letters of apology

b. Fines up to 15,000 Ciaka [pro: kia.gah]

c. Community service (up to 12 hours) based on the echelon disrupted

d. Loss of credits (if studying in an institution)

e. Loss of pay (if working in an organization)

I checked it again in case I had missed, "mark collection". No, I hadn't. I remembered J-Vil saying I had gotten a more severe punishment than necessary. I scoffed. It looked like the ti-eglor was above the Penal Code.

I leafed through the pages and came upon a section titled, "Capital Offences." Crimes under it included, murder, genocide, treason etc. I was about to move on, but what I saw stunned me.