As expected, the next morning my body hurt more than it had the night before. I had slept in a weird position too, because Adora had spread herself out across the entire bed, leaving me one sliver of mattress to sleep on. She snored softly as I pushed myself out of bed, wincing at the soreness in my muscles. Kaz was missing from his spot at the door and San slept in an uncomfortable position on the floor by the balcony, looking as if he’d fallen off the chair again and just didn’t pick himself up.

I gathered a change of clothing and limped into the bathroom, flipping on the lights. I’d avoided looking in the mirror yesterday, but now I was more mentally prepared. Blue bruises bloomed along my jaw and throat, but for the most part, my face was untouched. I figured they were trying to do damage to places my clothing would conceal. Or my hair, I thought, gently touching the cut on my head. Ouch.

I undid all the bandages on my body and stepped into the shower. The warm water stung at first, but it quickly became welcoming. I did an inspection of my wounds and decided they weren’t that bad. They would heal without causing any issues. As I thought, it could have been worse. I was glad I could skip class today, though. Now I wouldn’t have to face anyone until Monday.

Would the other students be gone by then? I reached for the hawthorn berry soap and stared at it, frowning. I hated that I felt bad for them. They must have had their reasons. And if my family caused pain to them, then the want for revenge was justifiable. Was it really fair for them to be kicked out of Maiestas Regia? What did it mean to be expelled from such a prestigious academy during their final year? Especially because of me. I was here by force and only for half a year. They could never return now, not even after I left.

I carefully scrubbed my skin, sighing. No, I didn’t have to feel guilty. They decided to attack me themselves. They risked the peace treaty. That was something inexcusable, no matter how much they hurt.

Death couldn’t and shouldn’t be avenged by more death.

Just as I exited the bathroom, Kaz came back into my room, an enormous platter of food in his hands. I immediately smelled pancakes and bacon, my stomach rumbling in response. I didn’t remember the last time I ate. Adora and San were both up now, clearing a spot on my desk for the food. I peeked at the spread. “Wow.”

“I tried for breakfast in bed, but you’re already up,” Kaz said, setting the food down on the desk. “How are you feeling?”

I flexed my arm. “Not too bad.”

Kaz’s features creased, and he brushed his fingers against the bandage around my neck, mouth twisting down. “This is so sloppy.”

My mouth fell. “Listen, I tried!”

“It’s still better than whatever Claude did,” Adora chimed in, pushing Kaz out of the way so she could re-wrap the bandage for me. Her nose wrinkled as she stepped closer. “Is that hawthorn berry?”

“Uhh…”

“It stinks.”

My face flamed. “It’s not hurting you, is it?”

She grinned. “Aw, that’s really sweet of you to be concerned, but no. Only if we eat it. What did you do? Squish it all over yourself?”

“It’s soap.”

She considered this. “Hmm. Not bad. Won’t protect you much though. Just makes you smell.”

“Yeah, I figured as much,” I muttered.

San leaned forward to take a whiff as well. He gagged. “Oh, that’s bad.”

I glowered at him.

“Sorry,” he said, chuckling.

Kaz pointed at the food. “Eat up. We have to meet with the headmaster soon and those two have to go to class.”

“We tried to get excused too, but Evander wouldn’t let us,” Adora explained, adjusting my bandage one last time before seeming satisfied.

“That’s okay.” I hesitated. “Can you let me know if people are talking about me? What they’re saying?”

“You shouldn’t listen to what they say, but I’ll let you know. I get anxious about that stuff, too.”

“Thanks, Adora.”

After we finished eating, Adora and San hurried off to get ready for class. I took my time cleaning up the leftovers, my heart rate increasing at the thought of going to see Evander. I knew I wasn’t in any trouble, but I still felt worried. Kaz must have sensed my nerves because he nudged me in the side as we headed out of my room.

“Why do you look like you’re walking to your death?”

“Do I?”

“Either that or you lost more blood than I thought yesterday. You’re amazingly pale.”

“Would it be bad if I said I don’t want those students expelled?”

His eyebrows shot up. “What?”

I played with the end of my hair as we passed the multiple guards in the common room. I paused when I realized there were five instead of two. There was barely enough room for all of them. All had decorated swords strung to their hips. I didn’t think I would get used to the swords. Kaz and I had to squeeze between two to get to the stairs.

“Cleo, they could have killed you.”

“But I understand their reasons. If my family had done something…”

Kaz shook his head. “No. There is no reason for them to have done that for you. No matter what happened in the past. Adora said it last night. You’re not responsible for what your family has done. They’re getting the punishment they deserve.”

“But…”

Kaz stopped at the top of the stairwell and turned to me. “Your father has done terrible things to my family, too.”

My mouth went dry. “What?”

His gaze went past me, focusing on the stained-glass window. “I wasn’t going to tell you. When Evander said I would have to be your guide, I didn’t know why it had to be me assigned to you. He knew what happened between our families, but still made me do it. I… wasn’t happy about it. I couldn’t imagine what type of person Cleo Levant would be. Adora told me you were a good person, but Adora is obsessed with humans. How could I believe her?”

I clasped my hands in front of me. “Kaz—”

“I was like everyone else, too. I thought I would hate you. I thought that you coming here would only lead to destruction. That you were planted here as a spy.”

My breath caught in my throat. Did he know? No, there was no way.

Kaz’s gaze met mine, and he gave me a small smile. “But then I met you. You weren’t anything like what I’d been expecting. I thought maybe you were pretending at first, but it didn’t take me long to realize that you are exactly as you appear. Kind, and yearning for the same peace I am. Someone I could call my friend.”

“I’m not—”

“Yesterday just cemented it in even further. You would rather be hurt than stick up for yourself and risk the peace treaty. Your resolve is admirable. I think you are exactly what we need for this peace treaty to work, Cleo. I think you’ll find you’ve swayed more than just me, too.”

I tried to find comfort in his words, but they just made my heart heavier. Yes, I wanted change. Yes, I wanted to be Kaz’s friend. I already thought of him as my friend. But his doubts about me weren’t unfounded. My father sent me here to find the hidden heir. I had a secret agenda. I had been planted here, as Kaz had thought.

How could I build a friendship on a foundation of lies?

I’d been fine with betraying Claude, but when it came to Kaz, or Adora, or San, I didn’t want to. I had no idea what my father would do with any information I found. Would it cause any harm to them?

“It’s almost unfathomable how different you are compared to your father,” Kaz commented. “No one would have expected it. I wouldn’t have guessed you two were even related if not for knowing it as a fact.”

“Have you met my father?” I asked.

“Huh? Oh. Yeah, I have.”

“What did he do to you?”

Kaz’s face hardened for a split-second. He recovered quickly, shrugging and making a noncommittal noise. “That’s not something you really need to know.”

His reaction scared me. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? You have nothing to do with it. I’ve already told you that.”

“He’s still my father.” That was the problem. He was still my father. He was still someone I would obey blindly even if I didn’t agree with him. My world was so small. He was the center of it. I didn’t know the extent of the cruelty he inflicted on vampires over the past decades. I didn’t know how far he’d take it if I told him I didn’t want to be a spy here anymore.

“I’m not going to lie. If your father was my father, I would be long gone, but I know it’s difficult to leave the people you know and love. You’ll find your path, Cleo. I’m sure you feel torn between what’s expected of you and what you want for yourself, but always remember this. Sometimes fate leads you onto one path so you can find another.”

I ran his words over in my mind as we continued on our way to Evander’s office. What was my path in life? To follow my father’s orders until I died? What could I do to change that? Leaving my family was out of the question. I couldn’t leave my mother behind. She needed me. And no matter how awful my father was, he was the one who raised me, taught me how to defend myself, trained me. He loved me in his own way.

But… that didn’t mean I couldn’t have my own purpose. My father might have sent me here for his own plans, but I had mine as well. I wouldn’t be intimidated into changing them. Not by my father, not by Claude, not by the students here. I would see them through the end.

I would make sure there wasn’t another Blood War.

Even if I was scared, even if I was unsure, I would chase after what I believed was right.

Kaz parted from me as I stepped into Evander’s office. He rose from his desk as I approached, gesturing to the seat across from him. “How are you feeling today, Ms. Levant?”

“Ah, better, thank you,” I said, smoothing out my skirt as a took a seat. I tried to repress the memory of Felix carrying me over to Evander the night before. I must have looked so weak and pathetic.

“I’m relieved to hear that. Please reach out if you need anything. The academy’s nurse is also available if you find yourself needing him.”

“I’m okay, really. Thank you for worrying about me.”

Evander frowned deeply. “I can’t apologize to you enough. I expected more of my students. I knew the risk of accepting you here, but I thought we were better than this. I never would have thought my students would risk the peace treaty. We can proceed however you want.”

“What do you mean?”

“If you’d like to report the incident to the UR or let your family know—”

“No,” I said immediately. “No. There’s no need to do that. Let’s just move on and forget this ever happened.”

I could see the relief in his eyes. “Are you sure?”

“I’m positive.”

“You were assaulted on campus. The peace treaty is supposed to protect you. The students broke it. You could use this to free yourself from the obligations of the treaty…” He trailed off, leaving the bait.

“And start a war?” I asked. “I don’t want that. I came here for peace. And by doing so I intruded on the student’s lives here. I can understand their anger. I don’t want it to go further than this. I do have a request though.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t expel those students.”