September 19th, 1933.

A day the Valchevian Empire would remember. A day that would leave scars on some and imprints on many. Those who didn’t know what fate awaited them carried on with their daily lives.

The greedy gambled their lives for money.

The poor worked from hand to mouth.

The middle class served the nobles.

And the nobles moved within their reserved spaces.

One of those reserved spaces was the Empire’s largest academy for teenage elites.

Maelithor Academy.

The school that the precious daughter of the Archduke and Archduchess of Obregón attended.

***

“What the actual fuck… Kayona Obregón?!”

Aleho Geerich stumbled back, crashing into a heap of trash bins. The stench clung to him as he scrambled up, slapping dirt off his designer shirt like it mattered.

Kayona didn’t flinch. Arms crossed, she glared at him with disgust that could peel paint.

“Oh, please,” she scoffed. “I should’ve pushed harder. Maybe if your skull cracked open, it would reboot that disgusting brain of yours.”

Aleho brushed off his trousers, smirking through the humiliation.

“Are you the only girl in the world who’s ever had her ass grabbed?”

Her eyes flared like lit gasoline.

“Where did you borrow the audacity to touch me?” she hissed. “I’ve told you again and again! I don’t want to be your girlfriend! You’re full of junk, Aleho!”

He chuckled and stepped closer, smugness reeking from every movement.

“You just turned sixteen, Kayona. Isn’t it time you stopped playing hard to get? I don’t take no for an answer. You will be my girlfriend and it’s not your choice to make.”

Without hesitation, Kayona pulled a pen from her skirt’s pocket and drove it straight into his cheek.

“AARGHHH! YOU BITCH!”

Aleho’s scream echoed through the empty school halls, blood pouring down his face.

Kayona leaned down to inspect the wound, her face calm and satisfied.

“What I do to your face isn’t your choice either.” Her voice was low, venomous. “Next time, it’ll be your dick.”

She straightened up, glancing at her watch.

“Shit. I’m thirty minutes late. My driver is probably bored to death by now.”

Aleho was now on his knees, clutching his face and sobbing.

Kayona slung her bag over her shoulder and turned to leave.

“Word of advice? Study for your finals. That way, when your face heals, you might still have a shot at college next year.”

Just as she reached the exit, she collided with someone’s chest. Tall, solid as a wall. She looked up, ready to mutter an apology, but froze.

“Sylrick Kartegen,” she said coldly, like spitting out something bitter.

“Kayona Obregón?” he blinked, clearly surprised. But his gaze dropped straight to the blood on her hands.

He reached for her, trying to check if she was hurt.

She jerked away.

“Tell your psycho friend to keep his hands to himself. This was just his final warning.”

With that, she walked out the doors. Sylrick stood there, staring after her as she left.

Kayona’s driver and bodyguard Maxwell Bukko was already parked outside the school, waiting. He watched through the rearview mirror as she approached, opened the back door, and settled into the seat.

“Good evening, madam,” he greeted politely, eyes forward on the road.

Kayona placed her school bag beside her and got comfortable.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Maxwell,” she said, her voice sincere.

Maxwell didn’t mind the delay. He figured something important had held her up inside. Fastening his seatbelt, he started the engine.

“No trouble at all, ma’am. It’s part of the job. Looked like you had some after-school business to handle,” he said as they merged into traffic.

Kayona leaned her forehead against the car window, watching buildings flash by, all light and glass blurring together.

“Thank you, Max,” she said quietly, just enough for him to hear.

Maxwell kept his eyes on the road. He noticed the blood on her hands through the rearview mirror but didn’t react right away. His grip on the steering wheel stayed firm as he asked gently,

“Are you okay, ma’am? Your hands look injured.”

“The blood isn’t mine,” Kayona replied, her tone calm, eyes still on the world outside.

Maxwell let out a quiet breath of relief.

“And you won’t tell me whose blood it is?”

“Nope.”

“At least tell me this. Is the person still breathing?”

“Yes. He is.”

“That’s a relief.”

He didn’t press further. He didn’t need to. Kayona had been trained to protect herself since she was little, with years of martial arts under her belt. Maxwell was just backup for when her parents weren’t around.

Whoever crossed her had clearly underestimated her. Big mistake, he thought.

“I’ll stop by the grocery store to get some wet sanitary wipes for your hands. We don’t want your parents getting worked up,” Maxwell said calmly.

Kayona smiled, a brief flicker of warmth crossing her tense face. “Okay… I really appreciate it.”

She lowered her gaze to her lap, staring at her blood-stained hands. The memory of her brief encounter with Sylrick rushed back, flooding her thoughts.

I missed the opportunity to stab Sylrick’s face as well.

Seeing them almost every day pisses me off. I’m tired of walking on eggshells just to avoid crossing paths, especially with Aleho.

A frustrated breath escaped her lips.

Today is supposed to be special for my parents. I won’t ruin it. I will talk to them about switching schools tomorrow.

She blinked, pulling herself back to the present, then turned to Maxwell, who kept his eyes on the road.

“How are the preparations for the wedding anniversary tonight going at the Obregón estate’s event hall?” she asked, trying to take her mind off things.

“The decorations and tables are set. The servers and photographers will arrive in the next two hours before the party starts,” he responded.

“Oh, that’s good. Perfect progress, even. They worked really fast on such short notice,” Kayona said with a beaming smile.

“Do you think my parents liked my anniversary gift? I gave it to them quickly this morning before running off to school, and you’ve been with them all day so…”

“The Archduke and Archduchess really love your gift, Lady Kayona. They’ve been wearing it since you left for school,” Maxwell replied, his voice reassuring and steady.

Kayona’s eyes lit up with joy. “Really?”