"What do you know now?"

Sitting on the grass, Aramith asked Sylvia who stood before him.

"He's fully accepted his fate as my dog. Yesterday, he confessed that Sylas wants revenge for the embarrassment he faced that day."

"That's all the confirmation I needed. What about the second matter?" Aramith asked.

Sylvia nodded. "He didn't feel safe enough to go further, but I can ask him again. He's more comfortable now."

Aramith thought for a second.

"Don't push too far. For now, all we need to know is what Sylas has against him." He raised his head to look at her. "If he's okay with sharing more, then you could pry. That's all."

She left his side to go wait elsewhere for morning assembly.

The third person to appear on the meeting grounds was Mozrael.

She glanced at Sylvia, then at Aramith.

"Back when I wanted to help him out, you told me it had nothing to do with me, but you're still looking out for him."

"It's still the same. Sylas is targeting me as well. I just want to deal with this how best I can."

Mozrael still wasn't used to this new and decisive Aramith. He was...difficult to read.

Later that evening, Sylvia got Aris to spill the beans.

Ever since she'd called him her dog, she'd made him follow her around and run errands for her.

This frustrated him initially, but when she started beating up anyone who troubled him, he fully accepted her as his master.

Sylas couldn't touch him now.

And now that she was asking him to tell her the truth, what choice did he have?

She saved him.

And what if she abandoned him now?

"My...mother is a prostitute," Aris began.

He looked at Sylvia, expecting surprise or even disgust. But her expression didn't change one bit. Even the wind refused to lift a strand of her hair.

She blinked. "Is that all?"

"I—"

She's not surprised?

A whore was abhorred, and a whore's son was considered a disgusting person, especially to maidens such as Sylvia.

This wasn't the reaction he expected. But then again, Sylvia wasn't your average girl.

"Well, is that all?"

"Sorry, I was just surprised," Aris said.

"Surprised? For what?"

"Sorry, let me start again. My mother..."

And so, he narrated everything to his benefactor and master.

Everything about his mother's past and his reason for entering the academy.

Sylvia listened without uttering a single word.

When he finished, he couldn't look directly at Sylvia, only glancing at her sideways.

"You don't seem surprised," he finally said after a moment of silence.

"Why should I be? Everyone has a past, right? It's not like you're the creator of fate, deciding where and how you should have been born."

A tear rolled down Aris's face. He prepared his mind for revolting replies, but she was being kind. And it wasn't an act either.

Sylvia was just being herself and saying what was on her mind.

His hands still trembled.

Even if she didn't see him differently now, others would. And that was enough to terrify him.

"Thank you," he managed to say, but Sylvia didn't respond to his gratitude.

"This is what Sylas knew about you and was using to harass you?"

Aris nodded.

"And what was it he wanted you to do?"

This one was harder to do, but in the end, Aris came out clean and told her he wanted some dirt on Aramith because Sylas asked him to.

A full week passed without incident between Aris and Sylas.

But another matter had caused quite a commotion in the Academy.

Half of the students decided to leave the Academy.

It started out with one student and his friends who decided it wasn't worth it. They were never taught enything worthwhile. And all they endured were demoralizing duels.

They had food and shelter, but nothing more.

Not even uniforms to show that they were students in the academy.

The fathers didn't stop them. All they did was announce to them that if they wanted to leave, they should, because they had no intention of changing their methods of grooming students.

That announcement was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The only students who remained were some who knew they won't be easily accepted in other academies, and a few indifferent ones like Sylvia, Sylas, and a few others.

Aramith was aware of the fact that this was all part of the entrance exams, so he didn't worry.

But when morning came, there were rumors in every corner of the academy.

Someone had leaked Aramith's true identity as the banished prince.

Worse yet, Aris's secret had been exposed as well.

Everyone now knew he was a bastard son.

Aris walked with his head down, clutching his bag like it was armor.HE heard them clearly, heard every laughter, whisper, and mockery.

"That's him. The whore's son.""I can't believe Sylvia lets him follow her around.""She's probably just pitying him."

Their words cut deep, but what hurt most was the eyes—the ones that looked away in shame, as if even acknowledging him was disgraceful.He felt filthier than dirt.

And when he finally saw Sylvia ahead — calm as always, standing beneath the morning light, he almost felt safe.Until he noticed the others surrounding her.

A group of students blocked her path, arms folded, faces hardened.They were supposed to fear Sylvia, but not this time. They weren't going to back down so easily.

"Sylvia," one girl called out, her voice dripping with mock pity. "Do you even know who you're defending?"

Sylvia's eyes didn't flinch. "Go on."

"He's a bastard. The son of a whore. You think that's someone worth protecting?"

The crowd murmured in agreement.Aris's heart began to race.

"You're always acting high and mighty," another voice spat, "but look at you now, standing up for trash."

Sylvia's voice, when it came, was steady enough to silence the courtyard.

"So what?" she said."Does that change his worth?"

The students exchanged looks. Some faltered. But others pressed harder, desperate to tear her calm apart.

"You're defending him out of pity.""No—maybe you like him.""Does it feel good, Sylvia? Having a bastard crawl after you?"

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