Since we willingly allowed the paparazzi to see Raven pick me up at my apartment. the scene at St. Cirelia as we pulled up was exactly as one would suspect. The media was out in full force, and even though the student body had been a bit tamer since Raven’s bodyguards began accompanying her around the halls, the presence of the excited press had whipped them into a frenzy as well.

  “Do we just get out?” Raven asked, her tone indicating I wasn’t the only one to dread doing so.

  “I guess so. Are your bodyguards ready to go?”

  She shook her head. “Evangeline specifically told me to make them stand down when we get to school.”

  “Are you serious?” I groaned. “Then it looks like we have no other choice.”

  Jamie exited the vehicle and had to practically swim through the horde of people to get to the door. He wrestled it open, and Raven and I were just barely able to squeeze out of the limo.

  A few reporters were intermixed in the sea of students and paparazzi. One of them ushered her cameraman over to us and stuck a microphone in our faces.

  “Ms. Blackwell, Mr. Watanabe, you’ve been scarcely seen together in public the last few days. Is your open arrival together here at St. Cirelia an admission that the ShinRa speculation is true?”

  Raven and I looked at each other, unsure how to respond in a fashion accordant with the plan. We wouldn’t need to respond, however. A Steylian royal car appeared behind the limo, slowly coming to a stop at the rear and driving the already crazed crowd even more insane.

  Several men in black exited the car and quickly cordoned off the surprised crowd to make room for the last person to step out of the car: Cynthia Rose von Eisenhardt.

  They audibly speculated about why the princess had shown up but hushed and bowed en masse when Cynthia drew near.

  “You may rise, but remain silent,” she declared. They obeyed without protest.

  I was amazed by her ability to command the ravenous horde with mere words. It was like watching a skilled lion tamer handling one of the formidable beasts.

  Princess privilege is something else, I swear…

  The blonde requested the attention of one of the reporters and his cameraman. After verifying that they were broadcasting live to a news network, she moved closer to me and Raven, making sure the three of us were all in frame before she began to speak.

  “I realize that my appearance here is a surprise to you all. I will keep this brief.” She gestured to the paparazzi. “The media and the paparazzi have made themselves a persistent presence in the life of Shinsuke Watanabe since he befriended Raven Blackwell. Not only has this fact lowered his quality of life, it has, by extension, interfered with his ability to prepare for the gauntlet.”

  There was a noticeable shift in the vibe among the crowd. Many of them looked at each other with nervous expressions visible upon their slimy faces.

  An air of unease had settled in. At least, that’s what it seemed like to me.

  What just happened?

  “I understand and appreciate that you all have a duty to report on the happenings in the kingdom, but I heavily frown upon any efforts to influence the outcome of the gauntlet. Whether intentional or not, interfering with the gauntlet violates the sanctity of the White Knight Contract. I will speak with my parents promptly about what should be done about this situation. That is all. Thank you.”

  The paparazzi and media swarm erupted into panicked chatter amongst one another and Cynthia signaled something to her royal guards. They began to usher people around, creating a path to the front entrance of St. Cirelia.

  Cynthia turned to me and Raven. “Take me inside the school. Somewhere private.”

  I nodded, and Raven and I led her inside the building, accompanied by some of the royal guard. They kept the awestruck students at a distance from us as we entered an empty classroom. Cynthia ordered them to wait outside and prevent anyone from approaching the door, then told me to shut the curtains.

  When she was satisfied with our level of privacy, she put her hands on her hips and flashed a smug smirk. “The paparazzi won’t be an issue for you anymore.”

  “Just because you ‘frowned’ upon their behavior? Is that really all it’s going to take to dissuade a bunch of vultures like them?” I asked.

  “That’s not ‘all’ I did, Shinsuke. In case you somehow forgot despite the situation you’re in, the Steylian people have a huge bias towards their princess. Because I voiced my displeasure for their antics on live TV, the people of the kingdom will view the paparazzi unfavorably. That will make them nervous about public backlash and they’ll also second guess themselves about whether or not they’ve interfered with the gauntlet. Essentially, I created a chilling effect.”

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  She was right. All it would take to incite the Steylian people in any direction would be the ire of their precious royals—especially the princess. But the fact that she was able to weaponize that so easily and confidently was alarming, to say the least.

  “When you put it that way, that was pretty clever,” I admitted.

  “Of course it is, I came up with it. But thank you.”

  She was absolutely beaming.

  So smug.

  “Using a tactic like that on your own people is insidious, though. Even if the paparazzi are annoying as hell.”

  She scoffed and rolled her eyes. “It’s not like I’d do this under any other circumstance, but we’re all in trouble if they don’t leave you alone—that includes the rest of the kingdom. Besides, it’s not like you’re any stranger to making use of morally questionable strategies.”

  “Yeah, I know. I was just pointing it out is all. Anyway, what about your parents? Won’t they be mad that you influenced the situation?”

  “Of course they’ll be mad. But they won’t be able to do anything about it.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I used their thinking against them,” she explained. “They’re proud of being traditionalists, which is why I phrased things the way I did. Aside from discouraging the paparazzi, the legitimate question of whether or not their actions are interfering with the gauntlet will paralyze my parents with consideration. They may even come to agree with my position. And if not, I’ve already turned the opinion of the people against the paparazzi on this matter. I already won.”

  I was stunned. She really had planned it all out to perfection.

  I’m surrounded by utterly terrifying people.

  “In one move, you undermined your parents, dodged the accusation of direct intervention by technicality, and turned public sentiment against the paparazzi,” I acknowledged. “That’s one hell of a play.”

  “As I said, I came up with it. You should expect nothing less. Now then.”

  Her visage flipping from pride to disgust, Cynthia focused on Raven. The actress stared back at the princess with an equally repulsed expression.

  Gods no. I don’t like how familiar this is starting to feel.

  “Now that the paparazzi are dealt with, it’s time to deal with the reason those pests got involved in the first place,” Cynthia declared. She marched right up to Raven and crossed her arms. “Listen up, because I’ll only say this once. I don’t care if you’re looking for attention or if you’re truly fixated on Shinsuke for some reason only the gods could understand. Quit clinging to Shinsuke and go away.”

  The stare Raven levied at Cynthia was like a cleaver, and her lips were pursed so tight that her breath escaped her nostrils like steam from a screaming kettle. She was a volcano on the verge of eruption. But when my fear of what was about to break out reached its apex, her unmistakable rage went dormant. She looked back at me, giving a reassuring nod and returning her attention to the princess.

  “I’ve made it clear how I feel about Shinsuke,” Raven said firmly but not aggressively. “I never meant to cause him any trouble, but I did. I intend to make it up to him by helping him with the gauntlet, so I won’t be going anywhere.”

  Cynthia literally waved her off as though she were an irritating dog. “Oh please. Eva mentioned you said something like that. What could you possibly offer Shinsuke other than a headache?”

  “Well, it doesn’t seem like you’re able to do anything without ‘brilliant’ plans wrapped up in technicalities. That’s to be expected from a glorified, unelected politician. But I don’t have that problem. I can use my money and status any way I want to help him.”

  Shock flashed across Cynthia’s features, but I didn’t need to see that to know she wasn’t about to take such an assault on her ego lying down.

  “I can get Shinsuke anything he needs just fine,” she shot. “It’s utterly hilarious that you’d try to compare your ‘status’ as a third-rate actress to the princess of the most prosperous kingdom in history.”

  Raven giggled, her eyes narrowing and her expression shaping into the embodiment of amusement. “That’s a funny way of saying ‘the worlds most famous actress’. But I’m not comparing us at all—we’re nothing alike. I earned everything I have; you were born into royalty.”

  This is going to get ugly again if I don’t stop this.

  My lips parted to plead for cooler heads, but Cynthia’s phone began to ring, lowering the tension in the room immediately.

  “What is it, Helena?” she answered. “…I see. Inform them that I’ll be returning at once. Thank you.”

  “Trouble?” I asked as she put away her phone.

  “My parents are indeed upset and they’re demanding I return to the castle. But as I said, this was part of the plan. No need to worry. But before I take my leave, I need to tell you something. Privately.”

  She gestured to the opposite corner of the classroom, and we moved as far away from Raven as possible.

  “Listen, I don’t want to worry you with unconfirmed specifics, but I’ve heard the other royals are asking for a lot in the gauntlet negotiations. I don’t know precisely when, but it sounds like an announcement is coming soon. So, try to expect the unexpected.”

  “Because doing that has been so helpful up to this point, right?”

  “Also,” she lowered her volume further. “Don’t waste my time lying here, just answer the question. Do you have a thing for that actress? Yes, or no?”

  I flinched so hard I nearly fell out of my body.

  “What? Why are you asking me that? Do you really think I have time to think about anything like that with the situation we’re in?”

  She arched a brow and folded her arms. “Well, you don’t seem to have a problem screaming about how you don’t want to marry me to anyone who will listen. But I don’t think I’ve seen one clip of you yelling anything remotely similar at the paparazzi.”

  “Cynthia, I didn’t know anything about her aside from her name until the press conference—and barely even that. It’s so ridiculous that I didn’t think I needed to say it.”

  “I’ll remind you that you didn’t know me either. You also didn’t even deny it just now when I asked you.”

  I rolled my eyes and motioned my head in Raven’s direction.

  “I can’t say it. She can probably hear us,” I mouthed.

  “Sure. Anyway, I don’t care what benefit she supposedly offers you, and I don’t care what Eva suggests, either. We don’t need that loser of an actress. She’s dangerous and a needless distraction. Tell her to get lost.”

  She left the room posthaste, which was not only her way of saying she wasn’t interested in any potential response I had, but also that there was no worthwhile reply in her eyes aside from total compliance.

  If she thinks getting rid of someone like Raven could really be that easy, she’s out of her cheesecake loving mind.

  “I understand why you don’t want to marry her,” Raven quipped. “She’s exactly like some costars I’ve had. A total spoiled narcissist.”

  I kept my mouth shut. There wasn’t a single reply that wouldn’t have led to some kind of trouble down the line. Though, I wouldn’t have been able to say anything if I wanted to.

  The classroom door slid open and Eva poked her head inside.

  “Cynthia just sent me a text saying all was taken care of. You know what that means. Get ready, after school we’re back on the grind.”