## CHAPTER 75: The Weight of Fault
The group turned in unison to see Alium standing behind them. None of them replied to him immediately. They just stared at him with eyes of deep resentment. Feeling their piercing gazes locking onto him, Alium let out a tired sigh. He knew he thoroughly deserved this hostility, but he still wanted to make amends.
"Are you... going to see Caspian?" Alium asked, his gaze looking down toward the floor. He toyed with his hands nervously, entirely unable to meet their eyes.
"How is that even any of your business?" Casel snapped, his voice sharp.
"You still have the nerve to show your face after what happened?" Lyra said. Her cold, calm gaze was menacing, carrying a dangerous edge that felt far more threatening than the others.
Alium took a deep, steadying breath to settle his nerves. "Look... he saved me too. I owe him my life. I know that it's partly my fault that he's in his current state, I—"
"Partly?" Casel whispered. He looked like he wanted to scream and air out his intense frustrations right then and there, but he forced himself to hold back, noting the other students still passing by them in the grand hallway.
Lyra stepped forward, her boots clicking softly against the stone as she closed the distance. She leaned into Alium's ear, her presence suffocatingly close.
"You said *partly*?" Lyra spoke softly, her voice so calm and cold it caused immediate shivers of fright to run straight down Alium's spine. "Are you trying to convince us, Alium, or are you just desperately trying to convince yourself?"
Alium frozen as she continued in a low, threatening tone.
"If you hadn't proposed that arrogant duel in the first place, if you hadn't dragged us out there and given Master Grey the perfect opportunity to ambush us, Caspian wouldn't be in this condition. It's funny how he still chose to save a piece of scum like you after everything you did. So make no mistake—everything is your fault."
Lyra pulled back away from him, her expression returning to a flawless, icy mask.
"However," she noted, looking him up and down, "if you truly want to make amends... then you can come with us."
"Lyra?" Casel asked, completely shocked by the sudden invitation.
Lyra turned her head slightly toward him. "This is what Caspian would want," she said simply. She turned her attention back to the silent noble boy. "Well?"
"Thank you," Alium said sincerely, lowering his head.
"I'll be keeping my eyes on you, Alium," Casel warned, pointing two fingers at his own eyes before pointing them at the Castamir heir.
The three turned back around to make their way through the hall, finally heading out of the main school building to begin the short walk toward the academy's massive main gates. Alium followed quietly a few paces behind them. As they walked, Alium could only watch in absolute silence as the three friends smiled, laughed, and cracked inside jokes among themselves. This profound feeling of isolation was something he had never experienced in his life, and Caspian's words about the hollow nature of nobility began to play back vividly in his mind.
Before they could reach the exit, however, the group met a very familiar face blocking their path.
Aisha was standing near the courtyard transition archway, flanked by a few of her usual sycophants. The moment her eyes landed on Lyra's group, a sweet, entirely manufactured smile spread across her lips. She stepped away from her entourage and approached them, her posture oozing a fake warmth.
"Oh, Lyra! I'm so glad I caught you before the break," Aisha said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "I heard about the terrible incident in the courtyard. It's just so awful. I've been worried sick about you girls."
Lyra stopped, her expression hardening instantly. "We're fine, Aisha."
"Thank goodness," Aisha gasped, pressing a hand to her chest in a display of fake sympathy. "But what about that... what was his name? The commoner boy. Caspian, right? I heard he was absolutely thrashed by the rogue magic. Honestly, it's just so tragic when people who don't belong in high-tier spaces try to play the hero. They simply don't have the breeding to handle that kind of strain, do they? It's almost sad how disposable they make themselves look."
Casel's fists clenched so hard his knuckles popped, and Elisa shrank back. Alium sharply raised his head, a sudden spark of anger flaring in his chest at her words.
But it was Lyra who snapped first.
"Watch your mouth, Aisha," Lyra commanded, her voice cutting through the air like a localized blizzard. The sheer venom in her tone made Aisha stumble back a step, her fake smile instantly faltering into shock. "If I hear you speak of him with that pathetic condescension again, I will personally ensure your social standing at this academy becomes non-existent. Do not test me."
Aisha stared at her, utterly stunned and humiliated by the public rebuke. She blinked rapidly, trying to recover her composure, before forcing a nervous chuckle to brush it off.
"My goodness, Lyra... it was just a comment," Aisha stammered, quickly trying to shift the focus to save face. "Anyway, since the break is starting today and it's been so long since we hung out, why don't you come out with me to the central district? My family reserved a private lounge, and we can—"
"No," Lyra refused flatly, cutting her off without a shred of hesitation.
"But Lyra we made plans" Aisha blurted out,
"WE?" Lyra asked,
"You made plans, not we" She snapped Still visibly angry over Aisha's insulting words toward Caspian, Lyra didn't give the girl another second of her time. She turned on her heel and walked away toward the gate. Casel gave Aisha a hard, lingering glare, and Elisa quickly followed behind, with Alium trailing at the rear.
Aisha was left standing utterly alone, her face burning with humiliation as the surrounding students whispered among themselves.
---