Classes resumed the way they always did at Aurikon Academy.
Orderly.
Controlled.
The scratching of pens against paper blended with the calm rhythm of lectures as teachers moved from equations to theories without pause. Students copied notes, exchanged glances, whispered occasionally—yet beneath the surface of normalcy, something had already shifted.
The student council existed now.
And everyone knew it.
Vrrrrriiiinggg!!
The final bell rang through the corridors.
Books snapped shut.
Chairs scraped lightly against the tiled floor as students poured out of classrooms in waves.
But for a select few—
The day wasn't over.
---
The student council chamber was already occupied by the time Kacy arrived.
Voices had died down long before she reached the door.
Waiting.
That was what they had been doing.
The moment the door creaked open, several eyes lifted toward her instantly.
Some curious.
Some irritated.
Some openly displeased.
Kacy stepped inside without urgency.
Unbothered.
The long council table stretched across the room beneath the dim chandelier lights, casting faint shadows over each seated member. Kaiden sat at the head of the table, posture relaxed but commanding without effort. Colton leaned lazily in his chair beside him, though his sharp gaze missed nothing. Kim sat with her arms crossed, expression unreadable.
Lynn Mackenzie sat opposite them.
Elegant.
Perfectly composed.
Waiting.
Kacy walked past all of them and calmly took the empty seat beside Estrella at the far end of the table.
No apology.
No explanation.
Just silence.
Lynn smiled first.
"For someone assigned to assist every division," she said smoothly, "you certainly take your time."
The temperature in the room shifted immediately.
The newer members visibly stiffened.
Even Estrella glanced nervously between the two girls.
But Kacy only tilted her head slightly.
A soft smile touched her lips.
"Oh?"
That was all.
Yet somehow—
It sounded dismissive.
Lynn's smile twitched faintly.
"I'm your vice president," she added, her tone sharper now, as though reminding her of hierarchy.
Still—
Kacy merely blinked.
The silence stretched.
Then—
"That's enough."
Kim's voice sliced cleanly through the room.
Every head turned toward her.
She uncrossed her arms slowly before meeting Lynn's gaze head-on.
"Miss Vice President," Kim said evenly, "unless Aurikon's constitution changed overnight, intimidation within council grounds is still prohibited."
Lynn's expression cooled.
Kim leaned forward slightly.
"And believe me when I say this little performance of yours won't end well."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"You're clinging so desperately to authority that it's almost pathetic."
The air froze.
The other members stared.
Even Colton's brows rose slightly.
Lynn's eyes narrowed dangerously.
"What did you say?"
Kim didn't back down.
"In a place where your family spent generations trying to force relevance through bloodlines…"
Her voice sharpened.
"…you should understand better than anyone that titles don't automatically create respect."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The words landed like shattered glass.
Lynn stood abruptly.
Her chair screeched violently against the floor.
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Rage flashed across her face so openly that even Kim looked momentarily surprised by the intensity of it.
Because she didn't know.
She had struck directly at the deepest wound Lynn carried.
The Mackenzie family.
Their rigid traditions.
The generations of elders who valued sons over daughters.
The endless pressure to prove herself worthy in a structure built to reject her existence.
Kim had touched all of it unknowingly.
And Lynn snapped.
"You think you know anything about me?!" Lynn hissed.
Kim rose immediately too.
"And you think fear makes you powerful?"
Lynn moved first.
Her hand shot upward—
Kim shifted instantly into stance.
Ready to retaliate.
Neither intended to back down.
Creak.
The council doors opened.
The entire room stilled.
Chancellor Von Vanguard stepped inside calmly, his sharp gaze sweeping across the chaos before him.
Lynn standing in fury.
Kim poised to strike back.
The frightened council members.
Colton's visibly darkened expression.
Kaiden's unreadable calm.
And Kacy—
sitting quietly like she had expected all of this from the start.
Von sighed.
"Well," he mused dryly, "it's barely been a day and the student council is already trying to devour itself."
No one spoke.
His gaze shifted toward Kaiden.
"President."
The title settled heavily in the room.
"What do you propose we do?"
Kim's body stiffened.
For the first time since the confrontation began—
fear crossed her face.
Colton noticed instantly.
His gaze darkened.
Kaiden finally lifted his eyes.
Calm.
Cold.
Detached.
"If both members care so much about status and influence," he said evenly, "then let their guardians participate as well."
Lynn's expression shifted slightly.
Kim froze.
"Since this is the council's first official misconduct," Kaiden continued, "both guardians are to appear tomorrow morning."
His gaze settled briefly on Kim.
"The punishment will proceed according to Aurikon law."
Kim's fingers tightened around the hem of her skirt.
Guardian.
No…
"…Is that acceptable, Miss Cross?"
His voice pulled her back sharply.
Everyone was watching.
Kim straightened unconsciously.
"…Yes."
Von Vanguard suddenly laughed softly.
What a cruel little method.
"Very well," he announced. "If either guardian fails to appear tomorrow, their ward shall bear both punishments regardless of individual guilt."
He left as quietly as he came.
The room became silent again.
Then—
Pfft.
Laughter.
Everyone turned.
Lynn sat back down slowly, covering part of her smile with her hand.
"I can't believe that actually worked," she murmured almost gleefully.
Kacy's eyes narrowed slightly.
Colton's expression hardened immediately.
"You planned this?" he asked coldly.
Lynn looked toward him with a sly smile.
"What?" she asked lightly. "Surprised?"
Her gaze flickered briefly toward Kim.
"I wanted answers."
Then toward Kacy.
"But every time I got close, all I met was an ice wall."
Her smile deepened.
"So I simply created a situation where hiding became impossible."
Kim's posture faltered slightly.
Realization hit hard.
She had walked directly into Lynn's trap.
Lynn stood gracefully.
"See you tomorrow, Miss Cross."
Then her eyes shifted toward Kacy.
Something thoughtful lingered there.
"Both of you."
And with that—
She left.
The chamber felt suffocating after she was gone.
Kacy stood quietly and walked toward Kim.
"Let's go."
Kim lowered her gaze briefly before nodding.
The council's first meeting had ended far differently than anyone expected.
---
"Cool down your temper."
Kaiden's calm voice broke the silence of his room.
Colton stood near the window, tension radiating from him so heavily the atmosphere itself felt compressed.
He exhaled slowly.
The pressure eased slightly.
"…I'll admit it," Colton muttered at last.
His eyes narrowed thoughtfully.
"She's good."
Kaiden rested against the headboard lazily.
"Very."
A faint smile appeared on Colton's face.
"Tomorrow's going to be interesting."