The vice dean’s expression had shifted from shock to a headache.
He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose, took a deep breath, as if mentally preparing himself.
“Young Highness Sikong.”
He paused, seemingly weighing his words, “This is an order personally issued by your grandfather, the highest authority of The Federation.”
“Moreover, this mission concerns the safety of the entire empire. It is of utmost importance and cannot be treated lightly.”
The vice dean’s tone carried a hint of admonishment.
He had known Sikong Sui for quite some time—no one in the entire academy was unfamiliar with the young highness of the Sikong family.
The original host’s reputation in the academy was far from favorable: willful, arrogant, hot-tempered, prone to throwing things and cursing, and had nearly come to blows on several occasions.
Seeing her slam the table now, the vice dean likely assumed the young highness was falling back into old habits.
Sikong Sui took a deep breath.
Then she thought: to hell with it.
“In any case, I said no, and that’s final.”
The vice dean opened his mouth, about to say something.
Sikong Sui didn’t give him the chance.
She took two steps forward, moving out from behind the desk, exposing herself fully to everyone’s gaze.
Sunlight poured through the glass rose window in the dome, spilling over her shoulders and casting a faint halo around her.
Her uniform was neatly pressed, her hair tied into a sleek ponytail, her chin slightly raised.
“We are all citizens of The Federation. Xie Ren should not be treated this way.”
The classroom grew even quieter.
So quiet that one could hear someone gasp, someone shifting uneasily in their chair, and a bird outside chirping once before falling silent.
The vice dean’s expression changed.
[System Notification: Pei Sichen’s Favorability +5. Current Favorability: 4.]
A System prompt suddenly echoed in Sikong Sui’s mind, catching her off guard.
Pei Sichen?
Before Sikong Sui could process it—
[System Notification: Gu Shiyan’s Favorability +5. Current Favorability: 4.]
[System Notification: Fu Yuan’s Favorability +5. Current Favorability: 20.]
Fu Yuan’s had increased too.
Sikong Sui quickly glanced back at Sikong Nian and, diagonally behind him, Fu Yuan.
Her brother was slightly tilting his head, looking at her with a faint, almost imperceptible smile in his eyes, filled with affection.
Sikong Sui blinked, holding her brother’s gaze for a moment.
She had no idea what was happening.
[System Notification: Fu Yuan’s Favorability -5. Current Favorability: 15.]
…
She just looked at her brother for a while, and Fu Yuan is actually this petty?
However, was the image she projected—standing up for others—producing some unexpected effect?
Then… should she continue?
Sikong Sui swallowed, pushing all the chaotic thoughts from her mind and making her expression even more resolute.
“Xie Ren has been risking his life for the empire since he was fourteen. The number of missions he has carried out exceeds the combined ages of everyone present.”
She paused.
The classroom remained utterly silent.
“And now, you want to send him on another mission. No one asked if he was willing. No one asked if his injuries have healed, if his Rut Period has passed, or if he slept well last night.”
[System Notification: Pei Sichen’s favorability +5, current favorability 9.]
[System Notification: Gu Shiyan’s favorability +5, current favorability 9.]
[System Notification: Fu Yuan’s favorability +5, current favorability 20.]
In this world where everyone wears a mask—Gu Shiyan’s smiling tiger mask, Pei Sichen’s icy mask, Xie Ren’s cold-blooded killer mask.
Even Sikong Nian’s facade of the “gentle Omega”…
In this world where everyone is accustomed to pretense and performance, a heartfelt, unadorned, and uncalculated truth becomes the rarest, most precious, and most unignorable thing.
Sikong Sui raised her head, her gaze slowly sweeping across the classroom. Pei Sichen had finally looked up.
It seemed as though he was trying to understand the person before him, only to find that none of the models he had previously constructed could be applied.
And Xie Ren had, at some point, moved from the window to stand behind her.
Sikong Sui felt a shadow fall over her, followed by a hand gently resting on her shoulder.
The vice dean stood at the podium, silent for a long time.
He looked at Sikong Sui, then at the transfer order in his hand, then back at Sikong Sui, finally letting out a sigh.
“Your Highness Sikong, what you said… makes sense.”
“But Xie Ren must still go on this mission.”
Sikong Sui’s brow furrowed.
“However, I will relay your words verbatim to the highest authority of The Federation. As for the outcome…”
He spread his hands, indicating “it’s beyond my control.”
Sikong Sui bit her lip. “I understand. Then I’ll go with Xie Ren.”
She turned around, walked back to her seat, sat down, pulled her chair forward, and lowered her head to tidy the stationery scattered across her desk.
Gu Shiyan tilted his head to look at her. “Little Suisui, you’ve really impressed me today.”
Sikong Sui didn’t look up, only letting out a soft, muffled “Mm.”
Xie Ren’s gaze traveled across the entire classroom, settling on Sikong Sui.
Her head was lowered, her ponytail draped over her shoulder, revealing a stretch of fair nape.
There, the Temporary Mark he had left was faint, almost invisible.
But he knew it was still there.
Beneath the skin, deep within the Gland, in a place he couldn’t reach.
Xie Ren withdrew his gaze, turned around, and walked toward the door.
Sikong Sui closed her notebook, stuffed it into her backpack, and zipped it up.
Sikong Nian had already reached the doorway, looking back at her, his eyes clearly saying, “Follow me.”
Fu Yuan walked behind him, hands in his pockets.
Pei Sichen had left long ago; his seat was empty, with nothing left on the desk.
And Gu Shiyan still sat beside her.
He hadn’t left, nor had he packed his things. He simply sat there quietly, one hand propping up his head, watching her.
Sikong Sui glanced at him, offering a polite yet distant smile. “Brother Shiyan, I’ll be going first.”
Gu Shiyan didn’t stop her, only nodding gently, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.
Sikong Sui turned and walked toward the door.
Sikong Nian stood waiting for her at the end of the corridor, backlit so his silhouette was blurred, but she couldn’t make out his expression.
“Suisui, let’s go home.”
Sikong Sui nodded and walked toward him.
In the empty classroom behind her, one person still remained seated.
Light amber eyes watched the direction she had left, slender fingers tapping twice gently on the desk, a smile of ambiguous meaning hanging at the corner of his lips.
Gu Shiyan lowered his head, opened his notebook, and on the blank space of the latest page, wrote three words.
Sikong Sui.
Then, beside these three words, he drew a small question mark.