"Et tu, Brute?" — William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
"Adrian!" a sharp, irritated voice called out over the whispers.
The crowd of students immediately parted, stepping back as if pulled by an invisible string to make way for the source of the voice.
She was the third daughter of the current head of the House of Snowhite, and also Adrian’s girlfriend, Lyra.
Adrian turned to look at his girlfriend. He looked the girl with long, perfectly curled blonde hair who wore a custom-fitted, tight academy uniform that showed off her curves in a way that he has always loved about her.
Finally she stopped at the bottom of the steps, glaring up at him with undisguised disgust.
The silence that had followed the crystal’s destruction shattered as a new wave of frantic whispers erupted around the courtyard.
"Is she really going to do what I think she is about to do?" a boy near the front muttered, leaning toward his friend.
"She has to," a girl whispered back, her voice tinged with sympathy, "Can you imagine being tied to a cripple? Her family would be a laughingstock."
"Yeah, but to do it right in front of Duke Ravencrest? That takes guts," another student scoffed, "Or stupidity. You don’t just humiliate a Ravencrest in public."
"He is not a real Ravencrest anymore, is he?" someone sneered from the back. "Look at him. He didn’t even get a spark. What a waste of Ravencrest bloodline."
"Poor Lyra. She thought she caught a dragon and ended up with a worm."
Adrian stood rigid on the platform, his vampire senses catching every single jagged word. He felt a frown carving into his features as the realization of what was about to happen hit him.
"We are done," Lyra declared loudly making sure her voice carried over the courtyard, "I am not tying my future to a good for nothing trash."
"Lyra?!" Adrian looked down at her, but he did not raise his voice, "You are really doing this here? You couldn’t wait until we were..."
"Why the hell should she wait?" a smug, arrogant voice interrupted.
In front of Adrian’s eyes, Julian Montfort stepped out of the crowd and walked right up to Lyra.
He was also a spoiled brat from the House of Montfort who had hated Adrian since childhood. Without any hesitation or shame, he wrapped his arm around Lyra’s waist and pulled her against his side.
And to everyone’s surprise, Lyra didn’t resist at all. She immediately leaned into him, flashing a bright, submissive smile.
Blue lightning sparked and danced across Julian’s free hand, crackling with raw energy. He had just awakened a B-Rank Lightning element.
"She belongs to a real man now, trash," Julian sneered, looking up at Adrian like he was stepping in filth, "House Montfort doesn’t breed failures. We breed conquerors."
"As for you... I think your days of glory are over."
"Enjoy rolling in the mud with the commoners, Adrian... Ravencrest!"
As if words were not enough to drive the point home, Lyra tangled her arm tightly with Julian’s, leaning her head on his shoulder. She looked up at Adrian, flashing a mocking smile right in front of hundreds of people.
"It is not you, Adrian," Lyra said giving him a pitiful gaze, "It’s me."
"Hahahah! It is definitely him!" The crowd suddenly erupted into cheers and catcalls for the new power couple.
"You did nothing wrong girl!"
"We girls ought to look for our future."
"You two are made for each other!"
Adrian meanwhile didn’t move from his spot. His gaze was fixed on his bitch ex-girlfriend and Julian.
If he wanted, even at this moment he could easily snap Julian’s neck and tear his body in two.
Julian might have awakened, but he was still a pitiful human with some spark in his palms.
Adrian on the other hand, without even the awakening was a vampire of noble bloodline. Julian was no match to him.
But if he made a move with so many eyes on them, it would only destroy whatever reputation he has even further.
So he just stood there and watched them. He memorized the arrogant smirk on Julian’s face. He memorized the mocking gleam in Lyra’s eyes.
Up on the towering VIP balcony overlooking the courtyard, Duke Ravencrest finally stood up from his seat, glaring down at his son.
"House Ravencrest does not harbour weaklings," the Duke’s calmly muttered.
But his voice carried a heavy, oppressive mana that forced the weaker students in the courtyard to their knees.
"From this day on, the House of Ravencrest disowns you," the Duke declared coldly, "You are a stain on my bloodline. You bring me nothing but shame."
Beside the Duke stood Darius, Adrian’s older brother and Duke Maximus’s oldest son.
Darius smirked down at the courtyard. Flames suddenly erupted from his shoulders and hands, burning hot and bright, showing off his A-Rank Fire element.
"Don’t be so harsh on my younger brother, Father," Darius smirked, "True he can’t even cast a basic spark to light a campfire."
"But he can still be of some use."
"If we get him a rusted sword and send him to the infantry like a common foot soldier. He can still be of some use to the kingdom. He can earn some merits of the family and the king will..."
"Shut your mouth, Darius," a sharp voice cut through the heavy silence, and two women stepped forward from the shadows of the balcony.
As everyone looked at them, no man could look away and the women, including Lyra could not help but gnash their teeth in jealousy.
The woman in the front possessed a devastatingly mature allure.
Her long reddish hair were tied in a clean bun with strands falling over her shoulder. And her cleavage threatened to spill out of her dark red silk dress that clung to every inch of her hips.
And the girl behind her looked the exact replica of hers just an inch taller and a youthful charm on her face.
Just like the woman before her, the girl had slightly shorter red hair falling over her shoulder, and her big breasts barely being contained in the scandalously black dress that she wore.
These were Lady Katerina, Adrian’s mother, and Blanca, his older sister.
Both women looked down at the courtyard, their expressions filled with deep sorrow and an almost terrifying, fierce protectiveness for Adrian.
Blanca glared at her older brother, her crimson eyes glowing with deadly intent, "You arrogant pompous prick," she spat, her voice ringing out like ice;
"If you ever speak to my brother like that again, I will freeze those pathetic flames right off your hands and shatter your fingers one by one."
Duke Maximus shot a dangerous glare at his wife and daughter, "Silence. The boy is a cripple. He has no place in the..."
"Keep your mouth shut and listen to me very carefully, Maximus," Katerina warned her husband, "I will not say this twice."
Katerina stepped right in front of her husband entirely unfazed by his glare as she cut him off mid sentence.
"No one is making my son leave this house. If you try to force him out, I will tear this estate you are so proud of apart from the inside."
"You... Dare to..." The Duke looked at his wife flabbergasted. The woman who did not care one bit if he were to kill a thousand people or wouldn’t bat an eyelash even if he burned the academy down was openly defying him in front of the world?
But before the Duke could respond, Katerina turned sharply on her heel, "Come, Blanca. We are done here."
And just like that, the two women swept off the balcony, leaving a tense silence in their wake.
"Ummm... Ahem! Ahem!"
The proctor finally spoke after a few seconds of silence.
"The Awakening has been postponed for tomorrow."
"You can all leave."