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With Dominic’s visit to the academy, Shani knew it wouldn’t take long before her true identity was exposed to the public.

She wanted to tell her trusted friends first so they wouldn’t be caught off guard later.

”You’re a Night Panther... Ashbourne?” Sonny asked, choking on his words.

”You’re the daughter of the late Commander Samuel Ashbourne?” Noella asked gently from the side.

Shani nodded in response to both questions.

Meanwhile, Sonny looked at Noella in confusion. ”Commander of what? The military? Doesn’t House Ashbourne lack any members serving as Defenders?”

”None right now, but back then, House Ashbourne, just like other prestigious families, had remarkable representatives protecting our lands at the border,” Noella explained with deep reverence.

Hardly anyone in the younger generation remembered House Ashbourne’s eldest son.

Even Noella wouldn’t have known if she hadn’t been raised as a future family head who needed to know the background of every noble house, or at least the pivotal events that altered their fates.

Sonny clapped a hand over his mouth. A tragic backstory instantly formed in his mind, and his eyes welled up with tears as he looked at Shani.

His heart urged him to throw his arms around Shani and assure her that everything would be alright now, but his body instinctively froze, picking up a dark, menacing aura radiating from right beside her.

Snapping out of it, he immediately veered back and clung to Kiran’s arm instead, sniffling against her shoulder.

Kiran herself wasn’t acting somber like the other two, nor had she been paying attention to their conversation.

Her fascinated gaze was completely glued to Nyx, who was bursting with energy, a stark contrast to her own baby beast, who preferred to sleep all day.

Annoyed by Sonny’s intrusion, Kiran shook her arm to fling him off, but he clung to her like a leech. Eventually, she gave up.

”Did the Ashbournes come today to officially acknowledge you?” Noella asked cautiously.

Shani nodded, her expression turning serious. ”I turned them down...”

Before the others could respond or Shani could explain her reasons, Jeryon, who had been silent the entire time, spoke up in a heavy tone.

”House Ashbourne is no longer the family it was when Shani’s late father was alive. The current Ashbournes are crippled and on the brink of bankruptcy due to their own incompetence.”

”The only reason they searched for Shani and want to acknowledge her is so they can get their hands on the inheritance left behind by her parents.”

All four pairs of eyes in the room widened in unison at Jeryon’s words, including Shani’s. She was stunned that Jeryon knew about it.

Noella nodded in immediate understanding, having frequently heard rumors about the financial crisis facing the Ashbournes.

Meanwhile, Kiran and Sonny looked downright outraged on their friend’s behalf.

”They are utterly shameless! Greedy! Disgusting!” Kiran hissed, her expression contorted with disdain.

Still, she kept her voice low so as not to startle Nyx, who was beginning to grow wary of the somber atmosphere.

Sonny nodded fervently at every word, adding, ”Shouldn’t we just bankrupt the Ashbournes as fast as possible so they’ll stop bothering Shani?”

The casual tone in which he suggested it was wildly at odds with how ruthless the statement actually was.

Surprisingly, Jeryon, Kiran, and even Noella nodded along to Sonny’s suggestion with dead serious expressions.

Shani stared at them in utter bewilderment. She had no intention of dragging them into her war against the Ashbournes. She simply wanted to keep them informed because they were her friends.

’They’re not going to take matters into their own hands, are they?’ Shani wondered doubtfully.

...

News of the meeting between Dominic and Shani reached the King’s ears that very afternoon while he was having lunch.

”That family is on the verge of bankruptcy simply because they have no capable people left. It’s useless relying on them,” the King muttered sneeringly.

Magnus bowed his head. ”Forgive me, Your Majesty. I misjudged the situation.”

He genuinely regretted the blunder.

He had assumed that House Ashbourne could at least handle a young girl. Either the Ashbournes were completely incompetent, or Shani was far harder to manage than he had anticipated.

The King waved a dismissive hand. ”Forget it. Just proceed as planned.”

”Understood, Your Majesty.”

Magnus bowed and took his leave, allowing the King to finish his lunch in peace.

Exiting the dining room, Magnus’s eyes caught a cute young boy walking toward him, followed by several servants in tow.

”Greetings, Your Highness Prince Renard,” Magnus bowed his head before the young boy.

Renard flashed a bright smile. ”Good afternoon, Advisor Cross. Is Father staying at the palace today?”

Magnus nodded, offering a faint smile in return, reminded that this little prince would soon lose his title as Crown Prince.

Watching Renard skip into the dining hall with a little hop, Magnus could only let out a heavy sigh before continuing on his way.

Inside the grand dining room, Renard greeted the King and excitedly pointed to a box held by one of his servants.

”Father, let’s eat this dessert together!”

The servant holding the box intended to pass it to the dining hall staff to be served, when the King’s cold voice rang out. ”Childish. Eat it yourself.”

Without so much as looking at his son’s reaction, the King wiped his lips, stood up, and walked out without another word.

Renard’s shocked, hurt gaze followed the King’s retreating back until it disappeared behind the dining hall doors.

Tears slowly welled up in his eyes, his nose reddened, and his lips thinned into a tight line as he struggled desperately to choke back a whimper.

”Your Highness, let us eat together with Her Majesty the Queen,” the maid, who was also Renard’s nanny, soothingly chimed in.

Wiping his eyes, Renard gave a small nod. A servant scooped the little boy up into her arms and carried him toward the Queen’s wing, as he no longer had the heart for anything.

Renard burst into hysterical tears the moment they reached the Queen’s quarters.

The Queen held Renard close, gently stroking her son’s back as she listened to what had transpired in the dining hall.

”Does Father not care about Renard anymore?” Renard asked between hiccups.

The Queen remained silent for a moment before whispering under her breath, ”The King only cares about the Crown Prince.”

...

Vivienne had also heard news of Shani’s outright rejection. She gritted her teeth, feeling that Shani was beyond ungrateful.

The following day, several changes had been made to the Training Hall. Multiple bullseye targets had been installed against the far wall.

In today, Essence Combat practice class, Damon was training the students in long-range attacks.

There were several weapon options available. Vivienne selected a handgun loaded with dummy rounds.

She had already trained with various types of firearms, as had most of the other students. Damon directed them to his assistant, who guided the students into position to begin practice. ℯ

He personally offered instruction to the handful of students who had never held a firearm before. Shani being one of them.

Vivienne’s eyes immediately locked onto that striking silver hair. She raised her hand, aiming the muzzle of her weapon not at the bullseye, but directly at Shani.

”You truly have no idea what kind of trouble is waiting for you,” she whispered under her breath.

”No matter how high your friends fly, their wings won’t help you soar. In the end, you will fall right into my hands.”

Vivienne sneered, her gaze focused. Her finger was just about to squeeze the trigger when a cold voice beside her made her lower the weapon.

”Don’t do something reckless that you won’t be able to undo.”

The sharp warning came from none other than Noella. That single glance froze Vivienne in her tracks.

By the time she snapped out of it, her gaze toward Shani burned with even deeper hatred, though she could only watch from afar.

After class, Vivienne immediately called her mother to ask about the progress regarding Shani’s status.

”Mom, did Father succeed in registering Shani under our family?” she asked urgently.

”Your father is handling it. Cedric Rowan, the director of that orphanage, refused to hand over Shani’s files, but her records were kept at Mayor Galesend’s database and have already been forwarded to our lawyers.”

”By the end of today, that wretched girl will be registered under our family without her even realizing it.”

Vivienne’s eyes gleamed.

Her father had utilized the law to perfection. A law originally designed to protect and solidify the bloodlines, from seniors down to juniors, was instead being weaponized to harm a junior.

Naturally, the Ashbournes didn’t care. They only cared about the inheritance that would soon belong to them.

The next morning, Vivienne waited outside Shani’s dorm room once again.

Click.

Before the door could fully swing open to reveal Shani, Vivienne shoved it hard, sending Shani stumbling backward.

Stepping inside the room, Vivienne shut the door behind her, a sinister smirk curling on her lips.

SLAP!

A sharp slap landed heavily across Shani’s fair cheek. Clearly, Vivienne hadn’t come to play nice this time.

...