"No, you won't be able to stand against him and his servants alone. But together, we have a chance to win," Cassandra unexpectedly proposed.
"You want to fight against him?" Samantha looked at her in surprise.
"Yes and no. The matriarch contacted me as well," Cassandra sighed heavily.
"And what did she tell you?"
Samantha disliked receiving information piece by piece, but judging by Cassandra's expression, she clearly wasn't thrilled about the task she had been given.
"She ordered me to gather all possible information about him. By any means necessary," Cassandra said, grimacing. Just like Samantha, she disliked being treated as nothing more than a bargaining chip.
"And what exactly are you proposing?" Samantha asked. She already had a rough idea of Cassandra's intentions, but wanted to hear the full plan.
"The plan is simple. No matter how strong he is, he won't be able to withstand both of us. The winner gets what their rulers demanded: my matriarch gets information on him, and your king and queen get your sister," Cassandra said, staring intently at Samantha. From her gaze, it was obvious she genuinely believed in their victory.
"Fine, I'm in. But we need to somehow remove my sister from the equation. She's a powerful mage," Samantha said thoughtfully.
"We'll challenge him to a duel. As his servant and subordinate, she won't be able to participate," Cassandra replied confidently.
"Alright, deal. Meet me near his dormitory in half an hour. I need to get ready."
Samantha glanced at the time. All she had left was to complete her look. She was certain that no eighteen-year-old guy, regardless of race, would be able to resist her. She had no doubts about her own beauty.
"Agreed. I need to prepare as well. See you in half an hour outside his dormitory," Cassandra nodded. Like Samantha, she was certain he wouldn't be able to resist.
Samantha stood at the entrance of the dormitory where Trey lived, waiting for Cassandra so they could go to his room together.
While waiting, she had to endure endless stares from the stufons living in the dorm. Some even tried to introduce themselves and ask her out on dates.
Just as her patience was beginning to run out, Samantha spotted Cassandra approaching from a distance in a revealing dress. Knowing her friend, Samantha understood perfectly how she must be feeling right now.
Dark elves loved revealing clothing, but usually wore it either on special occasions or to emphasize their superiority over someone.
Shaking her head, Samantha couldn't help recalling how just a few days ago both of them had been genuinely panicking over being seen in dresses by stufons in the city. And now, photos of Samantha in a dress—complete with a location tag showing exactly where she stood—were spreading across rune stones like wildfire.
"You sure took your time, Cassandra," Samantha reproached instead of greeting her.
"I wouldn't have been late if stufons didn't keep fainting at the sight of me," Cassandra replied irritably.
Unlike Samantha, she wore a red dress with a deep neckline and a short hem that exposed her long legs. The dress was sleeveless and so tight-fitting that from the side, it really did resemble an oversized T-shirt stretched far beyond reason.
"You should wear outfits like that more often. At this rate, you'll send every guy in the academy straight to the medical wing," Samantha laughed. Compared to Cassandra's outfit, her own dress now seemed almost modest.
"Shut up. Let's go before we attract even more attention," Cassandra snapped irritably as she headed for the entrance.
"Wait. Do you even know what floor he lives on?" Samantha asked.
"I don't think that'll be a problem," Cassandra replied, nodding toward an employee sitting behind a semicircular desk, clearly unable to take his eyes off them.
Like in many academies, ordinary mortals worked here as well, handling the minor tasks that mages couldn't be bothered with.
Approaching the desk, Cassandra carefully studied the man in front of her. He was short, with cropped hair, dressed in a black shirt and light-colored trousers. Unlike the stufons, his clothes bore no academy crest.
"How may I help you?" the employee asked, shifting his gaze between the two girls. From the expression on his face, he looked genuinely ready to believe this was all a dream.
Samantha silently observed the scene. She disliked the way this man was looking at them. The whole situation made her feel dirtier by the second.
Catching her glance, Cassandra merely smiled softly and ran a hand along her waist.
"We'd like to visit our friend who passed the third trial, but he never told us either his floor or room number. Could you please tell us where he lives?" Cassandra said in a melodic voice, pretending to be lightly offended by their careless friend.
The employee swallowed nervously. After hearing a voice like that, he was ready to tell her anything.
"What's your friend's name?" he asked, running a hand over a rune stone.
Seeing the man's reaction, Cassandra subtly winked at Samantha, who only grimaced in response, making it abundantly clear how unpleasant she found this entire situation.
"His name is Trey. A half-elf," Cassandra said, as if her mood was gradually improving.
The employee ran his fingers across the surface of the rune stone until he found the correct name. Then he put the artifact away and looked back at the girls.
"Ninth floor, apartment one hundred seventy. I hope I was helpful?" the employee asked with a smile.
What he had just done was against the rules, but in all his time working here, two girls this enchanting had never approached him before.
Cassandra gave him a sweet smile in return and, as she walked toward the elevator, blew him a kiss.
While they waited for the elevator, Samantha kept her eyes fixed on Cassandra. Her entire interaction with the employee filled her with nothing but disgust.
Fortunately, they didn't have to wait long.
As they rode to the correct floor, each girl was lost in her own thoughts. But when their eyes met and they exchanged brief nods, they silently reminded each other of the plan.
Reaching Trey's apartment door, Samantha knocked. Hearing someone approach from the other side, both girls tensed involuntarily. Expecting to see Trey himself, they silently squeezed each other's hands, as if trying to draw confidence from the gesture.
"Who is it?" came a female voice—unfamiliar to Cassandra, but all too familiar to Samantha.
"Keyrin, it's Samantha. I came with a friend. Please open the door," Samantha asked, trying to remain calm.
"Please wait, Princess Samantha and your friend. I must ask the young master for permission," Keyrin's voice answered from the other side.
There was none of the familiar warmth in her tone that Samantha had grown accustomed to.
Cassandra cast her a quick glance and, for the first time, seriously considered that their plan might not be nearly as solid as it had originally seemed.
Their main assumption had been that Keyrin was unwilling to accept her role as a servant and might help them by convincing Trey to accept the challenge. Formally, that wouldn't count as harming her master, since the decision would be made by Trey himself, not her.
A few minutes later, the door opened.
Keyrin stood in the doorway, but to Samantha, it was as though she were looking at an entirely different version of her sister. The Keyrin she knew could never look this serious and cold. Right now, she reminded Samantha of the queen herself, and the comparison made her shudder involuntarily.
"Come in. The young master is expecting you," Keyrin said coldly.
There was no sympathy, no irritation, no emotion of any kind in her voice. Such an empty tone made Samantha briefly wonder whether the figure before her was a golem.
"Keyrin, do you remember me?" Samantha asked cautiously, afraid that her troubling thoughts might be at least partially true.
"Yes, I remember you, Princess Samantha. We are sisters. Before I ran away from the wedding, I was the second princess of the Kingdom of Light Elves," Keyrin answered calmly, looking at her with that same cold gaze.
"What did he do to you, Keyrin?" Samantha couldn't stop herself from asking, growing increasingly worried about her sister's fate.
"Princess Samantha, it seems you have been detached from reality for far too long. The Keyrin you knew no longer exists. She disappeared long before meeting the young master," Keyrin replied, shaking her head slightly.
Without taking her eyes off Samantha, she gestured for the girls to enter the living room.
Removing their shoes, the girls followed Keyrin into the room where Trey was already waiting for them.
He sat facing them, dressed in his academy uniform. His face wore a calm, almost indifferent expression, as though the visit of two girls at such a late hour did not surprise him in the slightest.
Cassandra had been observing him for two days already, but only now, being in the same room as him, did she feel a slow sense of unease rising inside her.
"Welcome to my room, Princess Samantha and your friend," Trey said calmly, rising from his armchair.
His voice remained steady and unbothered. There was no nervousness, no embarrassment, not even the slightest hint of interest in their appearance or revealing outfits.
Seeing where Trey gestured with his hand, the girls silently took the seats opposite him.
Both tried not to show their unease and maintain their confidence, but so far, everything was unfolding nothing like they had expected.
Keyrin, who had led them inside, took her place behind Trey.
She continued staring at the girls with the same cold, detached gaze, completely shattering the final remnants of their original plan.