"Fell down the stairs, did you?" Clyde was the first to speak. "Looks more like a dozen people beat the hell out of you."
"How do you—… never mind. I still don't know what you're talking about," I said, turning my back to him.
While Samantha spread a fresh sheet over the examination couch, I could feel his stare burning into my back. It crawled under my skin. I couldn't take it anymore—I glanced over my shoulder.
Silius was leaning on his hand, openly staring at my ass like he had all the time in the world.
I shifted, uncomfortable. His eyes lifted and met mine.
"I hear you've been getting a lot of attention," he drawled lazily. "Even picked up an admirer."
"And that's why you're checking out my ass?" The words slipped out before I could stop them. I snapped my mouth shut.
His lips curled into a slow smirk. Samantha burst out laughing.
"No wonder you're covered in bruises," he went on. "You walk straight into a hornet's nest and still talk like you're already sitting at the top of the elite class."
"I don't think elites are better than specials," I shot back, then flicked a quick glance at him.
No anger.
Not even a hint.
Samantha had the same kind of ability as the family doctor back at the Holivan estate. Back then, I'd only seen the scanning—but she did that first, and then started placing her hands over different parts of my body.
The pain vanished instantly.
About thirty minutes later, I got off the couch feeling like a completely different person. A few faint yellow traces of bruises remained, but the pain was gone. Even the soreness in my muscles had disappeared.
"Damn…" I let out, genuinely impressed. "You're amazing. Thank you."
"Oh, enough of that," the old woman waved me off, flustered. "It's my job. Thank little Clyde. If it weren't for him, you wouldn't have ended up here anytime soon—if at all."
"Yeah. Thanks," I muttered to Silius, quickly pulling my clothes back on.
I hesitated for a moment, unsure if I could just leave, then finally spoke.
"Thanks again… both of you. I should go."
"Wait outside," Clyde said. "Classes aren't over yet. That means you're still my responsibility."
I stepped out and stood there like an idiot for another half hour.
When he finally came out, he didn't even look at me—just flicked his hand, wordlessly telling me to follow.
We headed into the elite wing on the same floor. The room we entered looked like a smaller lecture hall, with doors lining both walls—three on each side. A long table stood in the center, like for meetings.
He opened the far-left door.
"Inside."
It turned out to be something between an office and a lounge. Clyde gestured toward the couch. I sat down. He pulled two cans of soda from a small fridge, handed me one, and dropped down beside me.
Too close.
I shifted away and focused on cracking open the can.
Three sips. A shift. Another sip.
Still nothing from him.
"How long am I sitting here?" I snapped.
"Until classes are over."
I glanced at the clock.
Almost another hour.
My face twisted before I could stop it.
"That bad, being in the same room with me?"
"I just don't get what you want," I said bluntly.
"And why would I need some hidden agenda?"
"Let's be real. Right now, I'm just some first-year from the special division. Not even a popular one—you've seen that."
"On the contrary," he said lazily. "You're very popular."
"Not in a way that helps."
"Then why enroll in the special division? Because you didn't make it into the elite? That's stupid, don't you think?" His voice sharpened slightly. "Theodore was right. You dragged your family name through the mud—and your own along with it."
"Why?" I snapped. "Because I chose to actually develop the power I have?"
"Because someone from a family like yours isn't supposed to bother with training. Why come here when you could've just hired ten personal bodyguards?"
"I don't remember what I used to be like," I said, my voice hardening, "but from what I've learned, I didn't like it. I looked at myself from the outside and realized someone like that could barely be called human. That's why I'm here. Good enough for you?"
"Not really. I still don't see your real motive."
"He wanted my memory back," I said. No point dodging anymore. "And I was scared of what I'd turn back into. That's why I ran."
"That," he nodded, "sounds like a reason."
He leaned back slightly, studying me.
"So what's next? You do realize not everyone's going to take in an aristocrat as a personal bodyguard. Your family will make sure you don't get accepted anywhere as a special. And you're not making it into the elite ranks either. Best case? Bottom-tier squads."
"After graduation, ten years of mandatory service," I said. "Even if I spend ten years studying and another ten serving, I still won't be forty. After that—I'm free. If I'd stayed as the second son of the Holivan family, I'd never have had that."
"You're willing to throw away that much for some illusion of freedom?" he asked. "And you're doing all this just for yourself?"
"At first, yeah. Now? There are other people too." I looked straight at him. "And honestly, I don't give a damn if that puts me on your bad side. You said it yourself—I'm not going anywhere, so there's nothing to be afraid of. I don't like these laws. I hate how openly the classes are divided. And it pisses me off that people who can actually protect others are forced to serve the aristocracy first."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I like the way you think. But you won't change anything. Not yet." He waved a hand. "You can go. Come see me tomorrow."
"Why?" I asked, raising a brow.
"I'll introduce you to people from my faction."
"Your faction?"
"Right. You don't know anything yet." A faint, knowing smile. "Tomorrow. I'll show you the little games the elites play."
"And why would I need that?"
"Don't you want to find a way to change things?" he asked, arching a brow.
"And why do you?" I shot back. "You're already at the top. You'll get whatever position you want after graduation."
"Because not everything suits me either." He stood. "Now go. And try not to run your mouth like that in front of just anyone. At least not until you figure out who you can trust."
I left the room and headed straight for the dorms.
People I can trust?
You're definitely not one of them.
…But what if I really could change something in this broken system?
I shook my head, forcing the thought away.
First things first.
I needed to learn how to protect myself.