Louise raised her brow as she stepped forward.
"What did you just say?"
Her tone had become as chilling as her mother's.
But Alexander didn't flinch.
"You walk in the room staring at me, I figure I'd poke the bear. See if it roars."
Louise looked as if she wanted to tear him down that instant.
Her expression hadn't changed, but you could tell by the way her eyes sized him up.
But before she could say anything, the professor slipped into the room.
"Alright, let's get the rules out of the way."
He looked around the classroom, his gaze pausing on Alexander longer than usual.
"This is the third-year comprehensive exam. Your questions are unique to the classes you've chosen this semester."
He gestured to a stack of papers beside his desk.
Each packet was a hundred pages thick.
"You need to have 3 out of 4 marks for each section to pass. Failure will result in a second test. Fail that one and you'll be expelled. Cheating is prohibited; if you are caught, immediate expulsion will result. If you understand and wish to continue, say aye."
"Aye." The class replied, their voices a mixture of nervousness and determination.
The professor nodded curtly, picking up packets and having them passed to the correct students.
When Alexander finally got his, it was noticeably larger than everyone else's.
He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"You have four hours."
The professor set a timer, sitting down with a sigh.
Alexander opened his packet, and his first question was on a foreign language.
He hummed softly, picking up his pencil and beginning his test.
The first 80 or so pages were all related to his classes.
However, the last 30 were strictly military-related questions.
Such as:
(logistics) Question 1: You're to march siege artillery through sparsely populated enemy territory.
The distance is 400km.
You're limited on supplies and morale is low.
Detail your concerns and how you'd overcome them.
(Strategy and tactics) Question 27: You've just encircled an army defending a coastal city.
The pre-war population was 3 million, and the city is heavily defended and is being regularly supplied via sea.
You lack naval support, meaning your only means to crack the siege is via land.
You have limited artillery.
Your forces are elite but spread thin.
And you, as the commander, are ordered to take the city within 30 days.
What are your concerns, and how will you overcome them?
(Politics and war.) Question 33: You've captured an elite enemy general.
They're extremely capable and intelligent.
You know that if you let them go, the war will drag on due to their unique abilities.
However, while killing them ends the war faster, it ensures a retaliatory measure.
E.g.: the death of an allied commander.
What do you prioritize? And why?
Alexander almost couldn't believe it, it was like the world was mocking him.
He let out a low, spine-chilling chuckle as his pencil danced across the page.
— — —
When the test was over, the packets were passed to the front of the class.
With them collected, the students were free to leave.
When it was Alexander's turn to leave, the professor pulled him aside.
He cleared his throat as Alexander met his gaze.
"Hey, I wanted to inform you about why your test was… longer."
Alexander stood quietly, arms behind his back.
The professor continued.
"Her majesty has heard word of your military venture, and wanted to provide tutelage from her best."
He swallowed, "but to do that, she had to see where your skills lie."
Alexander turned to Elizabeth.
"Did you tell her?"
Elizabeth buried her face in his arm.
"Oh I'm sorry my love, but I figured if you had help from our best… you'd be undisputed."
Alexander covered his eyes as he leaned back with a smile.
"Ah, normally I'd have cried about feeling sidelined. But now I just want to prove that I'm BETTER."
He laughed, turning to the professor.
"Have the old farts grade my work, maybe they'll learn something from this century."
Alexander turned, leaving the class with renewed vigor.
Elizabeth trailed behind him, her eyes filled with a devotion so absolute it was terrifying.
The professor breathed a sigh of relief, looking at Alexander's packet.
He grabbed it with trembling hands, flipping it the military questions.
And it only took a second to be horrified.
"…execute the deserters…Mass bodies at the gates as a message to the populace…a public execution…those who are captured aren't worth saving."
He couldn't believe the boy's answers.
He had forgotten all human decency for… for…
An unquestionable victory.
He had to get this to the military council, now.
— — —
Alexander and Elizabeth were heading to the academy gates.
Students physically recoiled to get out of their way, all except for four familiar faces.
Louise, Anna, Karl, and Jules.
They had all grown since Alexander last saw them.
Alexander stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowed and grin wide.
"Hello, finally come to speak after ignoring me for two years?"
Louise was the first to reply.
"What in the heavens has gotten into you? The gall to disrespect me the way you did, I should have your head."
Anna chuckled nervously as she stepped in front of Louise.
"What she means is, what you said was pretty out of nowhere. Mind explaining what sparked that? Perhaps…"
Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Since when do I have to explain myself?"
Louise's eyes narrowed into icy slits.
"What?"
Elizabeth giggled.
"Oh, don't patronize her, it's not her fault she's so… sentimental."
Louise gripped Anna's arm and tried to push forward.
"You! How dare you! You're nothing without the crown, nothing but a pathetic, childish bi–"
"Louise!" Anna cut her off, before looking helplessly at Karl.
"Babe… please."
Karl sighed, stepping forward.
"Alexander, we need to talk."
He glanced at Elizabeth, "preferably alone."
Alexander looked down at him.
"Well if it isn't the vice captain of the Pathfinder team."
His tone was mocking and sarcastic.
"Finally found time to chat up an old friend?"
Karl clenched his jaw, stepping forward.
"Alexander, you know exactly why we didn't talk. Don't pretend like you didn't snap a man's arm in half, that you pushed us away."
Alexander rolled his eyes.
"Raphael was weak, emotional, he played the hard commander but we all knew the truth."
"That he cared?"
Karl asked, "You know Raphael shed tears after that. You were like a bother to him."
Alexander scoffed.
"I'd never be related to such weakness. Now unless you have something important I suggest you step aside."
He stepped forward, turning to Louise.
"Oh, and I'll be stopping by to see Ben. Make sure this stays between us."
He winked, continuing on his way.
Louise said nothing, she was counting on that visit.
"Let's see how you act without that whore on your arm."
She pushed Anna away, hissing under her breath.
Karl caught her, rubbing her arm as he checked her eyes.
Jules waited until Alexander was out of earshot, before chuckling.
"So, we agree that her highness is 100% responsible for this."
Karl shook his head with a sigh.
"I doubt it, she may have played a part but something else must've happened. Someone must've hurt him, bad."
"Oh and what makes you say this?"
"Because Alexander always had that look in his eyes when he felt wronged or sidelined. Except this time it seems permanent."
Anna tapped her chin.
"Which explains… a lot actually."
Louise crossed her arms tightly.
"That doesn't excuse what he said to me, whatever hurt him, I'm going to make it worse."
She stormed off.
Jules ran a hand through his hair.
"And fire meets fuel, this just keeps getting better."