Arin followed behind Roldar as he led the way through the corridor toward where the ceremony hall was being held.
The closer they drew, the more crowded the halls became with students moving in the same direction. Low voices echoed along the stone walls, and the distant glow of lantern light spilled from the end of the passage where the grand doors stood open.
Just outside those doors stood three familiar figures.
Rhory, Koa, and Tiago.
They were positioned near the entrance as though they had been waiting there for some time.
Arin immediately noticed the difference in their appearance.
They looked… striking.
Each of them had changed into ceremonial attire that resembled the academy uniform but was far more refined. The fabrics were darker and richer.
It was unmistakably the same style as the academy uniform.
Only this version was grander. Less plain. And far more imposing.
The moment they noticed her, their expressions changed.
Distaste flickered across their faces first. Then something darker settled in its place. Anger.
"Am I underdressed?" Arin asked quietly, directing the question to Roldar without taking her eyes off the brothers and their painfully enchanting appearance.
"Far from it, what you are wearing is the normal attire expected of all students. But you should expect nothing less from your roommates," Roldar replied calmly. "They are the heirs of a Duke, after all."
Arin couldn't help but notice the tone he used.
There was a hint of pride in it. Almost admiration.
It struck her as odd.
Not long ago he had been threatening them with the Emperor's presence, yet now he spoke of them with clear regard.
She quietly added him to the growing list inside her mind.
A list of suspects.
She wasn't entirely sure what she suspected him of yet. But regardless, she placed him firmly at the very top.
"Why are they standing outside and looking this way?" Arin asked after a moment.
Her posture stiffened when she noticed the boys beginning to move.
"Wait," she said, her voice lowering slightly. "Why are they walking toward us?"
"Because every unit must enter the hall together," Roldar replied matter-of-factly. "And since you are their roommate, they are required to wait for you."
Arin snapped her gaze toward him.
"And you didn't think to tell me that earlier?"
Roldar only smiled.
"Be a good lad," he said, giving her shoulder a light pat.
Then, without another word, he turned and stepped through the grand doors of the ceremony hall.
Leaving her behind.
At that very moment, whatever slow, dramatic pace the boys had been approaching with suddenly ended as they came to a stop directly in front of her.
Arin drew in a quiet breath.
Then she straightened.
Composure returning quickly, she lifted her chin and met their gazes head-on.
Refusing to cower.
Even after what they had done to her.
"How on earth are we supposed to walk in with this toad that looks so unequally yoked with us?"
Arin nearly choked on her own saliva at Koa's words.
Of all of them, he had been the one she had assumed to be the most sensible. Perhaps even the most capable of empathy.
But the sharpness of his outburst shattered that assumption instantly.
In that moment, Arin realized she had mistaken his silence for kindness.
Perhaps it had only seemed that way because Tiago had always been the loudest among them, constantly speaking and drawing attention to himself. His voice had filled every space, leaving little room for the others to reveal their own thoughts.
Even Tiago, who was usually the first to speak, remained silent this time.
Instead, it was Rhory who responded to his brother.
"Beats me, brother," Rhory said, shaking his head in faint disapproval. "Beats me."
Before Arin could clap back with something of her own, one of the ceremonial guards stepped out through the grand doors of the hall.
He paused just outside the entrance and scanned the corridor.
He didn't have to look far.
His gaze quickly settled on the four of them standing there.
After a brief moment of inspection, the guard lifted his hand and gave them a thumbs up.
Arin blinked at the gesture, momentarily confused.
Then the guard stepped back inside and raised his voice to make the next announcement.
"Entering next," he called out loudly, his voice echoing through the hall, "the Crane brothers, heirs of House Crane and bearers of the Heavenly Spiritual Veins."
Arin instinctively straightened her posture, her shoulders squaring as she waited for the rest of the announcement.
Surely he would mention her dual veins.
But instead the guard simply added,
"And their roommate… Arin."
Even from outside the doors, Arin could already hear the faint stir of whispers rising inside the hall.
The sound made her squared shoulders sink ever so slightly.
Without another word, the boys began walking toward the entrance.
Arin instinctively stepped forward as well, attempting to fall into step beside them.
But Koa lifted a hand abruptly, stopping her.
"Don't even think about it," he muttered coldly.
"Stay behind us and wait until we're at least five feet in. Got it?"
Arin didn't even get the chance to respond.
The three brothers continued walking forward, passing through the grand doors as applause and cheers rose to greet them.
Arin remained standing outside for a brief moment, watching them as they waved slightly to the crowd inside.
Annoyance flickered across her face.
But then something else replaced it.
A slow smirk.
She suddenly realized that walking in after them might not be such a bad thing after all.
After all, there was a saying.
Save the best for last.
With that thought settling firmly in her mind, Arin straightened her posture once more.
Then, just as the brothers moved far enough inside for the next entrant to follow…
She stepped forward.
And claimed the spotlight with effortless grace.