Chapter 78: King’s Invitation

Hermione froze in place while Mark’s eyes locked hard onto Kai, who seemed entirely unbothered by the attention, his own focus remaining fixed squarely on Hermione instead. A stretch of tense silence settled between the three of them before Kai finally broke it.

"Well, well, well, look who’s having a lucky day." Kai forced a smile, pulling a formal paper document from his pocket and holding it out toward Hermione.

"You’ve just been handed a genuine opportunity here, straight from the very person who oversees the entire student body, controls campus activities, and personally looks after the well being of this whole school. Honestly, this ranks among the biggest opportunities any student here could ever hope to receive."

Hermione frowned in confusion, slowly accepting the form and scanning it over. Her expression shifted almost instantly the moment she registered exactly what the heading implied, tying directly back to Kai’s earlier words.

"Wait, seriously? This is real? From the student council itself? I honestly can’t believe this, but I absolutely love it!" Hermione gasped, eyes widening as she pulled the form in closer to her face.

Her thoughts immediately began spiraling through everything this could mean, the privileges, the opportunities tied to joining the student council, and the tantalizing possibility of one day becoming a genuine queen herself. And to make it all even more remarkable, this invitation had come directly from the current School King in person.

Kai smiled at her reaction, sliding his foot off the table and crossing his arms with a defiant, satisfied posture.

"Right? Kind of exhilarating, isn’t it, getting something like this straight from the School King, practically the headmaster’s equal in terms of real authority. Genuinely wild, I know. Same thing happened to me the first time I got mine."

Hermione’s eyes stayed locked on the invitation, scanning the same lines over and over with steadily building enthusiasm. Something warm stirred deep in her chest, a quiet joy that felt like it had been patiently waiting there all along for exactly this moment. She couldn’t deny just how genuinely good it felt. ℴ

Jimmy kept working through his own meal, glancing sideways at Annie’s tray, piled high with an assortment of sweet, sugary candy. He frowned slightly.

"Did your parents never warn you about eating too much of that stuff? I mean, diabetes is still very much a thing, you know," he said, helping himself to a bite of puffy crumpet.

Annie shot him a scowl in response.

"So what if it is? My parents are totally fine with it, especially my dad, whose own mom nicknamed me Annie Candie growing up, and honestly, it kind of runs in the whole family..." She clapped both hands over her mouth the instant she realized just how much she’d nearly let slip, though the damage was already done by then.

"Mm hmm." Jimmy’s gaze drifted toward the table where Kai now stood over Mark and Hermione, expression shifting slightly. "Something tells me there’s more going on over there than it looks," he said, gesturing vaguely toward Kai.

Candy Girl shrugged, entirely unbothered, plucking a few colored peppermints from her overflowing platter of caramel corn, chocolate covered pretzels, and brownie fudge before popping them into her mouth.

"Whatever. Those two just attract trouble together like some kind of magnetic duo."

"Yeah, fair point, honestly," Jimmy agreed.

A handful of other students had already started noticing Kai standing over by Mark and Hermione’s table, drawn in by the visible shift in Hermione’s expression.

"Wonder what news could possibly get her reacting like that," one girl murmured to her friend, while the boy beside her let out a dismissive scoff.

"Probably just another setup, or maybe there’s still more of a scene coming. Either way, it’s always entertaining to watch."

Kai waited with carefully restrained patience, exactly as he’d been instructed beforehand. That patience began wearing thin the longer Hermione kept rereading the invitation, her heart clearly racing somewhere between nervous excitement and genuine disbelief.

"So? What do you think? You’re welcome to come by whenever you..." His voice trailed off suddenly, cut short the moment something caught his attention.

His eyes shifted toward the young man seated beside Hermione, and understanding settled in almost instantly.

Huh, I’ve never picked up on this particular mana signature from him before. Feels like he’s genuinely changed, enough that he’s practically trying to intimidate me now, just through the sheer density radiating off his own aura. Guess I’ve managed to rile up some hothead without even trying. Still, he’s nowhere close to rivaling an actual dragon, or someone with real potential to sit on the throne someday, like me. He’d be wise not to test that particular limit.

Kai’s eyes narrowed slightly at the hard, dark expression settled across Mark’s face.

Let’s just hope Arnold genuinely knows what he’s doing with this particular decision. Still, something about it doesn’t quite add up for me. Neither name on that shortlist for queen feels remotely plausible, if I’m honest. I’m certainly not throwing my weight behind that dark little schemer, Mia, and I’m not entirely sold on this Phoenix girl either.

His lips curved into the faintest hint of a smirk, careful not to let those private thoughts show too openly on his face. Both his and Mark’s gazes held steady on one another for a brief moment longer before Kai finally looked away first, though he could still feel the weight of Mark’s stare lingering pointedly on him even after.

Just then, Hermione finally managed to tear her attention away from the invitation, a bright smile settling across her face as she pulled the form protectively against her chest.

"Would it be alright if I kept this?" she asked.

"Oh, it’s yours to keep. Honestly, I could hand you a dozen more copies if you really wanted them. And judging by that reaction, I’m guessing that’s a yes on the invitation itself," Kai concluded, forcing another smile.

"Oh, yes, I’d absolutely..." She paused mid sentence, noticing something off, turning toward Mark, whose entire body seemed to be visibly vibrating with restrained tension. "Mark, is everything..."

"Oh, I’ll be right back. Feels like I’m interrupting something here, so I’m just going to grab some more snacks or whatever," Mark said quickly.

He rose from his seat and walked off toward the exit without another word. Hermione’s eyes widened at the abrupt dismissal, while Kai’s lips curved into a faint, satisfied smile.

By the time Hermione turned back to face him, Kai had already settled into a carefully neutral, lukewarm expression, waiting patiently.

"Anyway, I’ll reach out once everything’s arranged for the actual meeting details. Guess that wraps things up here for now," he said, finally stepping away from the table, his composed expression shifting the instant his back was turned to her.

Hermione remained frozen in place a moment longer before glancing down at Mark’s untouched plate of food. She carefully folded the invitation and tucked it safely away, lingering another beat before deciding, without much further hesitation, to help herself to his abandoned meal instead.

She worked through the butter crumpet and rice cake, savoring the sweetness of both. After a while, her attention drifted toward the half finished smoothie can Mark had left behind on the table, the sight leaving her even more surprised given how suddenly he’d taken off.

Had she done something wrong somehow, or had he simply felt uncomfortable with Kai’s presence looming over their table? Whatever the actual reason turned out to be, she intended to get it out of him eventually, one way or another.

But first...

Her gaze lingered on Mark’s abandoned smoothie can, curiosity building steadily, until she finally gave in to exactly what had been quietly forming in the back of her mind.