Chapter 126: Someone To Be Controlled

Elara:

Something cold settled inside me. It wasn’t fear exactly. It was something far more uncomfortable - the realization that this man genuinely believed my title gave him more authority over me than it gave me over myself.

Regent Valemont had spent less than a minute speaking to me, yet somehow he had already made one thing painfully clear. In his eyes, being the Princess did not mean I possessed power. It meant I was someone who needed to be controlled.

And standing beneath the shadow of his authority, I suddenly understood why Reign had inherited that commanding presence. But unlike his son, who could hide his arrogance behind teasing smiles and infuriating banter, Regent Valemont didn’t bother hiding anything at all. He didn’t need to. He already knew exactly how much power he held.

I was already preparing to answer him. Every word he had spoken had pushed another spark of anger beneath my skin, and by the time he finished, I was dangerously close to forgetting that he was a powerful Regent and simply telling him exactly what I thought of his opinion.

I knew better. I knew there were consequences to challenging someone like him, especially when I had only just entered this world and barely understood its politics, but knowing something and actually following that knowledge had never been my greatest strength.

My lips parted, ready to confront him, but before a single word could escape, Lorien spoke. "Jasper."

I turned toward him, expecting him to defend my blood knight as Jasper was now a part of the academy too, only to find an expression on his face that made my stomach sink.

Lorien looked furious. Not mildly displeased. Not disappointed. But actually furious. His usually calm blue eyes were cold as he stared directly at Jasper.

"Do you understand what you have done?" he asked, his voice carrying enough authority that the entire clearing seemed to fall silent. "You have violated one of the academy’s major rules by leaving the grounds on a weekday without authorization. That alone would have been serious enough. But then you took a student with you without informing a single member of the academy staff."

His gaze sharpened as he continued, "And not just any student. You took Princess Argentis, whose safety is currently the greatest concern of this academy and the realm."

My blood began to boil. After everything that had happened, after Jasper had nearly been killed protecting me, Lorien was standing there speaking to him as though he had deliberately endangered me for some selfish reason.

I took a step forward, but Jasper’s hand suddenly found mine. His fingers closed around mine for only a second in a silent warning that was somehow more effective than any words could have been.

When I looked at him, he gave me the smallest shake of his head before releasing me.

"I apologize, Headmaster," Jasper said, lowering his head respectfully. "And I apologize to you as well, Regent Valemont. I accept responsibility for my actions. I broke academy regulations and placed the Princess in unnecessary danger by taking her beyond the wards without permission. I am prepared to accept whatever punishment the academy deems appropriate, and I assure you that this mistake will not happen again."

The moment I heard the word punishment, every trace of anger toward Lorien was replaced by something colder.

"Punishment?" I whispered.

Jasper looked at me immediately. There was something almost pleading in his eyes.

Don’t.

I couldn’t understand how he could stand there and accept this so calmly. He had been protecting me. He had fought more than a dozen masked men. He had been injured because he refused to let them reach me. And now he was willingly accepting punishment for taking me somewhere because he wanted me to properly grieve my loss.

Lorien turned away from him and faced Darren Valemont. "Regent Valemont, I apologize. I have failed in my responsibility toward both my staff and my students tonight, and despite our precautions, I have once again failed to ensure Princess Argentis’ complete safety."

Regent Valemont scoffed quietly. "One can only protect someone who possesses enough sense to allow herself to be protected." His gaze moved toward me for a brief moment, filled with unmistakable displeasure. "Tonight has made the problem rather obvious. You can build wards around a palace. You can place warriors around a princess. You can assign her a blood knight whose life is devoted entirely to hers. None of it matters if she insists on behaving like a reckless child."

My hands curled into fists, but before I could answer, Lorien spoke again. "Regardless, I will take strict action tonight. Moon Warriors."

The warriors immediately stepped forward.

"Escort Jasper Frost to the disciplinary chamber. He will receive twenty lashes, lose an entire term’s salary, and remain suspended from off-campus protective duties until the council reviews his conduct."

My heart stopped.

Jasper didn’t move. He simply bowed his head. "I understand."

Then Lorien’s gaze shifted toward me. "Princess Argentis, you will lose all fifty of your academy credit points for knowingly participating in an unauthorized departure from the academy grounds."

I barely registered the punishment. My fifty points meant nothing compared to the image of Jasper being taken away to receive twenty lashes because of something I had wanted.

"No." The word escaped me before I could stop it. I stepped forward, staring directly at Lorien. "You can’t be serious."

Jasper immediately looked at me again, his expression becoming more urgent. "Princess."

I ignored him. "He didn’t drag me out of the academy. I asked him to take me. He saved my life tonight. He was injured protecting me, and you are going to punish him for it?" My voice rose with every word. "What kind of protection is this? You expect people to risk their lives for me and then punish them when they actually do what they are supposed to do?"

Regent Valemont’s expression darkened. "Mind your tongue, Princess."

I turned toward him. "I’m not the one who-"

"Enough." Lorien’s voice cut through mine.

I froze. I had heard Lorien serious before, but never like this. His blue eyes had become so cold that the words died in my throat before I could finish them.

He stared directly at me and said, "If you don’t want your blood knight to get into any more trouble tonight, you will remain silent."