Chapter 94: Apex Privilege [II]

Standing on the other side of the doorway was Eden Wolfhart, dressed in the full academy uniform, which somehow made him look even more striking than he did in the clips and pictures Elle had seen of him on AsterBuzz.

As the Beta of the Imperial Alpha Twins, their personal manager, and the current captain of Eclipse House, Eden was already one of the most recognizable and most admired students on campus, so seeing him standing outside their dorm room in person was enough to leave Elle completely speechless and utterly starstruck.

She didn’t even notice the two other students standing at his side, as her gaze was fixed entirely on Eden.

Elle blinked and rubbed her eyes vigorously with the back of her wrist, blinking repeatedly to make sure she was not hallucinating. Eden Wolfhart was literally standing right outside her dorm room. What in the Moon Goddess’s name was the Beta of the Imperial Twins doing outside their dorm room?

Eden cleared his throat softly, shifting under her intense stare. "Um... is Miss Dawson in?" he asked, his voice calm and polite. "We came here for her. Is she inside?"

"Y-yes! She is! She is definitely inside!" Elle stammered, her words tumbling over one another in a frantic rush. "What do you want with her? I’m her manager! Anything you need, you can just tell me! I can pass the message along. I handle her schedule. Well, not officially. Yet. But eventually. Probably."

A quiet chuckle cut through her frantic babble.

Elle blinked, her attention finally shifting to the two girls standing slightly behind Eden.

The one who had laughed was tall and elegant, with sleek green hair tied into a sharp ponytail and striking amber eyes. She wore the black-embroidered blazer that marked her as the Deputy Captain of Eclipse House.

Beside her stood the second girl, who had short silver-blonde hair cut just above her shoulders and bright green eyes that carried a perpetual look of amusement. A pair of wire-rimmed glasses rested on her nose, and she clutched a digital tablet to her chest. Unlike her companions, she looked considerably more relaxed, though there was still an unmistakable air of competence about her. "I’m Vera Wiggins, Deputy Captain of Eclipse House."

She gestured toward the blonde beside her. "And this is Liora Bradley, our House Secretary."

Liora gave a small wave. "Hello."

"I believe the captain doesn’t need to be introduced since he’s already well known. If you don’t mind, we would really appreciate it if we could speak with Miss Dawson directly," Vera said, a polite smile on her lips. "If anyone inside isn’t properly dressed, we don’t mind waiting while they prepare."

"Please, just give us one minute!" Elle squeaked.

Without waiting for a response, she slammed the door right in their faces. The corridor fell silent.

Vera slowly turned toward Eden. "See that?" she sighed. "This is exactly why I said we should not have brought you along." She shot a glance at the secretary beside her. "Eden causes a scene wherever he goes."

Liora immediately snorted.

"And why wouldn’t we bring him?" she retorted, tapping her tablet screen. "He is the House Captain, Vera. Moving a Rank One student into the upper suite is strictly the House Captain’s administrative duty. He has to be here."

Vera sighed. "Maybe because whenever people see him, they stop functioning normally and start acting like they’ve just seen a celebrity."

"That’s hardly his fault," Liora said with a grin, raising her face from her tablet. "It’s not his fault he’s captivating and popular. He’s bound to attract attention wherever he goes."

Eden rubbed the back of his neck with a weary sigh. "Can you two stop talking about me like I’m not here? We should just focus on getting this over with and leave. I still have a dozen other things to do today."

Inside the room, Starlight looked directly at Elle, her eyebrows furrowing in deep suspicion as she slammed the door closed. Elle stood frozen against the wood, looking as if she had just seen a ghost. Starlight stared at her, wondering who on earth could possibly be looking for her to make her hyperactive friend look like she had completely lost her mind. She exchanged a glance with Chloe when Elle did not make any move to speak or step away from the door.

"So who exactly was that?" Chloe asked leaning over the bunk railing, "or are you just going to stand there looking like you saw a apparition?"

"It... uhm... it’s Eden," Elle squeaked, her voice barely above a whisper before she snapped into full panic mode. "Eden! Freaking Eden Wolfhart, the Imperial Alphas’ Beta and manager! He is literally standing right outside our door, looking exceptionally handsome!"

Starlight stared at her blankly. "Okay..." She tilted her head in confusion, genuinely unable to understand why Elle had felt the need to add the ’exceptionally handsome’ parts.

"What does he want?"

"They said they want to speak with you," Elle finally managed, her hands fluttering nervously at her sides.

"They?" Starlight repeated with a frown. "There is more than one of them?"

"Yeah, yeah. He didn’t come alone!" Elle nodded rapidly as she paced frantically in front of the entrance. "He came with two other girls, the House Vice-Captain and the House Secretary! They’re here to meet you, and they told us to get properly dressed before we let them in!"

Elle suddenly spun around, her eyes sweeping across the room like a drill sergeant’s.

"Oh, my God, Chloe, you are still in your fucking nightgown! Dress up right now!"

Before Chloe could respond, the bathroom door clicked open, and Ariel walked out, casually drying her still-damp hair with a towel. She was already fully dressed in her pristine school uniform and immediately took in Elle’s frantic expression. "What’s going on now?"

Elle rushed over, inspecting Ariel from head to toe before letting out a breath of relief.

"Good, you are properly dressed." She turned to the others, lowering her voice as though she were briefing them for a mission. "Okay, listen up, everyone. We have visitors, and there is a man with them who happens to be handsome, popular Eden Wolfhart. You know, the Imperial Twins’ Beta, their manager, and, of course, the House Captain. Isn’t he just..." She paused, searching for the right word, then clasped her hands together dramatically. "Perfect?"

The girls exchanged glances. Ariel raised an eyebrow while Chloe simply stared at Elle, clearly wondering whether she had finally lost her mind.

"He is here to see our Star Queen, so everyone needs to act properly! Act normal! Do not panic, okay? Don’t embarrass me. And whatever you do, don’t start screaming when you see him."

Ariel’s lips twitched as she fought back a laugh.

Elle patted her hair down, smoothed her skirt, and took one last deep breath, apparently trying to gather whatever composure she had left.

"I am going to let them in now."

She turned toward the door. Behind her, the three girls exchanged amused glances.

"Should we tell her?" Ariel asked in a low voice, tossing her towel onto the back of a chair. "She’s literally the only one panicking right now."

"Just let her be," Starlight said with a shrug.

She walked back to her desk and dropped into her chair, crossing her arms as she stared at the painted wood of the door, wondering what on earth the House Captain and his officers could possibly want with her this early in the morning.