Chapter 130 — A Secret Before the Celebration

Charlotte walked through the academy dormitory halls, exhaustion weighing heavily on her shoulders.

She had spent most of the afternoon buried beneath paperwork from the Disciplinary Committee. Reports, mission records, disciplinary notices, student evaluations—there seemed to be no end to them.

And, as usual, one particular person had somehow managed to avoid nearly all of it.

Kael.

Charlotte stopped in front of her room and stared at the stack of papers still clutched against her chest.

"I’m going to kill him."

She sighed.

Of course, she wasn’t actually going to kill Kael. But after spending several hours doing work that should have been divided among the committee members, she was beginning to understand why Cairo had warned her about her new colleague.

Kael was talented.

Kael was strong.

Kael was intelligent.

And Kael was unbelievably lazy.

Charlotte unlocked her door, intending to change into something suitable for the end-of-semester party.

However, the moment she reached for the handle, something strange happened.

Her Disciplinary Committee badge began to glow.

Charlotte froze.

The emblem attached to her uniform emitted a faint crimson light, pulsing twice before becoming brighter.

Her expression immediately changed.

The badge wasn’t decorative.

Every member of the Disciplinary Committee possessed one, and it had several functions. Among them was the ability to detect fluctuations in demonic mana.

Charlotte slowly turned her head toward the hallway.

"Demonic mana?"

She felt it now.

A faint but unmistakable presence lingered in the air.

It wasn’t particularly violent.

It wasn’t spreading.

But it was there.

And it was coming from somewhere very close.

Charlotte followed the sensation.

Her footsteps became slower as she approached another dormitory room.

The closer she got, the stronger the demonic presence became.

Then she noticed the door.

It was slightly ajar.

Charlotte’s hand instinctively moved toward her weapon.

She pushed the door open.

"Lilith, is that you?"

Inside the room stood a familiar girl.

Lilith.

Her back was turned toward Charlotte, but something about her appearance immediately felt different.

Demonic mana leaked from her body.

Her pink eyes glowed faintly in the dim room.

Lilith turned around.

For a brief moment, the glow in her eyes intensified.

Then her expression softened.

"Are you dear, Charlotte? Is that you?"

Charlotte stared at her.

Her mind struggled to process what she was seeing.

The girl she had known as Lilith wasn’t merely a student with unusual mana.

She was a demon.

Charlotte slowly stepped backward.

"Are you a Demon, Lilith?"

Lilith tilted her head.

There was no immediate hostility in her expression.

"I’ll have to agree with you on that one on a more genetic level."

Charlotte blinked.

That wasn’t exactly the answer she had expected.

Her fingers tightened around the edge of her clothing.

"Are you going to kill me?"

Lilith stared at her for a few seconds before giving a small sigh.

"I’m not pure demon, I’m half human. Of course I won’t kill you, not yet."

Charlotte’s face went pale.

"Not yet?"

Lilith’s lips curved upward.

Charlotte immediately raised both hands.

"Not yet? What exactly does that mean?!"

Lilith laughed softly.

"I’m joking."

"That wasn’t funny!"

"I thought it was."

Charlotte stared at her suspiciously.

Despite Lilith’s relaxed attitude, Charlotte could still feel the demonic mana surrounding her.

There was something else bothering her.

"Does Kael know?"

Lilith’s expression changed.

For the first time since Charlotte had entered the room, she became serious.

She paused.

There was no reason to hide it anymore.

But revealing Kael’s knowledge could potentially implicate him.

After a moment, Lilith finally answered.

"Yes. Kael had known for quite some time. So now I’m wondering what you’ll do with this information."

Charlotte remained silent.

She placed a hand against her chest.

Her heart was beating faster than usual.

"What do you mean me? Those... won’t tell anyone. Why would you think that? I’ll implicate both you and Kael."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You’re not afraid?"

"Oh, I’m definitely afraid."

Charlotte swallowed.

"But I’m not stupid."

Lilith smiled.

"Good answer."

Charlotte exhaled.

She had only recently joined the Disciplinary Committee, and now she’d already discovered that one of the students she knew was secretly half demon.

She wondered what other secrets this academy was hiding.

Then Lilith broke the tension.

"What are you doing here anyway? Everybody is already at the party."

Charlotte looked down at herself.

"Well, as you can see, I’m in the Disciplinary Committee, and Kael’s there too. But we both know how lazy Kael is."

Lilith chuckled.

"That sounds about right."

Charlotte’s gaze shifted toward the dress Lilith was wearing.

It was a beautiful black dress that complemented her pale skin and pink eyes. Unlike her usual academy uniform, the outfit made Lilith appear almost completely different.

"Oh, and you’re looking lovely tonight."

Lilith smiled.

"Well, not attending the party would attract more attention than attending it. What of you?"

"I’m going to change. Maybe you could accompany me."

Lilith considered it for a moment.

"Well, okay."

The two girls left Lilith’s room together and walked down the hallway.

Charlotte remained unusually quiet.

Lilith glanced toward her.

"You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?"

"Thinking about what?"

"What you saw."

Charlotte sighed.

"Obviously."

Lilith smiled faintly.

"It’s not as dramatic as it looks."

"That’s easy for you to say."

"Maybe."

They reached Charlotte’s room.

Charlotte opened the door and stepped inside.

Lilith followed.

Her eyes wandered around the modest room.

There was a bed, a small desk, several books stacked against the wall, a wardrobe, and a few personal belongings.

Nothing extravagant.

"Well, your room is a bit modest."

Charlotte gave her an annoyed look.

"Yeah, I’m not a noble, so you can’t expect me to be as eccentric as you guys."

Lilith raised an eyebrow.

Charlotte immediately realized what she had said.

"Sorry. I’m a bit stressed after taking up Kael’s slack in the Disciplinary Committee."

Lilith’s expression softened.

"Don’t worry, I’m not angry. I also hate nobles, my family especially."

There was a hint of melancholy in her voice.

Charlotte noticed it.

For a moment, neither girl said anything.

Lilith eventually continued.

"Don’t worry. I get where you’re coming from, although not literally."

Charlotte smiled faintly.

"Oh, thank goodness. I’ll be taking my bath now."

She headed toward the bathroom.

Lilith sat down on the edge of the bed and looked around.

She couldn’t help thinking about how strange her life had become.

A few months ago, she had never imagined sitting inside the room of a human student, waiting for her to get ready for a party while casually discussing her demonic heritage.

And somehow, Kael was responsible for most of it.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened.

Charlotte stepped out wearing a violet dress that matched her hair.

Lilith looked her over.

"With the way you’re dressed, I respect that you want to charm someone."

Charlotte’s cheeks immediately turned red.

"Well, if I wanted to charm someone, it would be Kael. Maybe then he’ll start doing his own damn work in the Disciplinary Committee."

Lilith’s eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, I see. That’s your only reason."

There was an unmistakable hint of relief in her voice.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

"Why did you sound relieved?"

"I didn’t."

"You definitely did."

Lilith simply smiled.

"Well, for the most part."

Charlotte looked away.

"Yeah. For the most part."

Lilith laughed.

The two girls continued talking as they prepared to leave.

"Alright, let’s get going."

Charlotte opened the door, and the two stepped into the hallway.

The academy was considerably livelier now.

Students were moving toward the Audience Hall from every direction. The sound of laughter and music became increasingly audible as they approached.

Then a melody drifted through the hallway.

Both girls stopped.

Charlotte’s eyes widened.

"That’s beautiful."

Lilith listened carefully.

"I haven’t heard it before. A new piece?"

Charlotte smiled.

"I guess an elf decided to grace our ears."

They continued toward the hall.

But as soon as they entered, both girls stopped.

The atmosphere was strange.

Hundreds of students had gathered around something.

No one was speaking.

No one was laughing.

Everyone seemed captivated.

Charlotte followed their gazes.

Her eyes widened.

At the center of the gathering sat Kael.

He was playing the piano.

His fingers moved across the keys with remarkable familiarity.

The melody itself was unlike anything Charlotte had heard before.

There was something strangely peaceful about it.

Something that made the noisy party disappear.

Even the students who had been talking moments earlier were now standing silently, listening.

Lilith stared at Kael.

Her expression softened.

"I didn’t know that Kael could play."

Charlotte smiled.

"Yeah. He keeps surprising me."

Lilith looked around.

The attention Kael was receiving was becoming excessive.

Students were gathering closer.

Even some upperclassmen had stopped what they were doing to listen.

Then Charlotte noticed someone approaching Kael.

A woman with a calm presence and an elegant smile.

The Student Council President.

Sylvia Crest.

Lilith immediately understood the situation.

"I’ll wait here. Maybe you could meet him. He is attracting a bit of attention today."

She walked toward the drinks table.

Charlotte stared after her.

"Wait, you’re just leaving me?"

Lilith didn’t answer.

Charlotte sighed.

She understood the reasoning.

Sylvia was already speaking with Kael.

And with the entire hall watching, interrupting them would only draw more attention.

Charlotte folded her arms.

"Seriously... what kind of party is this?"

Across the hall, Kael finally lifted his hands from the piano.

The last note faded into silence.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then the hall erupted into applause.

Kael blinked.

He looked almost confused by the reaction.

His eyes drifted across the crowd.

For the first time that evening, he noticed just how many people had gathered around him.

His gaze eventually landed on Charlotte.

She gave him an exhausted look.

Kael smiled.

Charlotte immediately knew that smile.

It was the smile of someone who had absolutely no idea how much trouble he had just caused.

And somehow, despite everything that had happened that evening, Charlotte found herself smiling back.

The end-of-semester celebration had barely begun.