The students filtered back in orderly lines—nobles on the left, commoners on the right—re-forming the same three-row formation from earlier.
Whispers rippled through both sides: commoners still buzzing with awe and pride over Aiden's unquantifiable reading, nobles muttering in tight clusters about "glitches" and "cheating artifacts."
Professor Elowen Voss stood at the front, golden hair gleaming, emerald eyes scanning the assembled first-years with barely concealed irritation.
Her gaze inevitably landed on Aiden—standing dead center in the commoner line, one arm draped possessively around Luna's waist while the other rested low on Selvara's back, pulling both women flush against his sides. Luna nuzzled his chest contentedly; Selvara leaned into him with her usual tsundere half-scowl, wings folded tight.
Elowen's teeth ground together so hard her jaw ached.
