Winning didn't feel like victory.
It felt like standing in the middle of a battlefield after the noise died down, too quiet, too watchful, too full of eyes deciding what to do with you next.
Mira felt it the moment she stepped out of the Grand Hall.
The whispers had changed.
They weren't questioning her place anymore.
They were calculating it.
Students parted as she walked, some nodding with quiet respect, others glaring like she'd stolen something precious. A few smiled openly, emboldened by the vote, like they'd just discovered rebellion was allowed.
Leo practically bounced beside her. "You did it. You actually did it."
"I didn't do anything," Mira muttered. "They voted."
"And then the prince crowned you with his vote," Leo added dramatically. "Historic. Romantic. Absolutely illegal in three kingdoms."
"Stop," she said, though her heart was still racing.
Behind them, footsteps followed, measured, familiar.
Adrian.
The crowd thinned instinctively, giving them space without being asked.
"Well," Mira said without turning, "you just made enemies for life."
"I already had those," Adrian replied calmly. "They're just louder now."
She glanced at him. "You didn't have to do that."
"Yes," he said, "I did."
They stopped beneath an archway, moonlight spilling across the stone floor. For a moment, it felt like the academy had leaned back to listen.
"You don't know what that vote means," Mira said quietly. "You've put a target on your back."
His gaze didn't waver. "I was born with one."
She frowned. "That doesn't make it okay."
"No," he agreed. "But it makes it familiar."
She didn't know what to say to that.
Leo cleared his throat loudly. "As much as I love this emotionally charged moment, Seraphina just left looking like she planned three murders."
That snapped Mira back to reality.
Across the courtyard, Seraphina stood with a small cluster of nobles, her posture flawless, her smile razor-thin. When she caught Mira looking, she inclined her head politely.
A promise.
A threat.
"She won't let this go," Mira said.
Adrian followed her gaze. "No."
"Then what happens now?"
He looked at her for a long moment. "Now, they watch you closer."
"Great."
"And they watch me closer."
"Even better."
A beat passed.
"Because of that," Adrian continued, "the Headmaster has decided on additional measures."
Mira narrowed her eyes. "I don't like how that sounds."
"You won't."
Leo leaned in. "I definitely don't."
Adrian exhaled. "For your safety, and for optics, you'll be moved."
"Moved where?" Mira demanded.
He hesitated.
"My wing."
Silence.
Absolute, choking silence.
Leo's mouth fell open. "I'm sorry, did you say your wing as in royal wing?"
Mira stared at Adrian. "Absolutely not."
"It's temporary," he said quickly.
"I don't care if it's for five minutes."
"It's guarded."
"I don't care if it's guarded by dragons."
"The council insisted."
Mira crossed her arms. "I am not moving into a prince's living space."
"You won't be in my rooms," Adrian said. "You'll have separate quarters."
She glared. "That's not the point."
"The point," he said quietly, "is that someone cut the power during an official vote. That wasn't symbolism. That was a warning."
That made her pause.
He softened his tone. "I won't let anything happen to you."
She swallowed. "I didn't ask you to."
"I know," he said. "But you didn't ask for half of this either."
Leo raised a finger. "Just so we're clear, if anything happens to her, I'm haunting all of you."
"No one asked," Mira said.
But she didn't argue again.
Because for the first time since arriving at Aristella, fear edged close enough to be real.
They walked in silence after that.
When they reached the gates of the royal wing, Mira stopped.
"This doesn't change us," she said firmly. "I'm not your responsibility. I'm not your project."
Adrian met her gaze. "And you're not my subject."
A breath passed between them.
"Good," she said.
She stepped inside.
Behind them, Aristella watched.
The vote was over.
The consequences had just begun.