After getting Kayla to tell me what room Ella was in, I headed there right away. Classes above bronze could access the bronze dorms, but those in bronze couldn’t do the same for higher classes. It was the same deal with the silver class, except we weren’t allowed into the gold dorms. Gold class, though? They had no restrictions and could walk into any dorm they pleased. The academy claimed it was to let the gold class enjoy their privileges, but to me, it was just a way of showing who they really favored.
That’s why I had no problem going through the bronze dorms. I was in the silver class, after all.
The bronze class dormitory looked like a building that had seen better days. The floors were creaky wooden boards, and the furniture in the lobby looked like something straight out of an antique shop. It was clear the dorm mother didn’t care about keeping the place clean. And the people living here? They looked just as gloomy as the building itself.
In comparison, the silver dorm wasn’t nearly as run-down. Sure, the lobby furniture was used, but it was nowhere near as ancient as the stuff in bronze. The floors were marble, not wood, and the rooms were big enough to fit three cabinets full of clothes, with space left for a queen-sized bed. By regular standards, it felt more like an apartment than a dorm.
If the silver class had it that decent, I could only imagine how extravagant the gold dorms were. I’d never been inside one, and with my rankings tanking, I didn’t think I’d get the chance anytime soon. But I could assume it was a whole other level of luxury.
“And the administrators love to say at every entrance ceremony that they treat all students equally. Yeah, right. They only say that for show, for the image they want the students to have. The discrimination here is obvious.”
I never noticed how messed up things were when I was still a duke’s daughter. Back then, I was blind to the corruption around me, too sheltered to see the cracks. Maybe what happened to me was for the best, though—it had definitely broadened my perspective. Made me see the world for what it really was.
I shook my head, trying to push the thought away. If I kept thinking like that, I’d never escape Leon’s grip.
With that in mind, I finally reached Ella’s dorm room. The sign on the door was impossible to miss: “Ella’s Room” scrawled in big, bold letters. I raised my hand and knocked.
No answer. No sound of footsteps. I knocked again, a little harder this time.
“…”
Still nothing.
Instead of waiting, I raised my voice. “Hey, you’re Ella, right? Can you open the door? I just need to talk to you about something from earlier.”
I didn’t bother tiptoeing around the subject. I went straight to the point. Hiding my reason for being here would only make things worse.
But still—silence.
“Look, you don’t have to worry. I’m not mad that you saw us, alright? But I need to say something to you, and I can’t exactly do that while we’re standing out here. So can you please just open the door?”
“I… I didn’t see anything!” A timid voice finally slipped through the crack under the door. The tone was shaky, full of panic.
“I saw you,” I said. “You were hiding behind that tree, watching us. Don’t lie. I promise I’m not mad.”
“I-I swear… I didn’t see anything!” she stammered again, voice even shakier this time.
It was obvious she was lying. Her voice was shaky, scared. I had seen her eyes, wide with shock, staring at us. It must have been the first time she’d seen something like that. If I were in her shoes, I might’ve run away too. But I couldn’t afford to let her leave without having this conversation. If she snitched to someone like Kayla about what she saw, it could ruin me. Not only could I lose my relationship with Professor Sesillian, but I’d also get branded as the girl who had sex in public. There was no way I’d let that happen.
But she wasn’t budging. If I wanted to get through to her, I needed to step it up and use a little force. In situations like this, Leon could’ve been useful—but he left this mess on my plate. Guess he’s the type of guy who runs from situations like this, huh? Like those assholes who get a girl pregnant and disappear.
“Ella,” I said, my voice dropping to a lower, more serious tone this time. “Open the door. If you don’t, Leon might decide to do something… and trust me, you don’t want that.”
Silence hung in the air. I could feel her hesitation, but I kept pushing.
“That guy’s a lot more ruthless than you—or anyone at this school—realizes,” I continued. “He knows how to make people with weaknesses submit to him. I mean, why do you think we were doing it in public? It’s not because I’m in love with him, you know that, right? You hang out with Kayla enough to know who I really care about.”
It wasn’t exactly a secret, at least not in my circle or even in the circles connected to it. Anyone with half a brain could tell who I had feelings for. Ella knew who I was talking about.
“Leon is cruel,” I pressed on, hoping to drive the point home. “He’s got something on me—that’s why I’m under his control right now. And I bet all those other girls flocking around him are probably trapped in his web too. It’s not a stretch to say you could end up like them if you’re not careful.”
I was definitely painting Leon in a bad light, but I didn’t care. If scaring the hell out of her was what it took to make her open up, so be it. Besides, Leon was the one who dropped this situation on me. If he didn’t like it… well, I just have to face his anger then.
“I can protect you from him,” I offered, softening my tone just enough to sound convincing. “But you need to open the door so we can talk. I can help you, but you have to let me.”
