"Kathrine shouldn't join the Supreme Competition,"
I heard Mrs. Noel say in a low, cautious voice, which made me scoff. Coward, I muttered, knowing full well she couldn't hear me.
Right now, I was in the headmistress's office, listening to their weekly meeting as though I'd been invited. As a student, I knew I had no business being here—much less eavesdropping—but what they couldn't see wouldn't hurt them, right? And since they were grand witches, none of them could detect my spirit wandering around the room.
I strolled toward an empty chair, sat down comfortably, and crossed my legs. The grim look on their faces told me this was going to be a serious conversation.
"I mean, she's wild, very powerful, and she has the royal family behind her," Mrs. Noel continued, pausing to let her words sink in. "She will be difficult to control."
Our headmistress, Mrs. Gomez, cleared her throat, drawing their attention before fixing her glasses.
"We cannot stop any student from participating—especially not for… emm stupid reasons like that. Her participation does not necessarily mean she will become the Supreme. The outcome may be predictable, but it is never fixed." She paused again, letting her words weigh on the room. "Mrs. Noel, please take note not to bring biased opinions here."
I smirked as Mrs. Noel's face twisted like she had just swallowed lemon juice. Still, I wasn't foolish enough to think Headmistress Gomez wanted me to participate either.
The royal family had been growing stronger—much to the council's dismay. The last thing they wanted was a member of the royal family becoming Supreme: the head of the council, sharing equal power with the Queen. But the rules were clear—the Supreme must be female and the strongest witch. Which, of course, pointed to me: the pampered princess and the Queen's favorite granddaughter.
According to rumors, I was more precious to her than any of her own children. Yet most of the council believed I was just a tool—something my grandmother wanted to use to gain more power and control.
The council of witches and the royal family had always been at odds. Since the day it was founded, the council's purpose had been to balance power—or, as my grandmother loved to say, to weaken royal authority and put us in check.
"The royal court and the senior council members will be meeting to decide the location of the competition and the judges," Headmistress Gomez continued. "This year, they want the academy to participate."
You could hear the pride in her tone. After all, the council had more influence here than the royal family, since most council members were among the academy's best graduates.
"But I can't represent us in both places," she added. "So my vice, Mr. Smith, will attend on our behalf."
I stood up, vanishing into thin air and reappearing in my room, knowing the meeting had come to an end.
"Went spying on their meeting again?"
My brother's voice met me as I opened my eyes to the blinding light of my room.
"How did you get in here?" I asked. I was not careless enough to leave my door open—especially when soul-projecting.
"Through the door, of course."
I glared at him. Only a few people could undo my spell, and my half-brother was certainly not one of them.
"I asked Leo for help," he added when he saw I wasn't backing down.
"So why are you here? Because you obviously aren't here to check up on me."
He rose from the bed and walked toward the window, staring out as though lost in thought.
Among all my family—after the Queen and my father—the one I was closest to was my half-brother, Alexander. We weren't always the best of siblings, but he was the only one I truly cared about. Maybe because we had grown up together.