[Julian's POV]
The room felt large after Kiera left.
I never understood her. For a principal, she was an odd character—so calm yet strangely silly in her own way.
Was it just two sides of the same coin, or a completely different persona?
It was hard to say. But what really threw me were the questions she asked. Despite calling it an interview, there was nothing about academics or the Academy itself.
What disturbed me most was how much she knew.
Withdrawing from the Royal 8 ten years ago… Who even remembers that?
I thought I'd managed to keep my identity under wraps, and I doubted anyone cared enough to link me to it after all this time.
The royal family wouldn't care; Meredith, who ran the challenge back then, was unlikely to have any connection with Kiera; and that left only mother and Lady Ophelia.
How did she know?
Was she bluffing, fishing for answers? Or had someone been talking?
