"Mason Pike?" Jan Squire repeated the boy's name, completely baffled.
Mason had already stormed up to them, sleeves rolled up like a man about to start a fight. He grabbed for Jan's collar, but Jan swiftly caught his wrist, neutralizing the move.
shotting a glance at Vivienne, who had instinctively stood and taken two steps back, clearly startled, Jan frowned: "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm here to catch you cheating!" Mason rolled his eyes dramatically, struggling to break free. "You have the guts to cheat, but not the guts to admit it?"
What nonsense.
Jan's eyes turned cold as he stared silently at Mason's struggling wrist. "Who do you think you are, barging in here to question me?"
"Hah! And what, you're some kind of saint?" Mason scoffed. "If you're going to two-time people, you should be ready to get exposed!"
Two-timing…
Vivienne was already mentally shattered.
Surely, he's not talking about me?! I literally just arrived on Capital Star yesterday.
Mason shot her a sideways, scornful look. " You're a cadet too? Well, aren't you just full of surprises. Lemme do you a favor, sweetheart — you can spend your days trying to play the top one , the bottom zero, or the third party … but trust me, sweetheart, the real show starts when you hit a four. You know, four — as in 'for f*ck's sake, you're dead.'"
Vivienne: "…"
Who is she?
Where is she?
Why is she part of this soap opera?
Thank god the cafeteria was practically empty because of the weekend, or she would've wished for a hole to crawl into.
Jan's crimson eyes blazed with restrained fury. "What the hell are you babbling about?"
Mason's words escalated: "I was wondering why the Jian family kept dragging their feet on the engagement—turns out you've got a guide side piece hidden away!"
"Um…" Vivienne cautiously opened her mouth.
Mason shot her a glare, He and Jan were in the middle of a fight—where did she think she could interrupt?
Facing the man's fierce, almost predatory look, Vivienne instinctively raised her hands in front of her chest, trying to communicate sincerity with body language: "Mr. Pike? There's been a misunderstanding. I'm not a guide (emphasized). Jan and I aren't… whatever you're thinking."
"You!" Mason's expression twisted. His face turned green, then white, then red in rapid succession, finally freezing in stunned disbelief: "Well, well! Jan Squire! I underestimated you! You're into… sentinel-sentinel?"
He swept the teacups clean off the table in one sharp motion — a real master of dramatic messes. "Tell me, exactly how is marrying into my family such an insult to you?"
In the rain of shattered china, Vivienne silently screamed inside.
Why am I getting dragged into this?!
I've never seen anyone so damn committed to being the victim.!!
you just can't wait to slap that cuck label on yourself !!
"I swear you've misunderstood…"
Just then, a server awkwardly approached, clearly unsure how to process the charged scene but still dutifully carrying out their job. He glanced around, then quietly handed Vivienne a paper bag: "Miss, here's the jacket Mr. Squire asked us to prepare for you."
"!!"
Turns out Jan had noticed earlier that she was shivering from the cold air and, without showing it, had instructed the server via his terminal to bring her something warm.
Vivienne stared at the burning-hot potato in the server's hand.
Take it? Don't take it?
Either way, I'm dead.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Mason sneered. Sweeping his eyes over Vivienne's thin attire, his expression darkening with every glance. You didn't need to be a mind reader to see exactly what was flashing across his face — 'Caught red-handed! Guilty as hell! The cheater and her filthy lover, finally exposed!' Honestly, if he could've, he would've printed the word SCANDAL across their foreheads.
Jan Squire:"Mason Pike, you-"
Vivienne was one step away from shouting: I hereby renounce all sentinel-sentinel ties!
Instead, she opted for diplomacy: "Mr. Pike, I'm sorry you misunderstood our relationship."
Just as Vivienne opened her mouth, the waiter — finally realizing he'd walked straight into a battlefield — slipped away without a sound, vanishing like a ghost who wanted no part in this disaster.
And then… silence. The kind of silence that hit like a brick wall, heavy and suffocating. Both men froze on the spot, caught mid-battle, like someone had hit pause on their argument. For a long, agonizing second, no one spoke — no one moved — except for Vivienne, who seemed to be the only person left alive in the room. The tension was so thick, you could've sliced it with a knife.
Vivienne, meanwhile, was still earnestly explaining: "This is really a misunderstanding. I only like guides. Really."
She was determined to clear her name and protect her ultra-straight sentinel dignity.
"Who said I was his fiancé?!"
Vivienne blinked. Weren't they practically engaged?
Mason's face twisted in disgust: "It's my sister who's supposed to be engaged to him!"
Sister?! Right.
These hereditary aristocrats, who had stood above the masses for generations, naturally understood better than anyone the unique attraction between guides and sentinels. Their marriages would more strictly adhere to traditional values—male and female genders pairing with sentinel and guide secondary genders one to one. Or rather, the compatibility between sentinel and guide would override everything else.
A guide and a sentinel, a man and a woman—that was the unspoken rule behind noble family marriages.
But, buddy, you're playing this "catching the cheater" act for your sister way too sincerely. You're so deep in character you even fooled an outsider like her.
Jan Squire shook off Mason Pike's hand like it was contaminated, his expression twisted in disgust. "I'll say it one more time—I will not get engaged to Pike Anna."
"If the day ever comes when the Jian family and the Pike family arrange a marriage," he sneered "it will only be for Anna Squire, himself."
Jan Squire called his own father, Finance Minister Anna Squire, by name, clearly harboring long-standing resentment. His anger finally erupted like a volcano.
Mason Pike practically jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on: "You little bastard! What the hell are you saying?!"
This farcical drama finally wrapped up as more students entered the cafeteria. The people involved couldn't afford to lose any more face and slunk away awkwardly.
"I have something to take care of. I'm leaving."
After this incident, Vivienne didn't even get the chance to talk more with Jan Squire. Vigilant against the sentinel-sentinel trap, she ran away like a terrified homophobe.
[Jan Squire]: Sorry.
[Jan Squire]: What happened today was an accident.
Maybe he had finally realized how inappropriate it was to pull a messy soap opera scene with a new student in the middle of the school cafeteria.
The privileged heir sent Vivienne a message via the social app on her terminal.
[Vivienne]: It's fine.
Vivienne lay sprawled on her soft bed, her chin resting on her terminal, biting her lip and looking conflicted. If she didn't clap back at him, she felt like ants were crawling all over her.
[Vivienne]: Don't contact me again.
[Vivienne] retracted a message.
[Vivienne]: Class monitor, I think we should keep our distance.
Haha, she was joking. She couldn't afford to mess with the dragonborn.
Vivienne quickly patched it up:
[Vivienne]: Class monitor, what I said today is true. I'm extremely selective.
She only considered male guides as partners.
Vivienne was basically spelling it out for Jan Squire—tonight's cheating drama had scared her, a super straight girl, out of her mind.
[Jan Squire]: I know.
[Jan Squire] The indicator showed he was typing.
Vivienne stared at the screen for a full minute before he finally sent:
[Jan Squire]: Me too.
[Vivienne]: handshake.gif
…
Having dealt with the overly gay-coded class monitor, the matter wasn't over yet. Vivienne opened her terminal's contacts, scrolled to the one marked "Squinty-Eyed Doctor," and sent him a link.
[Ian Yale]: ?
[Ian Yale]: Why are you sending me Galen Keyes' official profile?
[Vivienne]: Dr. Yale, this Mr. Keyes targeted me on my very first class. Is he the 'stubborn old guard' you mentioned before?
—Snitching, obviously. What else?
—Reporting in! I suspect Galen Keyes harbors resentment toward Major General Augustus! Requesting higher-ups deal with him!