"Your Grace, you're just letting her go?" asked Mornan.
Westley rubbed his temples. "What else? Tie her up and torture her?"
What Vivienne didn't know was that the surveillance system had, indeed, malfunctioned.
But the Roland family had long been prepared. Their bodyguards were always on standby, stationed by the Young Duke's side. All suspicious individuals were under constant surveillance.
With a trap so obvious, the chance of him falling for it was next to nothing.
"They sent Gavin Thornton to drug me just to disgust me," Westley said with disdain. "Only an idiot like him would be dumb enough to collude with a tiger and play the clown willingly."
The powder Gavin had tried to smuggle in wasn't even anything rare or dangerous—just a common, addictive, black-market neurotoxin designed to impair the central nervous system. Cheap and all over the underground.
"Inform Zyrakta Tower," Westley added coldly, lowering his gaze. "Their surveillance failed right under our noses." A slap from Polaris to Roland, like pouring tea in the Empire's face and saying they'd planted bugs in the palace. "Let them weigh the consequences themselves."
As for Yshi…
If Ixchel was a spy too, then she was clearly a useless one.
She'd wandered right up to the target, got herself covered in suspicion, and failed to accomplish a single damn thing.
"Alright, she's stable now," Bailey Tong yawned. "What the heck happened to her? Her mental landscape was full of holes…"
Turned out Vivienne was right.
So what if her life-saving straw, Jan Squire, was a sentinel?
Sentinels could have guide friends too.
"No idea," Jan shook his head. "You can ask her when she wakes up."
Internally, he confirmed his own suspicions.
Sure enough, Bailey seemed particularly "fond" of Vivienne. Her eagerness to team up back in combat class had been a sign of goodwill.
Between a stranger guide and sentinel, mutual favor usually meant—high compatibility. Something in their instincts nudged them to reach out.
Bailey poured water into a ceramic cup. "Then let her stay here tonight. What about you? Crashing in the tower?"
Bailey had booked a yearlong luxury suite at Zyrakta. Whenever she didn't stay at the dorms, she slept here. Naturally, she let Vivienne have the guest room.
"I've already booked a room," Jan replied simply.
"You two really leveled up fast. Barely met and already hanging out off campus."
"Just ran into her," Jan didn't explain further. He thought back to his own shock when he saw Vivienne at Zyrakta.
....
In fact, Jan had seen her before she noticed him.
At first, he thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. He doubted himself, not her.
It wasn't until she called out his name that he realized it wasn't a hallucination—and immediately noticed something was wrong.
"Vivienne? What are you doing here?"
Vivienne clutched her forehead, fingers pressing against her temples, trying to block out the sensory overload in her mind and calm the chaos.
There was no time to explain. Pale-faced, she looked like she'd just seen a lifeline. "Class Rep—help me!"
"What?!"
Vivienne collapsed into Jan's arms.
The moment they touched, Jan caught a mix of alcohol and the heavy scent of perfume lingering from a party.
Zyrakta Tower—one of the most luxurious buildings on Capital Planet—boasted everything from upscale apartments, boutiques, pools, hot springs, high-end executive suites, to a viewing deck at the top overlooking the entire city.
Anyone who could afford to be here was rich or powerful. Running into Vivienne here was completely unexpected.
Hadn't she said she'd lost everything to space pirates?
The way she'd appeared—so disheveled and frantic—set off a thousand alarms in Jan's head.
In those few seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Jan Squire's mind, including—but not limited to—how to deal with the person who had hurt her…
"Find me a guide…" Clinging to his arm, Vivienne fought through cold sweat and forced the words out. "B-rank or higher…"
At 8 a.m., Vivienne woke up in the guest bedroom, still wearing the wrinkled clothes from last night. But her mind felt refreshed and her mental energy intact—no side effects.
She'd been right to gamble.
"This side effect is seriously annoying…"
Vivienne avoided using her mental powers on people unless it was absolutely necessary.
Whether it was subtle suggestions, emotional manipulation, or direct psychic interference—it all came at a cost.
Opening the door, Vivienne found a familiar yet still-surprising face in the living room: Bailey Tong.
She smiled brightly and gestured toward the breakfast table set for two. "Figured you'd be up. Come eat."
…
They chatted for a bit, then exchanged contact info.
"Bailey," Vivienne said, carefully choosing her words, "Would you be willing to do guided therapy sessions with me in the future?"
She was just about to tempt her with what few starcoins she had left…
"Of course!"
Bailey agreed so easily that Vivienne was momentarily confused.
"Mutual help, right?" Bailey smiled. "I think you've got potential, Vivienne."
"Helping you actually helped me too—I feel like I've gained better control over my own mental strength."
Vivienne looked over—if that was true, it meant their compatibility rating must be high.
Bailey just smiled. "You should say hi to Jan. He's the one who brought you to me last night."
…
"Class Rep."
Bathed in sunlight, the young man turned at the sound of her voice. His rose-red hair shimmered like fire. Vivienne had asked Bailey for his room number and came to thank him personally.
Last time they met had been… awkward.
And by last time, she meant that very public misunderstanding about catching a cheater.
She had just told Jan she'd try to keep her distance—and now here she was, knocking on his door.
Still, thick-skinned and shameless as needed, she bowed slightly. "Class Rep, thank you…"
Jan didn't seem to mind. "It's nothing."
But what he really wanted to know was why she was even in Zyrakta Tower—and why she came to him.
"The suite on the 129th floor is under the Roland name," Jan said patiently. "Did Westley give you trouble?"
"You can tell me."
His gaze was warm, and for a second, Vivienne thought she saw something like encouragement glowing in those fierce red eyes.
"Don't worry. Even he can't…"
"No," Vivienne couldn't possibly tell the truth. "It's a bit complicated. It wasn't entirely his fault…"
"Westley Roland isn't exactly known for being merciful." Seeing she didn't want to go into detail, Jan added, "If you run into him on campus…"
Campus?
Of course. A young, arrogant noble guide like Westley studying at the Imperial Military Academy wasn't strange at all.
"I'll avoid him." Vivienne replied quickly. At this point, she had no idea just how dramatic her next encounter with Westley would be.
Jan didn't say anything, but he wasn't too hopeful. Forget other issues—just thinking about the upcoming final exam…
In the 'Upper Wilds' final, guides and sentinels were paired up for field testing. All first and second years would be mixed together.
He explained this to Vivienne. "For finals, we'll be grouped with people like Westley."
"This…"
Jan offered, "Or, you can team up with me?"
Vivienne felt her brain throb. "Let's take it one step at a time."
Thanks, Class Rep. You're a good man.
But don't be too nice. You're scaring me.
After Vivienne turned him down, Jan fell silent.
"Vivienne."
Remembering the scent of fine wine and perfume that clung to her last night, Jan suddenly asked: "Are you that short on money?"
Vivienne blinked at him, confused.
Jan looked her straight in the eye. "I can give you money."