As I exited the dorm building I made my way to the student council president's residence where the event was being held.
Passing through the lush gardens of the Tier 1 residence district, I admired the view of the starry night sky as I was surrounded by nature.
It was oddly calming for me.
After the horrors I had gone through, I felt at peace in places like this.
A place where the horrors of war could not follow.
Here, there were no such things as 'death' or 'destruction', only life and growth.
I walked further through the gardens until I reached the main entrance of the mansion.
The event was being held at the Tier 1 residence of the Student council president.
This residence was much larger than the other residences, and the grounds around the mansion were even more expansive.
It exuded the premise that the owner was important.
Looking at all of the other students dressed up like Mr. Potato heads, I sighed as I made my way inside.
Once inside I found another gentleman who was dressed in a suit and greeted me.
He offered a polite smile and took my name.
"Hello, my name is David, I am the head butler and will attend to any needs you might have tonight. In the meantime please proceed to the main hall."
"Ah yes, thank you very much for your help," I said as I smiled, concealing my amusement at this display of grandeur, before following him down a hall.
Following his directions, I arrived at a large hall that was decorated grandiosely.
I looked around and noticed that most of the other attendees were men.
There was only a handful of women present.
Most of them were wearing extravagant dresses that covered every inch of their skin.
They seemed to be the socialites of the school and were mostly focused on drinking and gossiping.
One girl who was dressed in a black and white dress gave me a once over as she passed me by.
I made eye contact with her and made sure to flash a cold glare at her before continuing to look around.
She quickly averted her gaze and continued talking to her friends.
I chuckled to myself as I shook my head.
In my opinion, parties were a waste of time.
With a sigh, I pulled out my phone and sent a text message to Liam.
Liam had proven to be a pretty decent guy. overall I could consider him a friend.
When I asked him about the party he simply replied.
"Come on man, just do it! You never know when you'll meet someone!"
"Yeah yeah, I get it..." I grumbled as I put it away and grabbed a glass of wine.
I sipped on the red liquid that was served and glanced around the room.
I could feel the stares of other guests upon me.
I wasn't bothered though, they didn't matter to me.
As I continued looking around the room, I spotted someone I knew but wished I didn't.
Feeling my gaze on her, Emilia shifted her ocean-blue eyes to me as we locked into what seemed to be a staring contest.
Raising my eyebrow and giving her a cocky grin I watched in amusement as she snorted and turned her cold gaze away.
I rolled my eyes and shook my head.
It seemed it was in my nature to tease and annoy people, it made me feel giddy inside.
I had a dark past; one no one really knew about.
However, I was content with the small things that helped me to forget about it and feel more normal.
As I mused to myself, the clinking of a spoon on glass rang out as a blonde-haired man took the stage.
"Welcome one and all guests and candidates for the student council, as I'm sure you are aware my name is Fabien Von Hoffstein, the current president of the student council." He watched candidly as we all carefully paid attention to his following words. "I will now discuss the rules and regulations of the student council election.
"The main rule is that each candidate must have a certain amount of votes in order to become a member of the student council.
This year, the student council is composed of eight members.
Each year will have two representatives as well as the vice president and me the president therefore we will have a few candidates per year.
These candidates will be competing for the position of 'Grade Representative'.
If the number of votes needed to join the student council is not met by the end of the night, the current president will assume control over the elections and appoint the new members.
The current president is, of course, myself.
Now, let us begin the nominations."
He paused for a moment and waited until everyone looked at him.
Once he got our undivided attention, he continued.
"For the first-year Grade Representatives, we will now begin the nominations, those who received a letter from me personally please step forward."
A girl with silver-grey eyes raised her hand and waved it excitedly.
"What's your name?" asked the blond-haired man.
"My name is Adele Dufresne," said the girl as she held up her card.
She was wearing a white blouse and black skirt that flowed elegantly when she walked.
"Why should you be chosen as the representative?" inquired Fabien.
Her voice was clear and beautiful, just like her appearance.
As she spoke I couldn't help but notice how her voice was smooth yet carried with authority.
I could tell right away that she was intelligent and well-spoken, which made me uneasy as I was supposedly supposed to compete with her despite my not having the will to do so.
"I would be able to efficiently handle all the duties of the position.
I am a very capable young woman who has experience in public speaking, and leadership roles."
"Very good, thank you.
Please step forward Miss Dufresne and stand over here."
Adele nodded and stepped forward until she was a few feet from the stage.
"Thank you, sir." She bowed to the blond-haired man.
She smiled brightly and began to walk slowly towards the stage where she stood, waiting patiently and confidently.
"Thank you for your delightful speech, Miss Dufresne, let's hear what the other candidates have to say."
The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves.
Some were whispering while others were laughing.
It seemed as though they didn't want to miss out on any gossip.
"I think that Miss Dufresne is quite possibly the best candidate for the position of Grade Representative." came the voice of the vice president, a tall woman with fiery red hair and deep blue eyes.
"That's quite the bold statement." Fabien raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Then do you perhaps have a better candidate?" she asked as she scanned the room.
Suddenly Fabien shifted his gaze until it landed on me.
"Ah yes, I believe there are two more candidates in this year's first-year Grade Representatives' election," said Fabien as he turned back to the audience.
"Emilia Von Claire, Please step forward," he called as his gaze locked on someone.
Emilia stepped forward out of the crowd and made her way to the stage.
Then Fabien shifted his gaze to me.
"Oh my! It seems we have another contender." Fabien grinned broadly as his eyes met mine again.
My heart jumped into my throat as I realized what was going to happen next.
He'd already chosen who he wanted to win.
And the only reason I was standing here was because of him.
But why did he choose me?
Was it just to make sure that he got his way?
If so, then it would work.
Fabien wasn't exactly the type to let something slip through his fingers.
I knew that for a fact.
All I had to do was stand here like a statue while he took advantage of me.
I could still get everything I needed.
The position, the power, and…
Yes.
It wouldn't be hard to get what I really wanted either.
I could take him out of the picture, and then I would be free to live the life I truly desired.
After all, he was nothing more than a pawn.
An easy target.
Fabien gestured to the stage, signaling me to come up.
This was it.
Here came the moment of truth.
One of us would be crowned as the new Grade Representative.
Whoever wins, Fabien gets his way.
And whoever loses…
Well, I'll cross that bridge when I get there.
As I approached the podium, Fabien's lips curled into a triumphant smirk as he watched me.
His eyes pierced through me, making me feel a great pressure bearing down on me.
However, I steeled myself against Fabien's gaze, forcing my body to move faster.
There was no time to linger or dwell on the situation.
Instead, I focused on the moment.
In front of me lay the future.
The path to victory and freedom.
Or defeat and death.
On one side, Fabien stood.
The most powerful person at this school.
He had everything I did not—everything I needed.
The power.
The respect.
The privileges.
All mine for the taking.
If only I knew how to seize them.
*Some important shit Okie dokie? thanks.*
First of all, I want to apologize if any of you are confused by the contents of the chapter, I don't know it seemed a bit confusing to me when I read it but don't worry its intentionally vague as it relates to a much larger overarching plot so just keep reading.
Second, I just want to say that the new release schedule is going to be Sunday-Wednesday at the usual time which is 23:00 UTC I'm dropping the chapter count so I can keep up and focus on quality like I said I would, so yeah.
Also, I really hope you guys liked the illustrations, personally, my favorite was Emilia I was like damn that shit came out fine. but yeah anyways as always hope you had a great day and enjoyed the chappy, Hugz <3