"...I can't believe I ended up agreeing on that."
Avian let out a soft sigh while leaning on the carriage's window, gazing at the busy town as she headed toward the royal academy.
She ended up saying yes to the Crown Prince.
As much as she was doubtful of it, she knew the Crown Prince would not fabricate a story like this. It related too deeply to the royal family and the future of the kingdom; no matter how playful Carlos was, he would definitely not touch this kind of topic.
'Treason is no joke. Carlos can't establish a faction with the goal of fending off potential treason only for it to be fake.'
In the best-case scenario, they would abandon him while holding a grudge against him for daring to treat them like fools. And in the worst-case scenario, a real coup would occur with their lead.
'Grudges and resentment should never be taken lightly. Carlos should know better.'
At the end, Avian was reluctantly forced to believe this story. It was one of the most troublesome things she had heard for a while; she managed to forget about her family issue due to it.
Signing a few contracts and agreements with the Crown Prince, Avian had become his secret protege. From that point forward, the Crown Prince, Carlos Nightshade, was her backing in anything she did.
'At least I won't have to worry about anything anymore. But I'm still insistent on going through with my original plan.'
The Maximilian family threw her away after receiving her help for several years; there was no way Avian would let them be.
"I was born with a golden spoon; my life was perfect. And my future was also endless. But now… That rascal stole everything from me."
Her golden spoon was snapped by that rascal, Zenith. And he had the audacity to ask her to spend a night with him. The simple memory of his smug, irritating face made her want to break a few bottles.
'Damn punk!' she cursed internally while chewing on her nail, but she soon calmed down. Once Carlos picked her up, he technically handed her another golden spoon instead of the one that was snatched.
'I am safe; my future is promising better things. But… I'm unsure if that's what I need.'
Whenever she thought about how she was no longer the heir of the Maximilian family, Avian felt suffocated. Her stomach churned and her hands shook beyond her will.
The news was too much on her, even if she hated admitting that by herself. Her life was easily taken away, making her feel empty. At this point, she had to wonder.
Did she just want to be safe, or did she want to be safe and secure in her own way without the 'help' of anyone? Regardless of her ways, Avian wanted to rule. She did not want to be under anybody's mercy.
"Every golden spoon is temporary if I am unable to put a better worth for myself."
Seeing as the carriage almost reached the royal academy, Avian clenched her fists. Her eyes shimmered with determination.
"If he wants me so bad, he needs to return my golden spoon to me. I need to ensure my golden spoon to live stress-free."
In order to make sure no one could steal her golden spoon, Avian had to capture the heir.
After deciding her plans and coming to terms with her new decisions and life goals, Avian tightened her suit and messed her hair a bit more. The carriage was getting closer and closer to the royal academy, and she needed to be ready.
Carlos asked her whether she wanted to reveal her gender, and she opted to be a man. That way, she could establish a few good connections away from potential marriage to strengthen the faction.
"My Lord, we reached the royal academy."
Soon, the carriage stopped, and the driver's call reached her. Avian softly responded, "That's good. Thank you for escorting me."
Hearing her, the driver laughed with delight, "I did not think any of the nobles would be thanking me for doing my job. I wish you a nice day, my Lord."
After helping her out of the carriage, the driver hopped into it again and left. Leaving Avian to stare at the huge building in front of her.
The royal academy of the Agarish Kingdom was located atop a lush, green hill. Towering high enough to allow the students to witness the breathtaking sight of the capital city.
On those huge, glimmering walls, engravings of various ancient runes. They glowed faintly alongside the roses and the plants of the lavish garden around the building.
Avian felt breathless as she stood in front of the large arched entrance, the gate of the academy. She was the only one around at that hour, which randomly gave her a spark of anxiety.
Thankfully, she did not need to worry a lot about that as she saw a weird-looking girl running inside. After a moment of thinking, Avian called out to her.
"Excuse me!"
"Huh—?" The girl did not notice someone behind her, and the sudden call clearly frightened her as she jumped. She attempted to stand up steadily, only to lose her balance again.
Finding nothing to hold onto, the girl shut her eyes tightly and prepared herself for the fall, but she did not feel hurt.
"Ah!"
Once she opened her eyes, she was face-to-face with Avian, who smiled awkwardly at her while holding her by her waist.
"I'm terribly sorry for surprising you. Are you hurt somewhere?"
Out of habit, Avian's silver tongue was activated. The girl in her arms almost swooned with a deep blush on her face being faced with this gorgeous beauty.
"N-no, of course not!" stammering, she barely managed to stand up again. She shyly removed Avian's arm from around her waist and laughed to hide her embarrassment. "Thank you very much for catching me! Can I help you with anything?"
'Oh.'
It was then that Avian realized how this was also an option. What would she do with her history as 'playboy' if she was helpless in using it when she needed to?
She nodded, a charming smile plastered across her face.
"Would you like to help me with something?"
As if in a trance, the girl nodded immediately without any hesitation.
'My experience would surely help me. Especially with those young nobles, heh.'
Everyone felt like an easy catch to Avian at that moment.