Valen's smile was slight, more of a subtle lift of his lips than anything else.
He watched Elara with calm amusement, her righteous indignation like a child flailing against a current too strong to understand.
The moment stretched as he waited, interested in how far her sense of justice would carry her before reality came crashing down.
Before Valen could even respond, the air in the hall trembled with the sound of Professor Zorath's voice, sharp and laced with fury.
"Shut up and apologize to the young master!"
The force of Zorath's words silenced the hall, the students' whispers cutting off abruptly. His anger wasn't on Valen's behalf, but out of fear for what Elara's ignorance could unleash.
The Aetheris family wasn't just powerful—they were untouchable. If Valen chose to kill her where she stood, Zorath knew there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it.
