OPERATION WINTERSPINE (Strings Between Us Book 2)

CHAPTER ONE: OF DAGGERS, DRESS CODES, AND THE PRINCESS WHO

My boots whispered across the marble—red-soled warnings disguised as elegance. The Princess armband hugged my arm like a vow I never signed but was born into.
Lips: red.
Eyes: sharp.
Hair: crown-braided, laced with silver.
No gloves today—I needed to hear my heartbeat, not anyone else's.

I don't walk like royalty.
I walk like I earned it.

We arrived at Arista Dome ten minutes later. Which, considering our complete lack of urgency, was impressive. We were already thirty-something minutes late anyway—what's ten more?

If you're wondering where KD is—he's probably at the podium right now, freezing the dome with his voice.
Word is, he has his own custom uniform for events like this.
I heard it from his cousin.
Jodie, obviously.

I wonder what he looks like in it.

Xythe naturally took the lead. He opened the massive dome doors like we were about to storm a kingdom.

And just like during the general assembly back in June, that door made a sound—the kind that made every single head turn.

Eyes widened.
Jaws dropped.
Not just students.

Even the faculty and board members looked like they'd seen a glitch in the simulation.

Because here's the thing:
We don't look like students.
We look like we accidentally wandered off the set of a live-action anime series.

The theme?
Royalty meets war crimes.

That's the Ardent Court.

Back at Celestine—we didn't follow the dress code.
We were the dress code.

Custom looks. Custom rules.
One uniform for every event.
One version of us for every mission.

Because in a sea of navy-blue normal...
Obsidian black and crimson always bleed louder.

"What took you two so long?" Saichel's voice echoed through the dome. He was already on the podium, probably about to deliver some dramatic intro. Of course he was. This whole event was his and Xythe's fault anyway.

They started the Sovereign-Ardent Alliance Program.

AKA:
Let's secretly invade Supreme Allievo Academy and pretend it's diplomacy.

"She overslept. Had to pull her out of bed," Xythe said lazily.
I glared at him.

I spotted Jodie and the others near the back and started walking toward them—I had no intention of sitting at the front, exposed like an exhibit.

But before I could get far, Xythe grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the stage.

"I'm not sitting there," I hissed.

"You don't have a choice," he replied.

And just like that, I ended up seated in front of a sea of eyes and a wave of whispers.

I could already feel the rumors loading.

Then, the lights shifted—subtle but commanding.

A figure stepped into the center of the stage.

Headmaster Antonio Levesque.
Sharp suit. Sharper presence.
Sharpest reputation.

He stood behind the podium like he didn't need it—like the words had been waiting to fall into place for years.

When he spoke, the entire dome hushed like someone pressed pause on the universe.

"To all members of Supreme Allievo—faculty, council, chambers, and students alike: