STRINGS BETWEEN US

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: OF BROKEN CROWNS, BAITS SET, AND THE TACTICIAN

I'm not coming for her now.
No—too soon, and she might see it coming.
First, I'll make her doubt herself.
Then I'll make Dylan doubt her.
Then I'll make the whole Academy turn its gaze and see the cracks I plant.

And when the walls finally fall, everyone will think it happened on its own.

If I can't have Dylan back, then I'll burn this entire Academy to the ground and make her light the match.

XYTHE'S POV

CELESTINE ARDENT ACADEMY | ARDENT COURT STRATEGIC WAR ROOM

The air was heavy.
Not from the smoke curling from Keryn's lighter, or the static that bled from Seb and Tofer's corner as code cascaded down their outdated screens.

It was heavy because the game had shifted.

Shadows flickered across the stone walls, thrown by the low, uneven light. Old Ardent flags hung like relics of wars we no longer bothered to dust.
I catalogued the scene, but it was background noise.

Because tonight, every move mattered.
And every move led back to her.

The room went silent when my phone buzzed.
I didn't flinch. Didn't change expression.

Just raised the device and read aloud:

"That breach at Supreme Allievo-staged, wasn't it? Don't worry. Your secret's safe. For now."

A simple line. Enough to confirm my suspicion.

Bianchi Madriaga had found the opening we left for her.
Quicker than anticipated, but not unexpected.

Saichel let out a low whistle. "She really fell for it."

Lyle leaned forward, calm. Calculated. The way only he could ever be.

"She took the bait," he confirmed.

Keryn rolled her eyes. "Predictable."

Another buzz. This one deliberate. A pause between lines, like she wanted the impact to land.

"I'll help you get the girl."
"Only because she's standing where I should be."

Saichel snorted. "She's gone off the rails."

And then came the final blow:

"I'll process your transfer in SAA immediately."

Lyle grinned.

"Another royalty of Celestine will enter Supreme Allievo. This will push the school rivalry further in the eyes of the public. Flames against frost."

Alexie leaned back, arms folded.

"She doesn't realize what she's offering. Another elite transferring from Celestine? The whole academic board will riot. Celestine loses another asset, and Supreme Allievo becomes the battlefield."

But my eyes never left the screen.I wasn't amused. I was angry. Not at Bianchi. Not at her offer. But because this is what Ari gets dragged into. Again.

"She thinks I'm still that boy who lost everything when I lost her," I muttered.

"She thinks she can bend our tactician," Saichel teased. "Just 'cause you look soft."

I met his eyes once—enough to remind him softness was a mask.

"She never understood what we are," I said. "What she's trying to burn down."

Lyle spoke again, calm and final.

"Take her offer. Pretend you're her pawn."

I nodded once.

"She wants a game. Fine. But I'll send the President a letter."

Saichel straightened. "Wait, wait, chill. We're really gonna let the school burn? Dad's gonna kill all of us."

Keryn flicked her lighter. "Your dad knew who we really are. If Supreme Allievo Academy collapses, we'll build it better."

Seb looked up from his screen. "But only if the Ice President survives the fire."

Lyle turned to me again.

"She's yours to protect, Xythe. Always was."

I looked at the golden parchment waiting on the table. My fingers brushed the embossed Ardent crest. A symbol not of nobility, but of duty.

Because I was never just Arielle Rylance Del Rio's ex. Or the boy who watched her fall in love with someone else. I was the Court's Tactician. The first one who ever believed she was more than a pretty crown. And I would always be her first line of defense.

I wrote the letter slowly. Deliberate. Precise. Cutting as my blades.

The fire has already started.
Protect Arielle Rylance Del Rio.
Or we will.
-Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara
Ardent Court

Saichel leaned over, reading it.

"Damn. You make threats sound like oaths."

I sealed the letter with the Ardent crest.
No fanfare. No overkill.

Just a single message.
Sent to the one person who needed to read it now.

Khaizer Dylan Dela Vega.

Because if Supreme Allievo was going to burn-

He better be ready. Or she would be the first to bleed.

And I'd raze the whole kingdom myself before that ever happened again.