STRINGS BETWEEN US

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE OF TACTICS, COURTROOMS, AND THE COST OF SILENCE

Thres spoke finally. "Message sent to the Ice President. Seb's compiling backups now."

Seb didn't even glance up. "I'll have the CCTV, chat logs, everything by tonight. I'm scrubbing every trace of that hearing and handing KD the full truth."

"Then what?" Keryn asked, chin resting on her fist. "He just walks into enemy lines as a transfer?"

Lyle leaned back, arms crossed. "No. He walks in like a prince. Because that's what they won't expect."

I shook my head, stepping toward the door. "Try not to burn the Court down while I'm gone."

"No promises," Alexie called after me.

As I left the room, their laughter fading behind me and their quiet war still burning in that underground hall, my hand went to the letter in my coat pocket.

I always brought weapons.

But this time?

I was the warning shot.

KD's POV

The aftermath was settling around me when the knock came.

Three sharp taps on the door.

A white envelope slid under the crack.

No name. No seal. Just crisp gold lettering.

I stood slowly.

Fingers brushed the envelope like it might disappear if I touched it wrong.

Flipped it over.

It wasn't from anyone at Supreme Allievo.

It was from outside.

Carefully, I opened it.

The paper inside was thick, expensive, embossed with an elegance reserved only for the elite.

At the top, in gold ink:

"The fire has already started."

Then:

"Protect Arielle Rylance Del Rio.
Or we will.
—Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara
Ardent Court"

I froze.

Xythe Nathaniel Alcantara–the Celestine Prince cloaked in mystery and privilege. But beyond the gilded halls of Celestine Ardent Academy, no one truly knew what he was capable of. Celestine was a fortress of secrets, and Xythe was tightly guarded — just like Riyee. Their true selves were locked behind layers of elite protection and silence.

I remembered Riyee mentioning him once. A name she never spoke of openly, but one that hovered quietly in her past, like a shadow she tried to keep at bay.

And now? He was commanding me to protect her.

Ardent Court? I'd heard whispers, but nothing concrete.

I'd spent the last hour digging. Nothing. No records. No affiliation. Digital silence.

Now, out of nowhere, the Prince was giving orders.

The same boy who caused the security breach weeks ago—the chaos night with Saichel—pretending to want her back.

And now?

Veiled threats disguised in golden warnings.

Who the hell is he? I muttered.

A second knock.

No one at the door when I opened it.

But on the floor lay a sleek black flash drive.

I plugged it into my encrypted laptop.

The file loaded immediately.

Raw CCTV footage.

Bianchi. Dragging Riyee into the Council room.

No witnesses.

No one else.

No audio.

But enough to bury the Vice President.

I leaned back, pulse cold.

Whoever this Ardent Court was... they had eyes on my campus. Resources Supreme Allievo didn't.

And they weren't done.

I closed the laptop.

Let the council think I was quiet.

Let Bianchi think she'd won.

Because now?

I had a name.

And more importantly—

I wasn't the only one protecting her anymore.

The next morning, the sun rose too bright for the tension it burned through. I stood in front of the marble windows of Sovereign Court, fingers clasped behind my back, eyes cold.

The entire High Chamber and Disciplinary Committee sat around the crescent table, murmuring low, confused.

Until I clicked the remote.

The footage began.

Gasps echoed immediately as the screen showed Bianchi dragging Riyee inside the Council room.

Silent, clear footage.

I said nothing as the slap played.

Once.

Then again.

Followed by the shove.

And the fall.

Silence erupted in stunned disbelief.

"Where did you get this?" a Disciplinary officer finally asked, voice tight.

"Does it matter?" I said, folding my arms. "This is the truth. More than any of you had yesterday."

Eyes all locked on Bianchi. She looked like the floor was gone—pale, wide-eyed, lips parted. She stood abruptly.

"This is edited. This is—"

"Authenticity verified by the Academy's top firewall team," Lucian Ortega said from the back, arms crossed. "Metadata checks out. Timecodes clean. Multiple angles, some we didn't know existed. Whoever sent this knew exactly what they were doing."

The Disciplinary Head's voice was grave.

"Vice President Madriaga, in light of this evidence, you're placed on immediate mandatory leave."

"Two weeks," I added flatly. "No access to council chambers. No interference with governance. Full cooperation with review. That's not a request."

Silence.

Her jaw clenched, but no argument.

She stormed out, heels echoing thunder.

Door slammed.

I didn't move.

Didn't breathe.

I watched the screen go dark.

Silence swallowed the room.