STRINGS BETWEEN US

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: OF UNTOUCHABLE PRESIDENTS, FALLING CROWNS, AND THE COURT

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: OF UNTOUCHABLE PRESIDENTS, FALLING CROWNS, AND THE COURT WHO WATCHED

Xythe's POV

Sovereign Suites — Private Line 0413
Celestine Ardent Academy: Ardent Court Secure War Room

The moment the Ice President's photo hit the forum—key in hand, Ari clinging to him like he was her last safe place—everything imploded.

We were already watching.

And we were ready.

But I still underestimated how fast Snake Bianchi would move.The moment the Ice President's photo hit the forum—key in hand, Ari clinging to him like he was her last safe place—everything imploded.

We were already watching. And we were ready. But even I underestimated how fast Snake Bianchi would strike.

She didn't hesitate. She never does. That's what makes her dangerous. The rest of the world watches and flinches. Bianchi moves first—and aims to kill second.

"Suspension confirmed," Tofer muttered as he scrolled through encrypted feeds. "All council privileges revoked. The Arcanum Festival backend's frozen. Planning threads—dead. No central clearance."

"No President, no permits," Seb said grimly. "And no chain of command. Half the booths are collapsing."

I didn't answer. I was too busy watching the video on loop.

Khaizer Dylan unlocking the gate like he owned the night.

Ari holding onto him like he was the only thing keeping her from breaking.

And Snake Bianchi.

Above them. Watching. Lurking.

Like the queen she thinks she is.

"They're begging Lucian for help now," Tofer added.

"He won't move," I replied. "Not unless it gives him something to leverage later."

"Coward. All brains, no spine," Keryn scoffed.

"They're saying the festival might be canceled," Seb muttered. "Is this salvageable at all?"

"Not without him," Keryn shook her head. "The Ice President was the festival. No one else even knows where the reserve copies of the operations matrix are."

I leaned back, pressing my fingers against my temples. This wasn't just a scandal.

This was an implosion. And Snake Bianchi wasn't just trying to destroy KD's title.

She was rewriting his entire story. From savior to saboteur. From president to problem. She didn't just push him out. She made him look like he deserved it.

"She's good," I muttered.

"Too good," Keryn said. "The Marriage Booth was just the prelude. This is the power play."

"Snake Bianchi's aim was never the school," Lyle said quietly, from where he stood by the window. "It's always been him."

We all looked at him.

Because when Lyle speaks like that—slow, quiet, steel behind every word—we listen.

"She still wants the Ice President," he said. "And if she can't have him, she'll take the only thing that makes him human."

My fists clenched.

Ari.

"She's targeting her?" Seb asked, almost breathless.