Monteverde Academy

Chapter-58

I stood in the main hall with all of my friends. The prayer meeting would start in a few minutes. Airell and Aria were talking softly together as were Bianca and Finn. Eryx stood apart, looking tired. I wanted to go over to talk to him but I couldn't afford to be distracted now. I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Prince. 

For it was him, with all his smiles and manners he had used to manipulate everyone. It was all crystal clear to me the moment I saw the silver ball lying on the carpet of Yves' room. It had been attached to his royal outfit near the bottom of the coat. I doubted anyone else would have seen it but I had dropped him off to his room the day he had arrived and had bent down to pull my heel up when Kuperus had called me to take him to his room. 

He had the perfect opportunity every single time. He must have somehow blackmailed Yves when he went to Vervosia. Finn had mentioned Yves had been troubled after this trip. It wouldn't have been hard for Arryn to meet Yves at the palace for Yves was a noble and his family took him there all the time.

 Then Arryn had come to Monteverde, for reasons I didn't know yet, and had forced Yves to help him kill Garessa and then hung Yves when he had wanted to quit. As for why he had done it- my theory was that Arryn had turned into a Selzer and had needed his monthly Carthan and human blood supply. Human blood he would have managed easily and Carthan blood he must have taken from Yves or Garessa. His required monthly kill had been Garessa. The pale skin I thought he had inherited from his father was instead the result of his turning into a selzer. 

Everyone had always thought Selzers had snuck into the school for that attack on Garessa but no one had guessed that a Selzer might already be in the school, hiding amongst us. Arryn's motive must have been to make himself powerful and scary enough to sit on the throne and rule. There might have been other reasons as well which I still had no clue about. 

The prayer meeting started and we all filed in. I stood and tried to put on a stoic expression. I doubted anyone was looking at me, but I was about to sneak into a possible murderer's room. It never hurt to be careful. 

Mrs. Kuperus was on the raised platform giving some kind of speech as a framed picture of Yves was brought in by servants. Everyone bowed their heads to wish him peace and started lighting candles. My plan was to act upset and flee from the room. No one would have thought of it as strange as Yves and I were close friends. 

As it turned out, I didn't have to act. The tears I had suppressed with my flame of vengeance came rushing out of me and I choked on them. I rushed from the room before I could get too upset. Tonight was not the night I could afford to get distracted by emotions. Tonight, I would bring justice to Yves. And I was prepared to do it at any cost.