Kingston Academy

THIRTY-THREE

Arien let Mirren be the one to lead the group this time. It wasn't like he meant to, but he recalled seeing how astonished the jaguar beastman looked when they found out about Niven's background.

The alpha leaned back against the sofa, crossing his arms as he stared directly at Mirren's face with a dark smile.

They honestly should've known about this the moment the heard the name of Cantillon.

The name was uncommon so it wouldn't have been surprising if no one knew the household, and the fact the family name had been lost to the war a hundred years ago in Astrax made the Cantillons a fallen noble house. Of course no one would've known Niven was a Kingston since he took up that name... but there was a reason why he chose that particular name instead of a random household.

It was because it came from his aunt, a fallen noble who fled from the devastation of her country, and later married into the family of Kingstons. It was such a simple answer, but no one figured it out until Arien took the time to handle the situation himself.

And while Arien had supposedly been busy with his exams, he left his presidential matters in the hands of Mirren. Who else but the jaguar could be trusted to handle the position as Head Alpha while he was away?

The said brunet stood in front of the desk, sitting slightly on top of it as he kept his eyes trained on Niven's face.

"Were you ever going to tell us?" Mirren asked in an even tone. "That you're a Kingston?"

"I... had plans to..." Niven quietly murmured.

"How come you didn't say so in the first place?" Silas interrupted. "You did agree with me about your bloodline, being born from a royal lineage. But who would've thought you were the son of Uriel Kingston? Why did you say you were a Cantillon?"

Niven flushed. "Because I a-am. I was enrolled here as a Cantillon from my aunt's side of the family, so I took up her name instead. I never... lied about my identity. No one asked me if I was a Royal in the first place."

"How come you enrolled as a Cantillon instead? You even took the exams, that wasn't necessary for someone like you," Mirren pointed out.

Niven shook his head. "It wasn't, but I didn't want to get in the easy way and simply did what was required like the rest of the students here. And as for my enrollment... I-I don't know. My aunt gave me only a few instructions, which was to take her household's name in place of my father's. My father only agreed."

Mirren leaned back further onto the desk, contemplating. He looked over at Silas, who merely shrugged. "Why were you placed as a low-tiered ability user? To think someone such as yourself landed at the bottom of the chain... it's really something," Silas couldn't help but mutter. "You were supposed to stand at the very top of our academy's hierarchy, yet you became food for other students."

"My father made all the arrangements, but I don't know the reason why he made my status so low. I'm thinking the vice-principal was also in on it, but I wouldn't know."

Mirren growled, "The vice-principal?"

"Would you look at that?" Silas commented with a snort. The angel rose a glass of alcohol to take a drink. "Even though you two aren't related by blood, the old man really did have some tricks up his sleeves. What was the saying again? The apple doesn't fall far from the tree? Perhaps that's it."

"What does that mean?" Mirren sneered at the angel.

"Oh, nothing. I was merely rambling. Carry on, Mr. President," Silas mocked with a cold smile.

Mirren looked away, rolling his eyes at the scummy smile Silas was giving him. He returned his attention to Niven, who nervously met eyes with him and fiddled with his fingers. Agustine slightly moved his head over to Niven, still scared of the blond, though he couldn't help but to keep checking up on the male.