Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Elara:

Monday morning couldn’t have come soon enough.

After everything that had happened over the weekend, I desperately needed a few hours where nobody looked at me like I was either a political prize or a walking disaster waiting to happen.

Fortunately, History and Politics happened to be one of the few classes where I could breathe. Reign and his friends were all upperclassmen, and Liliana wasn’t a first-year student either, which meant none of them attended this particular class.

So for once, I could walk into a classroom without immediately wondering whether someone was waiting to provoke me.

The class itself was enormous. There had to be more than sixty students packed into the room, all of them first-years like me. A few curious glances followed me when I entered, but nobody approached me, whispered loudly about me, or tried to make a spectacle out of my presence.

Honestly, I was more grateful for their indifference than I could ever explain. I found an empty seat near the front and settled down, pulling my notebook from my bag as the remaining students slowly filled the room.

I was still getting used to seeing everything through the lens of this strange world. The academy. Magic. The five Regents. The Reapers. My biological parents. My seal. Sometimes I wondered whether I would ever stop feeling like I’d accidentally stepped into someone else’s life.

Then Professor Magnus Thornhart walked to the front of the classroom and wrote three words across the enormous blackboard.

THE ARGENTIS DYNASTY.

My fingers stopped moving as I stared at the words. Instinctively, I straightened in my seat, suddenly paying far more attention than I had intended to.

”Before the five Regents took control of Starfall,” Professor Thornhart began, ”this realm had experienced two major royal dynasties.”

He wrote another name beside Argentis.

MOONVEIL.

I stared at it.

I’d known Lorien was a Regent. I’d known he was the Headmaster. I’d even known he was the last descendant of House Moonveil. But what I hadn’t realized was what last descendant actually meant.

”The Moonveil dynasty ruled Starfall for centuries,” Professor Thornhart continued. ”Their reign ended approximately two hundred years ago following a succession crisis that permanently altered the structure of the realm.”

He paused.

”The final Crown Prince of House Moonveil was poisoned shortly before his coronation.”

A murmur spread through the room.

”The poisoning left him permanently crippled.”

I frowned.

”The Crown Prince had one sister,” Professor Thornhart continued. ”She had already married into House Argentis, a powerful noble family at the time. Following her brother’s condition, she became the first Argentis monarch.”

My pen slowly lowered.

He’s talking about my... great-great-great-grandmother.

The professor continued explaining the succession, and the more I listened, the stranger the story became. The crippled Crown Prince survived for several years after his sister took the throne, but he died within seven years after fathering a daughter. That daughter was apparently extremely frail, and the same weakness continued appearing in the descendants of the Moonveil bloodline for generations.

Someone in the back raised a hand. ”Professor?”

Professor Thornhart nodded.

”Isn’t there a rumor that House Moonveil was cursed?”

The professor’s expression tightened slightly. ”There are indeed such rumors. But no credible evidence.”

Another student spoke before the professor could continue. ”They say the curse was placed on them by the Argentis princess.”

Several students murmured.

”That if Moonveil ever returned to the throne, their bloodline would die.”

Professor Thornhart immediately turned toward the class. ”Enough.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried authority. ”Those claims are unverified rumors. Neither the alleged curse nor the supposed involvement of House Argentis has ever been proven.”

He looked around the room as he added, ”We study history to understand facts, not to turn speculation into truth.”

The whispers slowly died.

I looked down at my notebook. I didn’t know what to make of any of it. There were apparently centuries of political history between my family and Lorien’s family that I hadn’t even known existed. The thought was strange, but strangely enough, it didn’t upset me.

Maybe because none of it felt personal. Not yet.

Instead, my thoughts wandered toward Lorien. The professor had described generations of Moonveil descendants as physically frail.

I almost smiled. There was absolutely nothing frail about Lorien Moonveil. The man was six-foot-three, built like someone who spent years training, and had enough physical presence to make an entire corridor fall silent simply by walking into it. Whatever curse or weakness had supposedly plagued his ancestors, it certainly hadn’t stopped with him.

Professor Thornhart continued, ”House Argentis eventually became the ruling dynasty of Starfall.” He then wrote another date on the board. ”For more than one hundred and ninety years, the Argentis family maintained the throne.”

I stared at the number.

One hundred and ninety years.

Then the professor’s voice changed. ”Until twenty years ago.”

The room became quieter.

”On that night, the Argentis royal family was annihilated.”

My fingers tightened around my pen. I already knew this. I’d lived through the consequences of it without even knowing what they meant.

”The Crown Princess disappeared.” Professor Thornhart paused. ”Her disappearance became one of the greatest mysteries in our history.”

His gaze slowly moved across the room and... stopped on me.

”The mystery has now been resolved.” His expression softened slightly.

Every head in the classroom turned toward me, making me suddenly wish I’d chosen a seat in the back.

”The Lost Princess has returned.” His voice carried clearly through the classroom. ”Eleanora Argentis.”

My name echoed through the room.

”The return of the Crown Princess marks the beginning of what many believe will be a new and prosperous era for Starfall.”

I stared at him.

A prosperous era? Because of me?

I almost laughed. I didn’t have any intention of ruling anything. I didn’t even know how to control the magic that had nearly destroyed my dormitory corridor.

I was here because I had nowhere else to go. Because the Reapers were supposedly hunting me. Because my powers were sealed. Because my family was dead. And because everyone around me expected me to become something I wasn’t sure I wanted to be.

Professor Thornhart smiled toward me. ”The future of Starfall has finally returned.”

I lowered my eyes to my notebook. He could believe that if he wanted. But as far as I was concerned, I had absolutely no plans for a bright future.

I only had one plan.

Become strong enough to survive. And someday, become strong enough to make the people responsible for destroying my life pay.