Lewd System: Every Scream and Moan is EXP

Chapter 272: Chapter 272 : The Loaded Cannon Is Watching

The carriage took both Jax and Roxana toward where the next chaos would occur.

And Roxana knew it. She knew for sure that she was doing something terrible. Like bringing a loaded cannon to a shouting match and handing the fuse to the most unhinged person in the room.

She thought to herself. ’In a situation like this, he would have questioned me. Asked what was going on. Why I said he was needed. How he was being framed. What exactly was happening. But he’s just sitting there with his eyes closed. As if calculating something.’

She looked at his face. Whatever was going on behind those closed eyelids didn’t look exactly peaceful.

But Roxana had her own questions running wild. About what she had seen back there.

’Why had Astrid allowed him to hold her hand? With no disgust. No repulsion. How the hell did she allow herself to be patted like that? Treated like a dog in front of everyone. I am absolutely sure that if anyone else dared to do that or precisely to the Astrid I know, the next moment they would be missing a hand. But why? Why did she...’

Then her thoughts spiraled. ’Wait. Did that bastard charm her? No. What the hell are you thinking, Roxana. There is no way a person like Astrid would fall for that. But what if...’

She was fighting her own head when the carriage came to a stop. They had reached the guest manor. A very large estate provided only to the highest-ranking nobles visiting the academy.

Jax stepped out first. He could hear the argument even from outside the walls. And each step he took toward the entrance made Roxana more nervous.

He looked at the garden and spotted various known figures gathered in a tense formation.

First were the two kings. The Vampire King and the Dragon King, both standing with postures that demanded answers from the figures in front of them. Those figures were Elira and Seraphina.

Then there was Seraphina’s brother, who looked worried and unsure of his own role in this mess. And then there was another boy. Leon who was Elira’s fiancé and Beside him stood a woman whose looks and the air around her made both her status and her power obvious without a word being spoken. And she was enjoying this situation. And to Jax it was clear she was Leon’s mother.

And lastly there was Zharina. Who was protesting with a worried expression that Jax had never seen on her before.

She said. ”Please, Your Majesties. Please try to understand. The girls cannot withdraw from the finals tomorrow. The world will be watching. Eagerly waiting for the last matchups of the inter-academy tournament. It will decide the winning academy and their roster. But if the match is cancelled, it will cause a mountain of problems.”

She pressed further. ”Politically for you. And even worse for the academy. And I can tell you that Headmistress Lysandra will not be happy with this.”

Zharina was doing everything in her power to make this match happen. Not out of concern for the girls. She knew that if they withdrew, Jax would have a clean excuse to wave off his bet with her as well.

She had recorded his voice when they placed the wager knowing very well how Jax can flip, but it would be useless if he challenged the terms. She would fail to collect on Seraphina’s promise of being handed over to him. Her entire scheme depended on tomorrow’s match happening.

But the Vampire King spoke over her as if she hadn’t said a word.

”Do you think we are some kind of joke to you all? Do you think we would continue this madness just for people’s entertainment and be the jokers to our own citizens?”

His gaze turned to Elira.

”It was my mistake to begin with. Sending you to this academy. Which made you think you got some wings to fly.”

He stepped closer. ”Do you have any idea what your little rebellion has cost me? Do you know how shocked I was when Lady Sianna told me about your acts with her son?”

Elira said nothing. Her eyes were on the ground.

”You don’t understand anything, do you? You are an imperial princess. Each of your steps affects our entire empire. And this one has started a debate among the council members. Not only that, it has made many merchants, many trade agreements, and many other parties worried sick. They think there is some internal dispute between the two great houses.”

His voice hardened further.

”The engagement that I spent four years negotiating is not some child’s play that you can turn down just because a certain someone told you to. It secures many things that your stupid brain isn’t accounting for. The western borders. Military support from every great house for the next century. Trades. Deals. And most importantly, the throne itself for yourself in the distant future.”

He was almost growling now.

”And yet you turned it into a joke. A public spectacle where my daughter is seen gallivanting around an academy, following the orders of some human professor like a trained pet.”

Silence fell over the garden. The Vampire King was demanding answers and Elira stood there looking at the ground, clenching her fists so tight her knuckles had gone white.

Jax saw it all from his position near the garden entrance. But there was no anger on his face. He raised his hand to stop Roxana from moving forward.

She said. ”Professor, what are you—”

”Don’t move. Just sit back and watch.”

”But they are—”

”It’s their battle. Not ours. So let them handle it.”

He looked at the scene ahead. ”And I’m sure it will end better than anything I could do by walking in there right now. Because I have trust in my students.”

He smiled at the situation which made Roxana question whether this was the same man who loved chaos more than breathing.

Then he added quietly. ”And if things don’t go the way they should, which has the slightest possibility, prepare to turn this whole manor into a graveyard.”

She saw the mischief in his eyes, the same professor she knew reflected back and thus she wanted to say ’I am not part of this’ but before she could, another voice spoke.

The Dragon King. Addressing Seraphina. ”This entire tournament has been one disaster after another. And now my son and my daughter are fighting against each other instead of standing together, Representing the throne. And importantly, the unity our kingdom needs.”

He took a measured breath. ”Honestly, I allowed you to participate under a different roster than your brother because I thought it wouldn’t affect much. But right now, the next match stands in a position that will question the very right to the throne. The right to us.”

His voice tightened.

”I know your tactical mind, Seraphina. And I also know that you will pull something tomorrow. Something that will create questions among the citizens. Questions about why you aren’t being considered for the throne. Why that brilliant mind is hidden away when it could rule the kingdom better.”

He shook his head.

”I know you won’t win. But your actions can split the views on the throne itself. And now, even worse, you have joined someone who is rebelling against her own family.”

He pointed at Elira. Then added. ”You know where this leads, don’t you?”

He stepped forward.

”For what are you doing all this? To prove something? To show the world that the princess of the Dragon Kingdom is more capable than her brother? Do you know what that looks like from the outside? It looks like a succession crisis.”

His voice dropped to something final.

”And all of this is happening because of one man. One bastard professor.”

The Vampire King nodded. ”He is the puppet master. The architect behind every piece of chaos that has touched our families since this tournament began.”

He added. ”He is either someone who thrives on disorder and seeks to destabilize kingdoms for his own gain. Or he is on a path of calculated vengeance, targeting thrones one after another for reasons we haven’t uncovered yet. Maybe revenge for some loss triggered by us.”

His jaw set.

”Either way, he is the one behind all of this. Feeding disobedience. Breeding rebellion.”

The Dragon King spoke with an authority that closed every door in the conversation. ”We will end it here. Both of you will withdraw from the finals. You will return home and this professor will be dealt with through proper channels.”

He looked directly at Seraphina. ”This is not a suggestion. It is an order.”

Then the Vampire King turned to Elira. His voice carrying the same finality.

”And you will honor the engagement. Without any further drama. Without any further embarrassment.”

His eyes bore into hers. ”Am I clear?”

-x-X-x-

[A/N: Thanks Riebee, tony_adams_4787 and Littleboy18794 for the golden tickets your appreciation means a lot.

(👍🏻ᴗ _ᴗ)👍🏻]