Chapter 84: Best Friend and Beast Friend

As soon as she returned, she was sent straight to the headmaster's office. Apparently, her absence had not gone unnoticed. One slap on the wrist later, a brief reminder of the school rules, one extra assignment, then her final classes and a generous, lively dinner... she finally made her way back to her room.

Her best friend, who had arrived a few minutes earlier — Blanche having made a detour through the library — was waiting for her like a judge preparing for sentencing: arms crossed, lips pressed into a thin line.

Positioned directly in front of the door like a guard determined to prevent any possible escape, Eva wore that perfectly recognizable expression that usually announced either an interrogation or an imminent social disaster. Her foot tapped slowly against the floor with barely restrained impatience while her eyes followed Blanche with the dramatic intensity of a prosecutor finally catching a fugitive suspect.

The redhead slowed immediately.

Bad sign.

Very bad sign.

Because a silent Eva was always far more terrifying than a talking Eva.

Blanche tightened her grip slightly around the books as she walked down the hallway, already able to feel the weight of impending judgment approaching at alarming speed. The detour through the library had seemed perfectly reasonable at the time.

Now...

... considerably less so.

Eva slowly arched one eyebrow without uncrossing her arms.

No greeting.

No attempt at subtlety.

Just that fixed stare clearly saying: I know something happened, and you are going to tell me everything immediately.

The redhead sighed.

Long and deeply.

With the tired resignation of someone realizing that no avoidance strategy would work this time.

She already knew there was no escaping this.

And honestly, the worst part was that Eva possessed an almost supernatural talent for detecting the slightest anomaly in her behavior. A shift in mood, an evasive glance, one second too much hesitation... nothing ever escaped her for very long.

And after the last twenty-four hours, Blanche was probably about as subtle as a fire in the middle of a library.

"Okay... when you gotta go..."

She dropped onto the bed, and Eva joined her immediately. Blanche told her about meeting Prince Benjamin and the pixie Asher, carefully avoiding all compromising details: the invitation to watch the video, spying on the two kings, or the fact that Asher, Kysten, Benjamin, Kiyan, and herself were players.

That, she would never tell anyone.

Fortunately, she had already had time to put her things away before sitting down, because recounting everything took the entire evening.

"But why did you even go with them?" Eva asked after receiving a full presentation about the pixie greenhouse. "I mean... he could've gone alone. He didn't need you! No offense..."

"I have no idea," Blanche lied without blinking. "Maybe I made a strong impression on the Vampire King and he wanted to introduce me to his son... or maybe it was political, some drakion-vampire alliance for the partnership. Who knows..."

She shrugged to reinforce the lie.

"Anyway, it worked... just probably not the way he intended," she added thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Eva asked, surprised.

"I got closer to the Prince. He's the one talking to me now, and he's a good source of information," Blanche said, showing her phone.

"Oh yes, your new 'best friend,'" Eva mocked with air quotes and a grimace. "Do you like him?"

Blanche nearly choked. The kid was her son, for heaven's sake.

"Not like that. But yes, he's really nice... and he understands what it means to be crown prince."

"Why would—"

Eva stopped abruptly, eyes suddenly wide.

"No way. You're kidding!"

"Apparently, Grandfather plans to announce my new title during that stupid Gala..."

"Holy crap! I have to see that! I want an invitation! As crown princess, couldn't you maybe...?"

The redhead grimaced.

"Why do you think I spent the whole day looking for your father? If you want to come, he's the one you need to ask. And I already have my +1," she added, thinking of Kysten.

"So that's what you were doing? Aw, that's adorable. You were looking for Dad for me!"

Emotional, Eva wrapped her arms around her, and Blanche suddenly felt terribly guilty.

The hug had been immediate, instinctive, as always with her. Eva never did anything halfway when it came to people she loved. Her arms closed around Blanche with sincere warmth, almost disarming, and for a second the redhead remained motionless, unable to react properly.

Because she knew.

She knew she was hiding far too many things from her now.

The lies by omission were piling up between them like invisible stones, and even though Eva still looked at her with that absolute trust that sometimes tightened her chest painfully, Blanche could feel the guilt slowly slipping beneath her skin.

Still, she eventually returned the embrace, more gently.

And of course, that was the exact moment Phoenix appeared at the window.

The demon placed his paws against the glass before scratching loudly with the dramatic insistence of an animal convinced it was the victim of a terrible domestic injustice. His silver eyes stared inside with deeply offended dignity.

Eva immediately lit up.

"Phoenix!"

She crossed the room at once to let him in, visibly delighted by the unexpected visit. The second the window opened, the cat slipped gracefully inside before being captured without the slightest resistance by the brunette, who hugged him tightly with completely excessive happiness.

Phoenix stiffened instantly.

His gaze slowly drifted toward Blanche.

Very slowly.

As though expecting intervention. Help. Some sort of diplomatic support in the face of this betrayal.

Blanche merely crossed her arms with perfectly hypocritical coldness.

The dark look she shot him was explicit enough to make it very clear that he would be receiving absolutely no assistance today.

The demon looked deeply offended.

For several seconds, he maintained all the dramatic rigidity of an aristocrat kidnapped against his will. Then, gradually, beneath Eva's enthusiastic petting, his body began relaxing despite himself.

His ears stopped flattening.

His tail twitched vaguely.

And soon he became completely limp in the young woman's arms, sprawled there in pathetic resignation while Eva showered him with affection with growing enthusiasm.

Much to the brunette's delight.

"He's so cute..."

Phoenix let out a vaguely offended noise that sounded very much like a protest made on principle alone.

Then, exhausted by such emotional humiliation, he finally sprang out of her arms with recovered agility. In one smooth leap, he landed on his mistress's bed before settling directly onto Blanche's lap.

As if to very clearly remind everyone where his loyalty belonged.

Or where the last fragment of his dignity remained.