The Villainess's Reputation [Kingdom Building]

323. Rexford’s Story From The Past Part 2

“Why do you insist on being such a constant hurdle for Her Highness?” the Student Council President asked, leaning back in his chair. He watched Rexford with a knowing glint in his eyes. “What does it actually matter to you if she breaks a few minor dorm rules?”“She just ticks me off,” Rexford replied, his voice laced with annoyance as he shuffled his papers.

The President chuckled, moving to sit on the edge of the desk beside him. “Is that all? Or is it just that Miss Laila is your childhood friend, and it feels like the Princess stole her away from you?”

Rexford snapped his ledger shut and stood up abruptly. “Not really. Laila is still my friend, even if she decided to become that unruly Princess’s lover.” He swept his books off the table, his expression darkening. “I’ve known she prefers women for as long as I can remember, but the fact that she chose someone like Ravenna Solarius... Argh, whatever. I have a lecture to get to.”

With a huff, he turned and marched out of the room.

“When will he realize it’s not actually about Miss Laila?” the President muttered to the empty room, a smirk playing on his lips as Rexford disappeared. He glanced down at the registration logs. “And why is he heading that way? Isn't his next class in the Administration wing?”

Rexford walked briskly through the corridors, his mind a whirlpool of irritation. Naturally, fate had a cruel sense of humor, because he rounded a corner and nearly collided with the very person he was trying to vent about.

“Ha... I really have to run into you now?” Rexford groaned, stopping dead in his tracks. “My entire day is officially ruined.”

“As if your day is the one that's ruined!” Ravenna retorted, crossing her arms and eyeing him with suspicion. “Mine is the one in shambles now. Also, aren't you in the Administration department? Why are you even on this route? This is the Humanities wing.”

“I took Ancient Literature as an elective. Do you have a problem with that, Your Highness?” Rexford shot back, stepping closer. “Or are you just afraid I might perform better than you and steal your academic thunder?”

“In your dreams, Young Lord Roland,” Ravenna sneered.

The sparks of their mutual dislike flew as they went back and forth, their bickering echoing through the stone hallway. But suddenly, the air changed. The temperature seemed to drop, then spike, and a heavy, oppressive silence fell over the corridor.

Both of them stopped mid-insult.

A hooded man emerged from a shadowed corner a few yards ahead of them. He didn't speak; he simply looked at them with a hollow, terrifying smile.

“Something is wrong...” Rexford whispered.

Before he could even finish the thought, Ravenna’s hand shot out, grabbing his. Her grip was tight, her instincts from all the training under Faldeus already screaming that this wasn't a normal encounter. She began to pull him back, her face pale as she sensed something off about the man.

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But they were too late.

A blinding, incandescent light bloomed from the man’s palms. A wave of searing, unnatural heat rushed toward them, and the entire corridor erupted in a deafening, violet-white explosion. The shockwave was so violent it shattered the reinforced stone of the academy floor. Both Rexford and Ravenna were thrown backward, falling into the dark as the ground beneath them cracked and gave way.

For at least thirty minutes, silence reigned in the depths. Both lay unconscious, draped over broken branches and thick moss. Slowly, Rexford was the first to stir, his head throbbing in time with his heartbeat. He looked over to see Ravenna blinking away the haze of the fall. They shared a long, ragged sigh of relief, the simple fact of the other’s breathing being enough for now.

“We’re lucky... that the fall was broken by these trees,” Rexford grunted, forcing himself to a standing position even as his muscles screamed in protest.

Ravenna sat up, rubbing a bruised shoulder as she scanned their surroundings. The area was lush, filled with oversized ferns and trees that glowed with a faint, bioluminescent pulse. “Why is an underground cave filled with a forest? Don’t tell me...”

Before she could finish the thought, Rexford let out a weary, defeated sigh. “Yes. The hole from the explosion must have dropped us straight into the Academy’s maintained four floor dungeon.”

“Great. Just fantastic,” Ravenna muttered, slowly finding her feet.

A heavy, awkward silence stretched between them as they began to trek through the greenery. They moved with a cautious rhythm, eyes peeled for magical beasts or an exit. Both looked as if they were chewing on a difficult thought, their mouths opening and closing in hesitation until, finally, they spoke in perfect, jarring unison.

“Sorry.”

They both froze, staring at each other in genuine confusion.

“What? Why are you apologizing?” Ravenna asked, her brow furrowed.

Rexford adjusted his dirt-smudged collar, looking away. “Because of the assassination attempt, obviously. You only got caught in the crossfire because you were standing near me.”

Ravenna’s expression shifted from confusion to sheer offense. “Huh? You actually think that attempt was on your life? Don’t kid yourself, Young Lord Roland.” She pounded her chest with a strange sort of competitive pride. “I am an Imperial Princess. This was clearly one of my siblings' schemes to thin out the succession line.”

Rexford let out a sharp, mocking chuckle. “As if! It was clearly a hit orchestrated by someone from the Roland Dukedom. My older brother has been looking for an excuse to secure his inheritance for months. This was his move, beyond a shadow of a doubt!”

“No! They were trying to kill me, and you just happened to get swept up in it like a stray leaf!” Ravenna shouted, reaching out to grab his collar and shake him. Rexford pushed her hands away, his own temper flaring. “Don't flatter yourself, Your Highness! I was the target, and you just got stuck here because you couldn't keep your mouth shut and walk faster!”

They continued their trek deeper into the glowing forest, their voices echoing through the dungeon as they bickered heatedly over who was important enough to be murdered.

Present, The Office, Origin Domain, Outside Time and Space

“It’s the same... it’s exactly the same,” Ravenna muttered, her voice cracking as she leaned heavily against a cold metal desk for support.

She stared at her blistered palms, the searing pain a vivid reminder of the flash she had just witnessed in the garden. The sterile, rhythmic chugging of the steam engines provided a haunting backdrop to her thoughts. Automatons moved with mindless precision nearby, assembling firearm components and sorting chemical reagents, oblivious to their creator’s distress.

The explosion in the Empress’s Garden hadn't just been a generic fireball spell. It had that distinct, violet-white core, an incandescent bloom that defied standard elemental spells. It was the same signature energy that had collapsed the Academy corridor and sent her and Rexford tumbling into the depths years ago.

“A suicide bomber using that specific spell recipe,” she whispered, her eyes narrowing as she ignored the throbbing in her hands.