The festival lights were still hanging across campus.

  But the celebration was long dead.

  Night had swallowed the academy whole.

  Su walked alone.

  She told herself she liked the quiet.

  That it helped her think.

  That it didn’t bother her that people had been whispering all week.

  But tonight the whispers followed her.

  Footsteps.

  Slow.

  Measured.

  Behind her.

  She didn’t turn around at first.

  Princesses don’t look scared.

  The footsteps got closer.

  A voice cut through the dark.

  “You shouldn’t walk alone.”

  She stopped.

  Three senior boys stepped into the dim light between buildings. Not drunk. Not laughing.

  Just… watching.

  The one in front smiled.

  “You’ve been acting strange lately. Not very royal.”

  Su kept her chin high. “Move.”

  He stepped closer instead.

  “You think being untouchable makes you powerful?”

  The other two shifted to block the path.

  Her heart finally betrayed her.

  This wasn’t teasing.

  This wasn’t politics.

  This was something uglier.

  One of them reached for her wrist.

  She pulled back instantly — but the grip tightened.

  “Let go.”

  Her voice didn’t shake.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  But her pulse did.

  “Relax,” he said. “We just want to talk.”

  The way he said it made her stomach twist.

  The grip tightened harder.

  She tried to yank free.

  He didn’t let her.

  And for the first time—

  She felt small.

  Not a princess.

  Not untouchable.

  Just a girl trapped in the dark.

  “Let her go.”

  The voice came from behind them.

  Calm.

  Cold.

  Sid.

  The seniors turned slowly.

  One of them scoffed. “This doesn’t involve you.”

  Sid’s eyes didn’t even flicker.

  “It does now.”

  The boy holding Su tightened his grip in defiance.

  Sid moved.

  Fast.

  So fast Su didn’t even process it.

  One second the boy was standing.

  The next he was on the ground, gasping, Sid’s knee pressed into his chest, fingers twisted around his collar.

  The other two rushed forward.

  It lasted less than ten seconds.

  When it was over—

  Two were on the ground.

  One was bleeding from the lip.

  And Sid stood between Su and the dark like a wall.

  No rage.

  No dramatic shouting.

  Just quiet.

  Terrifying quiet.

  “Get up,” Sid said flatly.

  They scrambled away without another word.

  Silence returned.

  But Su’s breathing hadn’t.

  Sid turned to her.

  His eyes softened instantly.

  “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head.

  But her hands were shaking.

  And she hated that he could see it.

  “I could have handled it,” she said automatically.

  Sid didn’t argue.

  He just stepped closer and gently took her wrist.

  The faint red mark where she’d been grabbed stood out against her skin.

  His jaw tightened.

  She noticed.

  For the first time—

  He looked angry.

  Not loud.

  Not violent.

  But deeply, dangerously angry.

  “They crossed a line,” he said quietly.

  “It’s nothing,” she replied.

  “It’s not nothing.”

  His thumb brushed just below the mark, careful, gentle.

  The contrast made her chest ache.

  She hadn’t realized how scared she’d been.

  Until now.

  The adrenaline was fading.

  And what replaced it was worse.

  Vulnerability.

  She swallowed.

  “I hate that I needed you.”

  Sid didn’t hesitate.

  “You didn’t need me.”

  She blinked.

  “I was just faster.”

  She stared at him.

  And for once—

  She didn’t know what mask to wear.

  The strong one?

  The graceful one?

  The distant one?

  So she did nothing.

  And that’s when he did something unexpected.

  He pulled her into him.

  Not aggressive.

  Not possessive.

  Just firm.

  Protective.

  Her forehead pressed against his chest.

  She froze for half a second.

  Then her hands gripped the front of his shirt.

  Tightly.

  Like she’d been holding that breath for years.

  “You don’t get to scare me like that,” he murmured quietly into her hair.

  Her voice was small.

  “I didn’t mean to.”

  His arms tightened slightly.

  The world felt quieter there.

  Safer.

  But safety never lasts long.

  A camera shutter clicked.

  Both of them froze.

  Across the courtyard —

  A shadow lowered a phone.

  And smiled.

  Su’s blood ran cold.

  Because she recognized that smile.

  Not a senior.

  Not a student.

  Someone from her father’s circle.

  Watching.

  Recording.

  Sid followed her gaze.

  His expression changed instantly.

  Not confusion.

  Recognition.

  And something worse.

  Understanding.

  The man turned and walked away into the dark.

  Sid didn’t chase him.

  Su whispered, barely audible—

  “He wasn’t here for me.”

  Sid’s jaw clenched.

  “No.”

  The truth settled like ice.

  He was here for Sid.

  And the embrace they just captured?

  That wasn’t an accident.

  That was leverage.

  And in Su’s world—

  Leverage was war.

  Sid stepped back slightly, eyes still scanning the dark.

  But his voice dropped low.

  “Su.”

  She looked up.

  “This isn’t about school anymore.”

  Her stomach tightened.

  Because she already knew.

  And somewhere far away—

  A message was being sent.

  A deal was being prepared.

  And someone had just decided—

  Sid was a problem.

  To Be Continued.