The young duke exited the office in a full-blown storm cloud of low-pressure.
For some reason, the academy's stance was unusually firm. The admin staff and Vice Principal Xu Chuan were all telling him, directly or indirectly, to "wait for the outcome."
Who the hell was this intruder? Did they really have a stronger background than the only son of a duke and a crown princess?
Westley was so furious that he slipped into the trap of comparing social status.
To catch the trespasser who had entered his room, he'd thrown on a coat over a bathrobe and dashed out in slipper.
Utterly disgraceful.
On the way back to his dorm, he ran into a night owl still wandering around.
"Westley!" Mason Pike had heard noises and came out to check. Earlier, when Vivienne tapped into her newly trained reflexes and exploded into a burst of strength, the entire chase had happened too fast for anyone else to catch up. Most had already gone back inside—but Mason had been curious and kept peeking out his door.
And so, he bumped right into Westley. "Where were you off to this late?"
Westley blinked his gold-green eyes, his light lashes falling like feathers, concealing the storm brewing underneath. "Went to ask the teachers about something."
Though burning with rage and determined to make that intruder pay, Westley wasn't about to explode publicly and smear his own reputation with a scandal about a Sentinel entering his dorm.
Even if Mason Pike was a friend, the fewer people who knew about this, the better.
Especially since—
"Jeez, why do you look so pissed off?" Mason leaned in. "Don't be mad—I've got a funny story for you!"
Especially since—this guy had the loosest lips in the entire academy, always broadcasting the latest gossip.
Westley knew Mason all too well. If he didn't let the guy talk it out, he wouldn't shut up. So he played it cool and said, "Go ahead."
He was still thinking about that damned trespasser. Once he caught her, what would he do with her…?
"You probably don't know this since you've been in closed training—there's an SS-level Sentinel among the new first-years."
"SS-level?" Westley hadn't heard. After taking care of Gavin Thornton, he'd gone straight into military-ordered seclusion. He'd just returned tonight—only to be instantly dragged into this mess. He hadn't had time to catch up on school news.
"Yup. Just remember that—SS-level.
"The main character of this juicy bit is Jan Squire. You know how our families are discussing a marriage arrangement?" Mason was visibly excited. "Well, I caught that guy red-handed!"
"He's doing Sentinel-Guide pairings!"
"What?" Even in his furious state, Westley blinked in surprise. Two seconds later: "You must be mistaken."
It sounded completely absurd.
"No, no, no! You don't know Jan Squire like I do—" Mason shook his head like a drum. "I've known him for over ten years. The moment I saw that freshman's face, I knew it—she's exactly his type!"
"They were having a candlelit dinner! I saw them myself. He tried to deny it, but the moment he handed her a jacket because she looked cold—he went silent."
"Ugh, knowing Jan, the way he usually acts—if he wasn't serious about her, there's no way he'd be that thoughtful."
"When Anna and I visited him at home, he never treated us like that!"
The Pike and Squire families had been close for generations, and Mason and Anna Pike had grown up alongside little Jan. They knew his personality like the back of their hands.
He spoke with such certainty that even Westley was puzzled. "I heard the engagement talk was all the Finance Minister's idea. Maybe this is just Jan trying to resist the arrangement?"
He hadn't interacted with Jan much—just a few brief chats at gatherings—but he'd gotten the impression Jan wasn't the impulsive type. Nobles understood better than anyone how powerful the allure of a bond with a Guide could be.
Why would Jan really choose a Sentinel?
Mason's smug laugh came to an abrupt halt. "Ah?"
He sucked in a breath. "Hissss—maybe? But they haven't made anything public, so what's the point? Right now, it's just you and me who know. I've been holding it in—I haven't told anyone~"
"If it's a fake relationship, shouldn't they at least let the families know?"
Listening to someone else's drama helped Westley calm down a bit. He commented objectively, "Maybe it's not time yet."
Mason wore a "master-of-secrets" expression. "I still think I'm right. I'm keeping my eyes on Jan from now on. I don't believe he—"
"What's her name?"
"Who?"
The young duke lifted his chin slightly. "The SS-level Sentinel Jan Squire is entangled with."
What's her name?