Chapter 357: The Fiery Path To Hell
Inside Alex’s and Chuck’s Dorm Room...
"How do I look, Dim Dim?" Chuck asked as he struck a pose, even wiggling his eyebrows. "Am I handsome enough?"
"Dim!"
"Will it be a good idea to enter the ballroom with a rose between my lips? I’ll look fifty percent cooler than usual if I do, no?"
"Yuck!"
"Um? Did you say something, Dim Dim?" Chuck blinked in confusion, thinking he’d misheard Dim Dim say something out of his dim-dim-dim vocabulary.
"Dim?" Dim Dim blinked back, looking like the innocent bun that it was.
"It might just be my imagination then."
"Dim!"
After posing a few more times in the mirror, the young man walked to Alex, who had just finished changing into a new set of uniform for the upcoming party.
"Alex, you’re not wearing a uniform to the party, are you?" Chuck asked in a serious tone. "Nobles are also coming to meet the delegates from Solara and Faelarun. Why don’t you change so you can make a good first impression?"
"I don’t really need to do that," Alex answered.
"Yes, you do," Vaan stated in a serious tone. "The Montclair Family is also coming today."
"Montclair?" Alex frowned. "Are they important?"
Chuck lightly patted his forehead, as if to admonish himself for forgetting that Alex wasn’t a noble.
"The heir of that family is one of Vaan’s most ardent suitors," Chuck said in a serious tone. "There was even a scandal about him drugging Vaan in the past. Fortunately, nothing happened, or it would’ve been a true scandal."
His roommate’s words reminded Alex of Vaan’s backstory, and he soon recalled the other party’s identity.
"Victor Montclair," Alex muttered.
"Yes, that’s him!" Chuck clicked his tongue. "That guy is a real trash. Not only is he a womanizer, but some rumors also say that he’s conducting illegal activities in his domain. Of course, even if it’s true, no one will dare to persecute him. His father spoils him to a certain degree and will clean up his mess."
"Does Vaan know about this?" Alex inquired.
"I don’t know." Chuck sighed. "But if they see each other there, that guy might make a ruckus."
Victor Montclair was the only person who knew that Vaan was actually a boy, not a girl.
He learned of it after spiking the pretty boy’s drink and attempting to take advantage of the latter. Shocked about the discovery, he was fortunately too stunned to do anything.
Vaan’s servants had arrived on time to rescue him, and the situation had been locked behind closed doors.
But with the Montclair Heir’s impending visit, things could become ugly if not handled properly.
"Well, then. Although it’s a bit early, I’ll go meet some friends first and ask them if my attire is good." Chuck patted Alex’s shoulder. "But bro, do yourself a favor and wear something fancy. It’s not every day that you get a chance to socialize with the nobility at a party."
After saying those words, Chuck left the room, leaving Alex and Dim Dim behind.
Dim Dim yawned and jumped on top of Alex’s pillow, planning to take a short nap before the party started.
Meanwhile, Alex thought of Vaan, and decided to have a chat with him for a bit.
The young man headed to Vaan’s room and knocked on the door. Usually, Ironheart Dormitory residents shared a room with one other fellow student. But the Headmaster himself had granted Vaan a special exception, allowing him to solo a room.
With such a convenient setup, the pretty boy didn’t have to worry about a roommate finding out his true gender.
"Vaan? It’s me, Alex," Alex said as he knocked on the door. "Are you there?"
"Coming!" Vaan’s voice sounded from the other side of the door, which made Alex sigh in relief.
Just like Alex, Vaan was dressed in the academy uniform meant for girls.
It seemed that he didn’t plan on wearing a dress out of self-awareness that it would make him stand out from the crowd.
"Please sit," Vaan said as he placed a chair beside his bed. "It’s rare for you to visit me. Did something come up?"
"Chuck mentioned that the Heir of the Montclair Family will attend today’s party," Alex answered as he sat down. "I was wondering if you knew about this."
The smile on Vaan’s face immediately disappeared after hearing what Alex had to say.
"I know he’s coming," Vaan nodded. "Did you come here because you’re worried about me?"
A playful smile appeared on his face, but he didn’t look as lively as he usually did. Clearly, he was also worried about Victor’s arrival.
"Maybe you should skip the party," Alex said in a serious tone.
"It’s already too late." Vaan sighed. "Prince Garen made me promise that I will attend. He asked for a first and last dance with me before he returned to Solara."
The teenage boy, who truly looked like a delicate girl, smiled bitterly, also worried about meeting Victor at the party.
However, his eyes looked determined. He clearly had no plans to run away from one of the traumas in his life, believing it was the first step to moving on from it.
"Very well. I’ll block him for you," Alex said with a smile. "I’ll make sure he doesn’t approach you during the party."
"Thank you, Alex, but it would be best if I faced him head-on," Vaan replied.
"He might try to blackmail you, you know?" Alex frowned.
"I’m sure he will." Vaan sneered. "He and his family have been eyeing our lands since my family’s death. They want to get it through me by marriage, but if that doesn’t work, they’d likely resort to destroying me and my reputation."
Alex gazed at his friend, who had suffered many hardships in his lifetime. Not only was he the last surviving member of the Damne Family, but he also needed to hide his gender to protect himself from being killed by those who wished to obtain the Damne Territory.
Believing Vaan was a girl, they hadn’t been too threatened with her taking the position of the Clan Head of the Damne Family. In their minds, Vaan had no other option but to give birth to a male heir, who would then inherit the territory.
That said, they would rather have their sons take Vaan as their wife, so they could legitimately take over the Damne Family’s lands without the need of fighting anyone.
Unbeknownst to them, Vaan was actually a boy, effectively crushing their supposed fool-proof plan to acquire the Damne territory through marriage.
Except Victor—the only noble who knew that Vaan was a boy.
However, he kept it a secret. As long as he was the only one who knew about it, he believed Vaan would have no choice but to submit to him.
"Alex, thank you for worrying about me, but I’m tired of running away," Vaan said solemnly. "I’ve made many mistakes in the past, and I’ll probably make many more in the future.
"But I will no longer let anyone treat me like a doormat. I’m no longer someone they can step on any time they liked, and no longer someone who can’t fight back. If he thinks he can have his way, he is in for a surprise."
The more Vaan talked, the more color returned to his face. He no longer looked pale, but looked like a beautiful maiden, who was about to make her debut in the ranks of the nobility.
"Out of curiosity, what would you do if he told everyone that you are a guy?" Alex asked.
"Oh, that?" Vaan smiled evilly. "I’d like to see him try."
Suddenly, Vaan stood up, placed a finger on Alex’s chin, and raised it up a bit.
"I thought of a good idea," Vaan said. "Since I plan to walk the fiery path of hell, would you like to accompany me, My Liege?"
"Are you planning to create trouble?" Alex inquired.
"Yep," Vaan answered without hesitation. "I’ll make the world burn."
Alex smiled back. "Where do I sign?"
A chuckle escaped Vaan’s lips. Whenever he was with Alex, he felt that he was invincible.
Sooner or later, he had to face Victor Montclair and his family.
Truth be told, if he was alone, Vaan wouldn’t dare to face them on his own.
But now, he had company.
He had someone he looked up to, someone willing to brave the dangers alongside him.
"I was just planning to wear my uniform to the party, but now, I changed my mind," Vaan placed his hands over his hips, making him truly look like a spirited young lady. "But first, we need to dress up for the occasion."
Vaan went to his wardrobe and took out something. He then handed it over to Alex, making the young man blink in confusion after seeing the thing that Vaan wanted him to wear.
"You’re serious?" Alex inquired.
"Very serious," Vaan replied.
"Well, I guess I’ll have to rain on Chuck’s parade tonight." Alex shrugged. "But knowing him, I’m sure he would approve of this."
"Right." Vaan chuckled. "Let’s just steal the show."
The two then smiled evilly. While they didn’t know what would happen during the party, they were certain of one thing.
They would go to the ballroom prepared for a battle, and they had no intention of losing.
The party would start in two hours, and Alex and Vaan decided to meet up after three hours.
That would give the guests enough time to gather in the ballroom, making their entrance have a more lasting impact in the eyes of everyone in the party.
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A/N: Only one Chapter tonight. I haven’t been able to sleep for two days, and it has a taken a toll on me. Regular Chapters will resume tomorrow.