Chapter 110. After All

TESSA

It had been a week since Arden last stepped foot on campus, and I could feel her absence settling into every corner of the Academy. Things felt quieter without her. However, while I missed her, the others seemed largely unaffected. If anything, the Academy had only grown more intense in her absence.

Ever since the first poll was released, and Cade’s name appeared right beneath Winters’, boasting a shocking 35%, it felt like someone had poured gasoline on a fire. Winters’ supporters doubled down. His campaign banners grew larger, his speeches louder, and the pressure more suffocating.

Still, no one questioned anything.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. The sudden push and the unspoken curfews placed on North-aligned students—it all felt well-planned. From my years of observing this school, I had learned that power never moves without hands discreetly guiding it from beneath the table.

That morning, I left my dorm early. The sun h