I looked at the pros and cons list of my death.

The pro of Claude killing me was that it would probably be quick and painless. The con was that a war would break out. The pro of my father killing me was that a war wouldn't break out, but the con was he would do it slowly and tortuously.

I'd thought about my death way too many times since coming here.

Maybe the pendant wasn't such a big deal. I didn't have to tell him Claude stole it. I could simply say I lost it. The punishment wouldn't be fun, but I didn't plan on attempting to steal my pendant back again. I'd learned my lesson.

I'd stayed up all night going through my actions again. They were careless and brash. I should have planned it better and thought it through. I believed Kaz so easily. I had realized the door being unlocked could be a setup, but I hadn't realized the whole thing was a test. Claude didn't return home on Mondays. He knew I'd try something if I thought he'd left. I'd fallen right into the trap.

I clenched my hand into a fist. At least I'd managed to land a few hits on him. He deserved it for that.

Kaz had the decency to look ashamed the night before. At first, I'd been confused by his expression, but now it made sense. I knew Claude probably forced him into doing it, but it still threw me off. No one would truly have my side here. I understood that, but...

I flopped down on my bed. A memory of Claude above me, messy-haired and bright-eyed, entered my mind unbidden and I shot up. I shoved the image away. No, no. That wasn't right. Claude wanted to kill me. What was I doing? Thinking Claude was attractive was like wondering what would happen if you crashed your car into a guardrail. You didn't really want to do it, but you couldn't stop the thought. Yes. That made more sense.

Claude was simply an intrusive thought.

I didn't want to go to class today and see him.

Skipping wasn't an option though, so I trudged out of my room to meet up with Kaz. To my great displeasure, Claude was already waiting with him. They both wore the basic uniform of black slacks and the button up with gold detailing. It was uncanny how much they resembled each other.

While their skin tones differed slightly, if someone had told me they were brothers before I knew better, I would have believed them. Even their facial structure was familiar.

I bit the inside of my cheek, hesitating before joining them. I'd noticed they looked similar before but didn't think too much about it. Was it possible Kaz was the hidden heir? Perhaps his true hair color was black, and he'd just dyed it lighter and wore colored contacts as Adora did. But I didn't get the same feeling from Kaz as I did from Claude, though. Wouldn't the other heir give off the same foreboding feeling?

That line of thinking disappeared as I walked up to them, warmth flooding my cheeks as shame suddenly went through me. I'd been terrified last night. And Claude had seen that fear. That moment of weakness. He hadn't even done anything, and I'd been shaking like a leaf. It was embarrassing. I wanted to hide my face in my hands. Instead, I did the next best thing.

Acted completely unaffected and ignored him.

"Ready, sleepyhead?" Kaz asked.

I nodded, hurrying past the pair and down the stairs. The lack of students in the hall revealed just how late I'd made us. I hastened my pace. Once outside, I nearly ran over Adora who was waiting for us at the bottom of the steps, breathing on her hands to keep them warm.

"Adora! Good morning," I said, hooking my arm around hers and guiding us toward our first class.

Her eyes grew round for a moment before a huge smile spread across her face. "You're lively this morning, but you're leading us the wrong way."

"What?"

"Our classes rotate, remember? We're going to history first today."

"Oh. Right."

She steered us to the left. "It's okay. I doubt anyone will notice if we're late."

I stared at her.

"Yeah, never mind. There is no way the crown prince and the vampire hunter could be discreet."

"If anyone is even in class."

"Everyone will be there today. Evander sent out a vaguely threatening email. Our school is funded by the families of the students who go here, so the students typically think they can get away with everything. But skipping class to avoid Claude is just rude. I don't know why they do that. Evander reminded everyone that skipping too many classes this early in the semester could lead them to be expelled."

"Expelled? Isn't that a bit much?"

"A small price to pay for insulting the crown."

Her words were light, but her face hardened. I fell silent and walked beside her. What happened yesterday made it apparent she was close to Claude. And her befriending me so easily made me believe she was a good person. So, I could understand her annoyance with the other students since she cared about Claude. I didn't even like Claude, and I still felt bad.

"Is it true that harming a member of the royal family is punishable by death?" I asked.

Her eyebrow quirked. "If you even live long enough to be found guilty of it, yes."

"What do you mean?"

"I've seen Claude's father strike people down for less."

"What? Is that even legal?"

"Our laws are much different than yours," she said. "Royalty is both government and law enforcement here. If Claude wanted to kill every student at this school, he could and he would go unpunished."

No wonder the students were afraid of him. I was suddenly feeling very lucky Claude let me live.

"Not that Claude would do that," Adora said, tucking her long black hair behind her ear. "He's not as bad as his father or grandfather. I'm sure you've heard rumors about them." She glanced around and lowered her voice, moving her head closer to me. "I'm almost glad they're gone. Claude's grandfather was horrible toward my mother. And she couldn't do anything about it."

What would Adora think if she found out I wore Claude's grandfather's bones around my neck? Or, well, that Claude wore his grandfather's bones around his neck? I didn't know how to answer Adora. My father was the one who killed Claude's grandfather. Whether she liked him or not, he was still dead because of my family.

Fortunately, I didn't have to answer because she let out a long sigh and continued. "That's the thing about royal sovereignty. You can't oppose supreme power. It's as corrupt as everything else. But Claude is different. I know he's scary to you, but I grew up with him. He's nothing like the rest of his family."

That sounded familiar. I was tempted to glance back at the prince in question but managed not to. He still threatened to kill me. My family still murdered his. No matter how Adora felt about Claude, the dynamic between him and myself was very different. I was spying on him, trying to find out his secrets. And he was rightly doing the same.

The treaty wanted us to be friends, but that was impossible. We would always end up with daggers at each other's throats. These past days have proven as much.

If the day came when we could meet up unarmed, then I'd believe we could be friends.

But that was seriously unlikely. I had no idea what my father planned to do once I figured out who the secret heir was.

Walking into a full classroom brought all the anxiety of the first day back. This was what I'd been expecting. A dead silence. Looks of disgust and disdain. My chest went tight, but I kept my face neutral. There weren't enough open spots for all of us to sit together, so Adora led me to two empty spots in the first row of seats.

I sat down stiffly. I'd rather sit next to Claude than some random student. At least I knew what to expect with him. The guy didn't bother to acknowledge me. I'd take being ignored over being stared at. Unfortunately, being at the front meant I couldn't even tell who had eyes on my back. It made the hairs on my neck raise.

Tucking my hands under my thighs, I subtly felt for my dagger. This time I didn't forget it. These students weren't bound to the peace treaty in the same way Claude was. Claude might be able to do whatever he wanted, but he still had a sense of duty. Something that wouldn't resound with the general public. And with my back to them, I wouldn't be able to see if anyone tried to do anything to me.

"Oh, crap. I forgot my history book. I'll be right back," Adora said, shooting up from her desk. "Make an excuse for me if I don't make it back in time!"

I sunk into my seat lower as she ran out of the room. Hopefully, the wood would protect my back. Murmurs rose from around me. I hoped it wasn't about plotting my death.

"You smell pleasant."

Impressed at my ability not to jerk as the guy next to me spoke, I lifted my head to look at him. Then I did react, my eyes widening at the jagged scar that stretched from his forehead to his cheek. It crossed over his eye as if someone had attempted to remove it with a blade. Smooth and faded, I wondered how long ago he'd gotten it.

"I think it adds to my charm," he said nonchalantly, shifting his head so his white hair fell over his face, covering most of the scar.

"I'm sorry for staring," I said immediately. I agreed with him, though. The scar didn't mar his bronze skin at all. It gave him a mysterious edge.

He smirked. "Please, stare all you'd like, Flos."

A shiver went through my body as his pale blue gaze drilled into me, unblinking. He angled his body toward me, knees brushing mine. I wanted to put space between us but didn't want to show any unease. Instead, I turned my head to the empty teacher's desk. Was it normal here for teachers to be late all the time?

Claude and Kaz came into the classroom then, causing the volume in the room to drop once again. They searched the room, pausing when their eyes landed on me. Kaz's zeroed in on the man beside me, his lips forming a frown.

"Has he tasted you yet?"

I returned my attention to the white-haired man. "What?"

"You two have been spending the last couple of days together. I thought by now he would have given in and sampled from the daughter of the Harbinger of War."

Sampled from? Like I was some kind of snack? I ignored the use of my father's moniker. I hated hearing it. It wasn't wrong, but that's what I hated the most.

A cold hand clasped around my neck, and suddenly I was jerked closer to him, his nose pressing into the crook of my neck. My voice caught in my throat as my hands grabbed his shoulders, trying to shove him back. Something sharp was pressing against my collarbone, and I planted my feet firmly to shove my chair back. I slid away, and the white-haired man straightened out again, licking his bottom lip.

"Easy," he said. "I'll wait until you give me permission."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I know how to make it good."

I was saved from answering as my chair was pulled even further away, and Kaz shoved Adora's chair between me and the man. He sat down hard, a glare settled on his features. "Don't even think about it, Felix."

"You're lying if you say you haven't tried her."

"I haven't," Kaz said firmly.

Were they talking about drinking my blood? I covered my throat with my hand. They wouldn't dare. Vampires got more than enough from blood bags. It was one of the agreements made after the Blood War. In exchange for vampires to stop feeding on unknowing humans, hunters would smuggle over fresh blood from our blood centers. Maybe the regular humans didn't know they were feeding what they believed to be mystical beasts, but they were paid for their troubles. Enough people were present every day to keep the vampires satisfied.

Of course, there were the errant vampires. There always would be. Which was why there would always be vampire hunters. And, in turn, hostility between hunters and vampires. We couldn't exist without each other, but we couldn't coexist.

Yet.

The white-haired man made me nervous, though. He spoke so easily of Kaz or Claude drinking my blood. Like someone who didn't fear the repercussions of doing so. It was illegal. Just as illegal as the hunters who sold their blood through the black market. Not only illegal but dangerous.

I needed to keep my guard up. The students here were vampires. After spending my life hearing about them but never encountering them, I found it hard to remember that. They looked and acted like humans. Nothing as my father described. But that didn't mean I was safe. Just because San, Adora, and Kaz treated me with respect didn't mean anyone else would. They all had their reasons for being befriending me.

The teacher finally showed up and called the class to attention. Adora ducked in a second later, blinking as she realized Kaz had taken her spot. She found a new seat, pouting a bit. I felt bad, but I was happy Kaz had placed himself between Felix and me. I had no idea where Claude went, but I was happy to not have to sit by him. I needed to keep my wits about me.

"Today, we start the lesson on the Blood War," Ms. Maharaj said, turning on the projector at the front of the room. It was old and outdated. With all the technology available and how much money the school spent on the dorm rooms, I would have thought they would have better equipment. Maybe that was another similarity to humans—teachers were shafted when it came to classroom materials unless they paid out of pocket.

I sat up straighter in my seat, smiling at Kaz as he slid his book between us. History had always been one of my favorite subjects. I believed if I didn't know the past, I wouldn't be able to change the future. As such, I was curious to hear about the Blood War from the opposing side. I knew it would paint my family in a bad light. I couldn't disagree, though. There were bad people on both sides.

"Ms. Levant?"

I tensed as Ms. Maharaj called me out. "Yes?"

"If you ever become uncomfortable, please feel free to excuse yourself from class, okay dear?" A warm smile crossed her face. "No war is ever just. Each side has its rights and wrongs. What's important is that we are working for peace now."

"I feel the same," I said.

Someone scoffed from behind me.

I grimaced. I already knew no one would believe me.

"I'm glad to hear that," Ms. Maharaj responded. "I expect everyone in this classroom to treat Ms. Levant with kindness and respect. This is a sensitive topic for everyone involved. But we must know our history to keep it from repeating. We can't go back and fix mistakes. We can only learn from them. What our ancestors did does not define us as people. It's our own actions that do."

Some of the strain in my body left me. I was sure I'd be getting along well with Ms. Maharaj.

She faced the whole class again. "This unit is chapters thirteen to eighteen in your book. Today, we will start notes on chapter thirteen. There will be two essays in this unit that you can find in your syllabus. The first is identifying and discussing three significant factors that led up to the outbreak of The Blood War, which will be due two weeks from today."

Kaz groaned. "Another essay already?"

"I can hear you, Mr. Karimov."

Kaz mimed zipping his lips.

Ms. Maharaj shook her head. "Okay, open your books. We have a lot to get through today."

"When are we going to study the assassination of King Cyrios?"

That was Claude's voice. It made my heart seize up. I knew we would eventually reach that topic in this class, but I figured it wouldn't be until the last chapter. Why was Claude asking about it specifically now? Just to get under my skin? Everyone probably already knew my father had killed his grandfather. My father killed lots of people.

"We'll get to it," Ms. Maharaj said softly. "As I've told Ms. Levant, if you feel uncomfortable discussing it, you may leave class. I know it's hard to lose a family member. Even harder to learn about it in history class when the assassin is still unknown."

Wait. What did she mean by that? The assassin was still unknown? That wasn't true. My father killed Cyrios. Wasn't that a known fact?

"I myself have researched it. There is no record of who killed King Cyrios. I can understand why you want to know, but it's still an enigma all the time later," Ms. Maharaj went on. "If you need someone to talk to, please see me after class."

The blood in my veins turned cold. They didn't know. How was that possible? How did my father get away with that? My family never hid the fact that he killed the king from me. Why didn't my father warn me that no one knew? I could have slipped up without any idea of what I was admitting. The thought of that made my pulse race. Why hadn't anyone told me?

"Perhaps Cleo can offer some insight when that time comes," Claude said smoothly.

My hands curled into fists under the desk. I wasn't sure whether to speak up to defend myself or not. Wouldn't it simply look like guilt to everyone if I did? But wouldn't silence be admittance? My mind was still reeling. How had my family hidden the killing of the old king all this time? What would happen if Claude found out? If the royal family knew?

How much did Claude know? How did he know to go straight for my pendant when we'd never even met before? He said he'd find out my secrets. Is this what he meant? I'd assumed he rightly thought my family planted me here as a spy. But perhaps he was trying to get confirmation of who killed his grandfather.

Why, then, had I been sent here with the ones around my neck?

"Your Highness," Ms. Maharaj said, her voice turning strict. "Please refrain from making accusations in my class. This classroom will remain a safe and neutral environment for everyone. The subjects we discuss may be sensitive, but I won't allow anyone to make anyone else uncomfortable."

Claude's voice was light as he responded. "I made no accusations."

Maybe not. But that wasn't his intention. He'd said it to stir more distrust for me. As if there wasn't enough already. I grit my teeth together. I had to be even more careful from now on. I couldn't let Claude affirm his suspicions. I was afraid of what it would lead to. The peace treaty was precarious at best. Did Claude want another war? Revenge for his grandfather?

Staying low would be best for now. I wouldn't take any more risks. I really wished I could talk to my father. I had so many questions. Why didn't he warn me? Why did he want to find the hidden heir? What would he do with them? Did he want to start another war? I knew my father detested vampires, but would he take it so far?

I wanted to believe he wouldn't. If both sides wanted to start a war, how would I be able to stop it?

I couldn't focus for the rest of the class. When the bells tolled, I stayed in my seat, hoping to avoid the mob of students walking out. Hands slapped down on my desk, and Felix's scarred face hovered close to mine as I lifted my head. "Come with me for a second, Flos."

"She's not going anywhere with you," Kaz interjected before I could respond. "Come on, Cleo."

Avoiding Felix's gaze, I followed after Kaz.

"I have something to tell you," Felix called after me.

"Just ignore him," Kaz muttered.

"That's the plan."

Kaz and I split up from Adora for our next class. I kept leagues ahead of Claude. Evander's plan was going to have to wait. Laying low would mean ignoring Claude for now. The other students were paying more attention to me, too, now. Stares and whispers. That was okay. That was unavoidable.

"Cleo, stay away from Felix," Kaz said suddenly.

"Why?"

"You know the massacre of Vesper?"

"Yes," I said softly. I knew it very well. My father boasted about it all the time. He'd cut down twenty vampires in twenty minutes. Generations of the same family. Gone. It was one of the things he liked to use against me when I didn't meet his standards.

I slaughtered twenty vampires in twenty minutes. You can't even aim a gun properly. You'll stay out here until all targets are hit with no misses. I'd hurry. The temperatures will be in the single digits.

I swallowed. As if murdering so many people like that was something to be proud of.

"Did you know someone survived?"

My heart sank. "No. I didn't. That's Felix?"

Kaz gave me a grim look. "Yes. Your family took everything away from him. Out of anyone here, he would be the one who wants revenge on you the most. That's why you need to stay away from him. That kind of pain never disappears. It festers and rots. He might try to fool you with a friendly face, but trust me. He's good at hiding behind a mask."

I felt hollow. What did it feel like to lose everyone you cared about all at once? I knew I'd encounter families of those my family had slain, but a Vesper? How cruel it must have been to be the only survivor. I almost wanted to offer myself to him so he could avenge his family. Something like that was unimaginable.

And if a war broke out, it could happen again. More lives would be lost. For what? Power? Greed? Spite?

I couldn't let it happen. I had to be more careful. I had to believe my father didn't send me here to start one.