I arrived at dinner with a slight pang of guilt at leaving the others behind with all that work. Then again, I didn’t really want to run into Maximus sooner than I had to either. Dinner was being held in a nice house in the capitol where Reginald and Rosalind lived together with their young son. I was a bit surprised to see he wasn’t at the dinner table.

“Is something wrong?” I questioned.

“Now that you are officially in, I thought we should have a nice open conversation, without having to hide state secrets,” Rosalind revealed.

I immediately felt a chill. She said it casually, but state secrets were hardly something to be taken lightly. “Is there something you need to tell me?”

“Let me tell you a story about Nobility that has been passed down from Head Magician to Head Magician,” Reginald said, “It is only right for you, as a promising queen candidate, to be aware.”

“Is there something wrong with Nobility?”

“Just listen,” Rosalind assured.

Reginald took out a book, like some kind of weathered diary. “I finally got into Nobility! The interview was personal and full of surprises, but I could handle it. But where is this mysterious new school?” Reginald read. So far things sounded normal. But the next entry was a bit surprising. “How should I say this, it has been two years, but less than a day has passed. I can still remember it, though. I was led through a deadly maze into a room that was called the Pavilion of Eternal Dusk. The next thing I knew I was living my life as if I already had the position of Head Magician. It was the scariest and most amazing moment of my life. Stepping out of that was disorienting. I graduated Nobility, but I was no Head Magician, and no two years had passed. Still, what an incredible experience.”

I was confused. If Nobility was some magical room why did we have to pack and leave?

Reginald picked out another diary. “The new Headmaster has built a school near the border. He claims that the Pavilion is too stressful and intends to change things drastically from the curriculum the first headmaster set. I don’t like this, but I am Head Magician. There is nothing I can do.”

Stolen story; please report.

“Go on and eat, dear,” Rosalind said as she took the diary from her husband, “I believe that is enough for today, but feel free to ask questions once you have time to think.”

How was I supposed to just calmly eat after hearing that? They hadn’t said anything directly, but something was clearly wrong with Nobility. Was I supposed to get the Headmaster to fix it?

“Why would they change from a school method that takes up nearly no time in the real world?” I asked.

“It was proclaimed to be dangerous and disorienting,” Reginald replied.

“This Pavilion of Eternal Dusk, does it actually exist?” I questioned. Even for Tethia it seemed far fetched.

“I have been there myself,” Reginald replied.

I only nodded at this and finally took a bite of dinner. It was definitely a lot to think about. To be honest, I could only dimly remember what happened from when I started eating to when I found myself knocking on my friend, Rena’s, door.

“Oh? Cassandra? Did you get in?” she asked. It looked like she had been trying to use her quills as toothpicks for her meatballs again and I couldn’t help but smile.

“Yes,” I replied, “I actually just got back from dinner with the Head Magician and seventh princess… Is it okay if I come in and talk for a minute?”

She frowned but nodded. “Sure.” She could tell something was up.

I ended up telling her about the day, from when I got into nobility, to the factions, to the fact that I am not sure that the school is what it is supposed to be, or even safe.

Rena listened while eating her meatballs, though she had given up on using her quills and was now using a fork.

“If it bothers you so much, why don’t we take on our own mission and be spies? Actually, why don’t we have the whole faction be spies. We can figure out what is going on in the school, and maybe why. Still, if the school is dangerous the person who comes to mind as the mastermind is obviously the Headmaster.”

“I know… but I don’t want to accuse anyone until I know for sure,” I told her.

“Got it. So, where are those forms or whatever you need to do?” Rena asked.

“What?”

“I am joining your faction, obviously.”