"Enough about the matter. We have to get the lad properly suited for the ceremony," Roldar said, brushing the discussion aside with a firm tone.
At his words, the others gradually shifted their attention back to Arin once more. Their eyes moved over her uniform again, as though trying to find what exactly had been wrong with it before.
"I thought you said the top didn't fit," Varyn noted, tilting his head slightly as he looked her over again. "But it looks just right on him."
As he spoke, he casually reached into his pocket and brought out a small snack. Without much thought, he began to munch on it while continuing to observe Arin with mild curiosity.
"Perhaps it's not the same one," Halven suggested after a moment, folding his arms loosely across his chest as he studied the uniform more carefully.
"It is. It has his name on it," Roldar said.
As he spoke, he stepped closer and reached toward the pocket of Arin's top.
Arin instinctively moved back the moment his hand came near her chest, her body reacting before she could even think about it.
But Roldar didn't actually touch her.
Instead, he simply pulled out what had been tucked neatly into the pocket and adjusted it so it was clearly visible.
"See," he said.
He stepped slightly to the side so Halven and Varyn could see it properly.
Arin lowered her gaze in confusion, her eyes falling to the pocket of the uniform.
Her name was written there.
She stared at it, her brows knitting together in disbelief.
That didn't make any sense to her because she had stolen this uniform.
If that was the case, how could her name be written on it instead of the name of the person she had taken it from?
The thought unsettled her.
Unless…
Arin didn't even get the chance to finish the thought when a hand clasped around her arm, and began to pull her along.
"Come on now," Roldar said as he tugged her forward. "We have to get you properly suited. The ceremony starts in exactly five minutes."
"We will be in the ceremony waiting," Varyn called out casually as he and Halven remained behind.
Roldar didn't turn back. He simply raised a hand in acknowledgment as he continued leading Arin down the corridor.
As they walked, Arin's mind raced.
She considered asking Roldar questions, something subtle that might help her figure out whether he knew she wasn't a male. But at the same time, she hesitated.
If he didn't already suspect anything, asking the wrong question might be exactly what would make him suspicious.
So she stayed quiet, letting the questions remain trapped in her mind.
By the time she had finished debating with herself, they had already arrived at the dorm with one door in the hallway.
The same place where she had first discovered she would be sharing a room with the boys.
The moment she recognized it, Arin began to panic again.
"I cannot sleep in the same room with them. They will kill me," The words left Arin mouth before she could stop herself.
Realizing how loudly she had spoken without minding her voice, she quickly let out a small cough as though trying to clear her throat and recover from the outburst.
Roldar didn't immediately react.
He simply stepped forward, pulled out a key, and unlocked the door before pushing it open and walking inside.
Arin lingered outside the doorway for a brief moment.
Then, after a second of hesitation, she slowly followed him in.
"Do you want to tell me what is going on?" Roldar asked once she had fully stepped into the room.
Arin had been glancing around the space, checking quickly to see if the other boys were around.
When she realized the room was empty, she finally turned back toward Roldar with furrowed brows that did not bother to hide her confusion.
"What is going on?" she repeated. "I believe I already told you earlier."
Roldar turned to face her fully. "We take bullying accusations very seriously in our prestigious academy," he started. "I have known those boys since the day they were admitted. They have always been good students and nothing but just."
His gaze remained fixed on her.
"So tell me," he continued.
"Did they truly bully you as you claimed… or was that simply an attempt to spoil their good names?"
Arin let out a slow breath, already feeling frustrated crawl up her spine.
"I have no reason to lie," she started. "I arrived here as an orphan with no family name, no influence, and no backing of any kind. I have only just stepped into this academy. If I truly wished to ruin their reputations, I would have planned something far more convincing than this. But I do not even know them."
She crossed her arms slightly as she continued.
"They simply do not like the idea of someone like me outranking them. I cannot share a room with people who have no hesitation about hurting a fellow mate if it means climbing higher."
"They are good lads. They wouldn't—" Roldar began.
"But they did," Arin cut in.
The words hung in the air between them.
Roldar studied her for a moment before asking quietly, "Where?"
Arin hesitated for a brief second.
"I do not have bruises left on my body to prove it," she admitted. "But they did. Brutally, might I add."
Then something occurred to her. Her eyes sharpened slightly as she pointed out, "And you yourself mentioned that they have been targeting others. You also said you saw them hurt me."
Roldar shook his head slowly.
"I did not see it myself," he corrected calmly. "I merely heard the rumors. I always keep an ear open for rumors."
Arin was about to argue further when Roldar spoke again, smoothly steering the conversation elsewhere.
"Regardless," he said, reaching into the folds of his robe, "since you already have your uniform, here is the mask you will be using tonight."
He brought out a mask and extended it toward her.
"It is the same design given to your roommates, since you are all assigned to the same unit."
Arin didn't reach for it. She simply stared at him.
"But I just told you I am being bullied. Are you still going to make me stay here?"
Roldar watched her for a moment when she made no move to take the mask, before speaking again.
"There is another room connected to this one," he explained. "It is small. It was once used as a storage space."
He gestured vaguely toward a corner.
"It has its own door that leads directly outside the dormitory. You would not need to pass through this main room to enter or leave."
Then he looked back at her.
"Would you prefer it? It is cramped, but it would offer privacy."
"Yes," Arin answered almost immediately.
Roldar nodded faintly, as though he had expected nothing less.
"I thought you might say that," he said.
"Since you are currently under my supervision, I will arrange for someone to clear the space and prepare it properly once the ceremony concludes."
Then he reached into his sleeve again and produced a small key.
"For now, take this. It unlocks the door to that room."
He placed the key in her hand.
"You will not have time to inspect the space tonight, but it will be ready afterward."
Arin accepted the key immediately and for a brief moment, she had to fight the ridiculous urge to kiss it in relief.
Roldar continued. "As I mentioned earlier, the Emperor himself has come tonight. News of your dual spiritual veins has already spread farther than expected. Do you believe you can handle the pressure of impressing him?"
Arin opened her mouth, fully prepared to answer no.
But before she could speak, Roldar lifted a hand.
"That was a trick question," he said lightly.
"You are not required to impress him. All you must do is reveal your spiritual veins. That alone will be more than enough."
He extended the mask toward her once more.
"With that said, shall we?"
Arin's gaze lingered on the mask, simply staring at it.
The sight of it made her suddenly remember the other mask hidden in her pocket.
The memory of how she had gotten it stirred uneasily in the back of her mind.
Not wanting to waste any more of Roldar's time, she finally reached forward and took the mask from his hand.