Royal Reboot: Level up, Your Majesty!

Chapter 86: Root Cause (4)

 Root Cause

4

Natalia returned to school exactly one week after the fever. Her mana was still doing that twitchy, unhelpful thing whenever her emotions spiked, but missing more classes would start raising questions.

And questions led to Lionel worrying. 

Which led to Melissa worrying. 

Which led to three dozen phone calls and excessive hugging from the emotional support koalas tw—from Colette and Birgit!

Jeez, Eydis. 

…Eydis.

She sighed against her open locker door, as if the dented green metal might sigh back with answers. She glanced at the class schedule she’d taped inside, pointedly skipping over the smiling photo she’d once insisted Eydis take of her with Colette and Birgit.

Next period was English.

She stared at the period label for a few seconds too long, then considered skipping. Again. Sitting next to Eydis these days felt like playing chicken with a volcano. Or her feelings. Possibly both.

Then a shadow cast itself beside her.

Clang.

A hand braced against the locker behind her, boxing her in. Classic. For a second, her body locked up, instincts firing. 

A bully? Seriously?

But that hadn’t happened in ages.

But the Tiffany Era had ended. These days, most of the ex-bullies were pretending to be emotionally rehabilitated after the “Blackwood brainwashing” scandal.

And yes, Blackwood brainwashing had officially become a thing. Natalia read the news. An anonymous tip had led police to a wine cellar on one of Thomas Blackwood’s estates. VR equipment. Student DNA. Enough forensic proof to send shivers through the school board.

It was clear now: Thomas had been working with the Smoke Monster to trick everyone. Theo’s actions had been ruled self-defense. They called it justified, brave, and even heroic.

Which meant Theo would be back soon.

Natalia’s thoughts wandered. Too long. The person beside her didn’t speak, nor shift. Just waited.

She inhaled, steeling herself to turn and deliver something fiery. Or maybe to show something fiery.

That was when she noticed the hand. Pale, elegant, carefully shaped nails painted black. A gold ring, set with a ruby, glinted on one finger. The taste was almost too refined for a high school student, or anyone, really.

She almost mistook it for an Elite’s hand.

But she knew that hand. 

And she hated how deeply that knowledge lived in her.

Natalia forgot to breathe.

Not a bully. 

Worse. 

Much, much worse.

Amber eyes caught hers. Still striking. Always striking. But today, something shimmered behind them. Flecks of gold. They were almost glowing, literally, like magic that didn’t want to be seen.

Natalia refocused.

Gone.

“Eydis?” Her voice cracked, Stupid voice. Stupid heart. She looked down at her shoes. Safer than her face. “W-what are you doing here?”

Eydis leaned back slightly, giving Natalia space like she’d only just remembered it existed. She settled against the locker with the kind of careless grace that made it feel like the hallway should come with ambient violin music.

Enigmatic. Eydis had, annoyingly, become incredibly attractive. The awkward glasses, the pimples, and the messy hair were gone. The effect was unfair, flawless, and it was definitely not just Natalia’s heart being stupid.

Now they were just…

Natalia stared hard at her Oxford shoes. What does she want?

“Requesting academic asylum,” Eydis said, casually.

“I’m sorry?”

Eydis smiled, just faintly, like she’d expected confusion and found it charming. “Where’s the chem homework, nerd?”

And Natalia was very confused. “The… what?”

“Chem-is-try,” Eydis enunciated carefully, her head tilted, soft, dark brown waves spilling over one shoulder. “I need help.”

Natalia nearly groaned. So do I. Instead, she snorted. “You? Need help? You’re messing with me.”

“Since I began experiencing inexplicable molecular forces repelling you from my orbit, I’ve concluded further information is necessary. And unfortunately, you are the information.”

Natalia blinked, slowly. And again. “I… what? Speak normal. My brain hasn’t finished rebooting.”

Eydis gave a serene nod. “Precisely. That’s why this is urgent.”

“Please tell me this is just about chemistry homework.”

“In simpler terms,” Eydis said seriously, “I’m investigating the root of all evil. Well, not exactly, but I’m beginning to suspect Pride isn’t the worst of them.”

Natalia’s headache flared. Right. Eydis. Speaking in riddles. Must be Tuesday. Except today was Thursday. Noted. This was how she entertained herself every day: by watching Natalia suffer.

She crossed her arms. “Oh my gods. You’re in full queen mode again.”

“Queen mode?”

“You know. That thing where you make common nouns sound queenly. Like, who calls their mom ‘Mother’ with a capital M?”

“How can you even tell it’s capital—”

Natalia threw up her hands. “Oh gods, I knew it!”

“But just to clarify,” Eydis said with an enigmatic smile that made Natalia question whether or not she was being serious, “I call her ‘Your Majesty.’ Capital Y, capital M.”

Melissa might’ve had a point. Natalia should probably check if Eydis reflected in mirrors. “And that explains the ruby ring, Your… um Majesty?”

Eydis tilted her head. “Are you calling me Mom?”

Natalia choked. “I—no. Absolutely not.” She tried to stammer out an explanation until she saw Eydis’s overly amused expression.

“You’re impossible,” Natalia muttered, but she was smiling. Just a little.

“You’re smiling.”

“Not on purpose.”

“There’s my handmaiden,” Eydis said warmly, visibly pleased. “I was beginning to think the brooding had become you.”

The smile that followed wasn’t sharp or smug. Just… real.

Natalia looked away.

“How have you been, Natalia?” Eydis asked, her voice lower, almost careful. Her gaze turned serious. For real this time.

It wasn’t casual. It was the kind of question someone carried for days before asking. The kind you don’t throw away on small talk.

And it made Natalia stop breathing.

Eydis knew. Of course she did. Everything Natalia still felt was still written on her face, and Eydis had always been good at reading things no one else saw.

She could lie. Pretend.

But Eydis didn’t rush her. She just stood there, waiting, like she’d already made peace with whatever truth Natalia gave. Or didn’t give.

“I’m… trying,” Natalia admitted softly. 

“I know,” Eydis murmured.

That was it. No clumsy pep talk trying to fix something that needed time to heal. Eydis didn’t try to make it smaller. Didn’t try to make it hers. She simply smiled and said, “You don’t have to say anything. But if you ever want to… I’ll be here.”

Natalia’s first instinct was to laugh. The words weren’t remotely dramatic or deep. But they landed hard anyway. Not because of what was said, but how it was said. Like the offer had no expiration date.

I’ll be here.

She knew Eydis well enough to understand that the promise had weight, that it meant something.

“I’ll hold on to that.” Natalia said eventually. She did not agree or disagree. It still felt like too much, too soon. But looking at Eydis, open and sincere in a way she rarely was, maybe it was okay.

Eydis nodded. Something eased in her shoulders.Then her expression turned serious once again. “Also… just a warning.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It’s not dire,” Eydis said. “You’ve been dreaming, haven’t you?” 

Natalia’s brain tripped over itself. Of course, it’s you I’m dreaming about. But all she managed was a hesitant nod.

“There might be a reason,” Eydis said.

“Like magic?”

“Influence,” Eydis corrected gently. “There are… certain places online. Certain types of media. They can amplify whatever’s already fragile. Especially if someone’s Gifted. Or...”

Natalia’s stomach sank. “You’re not saying what I think you’re saying.”

“I think,” Eydis said, leaning in closer and lowering her voice, “you should avoid certain corners of the internet.”

“Define ‘certain corners.’” 

Eydis looked genuinely uncomfortable. Which was a first. She cleared her throat. “The… adult ones.”

Natalia choked. “T-The what?!”

“Stay away from that site. Po—”

“No! Nope!” Natalia slapped a hand over Eydis’s mouth. “You are not finishing that sentence.”

Warm breath beneath her palm. Soft lips. Not the point. The point was—Astra.

Astra, of course, appeared behind them like a summoned consequence.

Why does she always show up at the worst time?! 

Eydis didn’t notice. She hummed instead, a vibration against Natalia’s palm.

Natalia pulled back fast. “I have never, ever, visited that website,” she hissed. “They’re blocked anyway. At school.”

“They are?”

“Yes! Even on mobile! I swear, I’ve never—!”

Eydis leaned back, eyes narrowing. Then chuckled. But underneath, there was something tense. “Guess that puts us back at square one.”

“Square one of what?”

“Just… avoid the internet for now,” Eydis said. “Trust me. Please.”

Natalia swallowed hard. 

Eydis knew something. That much was obvious. And despite the chaos she tended to bring into every room she entered, there was a seriousness in her gaze that made Natalia believe her.

Natalia nodded.

Eydis looked faintly relieved, then turned and walked, of course, in the exact opposite direction of English.

“Where are you going?” Natalia called.

Eydis glanced back with a familiar enigmatic glint in her eye. “To resolve an error in judgment.” She gave a thoughtful pause. “Maybe mine. Maybe someone else’s.”

“You ever say anything directly?” 

Eydis slowed. “Would you believe me if I said yes?” Then her voice softened. “Take care, Natalia. I have work to do, and… “

“… a pet to leash.” Then she was gone.

A pet? 

Like Astra?! 

Natalia’s jaw nearly dislocated. What was their relationship? Her thoughts spiraled messily.

She sagged against her locker, exhausted. Mortified. And just a little… heartbroken. Moving on sounded easy. If only her dreams agreed. 

They kept playing, looping repetitively.

She sighed, pulling the blue vial from her necklace and swallowing it. Melissa’s potion ran cool through her veins, minty and grounding. It would hold for now. But this wasn’t just heartbreak; it was magic. And if she didn’t learn to control it soon…

It would control her.

She grabbed her English textbook and closed the locker. A flicker of static ran down her hand, but she suppressed it easily this time.

Twice now, she’d been the helpless one. The damsel.

She wasn’t going to let it happen a third time.

Step one: Understand her power.

Really understand it.

Professor Indigo Crane came to a stop at the base of the metal staircase, one hand lifting to adjust the brim of his fedora, the other flicking a signal to security to proceed without him. He stayed behind, eyes fixed on the controller in his palm, which displayed live drone footage.

A few minutes slipped past before a pair of unhurried footsteps made their approach.

“I swear, this travel schedule is going to outlive me,” Adrian said as he came to stand beside Indigo. 

He had traded his designer suits for something meant to pass as casual: white polo, tailored beige slacks, a watch that probably had a name, and a designer leather carry-on in tow.

The keyword was “meant to.”

“I signed up for labs and lectures, not midnight stakeouts on runways,” he added, almost to himself.

Indigo offered a small smile. “We travel a lot. Conferences.”

Adrian chuckled. “Except now the conferences come with a side of ambush.”

“Regretting it already?” Indigo asked.

“Hardly. Just psyching myself up before things inevitably catch fire.”

“Still, I appreciate you coming,” Indigo said. “The situation with Sir Damien—”

Adrian waved it off. “You know you don’t have to say that. If I didn’t want to be here, I wouldn’t be.”

Indigo nodded slowly, then he asked, “How’s your sister?”

There was the small twitch at Adrian’s jaw, though the smile stayed pinned in place. “Still… negotiating.”

“Still?”

“With… well, our father. You know how that goes,” Adrian said. “Cold smiles and colder silences.”

Indigo raised an eyebrow. “That’s not negotiation if no one’s talking.”

“It’s a family tradition, Professor,” Adrian grinned like he’d just delivered the punchline of a private joke, “Situation Normal, All Frosted Up.”

That earned a quiet chuckle from Indigo.

Then, noticing the controller in Indigo’s hand, Adrian leaned in and asked, “That him?”

The screen showed Damien, motionless, positioned dead center on the rooftop. The long silver hair was gone, now cut to just below the collarbone. Black leather jacket. Jeans. An effort to look mortal, clearly.

And just as clearly: an effort.

Indigo’s lips twitched. “Sir Damien has finally adapted. Took him long enough to realised that gleaming silver suits attract attention. This is… marginally less conspicuous.”

“Low-profile Damien. Never thought I’d see the day.” Adrian squinted. “No wonder the system took its sweet time.”

“The system is…” Indigo hesitated. “Busy. Overclocked, really. Too many cases, too little downtime. But we’ve compiled enough data on him to triangulate his movements.”

“Do we have enough elite agents for what comes next?”

Indigo powered down the controller and slipped it back into his case. “I thought you were the elite team.”

Adrian trailed him toward the waiting jet. “Was that flattery, Professor?”

“It’s not flattery, Chief Scientist. It’s classification.”

“You always say the most encouraging things in the least encouraging tone.”

At the foot of the stairs, Indigo paused and looked up at the open hatch. “I hope you packed for frost.”

Adrian stopped just behind him, one hand on his suitcase. He looked at Indigo, then at the jet, then at the summer night sky stretched out above them

“That sounded metaphorical. Where exactly are we going?”

Indigo looked back over his shoulder, half-smiling. “Alchymia. Winter season. Maybe you’ll have time to visit your family when this is over.”

“There’s frost,” Adrian muttered, “and then there’s emotional frost.”

“SNAFU, isn’t it?”

Adrian groaned.