Chapter 10

The admissions office at RAPS was a grand but cold room, with high ceilings and walls lined with towering bookshelves. A massive desk sat at the center, polished to a mirror shine, and behind it was a chair that looked more like a throne. Everything in the room seemed designed to intimidate, from the intricate chandelier hanging above to the rows of plaques listing the names of generations of Princesses who had ascended here.

Q sat on a small chair off to the side, her hands clasped tightly in her lap. She stole glances at Maddy, who stood in front of the desk with her head bowed, her hands folded neatly before her. Despite everything, Maddy still managed to look like a Princess, even with her torn dress and stockinged feet.

Professor Ligarius stood behind the desk, holding a long parchment scroll. He had removed his hat, and his sharp gray eyes scanned the page with exaggerated patience. 

"Madeline Carlton," he began, his voice smooth but cutting, "Let us review the infractions, shall we?"

Maddy's shoulders tensed. "Yes, Professor Ligarius."

"First," he said, glancing at her over the scroll, "Running in public while lifting your skirt above an appropriate height."

Q's cheeks flushed, but she held her tongue, watching as Maddy's chin dipped lower.

"Second," Ligarius continued, his voice calm but relentless, "Removing your shoes in an unseemly manner and running barefoot on cobblestones."

Maddy nodded slightly. "I understand, Professor."

"Third," Ligarius said, his brow arching as he paused for emphasis, "A complete lack of poise, decorum, and grace—all of which are fundamental to your training as a Princess candidate."

Maddy's voice was quiet but steady as she replied, "I promise to be better."

Q bristled, unable to sit still any longer. "She was just trying to help me!" 

Professor Ligarius's gaze shifted to her, sharp and unwavering.

"Maddy didn't do anything wrong," Q continued, her voice trembling with both anger and nerves. "She was just-"

Professor Ligarius closed the scroll with a soft snap and placed it on the desk. His eyes pinned Q in place, and for the first time, she realized just how intimidating he could be.

"And you," he said, his voice cool and deliberate. "Let us discuss your infractions, Miss Q."

Q blinked, her defiance faltering. "What? Me?"

"First," Professor Ligarius began, folding his hands behind his back, "Entering a place where you had neither permission nor invitation. This is a school for Princess candidates, not a barn to wander into as you please."

Q's face flushed with embarrassment.

"Second," he continued, taking a slow step closer, "Following strangers without a second thought. Do you know how dangerous that was?"

"I wasn't—" Q started, but Professor Ligarius silenced her with a single raised finger.

"You climbed a locked gate, fainted halfway, and entrusted your safety to someone you had never met," he said, his tone sharp. "Recklessness and naivety will not serve you well in this world, Miss Q."

Q opened her mouth to argue but found herself shrinking under Professor Ligarius's gaze.

"You should be grateful you encountered me and not someone with ill intentions," he said, his voice softening slightly. "This world is not as kind as you seem to think."

There was a long silence, the weight of his words hanging heavy in the room.

Maddy finally spoke, her voice quiet. 

"Professor Ligarius, if I may… none of this would have happened if I hadn't left my friend behind."

Professor Ligarius glanced at her, his expression unreadable.

"I think you've learned valuable lessons today, both of you," he said, his voice cutting through the silence. "But there is one more lesson I wish to impart, one you must both prepare yourselves for."

Q glanced at Maddy, her brow furrowing in confusion. Maddy, too, turned toward Professor Ligarius with a look of curiosity.

"There will come a time," Professor Ligarius continued, his tone steady but heavy with meaning, "When you will have to part ways. It is inevitable. That's part of growing up—part of life itself."

Q's heart skipped a beat, her chest tightening.

"I know it's hard to imagine now," he went on, his eyes focused ahead as if seeing something neither of them could. "But there will come a time when Miss Carlton will have to leave you, and you, Miss Q, will have to do the same. You will grow apart. Not because you're meant to, but because you must."

Q's throat felt thick as she swallowed. "But… why? Why would we leave each other?"

Professor Ligarius turned his head slightly, his gaze piercing through her.

"Because sometimes, there are lessons you can only learn alone. There are challenges you cannot solve together. It may be painful, but that time apart will help you grow in ways you wouldn't if you stayed together, no matter how much you may wish otherwise."

Maddy shifted uncomfortably, glancing at Q before looking down at her feet. Q felt a pang of something bitter rise in her throat. The thought of losing Maddy again, even for a while, made her want to fight against it. She wasn't ready to be apart from her—not again.

"But—" Q began, her voice barely above a whisper, "I don't want to lose her."

"You won't lose her, Miss Q," Professor Ligarius replied, his tone softening slightly. "You'll just… be different. Both of you will. And in that difference, you will find the strength to face challenges that neither of you could help the other with. And that is a lesson in and of itself."

Q wanted to argue, to say that Maddy was the only person who truly understood her, the one person who had always been there for her. How could she possibly face the world alone without Maddy? But something in Professor Ligarius's gaze stopped her. It was an understanding—an understanding of the inevitability of change.

Maddy, too, was silent, her face contemplative.

Q finally managed to speak again, though it was barely a whisper. "How… how will we know when that time comes?"

Professor Ligarius paused.

"You'll know," he said simply. "It will come when you least expect it. But do not fear it. Embrace it. For what lies ahead is something you cannot see now, but it will shape you into who you are meant to be."

And Professor Ligarius would be right. 

In five years, things would be very different. 

In five years, she—Q—would be known as the Wicked Queen, a ruler of fear and vengeance. 

And Maddy… Maddy would be one of the few trying to stop her.

But that was still five years away.

"Still," Professor Ligarius said, his voice lighter now, as if the tension of moments ago had dissipated entirely, "That time is a long while away. There is much yet to happen before then."

Q and Maddy exchanged a glance, the gravity of their earlier conversation lingering between them. But before either of them could say anything, Ligarius took a step forward, his eyes settling on Q with an intensity that made her feel as though he were peering straight into her soul.

"Miss Q," he began, his voice carrying a strange weight, "I have an offer for you."

Q blinked, startled. "An… offer?"

Beside her, Maddy straightened, her eyes narrowing in confusion.

"Indeed."

"Wait," Maddy said, her voice a mix of disbelief and excitement. "You mean…"

"Yes," Professor Ligarius replied, his lips curling into a faint smile. He turned his full attention back to Q, his piercing gray eyes unwavering. "I am asking if you would like to be admitted to RAPS."

Q froze.

Her mind reeled, her thoughts a chaotic tangle of disbelief, hope, and panic. She stared at Professor Ligarius, her lips parting slightly, but no words came out. She glanced at Maddy, who was looking at her with wide, astonished eyes, as if waiting for her to leap at the opportunity.

"I…" Q began, her voice faltering. "Me? At RAPS?"

"Yes-"

"But…" Q hesitated, her hands twisting nervously at the edges of her apron. "I'm not… I'm not a Princess. How could I possibly—"

"You are correct," Professor Ligarius said. "You are no Princess. And you will not be admitted as one."

Q's chest tightened, the flicker of hope that had surged moments ago dimming slightly. 

"Then… how?"

Ligarius's faint smile widened just a fraction. 

"You may not be a Princess, but you can be admitted as a Lady-in-Waiting."