Shadows Beneath the Crown

CHAPTER 16 : THE CONFRONTATION

The professor burst back into the gym just moments later, eyes scanning the scene, immediately catching the tension in the air.

“What happened here?!”

Everyone looked away.

Rina, still on the floor, scrambled to her feet, brushing herself off. Her lips trembled, but she didn’t say a word.

The professor’s eyes landed on me—on the blood streaking down my temple, the swelling on my cheek. His tone shifted. “Miss Vonder… are you alright?”

I nodded slowly, voice hoarse. “Yes, sir. I’m fine.”

I wasn’t.

But I didn’t want the attention. Not now.

Lira was already by my side, wrapping an arm around my shoulders to help me stand. “She needs to go in clinic,” she said firmly. “She was hit in the head.”

The professor frowned, but nodded. “Take her. I’ll deal with this.”

I shook my head " Its just scratch, i will just rest"

Rina object " What no! we will go to clinic right now"

I smiled to Rina. "Im okay lets just ease up, i dont want anymore attention."

She sigh.

We moved away, and I let Lira ease me down onto the bench. My limbs felt like paper. My head was pounding. Still, I glanced back—eyes finding him.

Orion stood apart from the others, his jaw still tight, fists clenched, like he hadn’t moved since the moment he shoved Rina away. His eyes were no longer on me, but they weren’t calm, either. They were cold. Focused. Like he was stuck in some quiet storm that hadn’t passed yet.

The class carried on. The professor didn’t cancel it—he just reshuffled the matches, cast a few warnings, and made everyone return to their pairs. Lira stayed beside me, handing me tissues, trying to distract me with soft words.

But no one was really watching their own matches anymore.

Everyone kept glancing at Orion.

He didn’t speak.

He didn’t smile.

When he finally stepped onto the mat for his own match—his opponent looked nervous. And they had every right to be.

Orion wasn’t fighting like he usually did—cocky, calculating, controlled. This was different.

This time, his movements were fast. Brutal. Too strong for a simple sparring match. His punches were heavy, forceful, landing with a thud that made the room fall into a strange hush. His opponent barely landed a blow. Orion pushed forward without pause—like he was trying to let something out, something he couldn’t put into words.

The professor’s eyes narrowed.

“Orion,” he warned once. “Ease up.”

But he didn’t.

One final strike and his opponent stumbled hard, nearly losing balance.

That was enough.

“Stop!” the professor called sharply, stepping in. “That’s enough, Orion!”

Orion froze—but just for a breath.

Then he dropped his arms, eyes still dark, breathing steady, and turned around without saying a word.

He didn’t wait to be dismissed.

He walked out.

Just like that.

No one followed him. No one dared.

The gym fell quiet again, a different kind of silence this time. Not fear. Not confusion.

But something close to awe.

And as I watched him disappear through the doors—still burning with a storm he never let touch me—I realized something terrifyingly gentle.

The moment Orion disappeared through the gym doors, the whispers erupted.

“Did you see that?”

“He almost knocked that guy out.”

“What’s with him? It’s just sparring—”

“I’ve never seen Orion lose it like that…”

I tried to drown them out, but it was impossible.

Even from the bench, I could feel the eyes sneaking glances at me. As if I was the trigger. The reason. The girl who made Orion Leonhart snap.

I kept my head low, biting the inside of my cheek.

My stepsisters didn’t help. Clarisse scoffed from across the gym. “Seriously? Is he seriously getting worked up over her?”

Genevieve made a face. “He probably just wanted an excuse to beat someone up. Like always.”

But I saw the flicker in their eyes—curiosity. Discomfort. A little fear, maybe.

It lingered.

Even when the class ended, and people filed out with their duffel bags slung over their shoulders, some still glanced at me like I was something new. Something dangerous by association.

But I didn’t feel powerful.

I felt confused. Unsteady. Like I’d been pulled into something I didn’t understand.

Like I’d been claimed without permission.

By someone like him.

---

Later that evening, the cafeteria lights were soft, humming above our heads as Lira and I ate side by side. She talked—gently, constantly—trying to keep the air light. I appreciated it. I tried to listen. But my thoughts wouldn’t leave the gym.

Wouldn’t leave him.

“What do you think he meant to do?” I finally asked, pushing rice around my plate.

Lira hesitated. “I think… he didn’t think. He just reacted. Like something in him snapped when he saw you hurt.”

I stared at her.

“Maybe he’s not as cold as everyone thinks,” she added softly.

I didn’t respond.

After dinner, I told her to go ahead to the dorm. My shift in the kitchen was starting anyway, and I didn’t want her to wait.

---

The dishwater was lukewarm and the soap stung my scraped knuckles, but I didn’t complain. I worked in silence, letting the mechanical rhythm of rinsing and stacking lull my mind.

When my shift ended, the campus halls were mostly empty. The lamps outside cast long shadows on the stone paths. I stepped out, stretching my arms, only to stop in place.

He was there.

Leaning against the wall near the kitchen doors.

Orion Leonhart.

A duffel bag slung over his shoulder, and another—smaller one—in his hand.

My mouth went dry. “What are you doing here?”

He pushed off the wall, came closer, and without a word, held the bag out to me.

“What is this?”

“The peace offering,” he said flatly.

I stared at him, stunned. “I didn’t ask for this.”

“Didn’t say you did.” He shoved the bag gently against my chest until I took it. “Doesn’t matter.”

“Why are you even doing this?” I asked, voice tight. “What happened back in the gym—why did you step in like that? Why did you—”

“Because I wanted to,” he cut in. “She was annoying. You looked like you’d break. I didn’t like it.”

I blinked, unsure whether to feel insulted or grateful. We walked to my dorm in silent.

We reached the dorm gate. I started to turn the key, but his voice stopped me.

“Are you still ignore i choose you?”

I turned. “what?”

A slow, taunting smile tugged at his lips. “Lumi, The didn’t i tell you?”

My brows furrowed.

He leaned closer, his voice low and smug. “You’re mine now. My slave. Officially assigned. Im the one who choose you.”

I stared at him, stunned. “You’re kidding. you will not pick me. I didn't take it seriously so I just shrugged it off.”

“Nope,” he said, popping the ‘p’. “ I picked. Bound. Lovely little arrangement, don’t you think?”

I scowled and tried to open the door, but before I could slip through, his hand shot out and yanked me back—firmly, not enough to hurt, but enough to trap.

He leaned down, close enough that I could feel the heat of his breath. “You don’t get a say, Belle. It’s done."

My chest tightened. “I don’t want this.”

He smiled again—darker this time. Possessive. Almost amused. “Doesn’t matter what you want. You’re mine.”

His fingers let go, and I stumbled back into the doorway, heart pounding. I stared at him—at the storm in his eyes, at the lazy confidence with which he tilted his head, like he’d just enjoyed watching me fall apart a little.

Then he turned, hands in his pockets, and walked away.

Like he knew he’d be seeing me again.

Like he didn’t have to chase me.

Because I’d already been caught.

“Hey!” I shouted, my voice echoing in the empty hallway.

He didn’t stop walking.

“Orion!”

His steps finally slowed, but he didn’t turn.

I didn’t think. I ran after him, fists clenched, bag forgotten in my grip. My heart pounded—not from fear this time, but from rage. From heat crawling under my skin that I couldn’t shake off.

I caught up to him just before he reached the path leading to the exit. I grabbed his arm and yanked him to face me.

“What is your problem?” I hissed, eyes burning. “Why are you doing this to me?”

He turned slowly, the same smug expression on his face, like he was amused by my fury. That only made me angrier.

“Stop acting like this is some game,” I snapped. “I’m not your toy. I’m not your possession. And I don’t care that you pick me—I don’t want this.”

His jaw ticked, but he said nothing.

“I didn’t ask for your help,” I continued, voice shaking now. “I didn’t ask you to protect me or scare off Rina or drag me into whatever power play you’re doing. I don’t care about what you want. So just—leave me alone. Avoid me. Forget I exist. Is that too hard?”

Still, he didn’t move. Didn’t blink. He just looked at me like I was a puzzle he already solved but liked watching fall apart again anyway.

Then he spoke—low, deliberate. “No.”

My breath caught.

“You don’t get it, Belle,” he said, stepping closer again. “I don’t want to avoid you. And I’m not going to.” His eyes locked onto mine, sharp and intense. “You can be angry. You can hate me. But I’m not letting you run.”

I took a step back, but he followed.

“You think this is about the echelon tier ranking benefits?” he went on, voice husky. “I chose you. I claimed you before even that system exist.”

“You can’t just choose people like that—” I started, voice rising.

“I can when they’re mine,” he cut in, voice sharp and unapologetic.

I stared at him, breathless.

“I’m not yours,” I said through gritted teeth.

His lips curled slightly. “You’ll come around.”

“No. I won’t.”

We stood in the moonlight, breath tangled, hearts pounding like war drums. For a second, neither of us spoke.

"Stop this behavior. I have a lot in my plate right now. I dont want you adding up in it."

“No.”

The word sliced through the air like a blade. Cold. Certain.

I clenched my fists tighter, shaking.

“What do you mean, no?” I asked, voice cracking at the edges. “I said I don’t want this. I don’t want you in my life.”

Orion didn’t flinch. His face was calm, but something wild simmered behind his eyes.

“I’m not asking for permission,” he said, stepping closer again. “You can be mad. Be scared. Run. But it won’t change anything.”

I stepped back, chest heaving. “This—whatever this is—you’re making everything worse,” I hissed. “I already have people watching me, waiting for me to mess up. You barging in and acting like I’m yours… You’re making it harder to survive here.”

His jaw tensed, but I pushed on.

“From now on,” I said, voice steady, bitter, “you don’t know me. I’m nothing to you. And you? You’re nothing to me. I’ll avoid you. I’ll pretend you don’t exist. That’s what I want, Orion.”

His eyes narrowed. “Too bad.”

I almost screamed.

“Why?” I finally said, the question exploding out of me. “Why are you doing this? What do you even want from me?”

The silence that followed was heavy.

He didn’t answer right away.

Just looked at me. Studied me like I was some broken thing he couldn’t look away from.

Then, his voice dropped, low and rough. “You want a reason?”

“Yes.”

His gaze didn’t waver. “Because I see you.”

I stared at him, confused.

“You think you’re invisible, hiding behind all that silence and pain. But every time you break, its scars,” he said. “And it drives me insane.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“I’m not going to stand back and watch you break, Belle,” he added. “Even if you hate me for it.”

I hated how my chest ached at those words.

I hated how much I wanted to believe them.

But I couldn't.

“You don’t know me,” I said, voice sharp, laced with disbelief. “You can’t just say those things. You can’t say that to a person that fast. That’s not how it works.”

Orion stilled for a second. Then… he laughed.

A low, rough sound. Not amused—something darker. Like I just confirmed something for him.

Then came the smirk.

It curled on his lips, arrogant and reckless, the kind that made me want to punch him and run away all at once.

“I’m the proof that it’s real,” he said simply, like it wasn’t even up for debate. “You can fight it all you want, Belle. Doesn’t change the truth.”

I stared at him, jaw clenched. “You're insane.”

“Yes,” he said, with a shrug. “But I meant what I said.”

My heart was pounding in my ears.

“You don’t get to do this,” I whispered. “You don’t get to walk into my life, act like I matter to you, and ruin everything I’ve tried to keep together.”

He took one more step forward, his voice dangerously low. “You didn’t ruin anything, Belle. You were already falling apart. I just showed up before you shattered completely.”

I wanted to scream. To shove him. To run.

Instead, I turned my back to him, breathing hard.

“I’m done,” I said. “From now on, you’re a stranger to me.”

But I heard his voice behind me, cool and final:

“We’ll see about that.”