Aria's POV
Walking back to the dorms felt like trudging through quicksand. Every step reminded me that while everyone else was celebrating justice served, I was stuck wondering if I'd just watched a magic show where the real trick was still hidden up someone's sleeve.
The other heirs chatted excitedly around me, their voices bouncing off the stone walls like ping-pong balls. "Finally caught those idiots," someone said. "About time," another agreed. They sounded so relieved, so satisfied, like the Academy had just solved world hunger instead of catching a few troublemakers.
Meanwhile, my brain was doing backflips trying to figure out if the people who got punished today were the same ones who'd been sending me love letters signed "Your Friendly Neighborhood Blackmailer."
Spoiler alert:
