Chapter 13

Cassie’s POV

The hallway was buzzing with people campaigning for their candidates for Masquerade King and Queen. Flyers were everywhere. Voices louder than they needed to be. It had been a week since I decided to aim for the crown.

And how many campaigns have I done since then?

Zero.

Zilch.

Nada.

Why? Because Ledger had told us to lie low for the time being—wait it out, see who else was gunning for the throne.

As expected, the favourites were Otto and Jade. Shocker. Alison wasn’t running either, which would’ve changed things, but as a med student, she still had one more year before she could even complete her B.Sc.

No one else on the team was running, so naturally, they’d all rallied behind Otto. That might’ve been different if Ledger had announced his intentions sooner. But now, with a whole week of silence—

“Aren’t you worried they’ll accuse you of trying to steal the spotlight from Otto?” I had asked him.

“You don’t need to worry about that,” was all he said.

No explanation. Just a calm, maddening, “Trust me.”

Now here we were. In the locker room. Surrounded by the team—including Otto.

“You’re running for Masquerade King?” Otto scoffed, like the words tasted sour. “A week after I announced mine? Kinda shameless, don’t you think?”

“Why don’t we hear him out first?” Zeke said, calm as ever.

Otto rounded on him. “Of course you’d say that. You’re a card-carrying member of his little lackeys fan club.”

“Funny,” Freddie said, his tone dry and sharp. “How about you leave the jokes to me and stick to what you’re good at? Like shutting up, for example.”

That one hit. I choked on a laugh before I could stop it. Freddie caught it, and shot me a smug little grin. Otto’s glare could’ve set the lockers on fire.

I didn’t back down. I smiled right back.

“There’s no need for this infighting,” Ledger said coolly. He hadn’t raised his voice once. “I’m not expecting anyone to drop Otto and start waving my flag. I’d prefer it if you kept supporting him. I’ll earn my own votes. The last thing I want is to divide the team.”

“Then why now?” The voice came from Silas.

Ledger didn’t miss a beat. “Dolores told me if I want to improve my standing with the scouts, I’ll need something that shows leadership and presence. She said being the Masquerade King would do exactly that.”

Ah. So that was it. His agent put him up to this?

Honestly, it tracked. This wasn’t just a popularity contest—not at Monarchcrest. The Masquerade King held real weight, almost like the Student Council President. Both roles meant power, politics, and being able to stand out in a crowd full of achievers.

What most people didn’t realize was that the Masquerade Monarchs actually worked alongside the Student Council for the rest of the academic year.

So yeah…

Ledger wasn’t just doing this to support me. He was playing smart. And maybe—just maybe—I needed to do the same. Think of my future while getting my vengeance.

“Oh, and if it wasn’t obvious before,” Ledger added, calm as ever. “Cassie’s my running mate.”

Every head turned to me.

I didn’t flinch.

Let them stare. That was the least of what was coming.

“In any case,” Ledger continued, “I wanted you guys to be the first to know. That will be all.”

The team began to disperse, each player coming over one by one to wish Ledger good luck. It caught me off guard, honestly. The quiet support. It brought a small smile to my face.

That was until a shadow moved into my line of vision and wiped the smile right off.

Otto.

Of course.

“What is it now?” I asked, tone clipped and cold.

He frowned like he was the one being wronged. “Why are you doing this?”

“What are you talking about, Otto? I’ve done so many things this morning. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“You know being Masquerade Queen is Jade’s dream,” he said, voice low. “She’ll be heartbroken when she finds out.”

That was it. That was the last straw.

A laugh burst out of me—sharp and disbelieving. “Wow. I’d really like to know where you buy your audacity from. To be able to say that to me, you must be the shameless one.”

Otto's eyes widened comically. “Aren't you being too harsh with…”

I help up a hand. “Save it. The last thing I wanna hear is your voice.” I took a deliberate step forward, meeting his eyes. “In case I wasn't clear before, let me remedy that. Don't come looking for me, we aren't friends. I don't wanna hear anything from you, I don't want to speak to you, I don't even want to hear you breathe around me.” I said, my tone icy. “Whatever I do is none of your business so stay out of it. If you see me, just walk past. If we're in the same room, just avoid me. Is that clear?”

Silence.

I tilted my head. “I’m gonna need an actual answer. You’re not about to ‘I thought you meant—’ your way through this later.”

“…Fine,” he muttered, jaw tight.

I turned at the sound of footsteps and saw Ledger walking up to us.

“Everything okay?” he asked, his brows low.

I nodded my head as I faced him with a smile. “Everything's great now that you're here.”

I hated how true that was. 

Ledger’s grin kicked in immediately. “Oh, is that so? Let's go then.” 

He reached for my hand, holding it out like it was nothing. Like we did this all the time. I took it without hesitation. I didn't want to leave any room for doubt, not in front of Otto.

Together, Ledger and I left the locker room. Somehow, I was beginning to get used to this, him having my back no matter who it was standing against me.

It made me wonder if it was okay to trust someone just one last time.