The corridors of the academy thrummed with whispers and sidelong gnces as So Corde, the embodiment of assertiveness wrapped in beauty, walked me to Professor Ema's cssroom. I could feel the weight of every stare, the collective breaths held in anticipation of her next move. So had a way of commanding an audience without uttering a single word.

  "Remember, Vex," she murmured, her voice ced with an intensity that contradicted her calm demeanor, "You are mine."

  'I have to assume this is her way of telling me we're dating, right?'

  Before I could muster a reply or even brace for impact, her lips pressed against mine, an unmistakably public smooch that seemed to echo off the ancient stone walls. It was her stamp, her cim, and as much as I wanted to shrink away from the boldness of it all, my body refused to cooperate. The kiss broke as suddenly as it began, leaving a lingering warmth that undermined the cold dread creeping up my spine.

  As if on cue, So's eyes narrowed into fierce slits, slicing through the crowd like twin sabers. Her gaze settled on the cluster of female students huddled near the door to Ema's css, each one receiving a sh of silent fury from her psychotic stare, full of possessive hate. They shrank back, their earlier curiosity now repced by visible fear. I guess nobody messes with the Duke of Korriban's daughter, not if they value their sanity.

  "See you after css,"

  So said, the edge in her eyes softening only for me before she sauntered away, leaving an undeniable statement hanging in the air.

  'What the fuck happened to me? I used to be king of the Gooners. Now, I date the inheritor of this pnet? I'm not compining; I'm more just lost.'

  I shuffled into css, my brain still doing somersaults, when Hawk Tuah, with her intimidating Muscle mommy build, slid into the seat next to mine. Her proximity was jarring but not nearly as much as the scowl etched deeply across her features.

  'She usually doesn't sit next to me.'

  "Vex, you need to break up with So,"

  Hawk demanded, her voice barely above a whisper but carrying the weight of a command from a high-ranking Sith Lord.

  "Break up with So?"

  I echoed dumbly. It was as though the universe itself was conspiring to make my life more complicated. 'Truly no greater hell.'

  "She's making you look like a baka, Vex," Hawk continued, her tone fierce, yet there was something else hidden beneath the surface, a tremor of something raw.

  'No, what the fuck? BAKA IS CANON! THAT'S SO FUCKING STUPID.'

  "Is that really your concern, Hawk? Or is there another reason you're so invested in my... retionships?" I probed, my words dipping in skepticism. My eyes bored a hole into her head.

  Hawk faltered for a moment, her usual stoicism cracking. "She's too weak for someone like you," she blurted out, then quickly tried to cover her slip by adding, "Someone more deserving should be at your side. Like me."

  I raised an eyebrow at the offer.

  'She's a fucking tsundere.' I recoil in complete disgust as I realize what abject horror lies in front of me.

  'If tsundere's have no haters, then I must be dead.' I mutter in my mind about the shit I used to write on tsundere appreciation posts on 4chan. 'My god, do I hate tsunderes, May Santa have mercy on your soul.'

  "Thanks for the... favor, Hawk," I replied, keeping my tone neutral. "But I think I've got enough on my pte with So."

  'I hate her vibe, but that's not a reason to just cut someone up. That should be So's job here.'

  Hawk's expression hardened again, and she turned away, focusing on the front of the css where Professor Ema stood, ready to begin the lecture. I couldn't help but let out a quiet sigh. Between So's dramatic dispys and Hawk's unexpected confession, it was shaping up to be one long day in the gaxy far, far away from simple.

  I turned my gaze away from Hawk, tuning out her disgusting mixed signals and the static of cssroom chatter. I focused instead on the rhythm of my own breathing, slow and deliberate, a technique to calm the storm that was my life at Korriban Academy.

  Professor Ema stood at the front of the css, her presence like a balm to the day's chaotic start. She moved with the kind of grace that made even the act of activating the holoprojector seem like a lesson in poise. As she began her lecture, I let the cadence of her voice filter through my thoughts.

  "Today, we delve into the intricacies of Sith alchemy," she began, her words painting pictures of dark arts and ancient secrets. But as much as I wanted to get lost in her teachings, a part of me couldn't help but feel like I was just going through the motions, pying the part of the dutiful Sith acolyte while my mind wandered gaxies away.

  'I mean, I'm pretty sure I'm on another level from at least all the Sith I've met so far. Ya-ta is the exception. Truth be told, I'm happy she beat the shit out of me. Because of that little incident, my strength has only grown. This does make me wonder, what of the bounty hunter, trooper, and imperial agent souls within me. Do they feel sad they are so underutilized?'

  It wasn't long before Ema shifted gears, her tone taking on a weighty significance that demanded attention. "And now, for an announcement of considerable importance," she said, capturing every pair of eyes in the room. "Tomorrow marks the commencement of the Annual Sith Combat Tournament."

  A collective murmur rippled through the students, a mix of excitement and apprehension. The tournament was a big deal, a chance to prove oneself in the eyes of the Academy, the Sith Lords, the entire damn Empire.

  'I am so going to fucking win.' I ugh to myself with the confidence of a horny Rancor.

  "Participation is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged," Ema continued, her gaze sweeping over us like she could see right through to our core. "The rules are as follows: combatants will face off in one-on-one matches, using only training sabers and their knowledge of the Force. No lethal blows will be tolerated."

  'Lame.'

  "The matches will carry on until a winner is determined, either by one competitor being knocked unconscious or through a ring knock out.," Ema wrapped up, her expression inscrutable. "May the best student cim victory and bring honor to their lineage."

  I exhaled slowly, trying not to let my clear excitement show. Honor, lineage, victory they were like chains, heavy with expectation. Expectation i feel no obligation to live up to. My chains were long broken.

  'Peace is a lie, baby!'

  *****

  The cng of psma against psma rang out as I rounded the corner, the unmistakable sound of sabers in combat. There she was, Zenna, a blur of fluid motion and unwavering focus, her saber a streak of red fury against the backdrop of the dimly lit chamber while attacking a training droid.

  "Hey, Zenna."

  I called out, my voice betraying a hint of the nervous energy that had been gnawing at me since So's public dispy earlier.

  She didn't pause, her saber colliding with the droid's in a shower of sparks. Only when she'd sent the machine stumbling back with a swift kick did she turn to look at me, her piercing eyes narrowing slightly.

  "Vex? What's wrong?" she asked, ever perceptive.

  'I'm gonna frow up.'

  "Nothing's wrong, exactly… it's just, well, So and I are kind of... a thing now."

  The words stumbled out of me in a rush, each one heavier than the st. I had to tell her before she found out on her own. I didn't want her to freak out on me.

  Zenna's expression shifted from curiosity to irritation faster than her saber strikes. "A 'thing'? By the Empress, Vex, what does that even mean?"

  Before I could muster an expnation, her features softened, and I could almost see the gears turning in her head. "Oh, well then that makes this next part easier i guess." confusing me as she spoke she followed up "It's like getting a sister then, isn't it?"

  "Sort of," I conceded, relief washing over me at her change of heart, but it was short-lived.

  "Speaking of which," Zenna continued, putting down her training saber and stepping closer, "Father received a letter from the Duke of Korriban himself."

  I swallowed hard. ‘Is he mad im blowing rope in his daughter?’

  "Officially," she said, her voice ced with a mix of excitement and formality, "You've been requested to be So's betrothed."

  Betrothed. The word echoed in my mind like a death knell. I knew So was intense with her feelings for me, but this was a whole new level of crazy. My future, it seemed, had been decided without my consent.

  "Exciting, isn't it?" Zenna beamed, oblivious to the cold dread seeping into my bones.

  "Overwhelming," I managed, the weight of the situation pressing down on me. I felt like a loving serpent had coiled itself around me. Deeply inserting it's fang's into my neck.

  'It could be worse. She treats me like a king whenever I'm around her and is extremely quick to take control during…….And uhhh, well, her feelings seem genuine. I mean, it was kind of love at first sight for me anyway.’ My thoughts are putter around like those of a schoolgirl.

  "So doesn't really take no for an answer, does she?"

  "Ha! That's putting it mildly," Zenna chuckled, her amusement evident. "But come on, you have to admit, it's quite an honor."

  Honor. There was that word again, dripping with expectation. Inevitably or not, being tied to someone as unpredictable as So felt less like an honor and more like walking a tightrope above a nest of krayt dragons.

  'God grants his silliest clowns to his Strongest Sith…. I bet.' She's worth it. I can feel it in my gut.

  "I'm just happy to find someone so passionate, you know?"

  I spoke, thinking how she was already so uninhibited, and she point bnk told me I could ask her for anything. If she is my betrothed, then I'm sure she'll understand that someone as powerful as me might have the occasional odd proclivity.

  I notice I'm practically hyperventiting at the thought of my now betrothed apprentice giving me the ultimate clussy.

  'Just one honk, So, Please.'