11
The final exam created a bigger sensation than I ever could have imagined. Already known as a young genius, I was now famous across the entire
planet. Fame had its perks, and its downsides.
Case in point: my father carne to me, beaming, and delivered a piece of news that felt like a lightning bolt from a clear sky.
“Luna, the King has just issued a royal decree. You’ve been named the Prince’s Royal Fiancée!”
My hand trembled, and the components I was sorting scattered across the floor.
Wait, I didn’t even attend the royal selection banquet. How was I involved in this?
Last week, Master Cyra took me to the labs at my mother’s factory. I saw Seraphina there. Master Valerius’s lab was also provided by our family,
so it wasn’t strange to run into her. She looked listless and dejected.
The feed told me why. Julian Pierce’s true identity was the Second Prince of the realm, the only royal who was both a mech pilot and an artificer. He had been injured in a war and was teaching at our academy simply to pass the time while he recovered. He was well past marriageable age,
but had always resisted. This time, the King had issued a direct order, and he couldn’t refuse.
Thus, the royal selection banquet.
Seraphina didn’t even have the qualifications to attend, which was why she was currently fighting with him.
