Chapter 47: The Hearing

Roxanne’s hand stayed locked with Kai’s as they walked toward the hearing room, the corridor packed with students who’d gathered despite having no reason to be there other than curiosity.

"That’s the girl who defended him," someone murmured.

"She knew about the report."

"Of course she did."

"They’re probably together."

Roxanne heard every word and kept walking anyway.

Kai glanced at her. "You don’t have to stay."

"I’m not staying because I have to," she said.

The doors opened, and they walked in together.

The room wasn’t what Roxanne expected. Not just Kai and the principal seated across a desk. Academy officials lined one side of the room, teachers and student representatives filled the gallery, and several witnesses sat waiting near the front. A projection displayed the disciplinary report for everyone to see.

An official read through the accusations in a flat, official tone. Kai had entered a restricted training area. He had engaged another student in unauthorized combat. That student had been hospitalized. The entire incident had been concealed from the wider student body until now.

The room’s mood shifted instantly, cold and judgmental, a low murmur rippling through the gallery.

"Royal privilege," someone whispered, loud enough to carry.

Kai didn’t react. Roxanne watched him from beside her seat, noting how completely still he’d gone, no defensiveness, no flicker of anger.

The principal asked whether the report was authentic.

"Yes," Kai said.

The room erupted into murmurs again. The official waited for it to settle before asking whether Kai disputed any of the facts.

"No."

Roxanne studied him. He wasn’t trying to manipulate anyone in that room, wasn’t pretending innocence he didn’t have. He was simply owning what had happened, plainly and without excuse.

"Then why," the official asked, "shouldn’t your participation in academy competitions be permanently suspended?"

Kai looked directly at the panel. "Because I’ve already served the punishment given to me."

That single sentence shifted something in the room’s atmosphere, the murmurs quieting into something more uncertain.

One of the student representatives immediately argued that Kai’s royal status had clearly influenced the leniency of his original punishment.

Roxanne raised her hand and asked permission to speak. The room went quiet with surprise as she rose and walked forward.

She didn’t defend what Kai had done. Instead, she turned to face him directly.

"Did you break the rules?"

"Yes," Kai said.

"Was someone injured?"

"Yes."

"Were you punished for it?"

The official confirmed that he had been.

Roxanne turned to face the panel. "Then what exactly are we deciding today? Whether he should be punished twice because everyone in this school suddenly knows his name?"

Silence spread through the room, heavy enough that nobody seemed willing to break it first.

Roshan stood next, presenting a copy of the original disciplinary report. He pointed out, calmly and methodically, that the version leaked and circulated among students was missing several pages. Those missing pages showed that Kai had cooperated fully with the investigation, admitted responsibility immediately, been suspended from training as punishment, and that the injured student had made a full recovery. The academy had formally closed the case months ago.

The panel exchanged uneasy glances as they reviewed the complete document.

"Where did you obtain this?" one official asked.

"The academy’s own records," Roshan said simply.

That answer settled a new, uncomfortable weight over the room. Someone had deliberately leaked an incomplete version of a confidential file. Nobody addressed that directly yet, but the implication sat there regardless, impossible to ignore.

The panel deliberated briefly before delivering their verdict. Kai wouldn’t be cleared entirely. The original incident had been serious, and the panel wanted that acknowledged clearly. But he had already served his punishment in full. He would be allowed to continue attending classes and return to the Alpha Challenge, with his previous competition results remaining valid.

However, he would be placed on probation. Any further serious violation would remove him from competition permanently.

Roxanne respected that outcome more than she expected to. Kai hadn’t walked away with a clean slate. He’d faced a real consequence, one that would follow him.

Just as the room began to relax, Joanna stood from the gallery.

"I’d like to ask whether the same standards will apply to the entire Moonstone team," she said.

The room went silent again.

Joanna argued that the team had benefited from Kai’s royal status throughout the competition season, and requested a formal review of their standing in the rankings.

Lucien’s jaw tightened. Roxanne understood immediately what Joanna had just done, finding a procedural loophole nobody could easily dismiss.

The panel agreed to review the team’s competition standing.

Liam looked furious, his fists curling at his sides. Kai’s expression didn’t change. Roxanne looked directly at Joanna, and though she said nothing, the look alone was enough to wipe the satisfaction off Joanna’s face.

Outside the hearing room, the brothers gathered in a tight circle.

"She planned that," Liam said.

"Yes," Roshan said.

"And she’s not finished," Lucien added.

Kai turned to Roxanne. "You shouldn’t have spoken."

"You’re welcome," Roxanne said, crossing her arms.

"That’s not what I meant."

"I know."

Kai was quiet for a moment before finally saying, "Thank you."

There was nothing dramatic in it, no flirtation behind the words. Just something sincere, and Roxanne found herself smiling despite everything that had just happened.

They found Arabella waiting near the end of the hallway, clearly expecting a different outcome. Her expression shifted the moment she saw Kai walking beside Roxanne instead of being escorted out of the building.

Roxanne walked past her without a word.

"Enjoy it while you can," Arabella said quietly as she passed.

Roxanne stopped and turned back. "You should try something new."

Arabella raised an eyebrow. "Like what?"

"Winning."

She walked away before Arabella could respond, leaving her standing alone in the corridor.

The Moonstones crossed the courtyard together afterward, students still whispering about the hearing on every side of them. Then an announcement echoed across the grounds through the campus speakers.

"Attention students. Due to the ongoing review of the Alpha Challenge rankings, all current team standings are suspended effective immediately."

Everyone in the courtyard stopped walking at once.

Liam turned toward Lucien. "You’re kidding."

Lucien’s eyes shot to the massive competition board mounted near the courtyard entrance. The #1 Moonstone Team banner flickered and disappeared. The board refreshed itself, their team names still listed exactly where they’d been.

Beside their names, in bold red letters, sat two words.

UNDER REVIEW.

Roxanne stared at the board. Kai stepped up beside her, his eyes fixed on the same two words.

Neither of them said anything.

Liam cracked his knuckles. "Well."

Roshan let out a long breath. Lucien straightened his shoulders, jaw set.

Kai’s eyes never left the board.

Roxanne felt something settle in her chest, not quite dread, not quite anger. Something closer to purpose.

They finally had something worth fighting for.