The Betrayed Princess Rising Chapter 127

Cora's POV

It had been three days since the incident—three days since Professor Grimwood had humiliated Professor Vale in front of half the Healing

Department and every student who mattered. And somehow, things had only worsened.

At least for me.

Lylah, no doubt, was celebrating what she believed was her little victory. I could practically imagine that self-righteous smile of hers, the way she always acted as though fate itself had chosen her.

But victories like that never lasted.

Sooner or later, I would remind her exactly where she belonged.

For now, though, I had something else to deal with.

The lecture hall was nearly empty when I stepped inside. My heels echoed softly against the polished floor, the scent of ink and old parchment lingering in the air.

Alexander Blackridge sat alone at one of the desks, shoulders tense, gaze fixed on nothing.

I approached slowly.

“Alex,” I said with a soft smile.

He turned toward me.

The warmth I expected wasn’t there.

His face looked carved from stone, his dark eyes colder than a winter night. It was a look he had never given me before.

“Why are you here?” he asked.

The sharpness in his voice caught me off guard.

“Alex, what is this?” I frowned slightly. “You’ve been acting strange since yesterday—shutting me out, speaking to me like this.” Irritation began creeping into my tone. “You’re treating me like what happened a few days ago was somehow my fault.”

“Leave me,” he said flatly. “Stop coming here pretending you care.”

My eyes narrowed.

My fists clenched at my sides.

No.

This was crossing a line.

No one spoke to me like that—not even him.

“You have no right to blame me,” I said coolly.

His gaze snapped to mine, sharp and glacial.

Alexander rose slowly from his seat and stepped toward me. Without the usual foolish smile he always wore for me, he seemed… different. Harder somehow.

“All the students laugh at me now,” he said quietly. “They whisper behind my back. My name is ruined, and Professor Vale won’t even look at me anymore. Meanwhile, you walk away untouched.” His eyes met mine, wounded and sharp. “And you’re still saying I can’t blame you? That I don’t even have the right to be angry?”

His eyes flashed—not with anger alone, but something far more vulnerable.

Pain.

“Do you even understand why I did what I did to Lylah that day, Cora?” he continued. “Why I tried to expose her? Why I took credit for treating that patient?” He let out a bitter breath. “Because of you.”

“You used to ask me to stand by your side,” he continued. “You told me how poisonous she was—how she manipulated everyone, how she’d been hurting you all this time.”

His voice dropped.

“All I wanted was to help you, Cora."

He paused, then added quietly,

“And then when everything fell apart… You stood there with everyone else and called me an idiot.”

I held his gaze without flinching.

“Because you are, Alexander,” I said coldly.

His expression faltered.

“You’re stupid,” I continued. “I asked you to support me—not abandon your common sense in the process.”

I folded my arms.

“What kind of fool thinks it’s smart to slander someone in public and steal credit for her work—right in front of the professors?” I scoffed, my voice laced with scorn. “Even pups have better instincts than that.”

Alexander’s eyes dropped to the floor. The hurt on his face was unmistakable.

But it stirred nothing in me.

“I called you stupid so you’d realize it,” I said, stepping closer. I deliberately softened my voice, letting false warmth seep into my tone. “So you wouldn’t make the same mistake again.”

I reached out slightly.

“Because I care about you—”

Alexander brushed past me before I could finish.

He didn’t even look at me.

The door opened, then shut behind him with a sharp click, leaving me alone in the empty hall.