The Betrayed Princess Rising Chapter 89

Cora's POV

Mess. Everything had fallen apart—a complete, humiliating disaster.

And it was all Lylah’s fault.

“Dean never witnessed the incident himself." Professor Clark Grimwood said. "Anyone can pretend to be prey when it suits them."

His voice carried that cold, quiet authority that made my spine shiver and my throat tighten.

No one challenged Professor Vale so openly. No one unless they were strong enough not to fear him.

Alexander’s eyes snapped to mine. Fear—raw, unmasked—flashed in them. I gave a slight shake of my head. Don’t react.

Grimwood moved then, taking Iris' arm and guiding her forward. “Look closely,” he said. “See for yourselves who the true aggressor was.”

Bruises marred Iris’s neck and cheek. Her arm was flushed where it had struck the table.

“Your student, Alexander Blackridge, attacked first. He knew very well her strength couldn't match his. Yet he still chose violence.”

Grimwood stepped toward Alexander next.

Thane had pressed a handkerchief to Alexander’s temple. When it was pulled away, it revealed only a shallow scratch.

“Just a tiny scratch." Grimwood’s lip curled. "Still calling him innocent, Vale? Do I need to reteach you how to assess injury? Lylah was only defending her friend—if Alexander hadn’t attacked first, she wouldn’t have had to act.”

“She recorded me!” Alexander burst out, he pointed at Lylah. “That’s illegal!”

“I haven’t used it. It’s only a few seconds long.” She tilted her head. “Or would you like me to play it?”

My heart dropped.

Alexander’s face turned deathly pale.

“Pathetic. Perhaps you should spend less time posturing and more time studying." Professor Grimwood said. “You even accused her of forging my signature. Lylah isn't as stupid as you."

Professor Vale frowned. “But that's impossible your signature is real. She’s only a junior assistant.”

“Says who?” Grimwood’s eyes flashed, sharp as claws. “The moment I took her under my wing, she became my student.”

Silence fell.

No. This couldn’t be happening.

Professor Clark Grimwood, who hadn’t taken a student in years, now he’d chosen her? Lylah?

My heart skipped a beat.

He wasn’t just anyone. In his prime, Clark Grimwood had rivaled Corvin Vale—maybe even surpassed him. And I’d seen him with Commander Ivar more than once before. They were close.

Lylah hadn’t even said a word that night when Father and I dragged her into the rotten man, Barth Hollow. She had to have planned this. That sly, calculating girl.

Rage twisted through me, sharp and scorching, my wolf clawing at the edges of control.

I hated her. Hated the way fate, luck, and every advantage always seemed to bend to her, leaving me trapped in her shadow.

“And let me remind you,” Grimwood continued, his chin lifting. “I was the one who laid the foundation for Vale’s research team. Without me, it would not exist.”

His gaze swept over all of us. “And as one of the directing physicians of the MDT, I require no one’s permission to bring my student into it.”

I waited for Professor Vale to challenge him. To assert his authority.

But he didn’t.

Vale finally exhaled. “All this trouble… You could have just said so.”

“Thanks to this incident I discovered my student had been a target of injustice.” Grimwood's hand rested briefly on Lylah’s shoulder. "But she proved she was more than capable of defending herself. For that, I am proud of her.”

Vale’s face drained of color,

“Alexander.”

Alex stiffened. “Yes, sir.”

Vale’s jaw tightened, “Apologize to Lylah and Iris right now.”

“I apologize,” he said, the words forced out like broken glass. “For my reckless actions. I regret it."

Iris flicked her hand dismissively, “We’re even now. But remember Alex, there won’t be a next time.”

Alexander’s hands curled into fists at his sides, but he stayed silent.

Vale spoke again, his tone turning cold.

“Alexander, you are suspended from my laboratory. You will not return until you submit a written self-critique reflecting on your misconduct and your failure to control yourself.”

Then his gaze landed on me.

“And you as well, Coraline.”