"Guidance of Fate?" the principal asked in a calm voice that hid a raging sea of anger.
Hildr did not show any shame as she continued to explain her stance on the matter.
"The Fates are responsible for creating bonds between people. These bonds are weaves that have maintained peace among our people since the dawn of time.
To go against the tides of fate is therefore a crime that deserves death. I am all for following fate's plans, and that is the reason I paid a visit to the princess over there," said Hildr as she pointed at Anastasia. The way she said the word princess showed her true feelings towards the young woman.
There was no respect to be heard.
"What are you talking about?" Anastasia asked with panic seeping into her words.
She felt as though something truly ridiculous was about to happen and there was nothing she could do to stop it.
"Get to the point," the principal barked out loud.
She no longer cared that she was pissing off the draugr on the council.
Hildr understood her frustration. After all, this was supposed to be her chance to kick Hildr out for good, and yet things were looking more and more troublesome.
"I recently got bonded to someone, and I am sure that it is Princess Anastasia. I was led to her by the power of fate, and for the academy to interfere in this would be the same as spitting in the faces of the Three Fates."
Anastasia did not know what to say at this point. Her brain shut down and her legs almost gave out.
She could not believe that she would be bonded to someone like the Cursed Princess. If this turned out to be true, it would be the end of her good life. All that would be left for her was pain and suffering.
Some of the council members jumped out of their chairs.
They looked at Hildr as though trying to see the truth on her face.
The principal did not panic. She just smiled as though she had just heard the funniest thing in her life. If she were not in the council chamber, she would have already burst out into laughter.
"There is a punishment for false bond claims. Even the Fates will not let you off after what you just said. I suggest you fall to your knees immediately and beg for mercy," the principal said.
"I already said that we can prove everything with the help of a Shadow," said Hildr. It was clear that she was on the verge of losing all patience with these proceedings.
The Shadows were mysterious creatures that were considered the bastion of knowledge.
No one knew what they were and how they came to be.
Among the Otherkind, most mysteries could be solved by inviting a Shadow. The only issue was that the price to invite a Shadow was far too great.
Most people could not afford it, and even those who could made sure to only summon a Shadow as a last resort. Hildr's father had summoned a Shadow after Hildr collapsed during the bonding process, and the price he had paid was still considered great even for one of the wealthiest people in the world.
Among the Otherkind, only a single creature has the power to confirm bonds forged by fate, and this is the Shadows.
In light of Hildr's claims, the academy had to summon a Shadow if they wanted to move forward with her expulsion. This was because they had to prove that Hildr was lying about the bond, and only after that could they expel her.
If they were to expel her and it turned out that it was indeed true that the bond had been formed, the academy could face terrible consequences from the Three Fates.
Hildr smiled at the principal. It was an innocent smile, and yet the principal saw the devil smiling at her.
The principal was sure that Hildr had made this absurd claim since she understood that the price to confirm her lies was something the academy would not be willing to pay.
This left the academy with a single option, and that was to let Hildr go and forget about this incident.
Even though making false claims could lead to devastating consequences for the liar, this was very rare.
The only course of action she left for the council was to let her be. They could not expel her, and even punishing her in any way could spark riots against the school.
The chamber was completely silent as all the council members looked at each other. They did not know what to do next. To simply let Hildr go would diminish their authority, and yet this was the only thing they could do.
"How shameless?" one of the council members shouted. His long beard shivered as though he would not let this stand. This person was from the Strigoi clan, and he was already pissed that Hildr attacked their princess. To make matters even worse, Hildr did not show any remorse. Not even a hint of shame could be seen on her face.
"Even the Fates would never bond something like you to the princess," the man cried out once more.
With these words, the draugr on the council were all stirred up. They began shouting at each other. A fight between the Strigoi and the Draugr was about to break out.
Things were rapidly devolving, and the principal could see this very clearly.
"I will summon a Shadow to come and deal with this situation," the principal shouted.
This allowed her to grab all the attention in the hall.
"The academy cannot take on such a burden," one of the draugrs said.
This woman was afraid that if a Shadow was to be summoned, their princess's lies would come undone. She could not allow the principal to go forward with this plan. The other draugr all soon understood what was going on and they also objected immediately.
The Strigoi, of course, supported this since they were sure that their princess had nothing to do with a filthy draugr. The other people on the council just sat back and enjoyed the show.
"I will not be using academy resources to call the Shadow. I will use my own resources to deal with this problem." The moment the principal said this, the chamber became silent once more. The draugr no longer had a reason to object, and the Strigoi were getting what they wanted.
'As expected of the Audax family,' thought Hildr.
The Audax family was very ancient and powerful, with their bloodline tracing back to a god, or so they claimed.
The Audax family, to which the principal belonged, was as wealthy as Hildr's family.
They could easily afford to summon a Shadow.
'Still, I did not expect her to go this far. What is her reason for wanting me gone so badly?'
Hildr had a lot of thoughts on the matter, but she did not show any of it on her face. She just smiled just like a princess ought to.
"I thank the principal for her wise decision," she said.
The council meeting ended just like that.
The principal needed at least a month to gather all the things needed to summon a Shadow.
In the meantime, Hildr and Anastasia were allowed to stay at the academy as though nothing had happened.
The Strigoi tried to cover up what had just happened, including Hildr's claims, but they failed spectacularly, especially since Hildr ordered the council members that were Draugrs to spread this news as fast as possible.
One of these council members even appeared on the news and described everything that had happened. He emphasized the bond between the two princesses.
This news spread like wildfire, shaking the entire continent.
The Strigoi and the Draugr all over the world were left with countless questions, with "How is this possible?" being the most important one.
Hildr wanted this news to spread all over so that she could take advantage of the situation. One of the most immediate benefits for the Draugr was a shift in their reputation. The Strigoi were known as the most noble, righteous, and the best of the children of night, while the Draugr were the scoundrels among the children of the night.
The two clans were on opposite ends when it came to their reputations. For the Fates to forge a bond between the future leaders of these two clans showed that the Fates believed that these two clans were on the same level in terms of power and status.
With this bond, the world began thinking of the Draugr as not being so bad. After all, even the Fates thought so.
As the reputation of the Draugr turned for the better, the opposite happened for the Strigoi.
This was especially so for Princess Anastasia. Even some of the Strigoi around the world thought that she had brought dishonor to their clan.
There were other benefits to be gotten from this association with the Draugr, and Hildr intended on taking all of them.