The next morning, Valentina woke up with a queasy feeling in her stomach. The encounter with Innogen the night before was weighing heavily on her mind. As she got ready for the day, she couldn't stop thinking about it.

  "You worry too much, little Weaver," muttered Vyxara. "She didn't see anything. You met in a corridor at night, that's all."

  "I hope you're right," Valentina whispered as she plaited her hair into a neat braid.

  In the dining room at breakfast, Valentina immediately felt Innogen's gaze on her. Her friend was watching her over the edge of her bowl of oats, her eyes full of unspoken questions.

  "Good morning, Val," Innogen greeted her as Valentina sat down at the table. Her voice sounded neutral, but Valentina could sense the tension behind it.

  "Morning, Innogen," Valentina replied with a forced smile. "Did you sleep well?"

  Innogen shrugged her shoulders. "Not really. I was up pretty late, as you know. After all, we saw each other last night, didn't we?"

  Valentina felt her heart skip a beat. "Oh, yes," she said, trying to sound casual. "I was still in the library. You know, the tie-break and all."

  Innogen nodded slowly, her gaze boring into Valentina's. "Of course. The library."

  Breakfast passed in tense silence. Valentina could feel Innogen's mistrust growing.

  After lunch, Valentina made her way to her first lecture. As she turned a corner on her way to the next lecture, she heard muffled voices coming from an alcove in front of her. She immediately recognized Innogen's voice and stood rooted to the spot.

  "Listen," Vyxara hissed. "Use your skills."

  Valentina hesitated only a moment to move out of sight behind the corner before activating her Essence Listening ability. The voices suddenly became clear and distinct.

  "...I'm just worried about her, Crispin," she heard Innogen say. "She's been acting pretty strange for a while now and I think she's lying to us."

  "What do you mean?" asked Crispin, his voice sounding confused.

  "Haven't you noticed how often she's spoken to Professor Horne after class in the last few weeks?" asked Innogen. "And last night I saw her coming out of his office late at night."

  Valentina's heart was racing. She pressed herself against the wall, her breathing shallow.

  "I... I haven't noticed anything unusual," Crispin stammered. "Maybe he's just tutoring her? He seems to have been making an effort for her lately, maybe he's recognized her potential since the competition."

  Innogen sighed in frustration. "Perhaps. But something's wrong, Crispin, I know it. I know Val. She's hiding something from us."

  "What do you think?" Crispin asked cautiously.

  Innogen was silent for a while "I don't know," Innogen finally admitted. "But I will find out. Val is my friend, and if she's in trouble, I want to help her."

  Valentina detached herself from the wall, her head buzzing. She had to get out of there before someone discovered her.

  "That's a problem," Vyxara commented dryly. "Your nosy friend could ruin everything."

  Valentina nodded silently and hurried down the corridor. Her head was full of confused thoughts. How could she stop Innogen from investigating further? What if she found out the truth?

  Valentina spent the rest of the day in a state of constant tension. She felt Innogen's searching gaze on her at every opportunity. She could hardly concentrate in the lectures, she was too busy behaving inconspicuously.

  When she returned to her room that evening, she felt exhausted, drained and completely stressed. She sank onto her bed and buried her face in her hands.

  "What am I supposed to do?" she muttered desperately.

  At that moment, there was a knock on her door.

  Valentina froze when she heard it. She instinctively knew who it was and opened the door with trembling hands.

  Innogen stood in front of it, her face a mask of concern and steely determination. The flickering light from the Essence lamps in the corridor was intensifying her serious expression. "We need to talk, Val," she said quietly but firmly.

  Valentina stepped aside and allowed her friend to enter. The tension in the room was almost palpable, like an invisible fog spreading between them.

  "What's wrong, Innogen?" asked Valentina, trying to sound calm. Her voice trembled slightly, betraying her inner turmoil.

  Innogen turned to her, her eyes sparkling angrily. "You're still asking that? Val, I saw you coming out of Professor Horne's office last night. What the hell is going on?"

  Valentina felt her heart racing. The rhythm of her pulse thundered in her ears. "It... it's not what you think," she stammered, the words seeming strangely foreign to her.

  "Oh no?" Innogen's voice grew louder, echoing off the walls. "Then explain it to me! What are you doing in his office in the middle of the night? And why are you lying to me all the time?"

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  Valentina felt panic rising inside her, like a cold wave threatening to overwhelm her. She wanted to lie again, wanted to talk her way out of it, but the words stuck in her throat.

  "Maybe it's time for the truth, little Weaver," Vyxara said. "At least a part of it. But be on your guard."

  "I..." Valentina began, her voice breaking. She swallowed hard, trying to form the words. "I'm getting... tutored by him."

  "Tutoring?" Innogen laughed bitterly, the sound cutting through the silence like a knife. "At this hour? Val, how stupid do you think I am?"

  When she heard Innogen laughing so snidely, when she saw her standing there in front of her with her carefully coiffed hair and expensive clothes, something broke inside Valentina and an ugly feeling rose up inside her. It was as if a dam had burst. All the pent-up frustration, the shame, the anger – everything flooded out of her at once, like a roaring torrent.

  "YES, DAMN IT!" she screamed, her voice raw with emotion. "I let Horne do things to me! I let him touch me, use me, spank me! And you know why? Because I have no other choice!"

  Innogen staggered back as if Valentina had hit her. Her face was a mixture of shock and disbelief. "Val, what... what are you talking about?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

  "You don't understand, do you?" Valentina's voice was full of bitterness now, every word dripping with suppressed pain. "You with your shitty rich Lord Father, your expensive private lessons with Professor Veilford, your access to the restricted section that just comes with that name of yours. You don't have to worry about how you're going to pay for the next book or whether you have enough Distilled Essence or whether you're going to wear the same shitty three dresses that already belonged to your older sister all year or if they finally fall apart! Standing there in your silk embroidered..."

  Tears ran down Valentina's cheeks, but she couldn't stop. The words gushed out of her as if they had taken on a life of their own. "Your stupid father pays for your private lessons with money. I pay for mine with my body. That's the whole damn difference between us, Innogen."

  Innogen stood there, speechless, tears glistening in her eyes. "Val, I... I..." her voice broke. "Why didn't you say anything?"

  "Because I was ashamed!" Valentina sobbed, her whole body shaking. "Because I thought you would despise me. Because I was afraid of losing everything I'd fought so hard for!"

  She sank onto her bed, exhausted by her emotional outburst. The old wood creaked under her weight, a strangely loud sound in the suddenly tense silence.

  Innogen sat down next to her and carefully put an arm around her shoulders. The warmth of her touch was like an anchor in Valentina's stormy emotions.

  "Oh Val," she whispered, choked with tears but her voice full of compassion. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea… oh how relentless I pressured you about it, I’m so sorry!"

  Valentina leaned against her friend, too exhausted to resist. "I wanted to tell you so many times," she murmured, her voice muffled against Innogen's shoulder. "But I was so scared."

  Innogen hugged her tightly, her embrace like a shield against the world. "Listen to me, Val. Do you remember our promise? Back in the garden? We swore we'd always be there for each other, no matter what, that we wouldn't let other people's expectations limit us and that we'd find our own way together. That still stands."

  Valentina raised her head, her eyes red from crying, searching Innogen's face for confirmation. "Really? Even though I've kept this from you? After everything I've done with... everything I've done?"

  "Especially after that," Innogen said firmly, her voice full of conviction. "Val, you're my best friend. I may not fully understand what you're going through, but I can be there for you. I won't judge you or despise you, I swear."

  Valentina felt a huge weight fall from her shoulders. It was as if she could breathe freely again for the first time in months. She had been carrying this secret around with her for so long and now that it was out, she felt almost sick with relief.

  "Thank you, Innogen," she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

  Innogen smiled through her tears, her eyes shining in the faint candlelight. "You'll never have to find out either."

  They sat like that for a long time, holding each other, sobbing quietly as the night fell around them. After a while, Innogen gently released herself from the embrace and looked at Valentina seriously. "Val, we need to talk about how we can solve this."

  Valentina sighed, the reality of her situation weighing heavily on her again. "There's nothing to solve," she muttered. "I need Horne's help."

  Innogen frowned, her face a picture of concentration. "There must be another way. Maybe I can write to my father, he could-"

  "No!" Valentina interrupted her fiercely. "I don't want a handout, Innogen. I want to do this on my own."

  Innogen nodded slowly, understanding dawning in her eyes. "I understand. But Val, you have to understand that what Horne is doing is wrong. He's taking advantage of his position."

  Valentina laughed bitterly. "Innogen, really, you can be so naive sometimes. Everyone takes advantage of their position. You take advantage of your position as your father's daughter. Your father takes advantage of his position as Marquess of Timberpine. Faustus takes advantage of his position as a rich snob. And yes – Horne takes advantage of his position as a professor and a scholar with secret knowledge. Just as I take advantage of my position as a beautiful young woman for whom Horne wants to take advantage of his position. That's how our world works. If I break up our arrangement now, it will all have been for nothing."

  "But... we can find a way," Innogen said uncertainly. "Together we can think of something. I won't let you continue to humiliate yourself like this."

  Valentina felt new tears welling up inside her. "I am not humiliated because I have decided that I will not be humiliated. Please don't decide for me that I'm humiliated. You're my best friend, I don't want to be humiliated in your eyes. You just promised me you wouldn't judge me," she whispered.

  Innogen looked at her seriously for a long time. "I... I think I understand. Valentina, I respect you, I really do. I... oh, I don't know. It's not easy."

  Valentina nodded. They hugged again, giving each other wordless closeness, reassuring each other where words could not help at the moment.

  When they finally broke away from each other again, Innogen looked out of the window at the position of the moon. "It's late," she said. "We should get some sleep. Tomorrow we have more time to talk."

  Valentina nodded tiredly. The emotional up and down of the evening had exhausted her.

  Innogen stood up, but then hesitated. "Should I stay?" she asked gently.

  Valentina shook her head. "No, I'm all right. I just... I need some time to think. We'll talk again first thing tomorrow, I promise."

  Innogen nodded in understanding. "Okay. But if you need me, no matter when, you just come down to me. Understood?"

  "Understood, Milady." Valentina smiled weakly.

  When Innogen had left, Valentina dropped back onto her bed. Her head was buzzing from the evening's events, but all in all, she felt a tremendous sense of relief. She wasn't going to lose Innogen because of what had happened with Horne.

  "You handled that excellently," commented Vyxara appreciatively.

  Valentina snorted softly. "Yes, who would have thought that the truth could actually set you free?"

  She stared at the ceiling for a long time. There was still so much to sort out, but it was good to know that Innogen was on her side.

  "Your friendship with Innogen seems to be stronger than I thought," said Vyxara, slightly surprised. "That is very valuable and could prove to be extremely useful. Too bad you can't tell her about me."

  Yes, that was indeed a pity, Valentina thought as she fell asleep, because it would have made the burden she had to carry so much lighter.