Rise of the Bullied Luna Queen

The Crown prince and the Envoys 1

~RUBY~

Who would've thought that the place I believed to be my haven would turn into a nightmare? On the first day, I clashed with the realm's Aldorin. How could I survive after getting that card? I clearly understood what was written there. A slave.

I sighed as I walked towards my room in the Howl Dormitory. The hall was silent fortunately for me.

When I reached Room 309, I rubbed my hands together and grasped the doorknob, swinging the door wide open. The room, which was to become my own, greeted me with a fresh scent of cinnamon, a fragrance I hadn't noticed during my first visit. Anticipating company, I stepped in, but the room was empty. I assumed my roommate hadn't arrived until the sound of running water sounded from opposite the beds.

My roommate walked out of the bathroom. She stopped, eyed my wet body, and walked past me to her closet.

"Hi," I said, hoping for a connection. No response. "I'm Ruby Peters, your new roommate for this year" Still no reply. "You might have seen my stuff. Pick a side or—"

"Don't you ever stop talking!" she yelled, finishing drying her red hair. "Your unfiltered mouth got you in trouble with the crown prince and you even dared to attack him!"

I could still remember the faces I saw at the gathering, trying to recall every detail. Surprisingly, I didn't notice a redhead among the crowd. 'How...'"

She walked past me, picked up her phone from the bed, and thrust it towards my face. "Your face is plastered everywhere, and I can't believe I have to share a room with someone like you!" Her words dripped with disdain.

Frowning, I wondered why she was passing judgment without understanding the full story, relying solely on online news. "I never did anything they said about me," I replied, gesturing towards her phone. "I would never deliberately attack the Aldorin. Besides, why is no one talking about the boy that was attacked? He could be dead, and he—"

My roommate burst into laughter. "You are naive, aren't you?" She ran her hand through her hair, dropped her phone on the bed, and sauntered past me toward her clothes. "No one is allowed to say anything about that. It has been happening for years, and no one gives a damn, especially people like us, the howlers." She paused, slipping into her blouse and then black pants. "You are no one, Ruby Peters, and now you've become someone who will be picked on until you end up like James, who jumped down the roof."

Shock widened my eyes; I couldn't bear to hear what she was saying. To the outsiders, the prince was praised, but discovering he was a big bully was unexpected, and now, even my roommate didn't find it a big deal. "Someone could die, and—"

"And you think anyone cares? Year after year, someone from the howlers is picked on by the aldorin and the envoys, and—"

"Wait a minute," I cut her off before she could finish. "What do you mean by envoys? Who are they, and why are they picking on us? What did we do wrong? I mean, we are—"

"Don't you get it!" she yelled, slapping her hand on her forehead. "We are no one. We are charity cases helped by the alpha king to get a better life in society. We aren't up to the hierarchy of those who deserve to live in the big city, and that's why we're referred to as the howlers!" She paused, catching her breath, then walked to her bed and sat down. "James was the one they chose to pick on, and they've been at it for a month.

"And no one could do anything about it?" I thought, staring at my roommate as she smirked at me.

"Every month, the crown prince and his envoys target a student from the Howlers. They torment them until they're bored! If someone finds the Thralith letter in their locker, they become their slave, subject to everyone's cruelty!"

Her words sounded like gibberish to me. I couldn't fathom how anyone could find joy in torturing others. This wasn't what I anticipated this school to be.

"You're their next target now," she tutted. "Unlucky to be picked on your first day!"

"I don't even understand what you're saying, and I am—"

"Of course, you won't understand, so let me explain. The crown prince and his envoys, six of them, including him—"

"I don't need to know their names," I interrupted.

She chuckled. "Listen if you want to find a way out before you end up like James....."

"Excuse me!" I was beyond shocked. I hadn't expected her to speak like that. "There's no way I'm going to end up like James!"

If only she knew the hardships I'd faced with my family. Whatever they threw at me, I'd endure it.

"Dream on," she retorted harshly, standing up and stepping closer. "They'll torment, ruin, and break you until you end your life yourself. It's easier than surviving their torture," she said, sitting back down. "Trust me, you don't want that pain. It's excruciating!"

Excruciating pain echoed in my head, and memories of my stepmother's words resurfaced. I couldn't believe I'd entered a place to face more agony. My heart raced, feeling like an impending heart attack.

"I'm going to report this," I declared, facing my roommate. "I won't give up like James. Maybe someone will help me, or they might forget about the card."

She stared intensely, snapping her fingers. "If you're contemplating ending it, that window is your freedom."

"Why are you talking like this? Don't you have any hope?" I asked, perplexed.

"Hope?" She laughed bitterly. "This is our world. If I were you, I'd end it now."

"No," I stated firmly, removing my boot. "I won't give up. I'll report to the headmistress because I—"

"Do that and watch your life crumble!" she snapped.

"Excuse me!"

"Are you so dense that you can't comprehend a single word I say?" she hissed angrily before jumping under the covers. "One final word to you: stay away from me and don't pretend to know me at all. If others are bullying you, I will do the same," she declared, then sighed. "If that helps me survive this school, I'll do it in the blink of an eye. Also, watch out for the envoys. I would have introduced them, but you shut me up. Hope you enjoy your hell!" She sighed again and turned to the other side.

None of what she said made sense to me. If this was how things were here, then this place wasn't a school; it was hell—a place for the crown prince to display his power. Now that I'd fallen prey to him, I needed to get out, and I wasn't going to end up like James.

I believed I could save everyone by reporting to the alpha king through a letter. Even if the letter never reached him, I was determined to write about everyone's ordeal.

I stood up, walked into the bathroom to change from my wet clothes, and took a bath. That night, I could barely sleep, spending it writing a letter to the alpha king, unable to stop thinking about the Aldorin. Something about him intrigued me, and I couldn't figure out why.

That morning, when the first bell rang, I was already up and had taken my bath. It was our orientation day as new students. I dressed in my purple and teal uniform, admiring myself in the mirror. It fits perfectly and the smell of fresh clothes made me smile—it had been a long time since I got new clothes. "Ready to start a new day, Ruby?" I asked myself as I brushed my hair backward. I turned towards my roommate's bed and noticed she was still sleeping. Not wanting to disturb her, I headed out of the room.

The corridor leading to the orientation pulsed with students. Each step I took echoed with their murmurings, their taunts piercing through the air. Most stopped to mock, fingers pointing accusingly, while others aimed their phones at me, capturing my humiliation. I didn't turn or acknowledge them; soon, it would all end once my letter reached the alpha king.

Moving forward, head held high, I was suddenly struck by something hurled from the crowd. Ice cream smeared across my face, momentarily blinding me. As I tried to clear my vision, someone's foot jutted out, sending me crashing to the ground.

Laughter ricocheted off the walls, their voices a chorus of ridicule. Lying there, I wondered why my suffering fueled their excitement, refusing to give them the satisfaction they sought.

I attempted to rise but fell flat on my as I felt another assailant step on my right hand.

"Thralith!" A soft, venomous voice cut through, the scent of roses preceding her. "How dare someone like you exist in the royal academy!" She spat, grinding her boot into my hand.

Wincing and biting my lip to conceal the pain, I lifted my head to meet her gaze. Her cruelty contradicted her appearance—green eyes glared back at me, the same howler insignia on her uniform.

Someone ripped my black school bag from my back, spilling its contents. I watched in horror as he plucked the letter I had written to the Alpha king from the ground.

Suppressing a gasp, I yanked my hand from under the girl's boot, scrambling to retrieve the letter before he could read it. But then, an overwhelming and commanding presence stopped me. The hallway grew silent and I felt a shiver run down my spine.

He was here and he had the letter in his hand.

At that moment, I knew—everything had gone wrong.