The grand archways of Ever After High glistened in the morning sun, casting golden light onto the polished marble floors. Students in legacy-inspired attire floated through the hallways, their chatter echoing with excitement about upcoming Legacy Day preparations.

But Daring Charming wasn't smiling.

He marched through the corridor, his golden locks tousled and his normally twinkling blue eyes narrowed. His cloak fluttered behind him like a battle banner, his boots pounding with purpose. The usual sparkle of his enchanted smile, known to dazzle princesses across the kingdom, was nowhere to be seen.

"Whoa," a pixie muttered from behind a column. "Daring just walked past a mirror and didn't even wink at it."

"He didn't even flip his hair," another whispered. "Something must be terribly wrong."

And something was.

Dexter Charming sat beneath the large heartwood tree near the courtyard fountain, frowning into his Spell Science scroll. His blue tunic was rumpled, and his glasses were slipping down his nose. Raven Queen sat beside him, legs crossed, twirling a strand of her purple-streaked hair.

"Dex, you've been staring at the same paragraph for fifteen minutes," she said gently. "What's going on?"

He pushed his glasses up and sighed. "It's Daring. He's mad at me, and I don't even know why. He looked at me like I was a villain in a Grimm tale."

Raven raised a brow. "Did you eat the last protein-pumpkin muffin again?"

"No! And I didn't steal his mirror, or use his shampoo, or flirt with his reflection," Dexter said. "He just... won't talk to me."

Apple White arrived, her curls bouncing as she approached with her usual graceful stride. "He skipped fencing practice and didn't show up for MirrorBook trivia night. Daring loves trivia night."

Raven's eyes narrowed. "Sounds like someone's seriously upset. Maybe it's a misunderstanding."

"Or maybe someone wants us to think it's one," Apple added. "What if someone forged a scroll or cast a charm to make it look like you did something?"

Dexter looked horrified. "I would never do anything to hurt Daring."

Raven stood, her cloak fluttering. "Then let's prove it."

That evening, the trio met in the spell-silent section of the library. The tall shelves loomed around them like towers, their spines glowing faintly with enchanted titles.

Raven held up a shimmering orb, dark as obsidian. "This is a Whisper Sphere. It can tune in to someone's voice if we've recently been near them. I'll focus it on Daring."

Apple glanced around nervously. "We're not... breaking any rules, are we?"

"We're bending them," Raven said with a wink. "For a good cause."

The orb shimmered, pulsed, and then—

"Dexter knew I liked Rosabella," came Daring's voice, sharp and angry. "And he asked her to the Legacy Day Afterparty anyway. I thought I could trust him. Guess not."

Dexter turned pale. "I... I didn't."

Apple gasped. "I talked to Rosabella this morning. She said she was going alone—she never mentioned you, Dex!"

Raven's jaw tightened. "Someone's spreading false info."

The next day, Raven, Apple, and Dexter split up to gather clues. Maddie Hatter offered them tea and said she'd overheard whispers about a "flirty message" from Dexter to Rosabella, but couldn't remember where she heard it.

Briar Beauty admitted seeing a printed party invitation in Dexter's handwriting asking Rosabella out—only Dexter swore he never wrote it.

Finally, Hunter Huntsman dropped the final puzzle piece.

"Cedar mentioned that someone had been using MirrorNet editing spells to fake chats. She said it felt wrong but couldn't prove it."

Apple narrowed her eyes. "Only a few students have that level of digital enchantment skill…"

Dexter winced. "No…"

Raven nodded. "Darling."

They found Darling Charming alone in the Mirror Media Lab, staring guiltily at her mirror pad.

"I was tired of Daring acting like he was the only 'perfect' one," she confessed. "I thought if he saw Dexter mess up, he'd realize we're all human. I didn't think it would spiral like this."

Dexter stepped forward, voice shaking. "You're my sister. You could have just talked to us."

Darling looked down. "I'm sorry. I'll fix it."

Darling publicly confessed the deception during the morning announcements, and the forgery was removed from the school's MirrorNet. Rosabella confirmed she'd received no real invite from Dexter and was never romantically involved with either Charming brother.

Later, in the courtyard, Daring approached Dexter, looking humbled.

"I messed up," he admitted. "I should've asked you instead of assuming."

Dexter looked at him for a moment, then smiled. "We're brothers. We fight. We forgive."

"Also," Daring added, cracking a smile, "you don't have the game to flirt with Rosabella anyway."

Dexter laughed. "Not with you scowling over my shoulder."

Nearby, Raven watched them with a smile as she closed her spellbook. Apple joined her, sipping sparkling cider.

"So... crisis averted?" Apple asked.

"For now," Raven said. "But at Ever After High? The next chapter is always just a page away."