Chapter 68: The Academy

Chapter 68: The Academy

Early Morning - Late Spring : Kingdom of Kaelallan

- Lucy Kaelallan ~

*Shing* "Good morning Princess." I woke up to Martha opening the blinds and filling the room with morning light.

"Ugh.. hmm?” I sat up in bed with a disheveled look. “Oh good morning. Uwwaah..." I was incredibly groggy after having a rough night's rest.

"Did you not sleep well?"

"I slept okay, just.. had an interesting dream." I felt my cheeks warm as I remembered what I dreamt of.

"Want to explain what the dream was about?" Martha spoke without really thinking, simply wanting to chat.

But it just made my cheeks flush even more. "I'd rather not..."

"Hooh? Was it about a boy?"

"No, of course not!" My face was red as a tomato.

"Haha, in that case, I'll take your word.” It was clear that she didn't believe me, but I was too young to recognize it. “Well, what would you like for breakfast?"

Thankfully, I was quick to shake off my embarrassment and make a decision. "Egg Toast!"

Martha’s smile turned warm. "Haha, alright. Go ahead and get ready then, you have school today. Want me to send in the maids?"

"No, no, I want to dress myself today."

"You're quite daring for your first day of school."

"Hmph..." Unable to retort because of my nervousness, I just pouted.

"Well, let one of the maids know if you need help. I'll be right back with breakfast.”

Seeing Martha leave the room, I finally suppressed my nervousness and hopped out of bed, feeling ready to conquer the day.

-I wonder if Vasilias is going to come...-

- Vasilias ~

"Mmm.." Although my nap wasn't really a nap for a dragon, only lasting a few hours, I felt fairly refreshed when I got up. -I guess I should probably get going...- As I stood up and stretched, Ilios did the same. "Want to come along and see the academy with me, Ilios?"

"Woof!" He gave a strong nod as his tail wagged.

"Haha, alright then, shall we?"

Quickly making our way up the lift and out of the shelter, I found two maids cleaning the throne room, one in her early 30s and one who looked to be in her teens.

-They must be pretty high up the hierarchy...- "Where should I go to meet up with Lucy to head to the Academy?" I spoke bluntly.

The maids paused for a moment before the older one spoke up, "She will be out front in a few minutes where she will take a carriage to the Academy, Young Master."

She looked a little shocked at how effective it was even though she didn't realize I assisted her with my aura.

"T..thanks for the advice..." She gave an awkward thanks.

"No worries."

*Click* "We have arrived Miss." The well-mannered carriage driver opened the door with a bow.

Looking through the door, I could see a tall, lavish building made of white stone with gold-plated statues and details.

It was truly a beautiful piece of architecture, but it felt out of place as an academy. -It’d be more believable if you said this was a church...- But as I looked around, I noticed everyone was well dressed. "Where do the commoners enter?"

She was a little taken aback by my question. "They enter on the other side where they are washed and dressed so they can blend in with the nobles."

Her response was incredibly unexpected. -A ‘non-discriminatory against social standing’ school in this setting?- I was genuinely impressed, but that positive impression was shattered when we walked inside.

Inside the building, there was a significant change in how people looked.

Most of the noticeably less well-kept ones wore frowns, whereas the ones who were tidy wore smiles.

-So it's still nobles versus commoners here...- The ones I presumed to be nobles picked on commoner students around every corner, and the teachers simply ignored it.

The inside of the building was still beautiful, but the bullying ruined the atmosphere. -I should give Oliver some tips... Maybe they can impro..-

"Hey cutie, your face is new around here." A well-kept noble boy, maybe 15 or 16, interrupted my thoughts as he walked up to Lucy.

She was quick to give a formal curtsy. "Yes, this is my first time here."

"Oh, well how about I give you a tour?" He wore a lustful look that just made me uncomfortable, but I didn't do anything about it.

"No thank you." Lucy's responses were cold and blunt, so I assumed the kid would leave her alone, but that didn't happen.

"Look, I tried to be polite. Be my girl and I'll let you roam The Academy where no one will be able to look down on you. Pretty good deal, eh?"

-What does he mean by that? Is there an in-school mafia or something?- Although the boy was rude, it was understandable. Almost any 15-year-old with power or authority would let the power go to their head.

"No, I'll have to refuse." As Lucy refused, she inched closer to me.

"Listen girlie, hiding behind that pip-squeak with his dumb pup-" *CRACK* His shin immediately turned 90 degrees as I casually kicked it in.

"Whoops, my foot slipped." As he fell over, I gave him a look of disgust. -I would have just scared you away with my aura if you didn't insult Ilios.-

"AHHH!" His scream filled the halls and quickly grabbed everyone's attention, but I couldn't have cared less.

"Well, shall we head to class?" I gave Lucy a satisfied smile after being able to vent my frustration and disgust a little.

Lucy had likely half expected it since she didn't look too shocked, but she was definitely queasy seeing the boy's shin bent in the middle while it bled profusely.

She did her best to avoid looking at his leg and tone her voice before responding. "Y..yes... I will lead the way."