14
Workers in each internal department initially exchanged friendly greetings, then engaged in discussions about how to move and work together.
Meanwhile, students with prior acquaintances exchanged light, friendly greetings.
But, in the end, they all had their sights set on the same characters.
Among the guys, Arcel and Ruska attracted everyone's attention, while among the girls, Irene was the undisputed eye-catcher, which is to be expected since she was the center of talk and attention.
“Hello, Mr. Arcel, it is a pleasure to meet you again here. We already spoke during the previous winter greenhouse party...”
"Mr. Ruska! I sent you a message before we entered the academy. Did you receive it? I…"
The girls around Arcel and Ruska were courting them with great enthusiasm, as everyone believed that one of them would become the emperor's godson.
However, amidst this certainty, there was an inner voice whispering: “But, even if one of them is chosen as the Emperor’s son, there is no law requiring him to marry Irene Terence, right?”
There were those who saw the Terence family becoming too powerful as a danger.
So, maybe one of them avoids being associated with this family altogether.
If this happens, the opportunity may arise for others.
Arcel and Rusca were not merely representatives of their ancient families, but were figures of worth in their own right, people who would shine in any place and time, even if they were not nobles.
However, they had honor, wealth, and status.
Now, they no longer have to wait for a passing opportunity at an elegant party to meet them. At the academy, where lessons and special activities intersect, they can spend a lot of time together, building relationships and deepening familiarity.
Over time, these relationships are bound to develop into something deeper. Although they are in their early teens, the noble families are already beginning to seriously consider engagements.
So, the girls' eyes had a special sparkle as they looked at Arcel and Ruska.
“Aren't you going to greet one of them, Miss Irene?”
The girls accompanying Irene were eager to see her reaction, eager to greet the two young men.
But Irene, after glancing at them, turned her head away and said:
“No one has officially introduced them to me yet.”
Irene's words made the girls worry.
They believed that Irene, with her status, must already know them, and that being close to her would give them a greater chance of communicating with them.
They were hoping to combine strengthening their relationship with Irene and building a friendship with Arcel and Ruska, but…
“Why is she so cold?”
Irene was showing complete disregard for the two young men, instead, scanning around her as if she were looking for someone else.
Meanwhile, Evie was standing in the crowd, looking at Arcel and Ruska from afar.
When she saw them for the first time, she felt a desire to approach and greet them, but before she could take a single step, the students streamed around them like a torrent, surrounding them on all sides.
It was clear that they were children of nobility, particularly from prestigious families.
Even Lemora, who moments before had been flaunting her pin to Eevee with overconfidence, circled around them from afar, unable to get any closer.
This scene made Evie even more hesitant to approach. Yes, they had helped her before, but that was all.
To them, Evie was just a passing student they helped along the way.
With all these people crowding just to exchange greetings with them… “They must have completely forgotten me.”
What made Evie feel small was the behavior of the two young men.
At first glance, everything seemed as it was before, but Irene felt something different.
“They seem… unhappy for some reason.”
Although their faces were not much different from what she had seen before, there was a slight shadow over Arcel's impassive face, and Ruska's laugh, which seemed the same, but concealed something.
“They look tired.” Even more than that, there was a hidden trace of sadness in them. But Irene couldn't share what she felt with anyone.
Who will listen to her? If she tried to talk, they might ignore her at best, or criticize her at worst, saying, “Who do you think you are to talk about them?”
So, she could only stand apart, looking at them with regret.
Meanwhile, Ruska was exchanging greetings with the crowd indifferently, then glanced at Arcel.
As he expected, Arcel's face, which seemed naturally cold due to his deadpan expression, was even colder than usual. Ruska approached him, put his hand on his shoulder, and whispered:
“Take it easy, your face suggests that you are about to kill someone.”
Arcel responded angrily, pushing Ruska's hand violently:
“Go and look at your face in the mirror first, then come back and tell me who has the right to speak!”
When Arcel turned his back, the smile on Ruska's face disappeared.
“Does it seem that obvious?”
“It's completely chaotic.”
Hearing Arcel's response, a bitter smile spread across Ruska's face. He tried to look the same as always, but it seemed that his efforts were in vain. He thought back to that morning...
* * *
“Ha!”
Ruska suddenly woke up, panting heavily, throwing off the covers. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, breathing hard, then looked around the strange place before running his hands over his face.
“Right… we have entered the academy.”
He suddenly remembered the events of yesterday, and he also remembered the sullen expression on Arcel's face when he entered this room.
Originally, Ruska and Arcel were not supposed to share the same room.
But the student who was supposed to share the room with Arcel dropped out of the academy after only half a day, when he realized that he would have to do everything himself without the help of servants.
It wasn't long before the empty room became a target for many.
Just as the girls were racing to get closer to Irene in the girls' section, the guys in the boys' section were looking to win the favor of Arcel and Ruska.
Whether they were nobles from the capital or newcomers from the provinces, everyone had received strict instructions from their families to build relationships with the Caelern Ducal or Marquisal Laglisles families.
Even without these instructions, the young men looked up to Arcel and Ruska with admiration, as candidates to reach the top of the empire one day.
Who would turn down the opportunity to win their favor? Due to the withdrawal of quite a few students, room allocations became a mess, forcing the department administration to hastily redistribute rooms.
Here, Ruska pulled and sent the same number. At that moment, Ruska noticed a slight twitch in Arcel's eyebrows.
“See, I was saying we were meant to share a room!”
"silent."
Despite Arcel's response, he didn't complain further, and moved his things to the new room without further objection.
After each of them tidied up their room, they walked around the academy, then did their evening exercise, took a shower, and went to sleep. But…
Ruska wiped the cold sweat from his brow as he got out of bed.
“Lillian…”
He muttered the name of the person he saw in his dream.
Lillian Ciel, the late Empress, who to Rosca and Arcel was their childhood friend, big sister, and the only person they could ever trust completely. He hasn't had a dream about her in a long time...
Ruska remained stunned for some time, until the sound of the bell woke him up, and he rushed to wash and change his clothes.
When he opened the door to his room, he bumped into Arcel, who was leaving at the same moment. They looked at each other and said at the same time:
“You dreamed about Lillian, didn't you?”
“You saw Lillian in your dream, right?”
There was silence for a few moments. Then, after a while, they sighed together. As they expected, they were experiencing the same thing.
“Wow, it's been so long until the anniversary of her death...”
Ruska muttered in surprise. Usually, they dreamed of Lilian when the anniversary of her passing approached.
At that time, the Emperor was sinking into grief, affecting the mood of their families, and black flags were raised in the streets by order of the Emperor.
It was hard to forget, and dreaming of it was to be expected. But yesterday, there was no occasion...
They did not exchange any more words, and left the room in silence.
As they quietly descended the stairs, Arcel bit his lip. It was strange that they always dreamed of Lilian on the same day. Previously, they had attributed it to the approaching anniversary of her death, but for this to happen on a normal day?
“Even in her lifetime, she was a strange person...”
Arcel remembers very distant memories.
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