"Hey. Did you see that?"
"Yeah. He just used teleportation magic, didn't he? He must've achieved the third ring. Is he a junior?"
"He looks young to be a junior..."
"No… he's definitely a freshman. I was in the same classroom with him during the entrance exam!"
"A freshman who has already achieved his third ring?!"
"Unbelievable…"
I opened my eyes, and saw all the other students around me whispering behind my back—staring warily at me while keeping their distance.
Seeing their wary gazes, I sadly took a deep breath before making my way to the building. But the moment I did so, a group of people suddenly appeared before me with excited gazes.
"Pure white hair and hazel eyes, beauty akin to a goddess… It really is Lysander Blakesty!"
The surrounding people that were once wary of me all gasped out loud with shock as they heard my name.
"Lysander Blakesty? As in the heir of the Blakesty Duchy?"
"Wait, isn't he the one that got a perfect score in the entrance exam in the shortest amount of time?"
"The one who is said to be the most beautiful person in the Empire that rarely shows himself to the public eye?"
As the gossip grew louder and louder with every word getting even more exaggerated, I couldn't help but sigh, trying to hide my face as the crowd of students began to surround me.
"I guess this was what mother was warning me about…"
Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I made sure to give a short greeting to everyone around me before heading towards the gate of the academy. Even when they were the ones to initially block my way, they quickly made a path for me to exit out with ease.
Moments like this make me realize that I really am the son of a duke….
As I continued to walk towards the gate of the academy, I glanced around the familiar surroundings.
The carefully groomed grass, flowers, and trees around the field in which countless people stood upon in small groups, talking and getting to know one another.
Such a sight is so striking to see.
Social interactions aren't my best… forte. Nobles usually talk to me only to try and establish connections, while people without status try to avoid me—afraid that they might offend me in some way.
Because of such things, I just avoid social interactions with strangers all together to save the hassle.
Thinking about such thoughts, I let out a dim sigh. As I continued walking down the paved path, thinking to myself about the many mundane things that I could to entertain myself and ignore the stares, I finally reached my destination: The Dormitory.
If I were to simplify the overall structure of the academy, it would be similar to that of a modern university. Dorms for the students and different types of buildings for different classes and areas of study.
The more I gazed upon the exterior of the dormitory, the more I could see how its opulent structure was emphasized to appease the noble's taste. I looked around to see other students entering while groups of servants followed behind—bringing in loads of suitcases and other precious belongings.
Gender is never a concept of debate, but in the end social hierarchy is what befalls us. As expected… This dormitory is for the nobility.
Four categories of dormitories for male and females. Though the dormitory is considered a "single" building for male and females, it's actually two buildings in their own respective way with the dining and other facilities room connecting them.
From what I've heard from mother and father, the four dormitories are as follows…
The Golden Lion, who adorned the noble students who were very hubris when it comes to their reputation and status, even though every student has equal standing and access inside the academy.
The White Snake who houses the students following the path of religion, especially under the Goddess of Life from the Holy Empire, and those that wield the light element.
The Red Deer houses people of middle and lower classes, creating the rift line between them and the nobles once again.
Lastly is The Green Dryads, symbolizing the people who live in the dorms as people of akin to nature. They house those that are non-humans.
Thinking about it… is racial discrimination also prevalent here? I can't believe that such societal issues are still being raised despite what the academy proclaimed about social equality…
How ironic.
After staring at the building and the many other students who passed by, I finally entered the building. Upon taking my first step inside, the interior space was even more opulent than the exterior structure entailed.
"… I guess the higher ups are trying to get on the noble side for sponsorship."
Looking around for a few more seconds, I climbed up the grand stairs, entering the hallway before pulling out a paper envelope with a golden key on it.
Door forty-two… what a peculiar number.
As I glanced around, I finally found the room number, unlocking it and opening the unnecessary fancy doors. The lights quickly lit up, exposing the grand bed with a sofa and coffee table on the edge of the room.
The nobles get to have their own large room and board while the other dormitories usually assign doubles or quads. I quickly glanced around the room before seeing something on top of the bed.
Slowly walking towards it, I then see the school uniform neatly laid out with no signs of wrinkles.
Black pants and a white long-sleeve button up with a black coat embroidered with gold threads near the edges of the arm and waist.
A small embroidered logo rests in the middle of the coat in the shape of an open book, with the letters Lusia underneath the image.
I put my suitcase down near the edge of the bed before gently grabbing and observing the uniform.
"The measurements seem to be correct…"
I shook off this uneasy feeling before taking off my clothes, and dressing myself into the uniform. The entrance ceremony will shortly begin in an hour, and I was given the opportunity to give the entrance speech for all first-years, so I can use this period to relax.
I lifted my suitcase back up and placed it on the bed, carefully opening it.
Filled with the expected clothes and essentials, something unusual sprung out.
A white, furry stuffed rabbit. I reached out to it before gently grabbing it, bringing it closer for inspection before seeing a note in my suitcase.
I slowly opened the folded paper and quickly skimmed through the content.
From the looks of it, it seems to be Sera's handwriting.
I smiled to myself and sat down on the bed, placing the stuffed rabbit on my lap while gently caressing the fake fur before re-reading the note.
Dear Lys,
I can't help but feel that I won't be able to see you for a while. I always have fun whenever I am with you and Everett. Hopefully, the wait won't be long before I also enter the academy and get to be with you again. But I hope you'll have an amazing first year.
And for once… I hope that you'll be able to make some new friends. Of course, August is a special case, but I truly hope that, by chance, you'll get to meet people that will understand you for who you are and accompany you.
I found this bunny in a stand when I visited the town. When I looked at it, it reminded me of your white and fluffy hair. When I showed this to Everett, he also agreed and said that it reminded him of you. I hope that whenever you fall asleep, you'll have this bunny by your side, showing just how much we care about you.
May you be safe and happy, Lys,
Sera.
After reading the content of the letter over and over again, I couldn't help but smile bitterly at what she wrote. I carefully folded the paper and placed it on top of the stand near the bed before glancing at the stuffed rabbit once again, still caressing its soft fur.
The more I stroked the fur, the more calmer I felt. Sitting down in bed, I gently embraced myself and took a long and steady breath, keeping it in for as long as I could, before exhaling it out. As I slowly opened my eyes, I felt this wave of tranquility course through my body, and I felt anew.
This may be a new… relaxing mechanism that I can do whenever I'm feeling down. I'll have to thank Sera for giving me this stuffed rabbit.
I carefully placed it near the side of my pillow and exited the room.
Walking through the hallway—slightly waving with a subtle smile to the other noble children that wished to greet me, I finally made my way out of the building, seeing that other students had begun making their way towards the same direction while wearing the assigned uniforms.
As I slowly began to make my way to the location of the orientation, a brown-haired girl with three other people carefully interjected in front of me. The brown-haired girl had her hair tied in a ponytail with a bright red ribbon.
Her green eyes sparkle with delight before waving eagerly at me. "Greetings, Lord Lysander."
I flinched at the sudden appearance and happy greeting and carefully inspected them all before nodding respectfully at her. "Greetings. You are free to refer to me without the formalities."
The girl smiled brightly, hands together behind her back while still looking excited. "Okay. Ah, forgive me. I forgot to introduce myself."
She places one of her hands and rest it to her chest, displaying proper etiquette that is usually shown between nobility. "My name is Annebet Andilet. You can call me Anne if you'd like!"
"Ah, you're Countess Andilet's third child. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She quickly waves her hand and head. "Don't be so polite! I'm glad that you remember someone of my status."
I let out a chuckle before looking at the other group of people that were behind her. Two males and another female, nervously waiting.
The dark-green haired boy wearing glasses hesitantly took a step forward and politely bowed down before nervously scratching his hair. "G-Greetings. I am Liam Dacre. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lord Lysander."
I nodded formally once again. "Second child of Marquis Dacre. Pleasure to meet you."
The light blue hair girl and boy both quickly took a step forward at the same time. The boy playfully smirked while the girl sheepishly looked away with nervousness.
The boy quickly changed his playful smile to a more subtle and polite one, bowing down respectfully. The girl fidgets around while doing a curtsy. After finishing, the boy smiled playfully once again. "It's nice to meet you, Lysander—"
The girl quickly nudged his shoulder before looking nervous at me once again. "P-Please forgive my younger brother…"
She took a deep breath and began to compose herself, looking calmer and more refined. "Greetings, once more. My name is Yael Neville." She nonchalantly points to the boy next to her. "Besides me is my younger brother, Uriel Neville."
"Second and third child of Count Neville. Again, you don't have to use honorifics. Just refer to me by my name."
I looked up at the clock tower, checking the time before waving my hand at them. "Forgive me, but I need to start heading out early for the entrance ceremony. It was a pleasure to meet you all."
I quickly left them to where they were while taking my time walking to the new location.
As the white-haired boy slowly left the premises, the group of nobles breathed out while the brown-haired girl named Annabet childishly laughed out loud. "Ah…! That was so nerve wracking!"
The green-haired boy named Liam hesitantly nodded. "Yeah. There were some rumors saying that he's ruthless like his father. But he seems kind… he even said to refer to him without the title."
"See, I told you there was no need to be formal—" But before the blue haired boy named Uriel could finish his sentence, the twin sister named Yael smacked his arm, silencing him while staring at him with annoyed eyes.
"There are things called first impressions, you know." She sighed and facepalmed her whole face with embarrassment. "Because of you, he might think we're nobles who don't know proper etiquette…"
Annabet quickly walks towards her and pats her shoulder reassuringly. "Now now. Don't think negatively. It's good that we at least managed to introduce ourselves to him. Hopefully, we could be friends with him!"
Liam awkwardly fidgets his finger. "... Do you think someone of his status wants to be friends with us?"
Annabet sighs with her smile still intact, though gently patting his shoulder to ease his worries. "All we can do is try. But I have a feeling that maybe he will…"
As I continued to walk to my destination, appreciating the scenery and weather around me, I thought about the group of people who appeared in front of me just a moment ago. For the most part, most noble children always have ulterior motives visibly expressed in their facial expressions.
But those four people… they seem to just want to try and get to know me.
Unfortunately, I left too soon before having the chance to have a proper conversation with them. But even then, I couldn't help but remember the words Sera wrote down in that letter.
"Friends…"
I couldn't help but smile to myself in the open spring weather, feeling the gentle shiver of the wind roaming all around as they lifted strands of my hair up, guiding me to look up at the crystal-blue sky.
"... Don't worry, Sera. I also hope to make some new friends."