This conversation suddenly took on a somewhat awkward tone.
Gilbert stood there, opening and closing his mouth, unable to find the words.
But Rose quickly recovered. Mentally mourning the difficult fate of her stupid younger brother (and mentally wiping away a couple of invisible tears), she returned her usual cold expression to her face.
After all, her idiot brother had agreed to this deal himself. He himself had gone along with the "kind patron." He himself had gotten into this mess.
What could she do to help him now?
If he had chosen such a fate, that was his problem.
"Is that all you wanted to say?" Rose asked indifferently. "Then I'll be going."
She had already turned to leave, but Gilbert suddenly grabbed her arm.
"Wait!" he exclaimed. "You still haven't told me how you got into the academy yourself!"
Rose stopped and looked at him gloomily.
"I had a patron," Gilbert said quickly. "I told you. But you? How did you end up here?"
Rose hesitated.
At first, she didn't want to answer. What business was it of his?
But then she thought: why not? There was no secret in this information. Besides, he had told his version — let him hear the response.
"The scholarship program," she replied with a sigh.
"...What?"
"Haven't you heard?" Rose frowned. "This year the Emperor issued a decree. Several academies in the Empire opened budget-funded places for talented students from poor families. I managed to get one of them."
Gilbert stared at her as if she were speaking some incomprehensible language.
"You... you're serious?"
"What's the matter?" Rose squinted. "You didn't know about this?"
For a few seconds, Gilbert just blinked. Then his face twitched, and he stretched an unnatural smile onto it.
"Wh-what? Of course I knew!" he blurted out too hastily. "It's just... just surprised that you were lucky enough to get that place!"
Rose looked at him suspiciously.
Something was off here.
But she didn't delve deeper.
"Fine. If that's all, I'm going."
She tried to leave again.
"Sister, wait!" Gilbert grabbed her arm again. "Are you really going to stay here?! I told you — I'm not going with you! You don't need to risk yourself because of me!"
Rose abruptly pulled her arm away.
"What makes you think I'm doing this because of you?" she asked coldly.
"What?.."
"You and your affairs no longer interest me," Rose enunciated clearly. "What I'm doing now, I'm doing only for myself. And only for myself."
Gilbert froze.
"So from now on," Rose continued, looking him straight in the eye, "each goes his own way. You yours. Me mine."
She turned and walked away without looking back.
Gilbert remained standing in the empty corridor, staring after her.
For a few seconds, a struggle of feelings played out on his face. Then he sighed heavily and was about to leave when suddenly...
A figure emerged from around the corner.
Gilbert went cold.
This was worse than when his furious sister had yelled at him.
Because this figure was scarier than all of the above combined.
He wanted to turn and run. Run as fast as his legs could carry him.
But it was too late.
"Come here," came a cold, indifferent voice.
Gilbert shuddered.
His legs, against his will, carried him towards the person in the shadows.
***
Rose returned to class, but her thoughts were far away.
Another day at Arden Academy had passed.
And she still had no idea what to do with her life.
A catastrophe.
For the second day now, she had been in a state of an amoeba. No strength, no desire to do anything. Only heavy, gloomy thoughts about the future, which painted itself for her in the darkest colors.
Should she stay in the academy? If so, why? What would she do here?
Everything seemed pointless.
Because of this absent-mindedness, Rose hadn't even prepared for classes properly.
A lesson in magical engineering was about to start. She rummaged through her bag and discovered with horror that she had forgotten her textbook in the dormitory.
"Damn," she breathed out.
It was too late to go back. The teacher would walk in any moment.
Well, whatever.
Even if she got scolded, given a low grade, or kicked out of class altogether — what did it matter?
After all, she wasn't supposed to be here at all.
She had already resigned herself to the fact that today she would have to listen to the criticism of the magical engineering professor.
Rose turned to the window, planning to mindlessly stare at the landscape for the entire lesson.
"...Ruven."
A quiet, calm voice sounded very close by.
Rose flinched and sharply turned her head.
And nearly fell out of her desk.
In front of her stood Dylan.
Her dormitory roommate. That very mysterious guy with black hair and grey eyes.
"Dylan?!" she breathed out. "What are you doing here?"
Dylan stood right by her desk, paying absolutely no attention to the astonished looks of the entire class.
He held out his hand to her.
In his hand was a book. The textbook on magical engineering.
"You forgot this in the dormitory," he said calmly.
Rose stared at the book, then at Dylan, then at the book again.
For a few seconds, she just blinked, unable to comprehend what was happening.
Then she collected herself and accepted the textbook.
"Th-thank you..." she mumbled.
Dylan said nothing in response.
He simply nodded, turned around, and left the classroom as quietly and calmly as he had appeared.
Rose watched him go, clutching the book in her hands.
She was, of course, grateful. Very grateful.
But one question circled in her mind:
How did he know she had a magical engineering lesson today?
Did he know her schedule?
"Ruven!" Dennis exclaimed as soon as the door closed behind Dylan. "Do you know Dylan Arkwright?!"
"Um..." Rose didn't know what to answer.
"Are you friends?!"
"Friends? No," Rose shook her head. "He's just my dormitory roommate."
Her classmates' reaction was... strange.
Everyone suddenly became animated, started murmuring and whispering.
Rose didn't understand what the big deal was.
So he was a roommate. What was so special about that?
"Wait," Zeke leaned forward. "Your roommate? Seriously? You live in the same room with him?"
"Yes. Why?"
"Wow..." Zeke whistled. "And that guy, it turns out, was kind enough to bring you a book. I never would have thought he was capable of that!"
"Hmm?" Rose frowned. "What's the matter? Is that guy... is he famous or something?"
Zeke looked at her with genuine surprise.
"You seriously don't know?"
Rose felt awkward.
"Well... I only enrolled recently..."
"Oh, right!" Zeke slapped his forehead with his good hand and winced from the pain. "Forgot. You're new. Well then, listen up."
He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. Rose involuntarily leaned closer.
"Dylan Arkwright is a local legend," Zeke began. "You see, he's the first commoner ever to be admitted to Arden Academy since its founding."
"What?!" Rose's eyes bulged. "Dylan... a commoner?!"
She hadn't expected that at all.
Judging by his manners, his cold, aloof demeanor, the way he carried himself, Rose was sure — he was a spoiled son of some influential family. Someone who had been used to everyone revolving around him since childhood.
And he was a commoner?
"Yes," Zeke confirmed. "And that's not all!"
"What else?"
"He's a genius," a fanatical gleam lit up in Zeke's eyes. "A true genius. In just two months after enrollment, he became the best in the academy!