It did not take long for me to realise something that had perhaps been obvious to everyone else from the very beginning.
Élisabeth was not someone easily overlooked.
At first, I had been far too occupied with my own thoughts to pay much heed to the small details of my surroundings.
The academy was always filled with the hum of conversation, the echo of footsteps upon stone corridors, and the hurried rustle of turning pages. Yet, the more time I spent in Élisabeth's company, the clearer it became that her presence had a peculiar way of drawing the gaze of those around her.
One morning on the academy grounds, as I sat reading upon a garden bench, I observed a student from a noble house approach her.
He spoke with that effortless confidence usually reserved for those who, from birth, have never had cause to doubt their station in the world.
Élisabeth listened with perfect politeness.
Yet, after a few moments, she offered a small smile, shook her head gently, and walked away.
The student remained where he stood for a moment, looking somewhat bewildered, before eventually returning to his circle of friends.
I looked down at my book once more. I knew not why I had even taken note of the encounter.
The following day, a similar scene unfolded. Another man-one even more prominent within the academy due to his family's influence-offered to escort her home in his carriage.
Élisabeth thanked him with exquisite courtesy. Then, she declined.
Other students watched her from a distance. Some with admiration; others with a lingering curiosity.
I began to realise something that had not previously occurred to me. Many desired to be near her.
And for the first time since our acquaintance began, I wondered why, amongst all those people...
she so often chose to speak with me.
It was a question I never truly put to her. Partly because I did not know how to phrase it. And partly because I was afraid to hear the answer.
One afternoon in the library, I witnessed something that left me feeling slightly unsettled.
A student from the law faculty sat in the chair beside Élisabeth's table.
He spoke with her for a considerable length of time, even eliciting a soft laugh from her on occasion.
I attempted to refocus upon the tome before me. Yet, with every line I read, my thoughts strayed back to that table.
I began to entertain various possibilities that had no business occupying my mind. Perhaps they had known each other for years. Perhaps he was one of the men seeking her favour.
Or perhaps...
I closed my book with more force than was strictly necessary.
At that precise moment, Élisabeth happened to glance in my direction. When our eyes met, she appeared slightly startled. Then, without a moment's hesitation, she rose from her seat and made her way towards my desk.
The student she had been speaking with looked utterly perplexed as she simply walked away.
"Mr Laurent,"
she said upon reaching me. "Have you finished that book?"
I nodded. "Nearly."
She pulled out the chair across from me and sat without asking-an act that was beginning to feel very characteristic of her.
"What are you reading?"
"Notes on celestial mechanics," I replied.
She leaned back slightly in her chair.
"That sounds far more interesting than the conversation I have just departed."
I looked at her. "The gentleman seemed rather eager to speak with you."
Élisabeth followed my gaze to the table where the student still sat.
"Ah," she said softly.
"He merely sought to explain why law is of greater importance than mathematics."
I almost smiled. "And you disagreed?"
She looked at me with an expression as if the question were far too simple.
"Naturally."
For several moments, we were silent.
Within the library, the only sounds were the turning of pages and the soft tread of feet upon the wooden floor.
Élisabeth eventually opened her own book. But before she began to read, she remarked in a light tone,
"Does it trouble you, my sitting here?"
"No."
She nodded, seemingly satisfied with that response.
After a few minutes of reading, she suddenly spoke without lifting her head from the page.
"There are many people who do not seem to care for you."
I raised an eyebrow.
"That is hardly news."
She closed her book slightly.
"They say you are too serious."
"And do you agree with them?"
Élisabeth gazed at me for a long while, as if truly weighing her answer. Finally,
she said, "I believe they have simply never spoken with you for long enough."
I knew not why, but her words left me silent.
Before I could find a reply, a servant of her noble house appeared at the library door.
He gave a small signal to Élisabeth. Her family's carriage had arrived.
Élisabeth rose slowly and gathered her books.
Before departing, she paused a moment beside my desk.
"Will you be here again tomorrow?"
I looked at her for a heartbeat.
In truth, I never held a fixed schedule for reading in the library. Yet, for some reason, my answer was always the same.
"I will."
She offered a small smile.
"Good."
Then she walked away, her steps light upon the library floorboards.
I watched her until the great doors closed once more.
It was only after a moment that I allowed myself a quiet sigh.
At this academy, there were many who wished to be near Élisabeth. And yet, every day...
she still came to speak with me.
And with each passing day, it became increasingly difficult to regard it as mere coincidence.