Knock, knock, knock.

  “Who could that be?” I said to myself as I pushed myself off the bed and as I silently hurried over to the door, peering through the narrow gap to check.

  Kaelen? What is he doing here? Isn't he supposed to be in class right now?

  I hesitantly pulled the door open. Kaelen stood there with a gloomy expression, but the moment our eyes met, he dropped to his knees and grasped my right hand.

  "What are you..." I blurted out, bewildered.

  "Forgive me," Kaelen pleaded, his head down with guilt. "I was not there to protect you. As your sworn future retainer, I had failed-"

  "Stop." I snatched my hand back immediately.

  The sheer melodrama was too much to handle as my face began to slightly turn red. If I let him finish that speech, the secondhand cringe would actually kill me.

  Kaelen blinked in confusion, slowly rising to his feet. "Did I do something wrong, my lady?"

  I rubbed my temples to ward off an incoming headache. Was this boy always so incredibly dramatic? As irritating as it was, his loyalty is genuine. I needed to let him down gently so I did not scare him away.

  "Kaelen, how did you even get here?" I asked with a sigh. "Isn't your classroom in a completely different building? It should still be class time. And furthermore, how did you even find out what happened?"

  A dark look crossed Kaelen's face. "The rumors are already spreading," he muttered, his hands balling into fists. He looked up at me, pressing one fist firmly over his heart. "If only we were in the same class... I swear, if I had been there, no one would have laid a finger on you."

  Looking at Kaelen's face, a sharp ache bloomed in my chest.

  I paused. What is this feeling? Why does it hurt? It's not as crushing as the ones I've experienced before, but seeing Kaelen's worried face, it feels weird…

  Before my mind could process what to do next, my body acted on its own. I reached out, my hands finding his.

  "It's fine, Kaelen," I murmured softly. "We aren't kids anymore. I can take care of myself."

  My fingers interlaced with his, lifting our joined hands up between us. I gave his hands a reassuring squeeze, hoping my warmth would convince him that everything really would be alright.

  Kaelen slowly knelt down again, resting his forehead against our joined hands.

  A moment of quiet silence passed between the two of us. Suddenly, he stood back up. Refusing to let go of my hand, he kept our fingers intertwined as he reached into his pocket with his free hand. Gently, he uncurled my fingers and pressed a small object into my open palm.

  Sitting there in my hand was a familiar wrapped candy, the exact same treat he had used to comfort me ever since we were children.

  I closed my fingers around the small candy. Kaelen finally released my hand, flashing that warm, comforting smile he always wore. A sudden wave of heat rushed to my cheeks, and I instinctively took a step back, hiding half of my face behind the edge of the door.

  "T-thank you, Kaelen," I murmured, my voice trembling slightly. "Really..."

  He gave me one last understanding nod. My heart began pounding in my chest as I slowly pushed the door shut between us.

  …

  ………

  The moment the door clicked shut, I took a few slow steps backward into my room, my heart still racing in my chest. Reaching out, I gently set the candy down on the surface of my nightstand.

  And then...

  What the hell, what the hell, what the hell was that? What the hell was THAT?!

  My heart was beating out of my chest. I quickly dropped to the floor and began to do push-ups.

  I spent the rest of yesterday lost in deep self-reflection, but now the second day of the academy was finally here. Determined to start off right, I got ready early and stepped out of my room.

  Michael was already standing guard in the hallway, waiting for me. As we made our way through the dormitory corridors, the halls bustled with academy maids rushing to tend to the other noble students. Looking around, I realized something odd. Michael was the only male caretaker in sight.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I knew the implications of having a personal caretaker sent by my father instead of using an assigned maid from the academy. Still, it was a huge advantage for me. It allowed me to act much more freely without a maid constantly worrying about me, which was a nice change from the manor.

  The academy was also a step up in terms of luxury. Back at the manor, I had to walk to a separate bathroom, but my room here provided its own private bath.

  The plumbing system was fascinating. They actually had running water, but it did not come from any normal faucet. Instead, the basin was fitted with an entirely new, magical contraption that functioned similarly but was completely unique.

  However, since the water only flowed at specific hours of the morning, it was obvious that the entire system was powered by some kind of magic or manual filling system.

  We navigated our way out of the dormitory without any trouble. The other students gave me wide berths and fearful looks as I passed by. Clearly, the rumors of yesterday's incident were already spreading, and they were doing a fantastic job of creating a reputation that would keep those trouble makers away.

  This time, Michael stayed close by my side, guiding me inside academy grounds. Our first stop was the infirmary to make sure I had no hidden injuries or internal bleeding from yesterday’s performance.

  "Looks like you are in perfect health. Nothing to be worried about at all," the large, bearded nurse announced as the warm glow of his diagnostic magic faded.

  Thankfully he was right. There was absolutely nothing wrong with my body, except for the aching muscles caused by, ahem, yesterday's frantic push-up session after my flustered outburst.

  Once I was cleared by the nurse, Michael escorted me to my new classroom in the east wing of the second floor.

  We paused at the classroom door. Before leaving, Michael shot me a stern look. "Remember what I told you," he reminded me softly, then turned and walked away.

  Stepping inside, I immediately felt the hostility in the air. The entire room went silent the moment they noticed my presence. Surveying the area, I saw that the classroom was structured like a large, tiered lecture hall, and it was already full of students.

  I paid no attention to their hostile gazes, of course. Scanning the crowd, I spotted a few familiar faces. The pink-haired girl from yesterday was there, and sitting at the very top corner was Theodore Reinhart.

  I needed a good vantage point. Eyeing the sloped layout of the hall, I decided the top-middle seats were the most optimal choice. Not only would that spot give me a clear view of everyone in the room, but the tiered architecture meant the professor's voice would naturally echo upward, giving me the best acoustics for the lecture.

  I took my time walking up the tiered steps toward the center. With every step I took, I heard their whispers and murmurs about my reputation. Since these were lower-grade students, they seemed to be more afraid of who I was and what I could be capable of.

  Good. If there were doubts before, my little incident with the senior yesterday had certainly crushed those doubts.

  I reached the top row and stopped directly in front of the student occupying the center seat. I did not utter a single word. I simply tilted my head and stared down at him with a dead gaze.

  The poor boy turned pale. He scrambled out of his seat without making a sound and scurried away.

  Taking the newly vacated spot, I sat down and comfortably interlaced my fingers on the desk. I let my eyes slide shut. A faint smile began to form on my lips as I basked in the bewildered, terrified tension of the room.

  Then, a single, annoyingly familiar voice cut through the silence to my right. "SERAPHINA, HOW ARE YOU DOING?! Did you go to the infirmary earlier to get checked?"

  My eyes snapped open. I turned my head to the right, only to see the same girl from yesterday taking the seat directly next to me.

  Seriously, who is this girl?

  "Yeah, I have," I replied calmly. But before I could say anything else, another voice cut through the air, this time coming from my left.

  "Seraphina, it has been a while. How have you been?"

  I slowly turned my head to the left, only to find Theodore Reinhart settling into the seat on my other side.

  "I have been fine. And you?" I responded in a flat, monotone voice. Internally, I was utterly baffled. Out of an entire lecture hall of empty seats, why did these two decide to sandwich me?

  "I'm okay. Just... worried," Theo muttered as he sat down, his eyes fixed firmly on the front of the room, refusing to even look at me.

  Before I could question him further, the pink-haired girl on my right practically threw herself across my desk to get his attention.

  "Oooh, are you Seraphina's friend too?" she beamed, her energy absolutely blinding. "Nice to meet you! My name is Elara!"

  I was completely trapped between them as they talked. I sat there in absolute confusion, looking back and forth between the two of them as I wondered how my carefully chosen quiet spot had suddenly turned into the center of a social gathering.