"I hated those tests. I almost failed, twice in fact," Eeming taking a sip from his cup, "here's a trick for history, O, L, I, V, E, olive for Otmar, Lessen, Ingir, Venerer and Eeming. The first five kings were olive."
"That's something I wanted to ask you about. Are you related to the fifth king? I wasn't sure if I should ask since it's a common name," I asked while eating some grapes.
"I think so, if distant. I'm most likely a grandson of dozens maybe hundreds."
"I'll remember olive but history is not something I struggle with, math on the other hand. It's not Miss Ryleigh's fault. It just seems to be a weak spot of mine."
"Can I tell you something embarrassing?" He leaned towards me and quietly said, "when I first started as the principal here I was quite fond of her, if you know what I mean," he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Even with how close I was with Eeming after a year of knowing him, something like that I wouldn't want to talk about.
"But she wasn't interested and after a decade we both know it's not going to happen, guess it just wasn't meant to be," he exhaled.
"I don't mean to pry but whatever happened to your wife? I have seen some portraits of you and a woman, who I guess must have been very close to you."
"Ah, Nione, by far the best thing in my life who brought in the second-best into the world. Nothing really happened, when we met we were so young and love found its way. Then the years must have taken a toll on her, but that were the greatest thirty years of my life."
I thought when we were already on the subject of his family that I raise another thing.
"I have also seen portraits of a young man who looks remarkably like a younger you. Vaunn once told me that that was your son, is he off somewhere else?"
"Yes but not in the way you'd imagine," he said sadly, "he also departed not long after his mother."
"I'm sorry to hear that."
"No need to be, we live in a world where young men die before their fathers. It didn't help that he was in the army. I told him that, that job would kill him someday then it did."
"Did he fall in battle?" I asked genuinely curious.
"No, not in a way where he would be in history books. It was a long time ago. He was wounded at the battle of Hork, bet you can find about it in a book at the library. After a few days of struggle he died."
"I'm sorry."
"No, no, I had a lot of time to grief, and I accepted it."
"Now, just don't fumble on the tests. If you can't pass even the first exams you'll be expelled, you know."
Rather shocked I said, "I did not."