"Wow, such a beautiful place! Now I know why all the aristocrats want to come here to study, this is like a dream world."
"Not necessarily. Only the ones that can actually afford it can enroll here, which makes it only half or less than that to study here. The other half are nobles that don't have any other choice but to study from home with one or two teachers with limited knowledge compared with the professors in this academy who have an academic degree. And is not that breathtaking. I have seen better!"
Even after what happened, I still think that the palace is more beautiful than this place. Note to myself, "Never go back inside that palace. Never!". But not gonna lie…this is a huge place and we are still far from seeing it up close. Talk about how arrogant and overbearing the students and professors of this academy will be.
Why am I even concerned about that? They are everywhere, and I am sure that no one out there who is an aristocrat knows how to be humble. And is not like I am going to have a talk with them or anything, I am going straight to that meeting with…ugh…I'm going to puke, literally!
"So, should we ask someone for directions or we go and explore until we find his highness?"
"Let's go to the entrance first and then we will see."
From the gate to the entrance, I am not sure but it might be a total distance of one hundred meters that we needed to do it by walk. Why so far from the gate though? Are they scared of something building it that far? At least I can still see something familiar from afar. The garden that Nasya spent most of her time in, and the place where she made friends and enemies. By the looks of it, it seems like all the students are in their classes. No one can be seen outside the campus reading or doing their own activities. I feel kind of relieved that I don't have to be cautious of their glare or words when we are going to pass by them!
But! I am sure that someone has been behind us for a while now and it makes me uncomfortable when I hear someone behind me. No one was behind our carriage when we were coming here, so we are the only ones that entered the academy. It can't be a student either since I don't see them around, so it can only be those two men from the gate.
Well if he has come with bad intentions then no one is going to notice that one of them is missing, would they? And I don't think that this person has good intentions to begin with, so perhaps If I slow down a little and let him come nearer, maybe I can turn around and confront him. I am not in the mood for negotiations or scandals, and before he has a chance to react or make a noise for the ones inside to hear. And also, the gate is already far from the other gatemen to see what is happening here.
On the other hand, Mireya hasn't noticed anything weird yet, since she is more amused by the look of the building and the garden, so everything is going to be all right if I act fast.
I can hear the steps coming closer. We are nearly at the campus entrance and my heart is running faster by the minute. Should I slow down a little more? If I do that, Mireya is going to go before me, and eventually she is going to turn her head and see what is going on behind me. Perhaps that's not a good idea, because what is she going to do anyway?
Ten meters and is all over. I can't do anything from there on and that person's steps are weirdly getting slower. Maybe I overreacted a little or perhaps he just gave up when we got closer to the entrance. Since Mireya didn't notice it and we didn't encounter any problems, I guess that is no longer my problem.
Now what troubles me is that I really need to remember where the classes are, and Nasya didn't explore the whole campus so I am a little bit worried about how I will find the right direction for wherever the meeting place is. Should I just find someone to ask about it?
"M-m-misses! I-I sorry…But can you two stay right there for, for a moment…!"
I guess we have no need to go that far, that person looks like they didn't give up but was just too lazy. No one has told him that following someone from behind is uncomfortable for the other person and clearly unprofessional.
As I thought the guardian at the entrance was coming after us and since he couldn't reach us he finally called, like he couldn't have done it at the beginning when we got off the carriage.
"Are you all right sir? It seems like you are struggling."
"Don't overreact Mireya he is fine. Just leave him be!"
Suffer, you idiot! I can't believe that I almost panicked because of you. But ... my guy, you need to exercise as soon as possible, you are gasping for air! It is ironic how this person is an actual guard for an academy full of aristocrats when he is out of breath after walking just like us from the gate to here. Are they out of money to hire a professional guard or is it really that peaceful here?
"...Phew… I am sorry to say this, but can you state your name and the purpose of your visit?"
Aren't we past that already? I know that the carriage men told them who we were and what was our purpose for coming here today, so this is absolutely ridiculous. Anyway, I don't want to waste more time here talking with him.
"Raeliana Phelter, second daughter of duke Xerox Phelter! And this is my sister Mireya. We are here to meet his highness, the first prince."
"P-pardon me, young lady! I can gladly let you in, but meeting his highness is a little bit difficult at the moment."
"Why, are you so sure about that?"
"It's because…I am sorry but I can't share further information related to a member of the imperial family with just anyone."
Not with just anyone huh?! So, what should we do now, leave? It is absurd that someone who made it clear the place and time of the meeting do not show up. And on the other hand, where should he be if not here? Honestly, I think that the guard is trying to not let us in, and thankfully I have something that could help me get rid of him.
"Let me ask you a genuine question. What would happen if I received a letter sent by his highness himself with the imperial symbol on it and a message that I should meet him today here in the academy? Would it still be difficult for me to talk with him today?"
"In that matter, if someone receives a letter from an aristocrat or a noble of higher status, then they can use it as an invitation that gives them their right to enter or attend an event or personal meeting. Well to answer your question properly, that can only mean that you as a receiver have all the right to go inside and also have a personal escort that can guide you to the right room that the sender has prepared in advance."
"Great, because I have the letter here with me! You can see for yourself that is totally authentic and sent by his highness with the date and everything on it. But if you still have any doubt I will wait here with my sister, so you to go and ask his highness yourself!"
Shocking huh? I know, but I was quite specific when I described the envelope, so you should have gotten the hint from the beginning and stopped explaining the right thing to do in that situation like I didn't have any idea about proper etiquette.
I gave him the envelope with the hope that he lets me do my business here in peace, and he has no right to open it since it we addressed to me by Alastair, so the smart thing to do is for him to go and ask about it or he can also tell us to go without further problems. Any option is in my favor since he admitted himself that if I have a letter I have the right to meet him.
"Raelian, what should we do now? He took the envelope and left without a word."
"I was the one that told him that we would wait until he goes and ask if the letter is real or not, so perhaps he didn't need to tell us what was he going to do next. Even so, we are not going to waste our time here waiting for him, but we are gonna go inside and somehow find the meeting room ourselves."
It's unfortunate that I can't read what's inside that envelope anymore, but it did the job and I no longer need it. Since that guard is going to show it off while trying to find someone to answer his question, we don't have to worry about them stopping us from exploring the campus.
"So, do you have a plan where should we going to start from? This is a huge place, is going to take us days to find the right room."
"Look carefully Mireya, look at the floors. There are eight floors for eight full years that is set for an aristocrat boy to do, while girls have entry to only five from below since they do only five years compared to boys, those who are on a certain floor can have entry to the one's below but not above. They change class every year by moving up one floor, so if I am correct, the first prince floor must be the seventh, and the second one might be on the fifth or the sixth floor."
"I am starting to think that you know more about the thing you haven't seen than those you actually have. Like, how did you know they change classes? Or their floor? No way. Are you obsessed with them, or do you track their moves for fun? You know that I support you for everything you do, but it is still wrong and surely you can get arrested!"
Mireya for the love of god, how can I spy on a member of the imperial family when all I have done was lie in bed all day for the past two weeks? I just have to laugh it off and take it as a joke before she actually makes herself believe even more that all of that nonsense is true, and meanwhile trying to recall everything that Nasya has said about this place to orient me until we reach the sixth floor.