Rae walked into the principal's office, where the principal a man in his mid-forties, with neatly combed dark hair that was beginning to show the faintest streaks of gray at the temples greeted her with a polite nod.
"Good evening, Miss Vermont."
"Good evening to you, too, Mr. Principal."
"Take a seat."
"I prefer to stand. May I inquire as to the reason I've been summoned?"
"Straightforward as ever, I see," the principal chuckled. "I've summoned you here to introduce you to these two women."
"Okay."
The principal gestured to the two women-a blonde built woman and a young girl with snow white hair standing by the desk. "This is Elise and Cilia."
Rae nodded and offered a formal introduction. "Nice to meet you, Cilia and Elise. I am Rae Vermont."
Cilia's eyes gleamed with adoration. "My queen, I have long awaited this day. Since the moment I gazed upon your face, I have yearned for the chance to meet you and be by your side. My heart beats only for you, and you..."
Rae blinked, clearly uncomfortable.
"My princess, what are you doing? Sorry about that." Elise interjected.
The principal sighed, rubbing his temples. "Ah, princess, please... Rae, if I may continue... You were summoned here to take in these two women."
"Why should I take them in when I barely know them?" Rae raised an eyebrow, clearly perplexed.
The principal explained, his tone serious. "Cilia here is a princess from the Stokes Kingdom, and Elise is her bodyguard."
Rae frowned. "So, just because she's a princess, I should accept her?"
The principal hesitated. "Well, yes... and no. The Queen has given me the order to find a suitable place for the princess at the school. Unfortunately, I can't place her in either the commoner or noble dorms. The only place left is one of the royal dorm houses."
Rae crossed her arms, skeptical. "Let me guess, my dorm was the obvious choice because I'm from a barely known family?"
The principal's face softened, but he nodded. "Well, yes, that's part of it. But there's more to it."
"Are you serious? You want me to take her in just because we're both girls?"
The principal sighed deeply. "I understand how you feel, but... yes."
Cilia looked up at Rae, her expression one of earnest sincerity. "My queen, if I may be so bold... I've recently lost my home and family. Now, I find myself in a foreign land, seeking refuge, as my own blood seeks my death. I know we've just met, but to me, it feels as if I've known you my entire life. Every day, I've felt your presence. I yearn to wake up by your side."
Rae felt a twinge of discomfort. "Well, okay... This is new. Sorry, Cilia, was it? I'd appreciate it if you stopped calling me your Queen. I don't know you yet, and it's making me uncomfortable."
Cilia hesitated, but nodded. "I... I understand."
Rae's voice softened. "As for the living arrangements, I'm willing to take you in. I can sympathize with your situation."
"Thank you very much, Miss Rae," Cilia replied, her eyes filled with gratitude. "We truly appreciate your kindness."
"Yes, thank you, Miss Vermont, for understanding and agreeing to take in the nine-year-old foreign princess," Elise added, bowing her head respectfully.
Rae shook her head, a bit overwhelmed. "So, is that the only reason I was summoned, or is there something else?"
"For now, that's all. However, you should be expecting a royal summons from the royal castle soon," the principal said.
"Alright. Have a splendid evening," Rae said, turning toward the door.
"Likewise, Miss Vermont," the principal replied.
Rae led Cilia and Elise to her dorm, where she introduced them to the other girls. She showed them their rooms and gave them some time to freshen up.
"I think I'll stay in the same room as my princess," Elise declared. "I must always keep her safe. Having a separate room would only hinder my mission."
"As you wish," Rae replied, with a hint of amusement.
Once the two women had freshened up, they went to dinner. Rae, on the other hand, headed straight for the open-air bath. She soaked in the warm water, allowing her body to relax and the accumulated fatigue to drain away. After her bath, Rae returned to the dorm, had dinner, and went straight to bed.
The next morning, Rae followed her usual routine. After a satisfying breakfast, she headed to the library, Pico at her side. Today, she planned to explore the forbidden section of the library.
When they arrived, the librarian quickly stopped them.
"You are not allowed to enter this part of the library."
Rae raised an eyebrow. "I don't think you should stop me. The Principal should have informed you of my access privileges."
"But even I am not allowed in there. Why should you be?" The librarian was visibly hesitant.
Rae smiled slightly. "It's part of an agreement we have. I have unrestricted access, so please, don't mind me."
After a brief pause, the librarian reluctantly allowed them inside. The forbidden section was filled with numerous books, many of which caught Rae's attention. She quickly skimmed through the titles: Witches and Sorcerers, A Celestial's Data Entry Volumes 1-2, A Record of Royal Bloodlines, and more.
She was hoping to find a book on resurrection magic but came up empty. Instead, her curiosity led her to open A Celestial's Data Entry 1 and 2. What she found unsettled her.
The book described events from a century ago, detailing cruel experiments conducted on a captured celestial. The celestial race, according to the records, lived high in the sky, away from other races. Their floating cities were a mystery, and apparently their reason for descending to the human world was to find human women to mate with, diluting their bloodline to prevent deformities.
The celestial in question had sought to abduct a royal woman. When he was shot down and imprisoned, the king wanted to use the celestial's powers for his own gain, forcing him to mate with other royal bloodlines. The grand duke, however, considered the celestial race divine and feared that such actions would provoke their wrath.
This disagreement led to a civil war, splitting the kingdom in two. Bermone, under the king's rule, kept the celestial's existence a secret, while Stokes, under the grand duke, adopted it as their religion.
Although Rae didn't find any information on resurrection magic, she learned much about the civil war's origins. Pico, walking beside her, seemed both shocked and fascinated by the existence of another race.
The two left the library and made their way to their homerooms. That day, Cilia, who had become quite clingy, followed Rae everywhere. Rae couldn't help but think that Cilia needed to learn some boundaries.