A black-haired teenager was seated at a study desk, a stiffly dressed tutor with a pair of rounded spectacles sitting over his eyes hovered over him.

This teenager was Henri Degas, the only child of King Eli and Queen Marina, the rulers of the kingdom of Reinhold.

A knock on the door interrupted Henri's lesson and the hired tutor faltered, his eyes going bug-eyed behind his spectacles.

"His Majesty is here to see his son, Prince Henri." A guard announced from the exterior, the door opening to reveal King Eli Degas.

Henri sat up straighter at his desk, his tutor quickly making an exit through a connecting door. His father rarely paid visits to him while he was taking his lessons so this was a surprise.

Henri was perfectly brilliant as befitting the heir to the throne of Reinhold and he took his studies very seriously, so why was his father here?

"Henri…"

Henri got to his feet and dropped down to one knee. "Father…"

"You can skip the formalities, Henri." Eli said kindly, perching on the desk.

He had black hair just like his son and bottomless black eyes, and was dressed in the royal colors of red and gold; with his crown sitting authoritatively on his head, he cut a striking figure.

Henri resumed sitting on his chair and waited expectantly. His relationship with his father wasn't special, they had little in common and the only part of Henri's life that his father was actively involved in was his education.

So Henri could probably guess why his father was here.

"The new session at Reinhold's prestigious Alpha Academy begins in less than a month…" Eli began, lacing his fingers together.

Henri stared at the signet ring on his father's right hand, wondering where his father was going with this.

Henri was born an anomaly, a male Omega… It was something that was simply unheard of in a world like theirs where there were only two statuses that never interloped.

Henri wondered about what could have been the cause of this but his parents' stoically refused to have him be studied. It wasn't a big deal to Henri though because he wasn't treated any differently, he was brought up like an Alpha and he forgot most times that he was different from everyone else.

Perhaps, for this reason, his father had him homeschooled his whole life. Henri preferred it this way, he had no time for commoners.

Education in their world was simple, there was preparatory school from the ages of 8-16. Then students graduated to college which spanned over three years, 17-19. Afterward, Alphas and Omegas were free to get specified higher education if they wished to or get a job and settle down as most did.

Well, there was a year or two after college were Alphas and Omegas traveled the world and broadened their views on the world.

Henri was ahead of others his age in terms of academics, at the age of 15, he had already been taking college-level studies. This was allowed because he was homeschooled.

He just turned seventeen now and the year was coming to an end; he never had any thoughts about going to a public college, expecting to be homeschooled as always.

"... And your mother and I discussed and came to the conclusion that it was best for your social education if went to the academy..."

Buzzing started up in Henri's ears, he felt blindsided. There was nothing wrong with his social education, they didn't have to put him in the academy.

However, Eli wasn't asking for his opinion, he was simply informing Henri of the latest developments. "Earl Johann's son will be by later today to help you prepare for this." Eli concluded, getting to his feet. "I apologize for intruding on your studies without calling ahead, if you have any opinions, they will be discussed over lunch." He decided, already making his way out of Henri's study room.

Henri stared at the books on his hand-carved desk, he certainly had opinions but he pushed them down. "Yes, father."

And just like that, his father was gone, leaving Henri with a lot of conflicted emotions.

"Your Highness?" The tutor peeked into the room to check if the King was truly gone.

Henri rose to his feet and straightened his shoulders, dispelling the tense air around him. "That will be all for today, Graham." He dismissed his tutor authoritatively, striding out of the room as well.

Henri marched to his bedroom, quite upset with this turn of things. Not only was the news that he would be going to a public school sprung on him, but he also had to interact with a stranger out of the blue.

Well, Alpha Academy wasn't a public school, it wasn't just an average school either, it was the pride of Reinhold. Only Alphas of high standing and striking brilliance were accepted into the academy, just like its counterpart, Omega Institution.

Only the cream of the crop attended these two colleges and a lot of nobility from other Kingdoms made it a goal to attend the top colleges of Reinhold.

There were a number of other colleges in Reinhold but none were on par with the two colleges that sat at the top. They were also the only colleges in the entire kingdom that weren't mixed and it added to their reputation of being virtuous as well as brilliant and noble.

He took off his overcoat and tossed it angrily on the bed pushing his hand through his black hair as an outlet for his emotions. This made his perfectly styled hair fall over his smokey grey eyes.

Henri's stare was piercing as he stared at himself in one of the many mirrors in his mansion for a chamber. He forced himself to take a deep breath and he slicked back his hair once again. He was the crowned Prince of Reinhold, he had to act like it.

It was just three years of this, then he could return to the castle and resume his life like nothing changed. Besides, the subjects taught would be a breeze so he did not need to worry about that.

All he had to do was attend to the Earl's son here to see him, prepare for lunch and then resume his lessons afterward, that was easy enough.