Napoleon's eyes scanned over his newly acquired schedule, and he let out a thoughtful hum. He took note of the seven subjects: French, Latin, Maths, History-Geography, Drawing, Music, Fencing, and Military Fortifications, each allotted one hour of study time. With three subjects per day, he would have a full schedule. He couldn't help but reflect on his earlier days in a different world, where the school week was much different. Here, the academic week began on Monday and stretched all the way through Saturday, a full six days of learning.
The first subject is eight o'clock in the morning, which is math. Napoleon quickly went to the classroom.
A moment later, he found the classroom, taking a deep breath before pushing open the door. The classroom was filled with other students, and Napoleon could feel their curious gazes on him as he made his way to an empty desk at the back of the room. He sat down, taking out his notebook and quill in preparation for the lesson.
While at it, a group of students approached his desk.
"You are Napoleone Buonaparte, right?" One of the students asked.
Napoleon looked up to meet the gaze of the student who asked. Judging from his clothes, he could tell that the student was a noble. He had a refined look about him, with blonde hair that was slicked back in a fashionable style. His eyes were a bright blue, and his features were sharp and defined.
Napoleon nodded in response, offering a small smile. "Yes, that's correct. It's a pleasure to meet you," he replied politely, noting the other students who had gathered around his desk.
"So how did you cheat during the exam?" the student asked.
"Excuse me?" Napoleon asked, taken aback by the accusation.
The blonde-haired student scoffed, crossing his arms. "Don't act clueless, Buonaparte. It's obvious you cheated your way into this prestigious academy. Commoners like you don't typically get accepted, let alone score a full mark. The second highest grade was only 81 percent, and that was me. And to top it off, you're an outsider with an annoying accent."
Instead of being angry at the students, Napoleon felt a bit amused. So this is going to be the start of his rough school days as Napoleon, who in history, was recorded to have been bullied because of his background and his accent. Though he couldn't care less about their feelings as he was a university student with the mindset of a twenty-year-old. To him, they are just spoiled brats, born with a golden spoon, ultimately nothing more than their surname.
"I don't even care what you think if I cheated or not. As for me, the test was easy, even my friend in Corsica could have answered it with ease," Napoleon haughtily replied, his tone dripping with arrogance. The students around him looked shocked, not expecting such a bold response from the new kid. The blonde-haired noble student narrowed his eyes, clenching his fist.
"Are you looking down on us, peasant?" The blonde student spat, his voice laced with anger. Napoleon simply shrugged, nonchalantly twirling his quill in his hand.
"I'm not looking down on you, I simply can't fathom why someone of your supposed status couldn't manage a perfect score on an exam that was quite obviously tailored to your aristocratic abilities," Napoleon retorted. He leaned forward slightly, a glint of challenge in his eyes as he stared down the other student. "Maybe you're not as smart as you think you are, or maybe you're just too lazy to put in the effort. Either way, it's not my concern."
The students around them gasped in disbelief, shocked by Napoleon's boldness. The room fell silent, with all eyes on the two students. The blonde-haired noble took a step forward, his face turning red with anger.
"How dare you!" He bellowed, his voice echoing across the classroom and drawing the attention of everyone present. He took a few steps forward, his face twisted in anger and disgust. "How dare you speak to me like that, you peasant. It's clear that you were raised without any manners or respect for those of higher standing. But don't you worry, I'll be sure to educate you on proper etiquette since you clearly have none." He sneered, his tone laced with venom as he glared at Napoleon.
"Ah, this is a pain in the ass. Can you and your friends just go? You are too noisy."
Napoleon's blunt response caught the noble student off guard, and he faltered for a moment before regaining his composure. He took off his glove and threw them at Napoleon's face.
Napoleon's classmate gasped. Throwing one's glove at someone's face is a declaration of a duel. Napoleon caught the glove with ease, a smirk spreading across his face as he looked at the noble student.
"A duel, is it?" Napoleon asked, raising an eyebrow. "Very well then. I accept your challenge."
The noble student looked taken aback, clearly not expecting Napoleon to agree so readily.
"Good. Meet me tomorrow morning, at dawn, in the courtyard. We shall settle this matter once and for all in fencing. Don't worry, I'll go easy on you as I'm sure you don't know what fencing is."
Napoleon scoffed. "Okay then, but imagine what would happen if you were to lose to a commoner like me who doesn't have experience in fencing. Surely that would be humiliating."
The noble student's face contorted with anger at Napoleon's words. "I will not lose to the likes of you," he spat, before returning to their desk. Seconds later, the teacher entered the classroom.
The teacher looked around and saw Napoleon.
"Oh, you are the kid who passed the entrance examination with flying colors huh? I must say, the way you use the quadratic equation to solve one of the hardest questions I have come up with was quite impressive. How did you do it?"
"Well, Sir, it's simple really," he stood up and his eyes gleamed coldly. "I'm just good. I don't see any explanation behind it other than being so good."
The blonde-haired student gritted his teeth, clearly infuriated at Napoleon's arrogance.
"I'll remove that smug look on your face tomorrow," he whispered under his breath.