"Are you really okay?" Daniel asked Katherine for the third time that morning as they walked down the corridor with Lucy.
After the interrogation ended, Ash left. Where to, Lucy had no idea. Nor did she care.
"Ask that one more time, and I'll get you a new brain," Lucy commented.
Daniel's face hardened, but he kept silent.
Katherine nudged her sister slightly. "Luc," she hissed.
The girl hissed back, "He should know better about your condition. He's the one who's been around magic all the time."
"Shush!"
"It's okay, Kathy," Daniel forced a smile. "Your sister's right. I'm just overly worried about you."
Lucy secretly rolled her eyes.
Katherine smiled. "By the way, where are you taking us?"
"My father decided you should stay here, so I thought you'd like a tour of the academy," Daniel replied.
"Oh, can we skip the tour? I woke up way too early, and I'm really sleepy now," Lucy protested, rubbing her tired eyes. The warm sunlight streamed through the corridor's windows, and the cool breeze that wafted in made her long for a lazy day in bed.
Daniel's nose wrinkled at the girl's defiance, his displeasure evident.
"And I think Kathy must be tired too. Isn't that right?" Lucy added quickly, knowing Daniel would dismiss her complaints but not her sister's.
"Well—"
"Kathy has just recovered from a really severe injury," the girl interrupted. "How could you let her walk around a castle this big?"
Daniel glanced at Katherine briefly before deciding, "Fine, but you still need to eat breakfast."
"I'm not hungry." But unexpectedly, Lucy's stomach growled. She couldn't remember the last time she ate. It felt like centuries ago. "Okay, breakfast first then."
After several turns down the corridor, they heard the buzz of conversation coming from a room with an open door at the end.
"That's our dining hall," Daniel informed them as he led Katherine and Lucy inside. Upon reaching the door, they saw boys and girls eating together at three long tables, each laden with a variety of dishes. The tables were arranged vertically, and the students sat on long benches, chatting occasionally as they ate. They were all dressed in uniforms.
The uniforms were the same for both boys and girls, consisting of dark blue outfits with gold-threaded vertical trims down the front. The thick, long-sleeved tops reached mid-thigh, with embroidered dragons on the cuffs. The belts around their waists held knives or other small weapons, while the bottoms were tight trousers paired with boots. For the girls, the trousers were not as tight as the boys'.
Still, seeing them in those outfits, Lucy almost thought the girls were naked. She couldn't imagine wearing something that revealed so much of her thighs and crotch. What must the boys think when they see them?
But then, Lucy remembered the female imperial knights she had seen during a festival. None of them wore dresses. They had guarded King Julian along the road while riding horses. And strangely, they looked so fierce that Lucy was impressed.
Aside from the students, there were also teachers eating at a separate table across the hall. Unlike the students, the female teachers wore elegant dresses, some even with lace, paired with tight doublets. They looked so graceful that Lucy couldn't help but wonder what subjects were taught there.
The girl scanned the teachers, but she didn't see Maximilian among them. However, she did spot the woman who had stood behind her during the interrogation, as well as Ahn and another woman whose name she didn't know.
"Let's go," Daniel urged, extending his hand to Katherine, but she didn't take it.
"Are we allowed to just join in?" Katherine glanced at the teachers, who were too absorbed in their conversations to notice the newcomers.
"I'm sure it's fine," Daniel reassured her. "There's usually an assigned seating arrangement, but since you're not students here, you can sit wherever you like." He led them to the table on the far left, which had the most varied dishes compared to the others.
"What kind of rule is that?" Lucy asked, curious.
"Oh, whenever exams are held, those who score well get to eat at the most left."
Lucy eyed the students at that table, who looked quite smug. "So, the ones at the rightmost table are the losers?"
Daniel smirked. "You could say that."
"And where should you be sitting?"
He nodded towards the left. "I'm sure, if you get into this academy, you'll always be eating at the same table as me," he said to Katherine.
"Get into the academy?" Lucy focused on something else in his words.
"Of course. With Kathy's abilities, there's no way my father wouldn't be interested." He turned back to Katherine, saying, "You'll be the greatest Imperial Knight. I can see it."
"As long as you follow my orders, or don't break my heart, or don't get on my nerves, or anything else," Lucy added sarcastically.
Daniel's nose wrinkled again as he snorted in annoyance.
"Oh, I was just quoting lines from an opera I once saw," Lucy added with a skeptical grin, forcing a smile.
"Careful," Daniel warned, "someday, your sarcasm is going to bite you back."
"Oh, you can see that too? Wow, I'm so scared." The girl then laughed.
Daniel opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, someone interrupted.
"Morning, Dan!" A young man with exotic skin slapped Daniel's arm and scooted his chair over, along with his plate and goblet. "Want some pumpkin juice?"
"No, thanks, Tom, and please, call me Niel." Daniel ground his teeth as he answered, his sharp eyes still fixed on Lucy.
Katherine stroked his arm apologetically, and his heart softened. He hopped over a seat to sit beside Tom, leaving room for Katherine. He tried to forget Lucy's earlier snide remark.
After being invited, Katherine sat gracefully next to Daniel and tucked her legs under the table. Meanwhile, Lucy lifted her gown high as she jumped over the chair to sit beside her sister.
"Who are they?" Tom asked, intrigued.
"Oh, you'll find out soon enough," Daniel replied diplomatically, unwilling to waste energy explaining who the girls were. Tom wasn't important enough to warrant such an explanation.
"Eat as much as you like," he added, taking an extra plate from the stack at the end of the table and placing it just in front of Katherine.
"Thanks." She gave him a sweet smile, causing Daniel's grin to return.
Lucy could only roll her eyes. She was used to being treated differently from her sister, so it didn't bother her much.
As she ate, Lucy was fascinated by the academy's dining hall. She drank at the sight, observing how these children of wealthy nobles went to school. In truth, she wanted to experience school herself. But Mags could only afford to pay for one person, and that person wasn't Lucy. Nevertheless, Mags taught her to read and write. Sometimes, her mother would also teach her painting and embroidery. But the girl couldn't stand doing it either.
Lucy had no sense of color, and when it came to embroidery, she found it mind-numbingly boring.
Since they didn't have a piano, Mags would sometimes bring Lucy along when teaching the village children. There was a piano there, a gift from the village head. Though not great, Lucy could play the piano and sing. At least her voice wasn't entirely off-key.
But thinking of Mags made her heart ache again. She longed to see her mother one last time. But how could she leave here without getting caught? Maybe Katherine could help with magic. She'd ask her later and try to find a way back home. She had to be bold. After all, it was still morning. Demons wouldn't attack in the morning.
But was that really true?