The clouds in the sky had been eclipsing the sun for quite some time since the prince arrived in this city. No one remembered what had happened in this academy since morning because the rumbling continued to deny all sounds. The moment his chariot had left the west, news of his presence in Great Stone spread quickly and widely like thunder. If the news wasn't so shocking, people wouldn't have gathered behind the academy's fence, imagining the face of the prince who was still busy gathering people at the academy an hour ago.
"Is today the apocalypse?" asked the librarian.
"Of course not. The apocalypse will not gather people in a place like this," the cleric straightened his books as a class had been dismissed early, "The apocalypse distances people from knowledge and spirituality. We are in an ideological experiment."
The prince completely dismantled the academy from front to back into his personal castle, whose squires comprised important people who once claimed wisdom over loyalty. These poor scholars believed under his charm that he would lead them to a prosperous teaching.
"I believe you would agree that students should be given a chance to describe their research in at least two concepts—behavioral, law, and theory. This is a personal research, isn't it?" Dion stood proudly among the teachers in the room.
"But, given my position as a student—I believe this opinion was nothing but a waste of time, am I right?"
"Of course not! Why didn't I think of that? Have we not set our research appropriately for students?" The teacher shed a tear upon hearing his wise words.
"To think someone would come here and tell us something we didn't know...Oh, I couldn't be more proud of you, Mr. Carven."
"You're welcome. Now, if you excuse me...I had a personal discussion with the others in room 1-3." He departs.
"Oh, wait! That's the janitor room...the door was right there."
"Over the old and rusty piece of wood right there? What happened with this one?"
"We're working for the best with it."
That man left the door with a smile, thinking he was not caught by the librarian from the corner. When she peeked over the door to see what the man had done, she saw a bunch of lifeless people declaring themselves a free man. They seem to have enjoyed his company, but they don't look like themselves. They were too excited, and their smiles were nothing less of a clown. That unruly prince spoiled them with some voices of his and now they were talking endlessly about him.
"Excellent," Eve said, "Maybe I can ask if he can make some of the subjects easier for me,"
"I think that's a waste of time." Cyrus replied with his worst face.
Envy of the prince's presence to sway the people from him, the cleric saw jealousy to rival his influence. He deemed it an indescribable evil that disguises itself in the face of a god—a mad word coming from a man like him. He has never uttered lies or words like this, not when anyone could rival him.
"That man is full of himself," said the cleric, "Can you even trust a false idol like him?"
"Are you implying there's a true idol here?" Ask the librarian with tease.
"That would be anyone who stood on this land but him. I mean, have you ever seen a man so disgraceful and ill-intent just by seeing their faces?"
"I've never heard such words come out of your tongue. What gives?"
"Nothing! Only an instinct! You seem more talkative than yesterday...what gives? Hm?" Cyrus swings his head away with embarrassment.
There was a large room in this academy for someone so delighted with jokes and performances. Covered in a red curtain and wooden stage, where there are tens, if not, hundreds seats for all to witness. The prince and his squires are here to prepare for something—yet that something is not familiarly shown to the public.
He who stood in the stage far from the cleric and the librarian was a man with a crown whose identity was unnamed by their tongues. Even the cleric felt disgusted seeing his unmatched intellect, and the librarian would laugh if she could. But the faithful man holds dearly with that jealousy.
"Please, tell us your secret, Dion! How does a boy like you could be as successful as a monarch?"
"You are odd! One in a million chances! A billionaire? Sure...but an empire descendant? Absolutely impossible."
"Please, tell us about your life in Europe! We need to know how cold that was place was!"
"Hey, hey! Settle down! Settle down! We should take this slow and steady." Dion replies, "But first, please drag this chair to the left a bit. Please?"
This "house" of his—it was absurdly made within the academy without any permission. It was about to be something big for himself—like a castle for a lone man in charge. But why do they want to serve a man whose external traits are merely a piece of jewelry? And why would a man like him wanted to rule over it? They didn't even seem to question that. But the librarian does. And she was about to find out.
"You want to talk to him?" Eve bumps into Cyrus's shoulder.
"What? Me? Pfft! Why should I? I mean, sure! Let's just—get some words with him..."
Everyone has been acting strangely since morning after looking at the prince. There's a magic in their eyes that says "amazing" in the blink of the librarian's eyes. But when those same eyes looked after her, nothing was influenced at her than an awkward pause. She looked over the prince to find him sitting peacefully while the room was modified to his liking.
"Alas, I like that view better. It matches my pride. Red is my pride." Said by Dion.
"Make sure to keep my—huh?"
When the cleric and the librarian enter the stage together, he is surprised to see them alive and well. Their eyes do not see wonders as he did, and they are disappointed with him. What he did to these people are not making them happy and appeased. The prince did not like this look—this look was deviant to his liking.
"Hey!" Dion yelled, "Have you seen my—wait, are you Cyrus Beth?"
"Oh, yeah—I mean, glad to see you knew me well here—DION." Cyrus stares closer at Dion, but he slightly pushes with a tap on the shoulder.
"My! My! So the rumors are true. This school really has some popular figures! The name's Dion Carven—but I guess we already knew each other. Don't we?"
"Enough with the soft words. Give me a reason I shouldn't report you to the principal for turning this place into a Carven's hivemind." Cyrus prepares to brawl with his fist. He cracks and pushes his fists together in dominance to Dion's sovereignty.
"And why did you make a castle out of this Institute?" Eve steps in.
"Yeah, and that."
"Hivemind? What hivemind?" Dion replies, "You were talking about my drama act, mate?"
She was confused. He didn't resent the librarian rude manner, even if she was undazzled and rude to his welcoming castle. Right as he sees her arrival at his castle, he shows her his little home with passion as he reveals a secret of his.
"So, do we still use this chair, Dion?"
"I'm a Drama and Action student, and I wanted to set a new script for two weeks performance with mine. I called it—Rise of the King Carven the Third!" Dion raises his fist above, carrying awe from the others.
"You know, because that's my great great grandfather I was talking about?"
The cleric was silenced, feeling down with his jealousy, and could not describe any more words from his mouth. He sat embarrassed following the progress of the prince's plan while nodding his head down. The others looked away from him, for he selfishly threw himself. That was the first time he made a poor decision in his life.
But the librarian sees this as an interest. The prince is working on something that seems complex and huge for the academy, aided by a lot of people he would consider a big helper. The project is so big yet hidden behind a fake curtain that the librarian wants to approach him for an answer.
"Hey, do you have time?" She asked, but the boy didn't see her.
"Hey! Hey!" She yelled.
"Hey, can you hear me? Hello??"
"Hey! Ugh—whatever..."
She is still a shade, regardless. If someone like him would notice her, that would've been a false hope for her. The prince was occupied with an important matter over his "project" in this academy. The sad librarian left without a word, knowing there was nothing left to do. She didn't even say goodbye to the cleric because she was too frowned upon her cursed form.
"Hey, Dion! Checked out this ribbon we have on the back! Maybe you would like them?"
"Gold and glimmering. I like that—huh?" He savors the soft thread on
The prince, who was distracted by how beautiful a ribbon could be in his shirt, noticed a wind so cold from his shoulder, leaving him shuddering. He never knew how sharp it could be that he had to look back and see who blew them. And there, he finds the librarian glancing away.
"What the..." Dion uttered.
"Hey, Dion! Do we—"
The long white sleeves under her blue shirt are a color the prince had never seen together. Her clothes nearly deceived his eyes, but he could see clearly from the blue striped pattern that she blended with the darkness and quietly left without permission.
"Hey!" Dion yelled, "You the blue-sleeved girl! Are you leaving me right now?"
"Huh?" She was shocked with her head back.
"Oh, Eve was here? How long have you been watching us, Eve?"
"Not cool walking without our permission!"
"Dion, don't bother with her. She's just—"
"Shush." Dion pauses.
She turns around, hearing the prince calling her name, and finds that it is not an illusion or the cleric's voice. He goes down by himself and approaches the librarian, astounding everyone who has not seen Eve from that corner. He walks into her face and sees her highly with a taunting face.
"You," Dion mumbled, "What's your name?"
"Eve—Eve Ainsley," She replies, "Took you that long to notice me?"
"Aren't you the one looking for me, young lady? I swear you were calling on my ears before."
"So you did notice me? Hypocrite, why do you care?" She glances angrily at him.
The people began to gossip about her and the prince, who had seemingly seen her in a dispelled eye. There was a moment that she did not seek from these people, and there was a time that the prince found her a look. But the feeling gave her bravery for what could now differ from every day.
"Because I wasn't fond of your—charm." Dion taps a flower from the pot. One whose petal was shed harshly from the body and to be placed upon Eve's forehead.
"Charm? I have no charm. I am no princess. I'm just a reader in disturb with your—personal play. May I know the ongoing of this "script" of yours that involve fireworks?" Eve replies with elegance.
"This ain't no firework! This is red lily from the East!" Cyrus yelled.
"You seems rather unique. Are you sure you're not a popular girl here?"
"I'm not a girl. I'm Eve, and popularity is for the weak."
*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*
"Huh? Did you hear that?" Eve looks behind.
It must have been raining today because the librarian had felt wary for the wind to be strong. The uncountable thoughts in her head as she began to realize that today might be a day to learn and practice. The glances, the prince, and the mysterious guest who hasn't shown up to her yet. If only she could write this on a scripture like a history.
"Alright, everyone! Let's get back to the show and get our king set."
"Don't we need a queen yet, Dion?"
"Nope. The King Carven hasn't find his queen on this part yet...But he sure needs one at the last act." Dion stands proudly, hoping to be captured in a frame with a cane.
"Me! Me! Me!"
Those people are either spelled or simply mindless slaves. The librarian still could not believe someone would be so keen to her for being too shaded. Yet, with everyone seeming indifferent to that response, she was the only one who could not believe her eyes—for his eyes.
"Eve, I think you shouldn't bother with him. At least from what I've learned now." Cyrus called for her.
She cares not for the cleric's words. With the prince having seen her in the void, the librarian became doubtful and curious about him. Why was the prince able and willing to pay attention to her? And how did she become the voice of the entire school? It was as if there were questions she could not answer.
"Hello? Hello!" Eve yelled at him. But Dion didn't hear anything.
"Didn't you just notice me before?"
"Hello?"
Therefore, she approached the prince without hesitation and tried to get his attention again. At first, the prince ignored her because of how distracted he was with the view of his throne—but with a breeze and a moment of silence, he immediately noticed her presence. She was spared the trouble of disappointment and met with a surprising expectation.
"Hey, are you still standing?" Dion stops her.
"W-what?"
"Are you done playing, young lady?"
"W-wow..." Eve replies with awe.
"I didn't know much about Carven, but—I heard you were an important person? Or your family?"
"Everyone in my family is an important figure, dear." Dion rubs his hand between his chest with pride.
"Don't call me dear."
"Carven is not just the name. It's the insignia of our ancestors who had lived long in Europe since the 15th century. Long since I even recognized that this land was part of his—uhm—what do they called it again?"
"Kingdom?" Eve guesses.
"Property," Dion replies, "If only he didn't hide the deed from us then maybe I can show you the price of this town."
The librarian couldn't believe her eyes and ears. The prince's knowledge and biography were secrets that couldn't be gleaned in this city. But she was puzzled by the choices in the story—did the prince intend to take all the western lands for himself? What would he do with all those people like her? It was an adventure for the questioning mind.
"Of course. The Carven family must be philosophers who developed knowledge beyond science and forbidden knowledge." Eve quipped Dion with an unsatisfied face.
"Actually, some literature from the Carven descendants holds knowledge about artifacts and mysticism that have been buried under the earth in all seven continents of this planet," Dion renounced.
"Indeed, no one has thought much about it because of how stupid the theory is. If these relics do contain mystical energy, do you think this city would have remained unknown for decades?"
"Hm." Eve was impressed.
Their conversation began to come together. The librarian and the prince's understanding of the concept of knowledge led to an unexpected discovery for the librarian. He who had been searching for the history and facts of the town of Gold Creek had found what an explorer would call a treasure.
As the librarian began to feel comfortable with the prince, the sun began to shine again between the gaps in the clouds, where the warmth of the day and the free time for the two lessons became small talk. As the prince shone cheerfully on the librarian, the followers began to realize they were abandoned. Abandoned to one like her.
"What the heck? Why is he talking to that girl??" The girl remained silent with her eyebrows lowered.
"She shouldn't be! It was supposed to be me!"
"I did the hardest job and he looks after her instead? Eve really had no manner to enter!"
"Eve!!!" A boy ran to her.
They did not like her, did they? They inflicted that poor girl out of jealousy and backed her with a bruise on her elbows. The scratch almost bleed her skin, but she was a strong girl. She stands up and faces her foes only to realize that despite everything she has seen, the prince remains stoic and indifferent.
"What is wrong with you??" Eve yelled.
"Stay away from him, Eve! You're not his type of friend! Right, Dion?"
"Uhm—yeah?" Dion looks displeased with his followers.
"You guys really think I wanted to befriend this guy? I was just talking with him for few things." Eve replies.
"Oh, quit it! You're not on his class, Eve. You'll have to do more than just talking to get him. Like us, who worked hard to get this whole stage for him and not just messing around."
"Dion, care to tell your "friends" to get off me??" She looks after him.
He stood there, unfazed at the absurd act from the people. He didn't smirk or laugh at her for being harmed, but he wasn't too interested in helping her. Somehow, it has something to do with the people who were bound by him through devotion. It was not long until he made his choice between the librarian and the inflictors.
"I'm afraid not, Eve." Dion replies.
"I know these are not your average disputes, but you have to know that in a specific time and place, you may are the loser that started this mess."
"I mean, nobody asked you to talk while I'm working, right?"
"Yeah!" The followers backed him.
That was a quick end between their talks, and she wasn't too surprised with his "bold" move. Those bullies cheered in victory for their prince like a puppet, swinging their stiffened arms up before the prince turned his face against her. The librarian finds herself lost under their shadow again, never to be seen like before.
"Fine! Go ahead and lick those boots! You people have no common sense to begin with." Eve left.
"Good for us! That lady could suck a needle!"
"Aww..." Cyrus glances with pity.
"Don't mind her! We just have a good talk," Dion brushes indifferently towards everything he had shared with Eve with his followers, "Now, look at this place! Truly a wonder!"
"Yeah!!!"
She left that dampened house with frustration. The air inside was stuffy and filled with nothing but hate and obedience—how could someone so unruly live like that inside? But if the prince wishes to be in his home with the other squires, then so be it. The throne was not an appeal for the librarian since.
"It's odd to hear him acknowledging this conversation four-eyed." She thought.
"But he seems to knew me from the corner of his eyes than his center. Like a butterfly to a net. Why would he notice me?"
"That man is clearly no man. He must have something at me."
Not long until she left the others, there was already something else to catch her attention. The jarring sound of a metal rubbing upon the coarse ceramic floor left the librarian's ears with a displeasing ring she had ever heard. This time, that intruder comes again after her without any hesitation to be caught.
*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug* A flipped trashbin walks on its own to her way. Far but visible, it was also visibly confusing.
"What the...?" Eve glances with such disgust. She approaches it slowly for a talk.
*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*
Yet it still hesitates to reveal itself through its cover—one which could be deemed absurd to look at. When the librarian is about to uncover the man under, he distances himself from each step she makes closer to him, as if the man inside is taunting her. Of course, the librarian could not accept it.
"Get over here!!" She yelled.
*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*
She chased the naughty barrel down the hall with all her might. Her feet stomped and the barrel rumbled with a sound unbearable to hear. The intruder was a persistent and naive one, managing to keep track of her until it was cornered by a dead end. It was short but an easy catch eventually.
"There you are. Where do you think you're going? Think I didn't notice you?"
"If you are here to fooled me again, then think twice. I'm not in a mood to be played over."
"So tell me," Eve kicks the trash bin, "What are you doing here?"
She kicked and trapped the man under the barrel with her dominating fear, but the intruder remained speechless and uncooperative. It made the librarian want to kick harder until she could hear nothing but banging on a metal sheet echoing through the hallway. But rather than earning his answer, she got herself in trouble.
The loud banging disturbed the peace in the academy, and it was not long until someone came distressed. The librarian made a foolish mistake chasing over the intruder, for others had found her in an untimely event. She was certain that she was closer for an answer, but others came to intervene and stopped her.
"Ms. Ainsley!" Yelled a teacher. The poor girl had to look back at a man standing with an angry face.
She remains silent, hoping to be left unnoticed. But the serious man had already mentioned her name, and there were already people watching her from the corner.
"Ms. Ainsley! What is this nonsense? Why are you making such fuss in this school?"
"Mr. Stock, I can explain...!"
"This behavior is odd for you. Especially someone who shouldn't have been raising attention in my class. Why the change, young lady?" The man crosses his arms.
"There was a man following me! I mean, someone had been stalking and annoying me since I came here. I had to stop him!"
"And is the man here with us?" The teacher blinks.
"He's under this trash! He couldn't stop spying on me and he was—here?"
When she opens the barrel, the cunning man disappears without a trace. He might have escaped, or he may have tricked her into trouble so everyone could. The speechless lady could not utter more about an empty barrel to that serious man. A lot of people who were watching her made fun of this incident and called her deluded.
"Ms. Ainsley. I could not tolerate this behavior. Even if this is your way to express yourself, then this is exercised in a bad light."
"I'm afraid you have to consult about this with someone more appropriate than me." The teacher handed Eve with a pass. It has the title of someone in the "principal" rank.
The man was right. There's no reason to explain this nonsensical day to someone else but her, or whatever that prince might have planned. Moreover, that intruder might have been here somewhere and still after her. Without any further ado, she excuses herself to avoid further embarrassment and heads straight into the man in charge for this academy.