The day after the Awakening, the royal palace was alive with activity. Carriages were readied, servants scurried through the halls, and the air was thick with the buzz of excitement and the tension of imminent change. The time had come for Simone to leave the palace—his childhood home—and journey to the Imperial Academy, a place where all princes, princesses, and select students would receive their formal education.
The Emperor's command had been clear: Simone, like his siblings, was to be enrolled in the academy until the age of 18. It was tradition, an unspoken rite of passage for the royal heirs to spend their formative years alongside noble families and scholarship students, all while cultivating their talents and their place within the intricate web of imperial politics. But unlike his siblings, Simone would attend without the privilege of being recognized as a royal. He had chosen to live as a commoner, hiding his true identity from everyone—including those who might have known him before.
Simone stood in the entrance hall of the palace, wearing the simple attire of a commoner—an unassuming brown tunic, pants, and a cloak to match. His appearance had been drastically altered after the Awakening, but he would not let his transformation define him. To the outside world, he was just another scholarship student, unremarkable and unassuming.
His father, Emperor Alden, stood nearby, observing the scene with a solemn expression. The Emperor's gaze was a mixture of disappointment and acceptance. He knew the choice Simone had made, and though he did not agree with it, he had respected it. For now. But his eyes still held an edge of uncertainty, as though he wondered what path his youngest child would walk.
Simone had said little to him in the aftermath of the ceremony, choosing instead to retreat into silence. It had been a year of change for Simone, and the weight of his decision to conceal his power from his family sat heavily on his shoulders. But there was no going back now.
Aster, the Emperor's personal steward, approached Simone with a cool, professional demeanor. "Your Highness, it is time."
Simone nodded without a word. His gaze briefly met his siblings, who stood off to the side. Adrian, Livia, Cassian, and the others had all gathered, as per tradition, to see him off. Their eyes were filled with varying degrees of curiosity, concern, and even judgment. Some of them—Livia, particularly—looked like they might say something, but in the end, they remained silent. Their thoughts were their own, and Simone was used to their cold distance. His decision to keep his power a secret had caused a rift, but that was not his concern. He had made his choice, and he was prepared to face whatever came with it.
"Simone," Livia finally spoke, her voice sharp but controlled. "Don't think for a second that your decision will make things easier. You've chosen a difficult path."
Simone met her gaze with a quiet, unwavering resolve. "I'll manage."
Before anyone could respond, Aster gestured for Simone to follow. With a final glance at his family, Simone turned and followed the steward out of the palace. The grand doors shut behind him with a heavy thud, cutting him off from the life he had known.
The carriage waiting for him outside was a modest one, unlike the ornate, lavish carriages his siblings would use. It was small and simple, just large enough to carry him and his few belongings. The horses were sturdy and strong, not the prized steeds usually reserved for the royal family. Aster opened the door for him, and Simone climbed inside without a word.
The carriage ride to the Imperial Academy was long, but the scenery passed by in a blur. The once-familiar sights of the palace, the sprawling gardens, and the vast city gave way to the winding roads that led out of the capital. The landscape became more rugged, and the towering buildings of the imperial city eventually faded from view. In their place were quiet towns, distant farms, and the slow, steady pulse of the common folk going about their daily lives.
Simone gazed out the window, his thoughts lost in the journey ahead. He knew the Imperial Academy would be a world apart from the palace, one where he would have to remain hidden in plain sight. He would be treated as a commoner, just as he had planned, and the secret of his power would be his alone. No one would know his true identity. No one would know the full extent of his abilities.
He wasn't sure what he expected at the academy. Would he be treated like an outsider, an anomaly? Or would his skills and intellect help him carve out a place for himself among the commoner students? He didn't know, but he was determined to make it work.
As the carriage rumbled on, Simone felt a strange sense of freedom. For the first time, he wasn't bound by his royal title, by the expectations of his family. He was Simone, not the 5th Prince, not a future ruler. Just a student, hiding in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to reveal himself—or perhaps never to reveal his true nature at all.
The distant silhouette of the Imperial Academy finally came into view, its towering spires rising against the horizon.
Simone's heart skipped a beat.
He was about to enter a new world—one where he would no longer be the pampered, sheltered prince but a mere student among hundreds of others. And though the academy would not know it, Simone was not just another commoner. He was more than that. And he would prove it, in his own way, on his own terms.