Ch 33: Curiosity
What the hell did I do that for? Lucien asked himself as he walked down the hallway, having finished taking attendance and dismissing his class.
Lucien felt a profound embarrassment at having flaunted his powers in front of students who were still wet behind the ears. If he had still been Evan, as in his previous life, his face would have turned red, but now that he was no longer Evan, that kind of embarrassment did not touch him at all. Instead, only his inner self struggled, caught between the conflicting personalities from his past and present lives.
Still, it was necessary to prove to them that, even with limited mana circulation, proficiency in mana control allowed a person to cast spells with ease. It would help them in the future to cast spells without completely exhausting their mana.
To carry out his plan, Lucien had already instructed his attendant, Connor, to prepare mana-restricting bracelets for the students, each allowing only thirty percent mana flow, and a single bracelet for himself that permitted just five percent. Just as he had planned, he handed out the bracelets to everyone except the two noisy students.
When the others, and especially the noisy ones, protested the unfairness of his plan, the bracelet he had prepared for himself became his salvation, proving to everyone that even with restricted mana flow, one could still cast spells with ease.
The expressions on the students' faces delighted him, and a small smile formed on his lips. He could not help but feel content as he recalled the faces of the main characters, especially Amber and Eleena.
Even just thinking about Eleena gave him a headache. It was hard to believe he still had not dealt fully with his emotions, and he continued to carry the trauma of almost killing her.
Lucien pushed aside thoughts of the past. The past was gone; today was what mattered, and tomorrow was something to prepare for.
How dare the princess ask for leeway? Lucien’s happiness was short-lived as he soon found himself filled with anger again, stirred by how the princess, supposed to be one of the empire's pillars, tried to avoid a challenge and wanted equal treatment that everyone got. Lucien could understand the reasoning that the result of his test would affect their overall marks, and Princess did not want to get any handicap so early in the academy. But it was for her, as even though he was assigning the princess and Eleena different bracelets as a form of petty revenge, it also served his plan to strengthen them while reminding them that he was above them.
He drew a long breath and stopped in his tracks.
"What is the next class on my schedule?" Lucien asked, turning his head to the right.
Lucien’s attendant, Connor, walked beside him, though five steps behind, whereas in the past, Connor had kept only two or three steps' distance. Was it respect today? No, that was impossible. Most likely, Connor was simply too fearful after witnessing Lucien's display in the classroom. It was rare for Lucien to lose his cool, but not impossible, as he had lost it several times before.
Connor paused and, with a slight bow of his head, answered, "My lord, your next class is in 2-S, and then—" Before he could finish, Lucien resumed walking, and Connor, understanding the cue, followed behind in silence.
***
"That Lucien is targeting us," Princess Amber said quietly to her friend Eleena, who sat beside her at another desk. Eleena had her head resting on the desk, her face hidden in her arms.
Eleena lifted her head and nodded, her expression sullen. "Yes, he is probably angry that we were following him in the hallway," she said. After a moment, she added, "He does not like anyone trespassing in his territory, and our actions must have looked exactly like that."
Princess Amber nodded with a bitter smile. She and Eleena had only been following Lucien because of their curiosity about the new girl. If she remembered correctly, her name was Melissa Waters, and as far as Amber knew, no noble family or person of high rank bore the surname Waters.
The mystery only deepened: how had the girl managed to gain admission to the academy without taking any entrance exam? Judging by her appearance, Melissa was likely a commoner. The academy claimed to treat everyone equally, but in reality, students and some professors did not live up to this ideal. There was a clear rift between commoners and nobles. So, a commoner getting admission by giving an entrance exam was nearly impossible.
From what Amber could tell from her interactions with Lucien, he did not care about social status. Whether someone was a commoner or a noble, everyone was beneath him. So, he was probably behind Melissa’s admission into the academy.
Unable to contain her curiosity, Amber glanced at the door to see if the next professor had arrived. Seeing no one, she rose from her seat and, taking Eleena by the hand, led her to the back of the classroom, where the mysterious girl sat, her head turned toward the window, gazing outside.
Under the watchful eyes of the students, Amber made her way to the second-to-last row beside the window. The classroom seemed to freeze in silence as every head turned toward Amber, who was approaching Melissa, a girl no one had dared approach, not even the class bullies, out of fear of Lucien.
Eleena reluctantly followed behind Amber. Her poker face did little to hide her sadness and, to some extent, her anger that Amber did not miss, even though others did.
Just as Amber reached Melissa's desk, Melissa, sensing the shift in the classroom's atmosphere, turned her head toward Amber.
Amber could not help but be mesmerized by the girl's beauty. Melissa's golden-yellow hair was tied into a single ponytail, and her porcelain-white face gave her a fairy-like appearance. Her uniform hung loosely on her, as if she had borrowed it from someone else; the red coat was too big for her size, and the white shirt was baggy. Yet, regardless of how the clothes fit, she looked mesmerizing.
No matter how much Amber looked at the clumsily worn uniform of the girl, Melissa looked as beautiful as a noble girl raised in a wealthy family, untroubled by the world's affairs. But her eyes darted anxiously left and right, her brows knit, and her mouth opened and closed several times, betraying her lack of noble etiquette and making it clear to everyone that she was a commoner by birth. Her ill-fitting uniform alone revealed her status, since no noble would be caught wearing such obviously borrowed clothes. Melissa's fingers fidgeted nervously under the pressure of so many watchful eyes.
Before Amber could inquire about Melissa’s origins, Melissa looked up and asked, "Who are you?" Her question caught the entire classroom off guard once again. The room, which had already been quiet, now plunged into an even deeper silence, and even the sound of breathing became noticeable as everyone seemed to be stunned by Melissa’s question.
***
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