CICN 14

Chapter 14

The staff members of each dormitory greeted each other warmly and began discussing how things would proceed from here.

In the meantime, students who were already acquainted exchanged light greetings.

But in the end, everyone’s attention inevitably fell on the same individuals.

Among the male students, Arcel and Lusca drew the most attention. Among the female students, it was naturally Irene who captivated everyone.

It was to be expected, considering how much attention Irene had been getting lately.

“Hello, Sir Arcel. It’s nice to see you again. We met briefly at the greenhouse banquet last winter…”

“Sir Lusca! I sent you a letter before you entered the Academy—did it reach you? I was just wondering…”

The girls surrounding Arcel and Lusca were particularly eager to strike up conversations with them.

And it made sense—everyone was convinced that one of the two would be adopted as the Emperor’s heir.

But just because someone is adopted doesn’t mean they have to marry Irene Terence, right?

There were even those who thought it might be dangerous for the Terence family to gain even more power.

In fact, it was quite possible that whoever was adopted might not marry into the Terence family at all.

In that case, they might have a chance.

Arcel and Lusca were valuable not only because of their families, but because of who they were as individuals.

Even without noble titles, they would shine anywhere. But they also had honor, wealth, and status on top of that.

And unlike before, when people could only hope to meet them by chance at a rare social gathering, now at the Academy they could attend classes together, participate in activities together, and spend time together in a way the social scene couldn’t offer.

Naturally, that kind of proximity would lead to stronger bonds.

Though they were only in their early teens, it was already the time for noble families to start considering engagements.

That’s why the girls’ eyes sparkled all the more as they looked at the two.

“Miss Irene, aren’t you going to say hello?”

The girls around Irene seemed desperate to greet the two young men as well.

But Irene simply glanced at them and then turned her head.

“I haven’t been formally introduced to them yet,” she replied.

Her words made the girls uneasy.

They had assumed Irene was already on familiar terms with both boys.

They had hoped that by staying close to Irene, they’d get more chances to meet them.

That way, they could maintain their friendship with Irene and also build connections with Arcel and Lusca.

But why is she acting so cold?

Irene genuinely showed no interest in the two and instead looked around as if she were searching for someone else.

As Irene looked around, Evie stood among the crowd, quietly observing Arcel and Lusca.

When she first saw them, she’d felt happy and considered going up to say hello.

But before she could even take a single step, a wave of students surged forward and surrounded them.

It was obvious they were all noble students—prestigious ones at that.

Even Remora, who had earlier stood beside Evie flashing her brooch with pride, didn’t manage to get close. She hovered awkwardly on the outskirts of the crowd.

Seeing that made Evie hesitate even more.

Sure, the two had helped her, but that was all.

To them, she was just another student they’d briefly assisted on the way inside.

With so many people trying to get just a single greeting in…

There’s no way they’d remember me.

What made Evie shrink back even further was the attitude of the two boys.

At first glance, they looked no different from before.

But Evie could tell.

Something’s off… they both seem like they’re in a bad mood.

Their expressions didn’t look much different from yesterday, and yet—even Arcel’s usual cold face and Lusca’s familiar smile seemed to carry faint shadows.

They look… tired.

More than that, they both seemed somehow sorrowful.

But what she sensed—she couldn’t say aloud to anyone.

Even if she told someone, who would actually listen?

If she were lucky, they’d simply ignore her.

If not, she might get scorned—Who do you think you are pretending to know them?

So all Evie could do was stand off to the side, watching them with silent concern.

Lusca greeted the crowd around him politely while glancing toward Arcel.

As expected. His normally emotionless face looked even colder today.

Lusca lightly placed a hand on Arcel’s shoulder and whispered.

“Try not to look like you’re about to murder someone.”

Arcel smacked Lusca’s hand away with irritation and snapped.

“Go look in the mirror. Who are you to say that to me?”

As Arcel turned away, the smile on Lusca’s face faded.

“Is it that obvious?”

“It’s a mess,” Arcel replied flatly.

Lusca gave a bitter smile.

He had tried to act like everything was fine, but it clearly wasn’t.

He thought back to that morning.

Earlier that morning

“Haaah!”

Lusca sat up in bed with a sharp gasp, kicking off his blanket.

He was drenched in cold sweat and took a few heavy breaths as he looked around at the unfamiliar room, then ran his hands down his face.

“That’s right… I’m at the Academy now…”

He had briefly forgotten where he was, but the events of the previous day came rushing back.

He also remembered the way Arcel’s face had twisted when he entered the room.

Originally, Lusca and Arcel weren’t assigned to the same room.

But the boy who had been assigned to room with Arcel quit the Academy within half a day.

When he found out he really had to do everything himself without servants, he ran off.

With a room suddenly available, everyone scrambled for it.

Just like the girls’ dorm was full of those trying to get close to Irene, the boys’ dorm was no different.

From noble sons staying in the capital to those who had earned a chance to attend from the provinces—all of them had heard the same thing from their parents:

“Make connections with either the Duke of Kaillen or the Marquis of Ragsel.”

Even without parental instruction, every boy looked at Arcel and Lusca with admiration.

They were destined to one day stand at the pinnacle of the empire.

Getting on their good side could only be beneficial.

With several students dropping out, the room assignments became a mess.

The dormitory was forced to redo the assignments quickly.

And Lusca ended up drawing the same room number as Arcel. The moment Arcel saw the number, his brow twitched slightly.

“See? We were fated to be roommates.”

“…Shut up.”

Despite his words, Arcel moved his things to the new room without complaint.

They organized their belongings, wandered around the Academy, exercised in the evening, then bathed and went to sleep.

But then…

Lusca wiped the sweat from his forehead and stood up.

“…Lillian…”

He murmured the name of the person from his dream.

Lillian Shell.

The deceased Empress. A childhood friend and older sister figure to both Lusca and Arcel.

The one adult they had trusted without question.

It had been a while since he’d last dreamed of her…

He sat in a daze for a while until the sound of the bell brought him back to his senses. He quickly washed up and changed.

When he opened the door, he found Arcel coming out at the same time.

They locked eyes—and spoke in unison.

“…You dreamed of Lillian too?”

“…You dreamed of Lillian?”

A moment of silence followed. Then they both let out a sigh.

No wonder they both looked so grim.

“That’s odd. Her memorial day is still far off…” Lusca muttered.

Usually, they only dreamed of her when the anniversary of her death was near.

Around that time, even the Emperor’s mood would darken, and their parents would grow somber.

Black flags would be hung throughout the streets by the Emperor’s order.

It was impossible to forget her.

But yesterday… there was no reason. Nothing had happened.

“…”
“…”

Without another word, they walked out of the room.

Descending the stairs quietly, Arcel bit his lip.

Strangely, they always had the same dream of Lillian—on the same day.

Until now, it had always been around her memorial.

But even on days like this… they still dreamed of her.

She was always mysterious, even when she was alive…

Arcel recalled a memory from long ago.