Chapter 1

"My wish for you is happiness. Please be happy this time my ..." The weak familiar voice faded away before she could hear the rest of the words.

What were they again?

She opened up her mouth to speak, to ask. But, nothing came out.

Nothing but the sound of a voice, her voice, crying in agony.

Elinor startled her body jolting up and waking her from her sleep. The carriage was bumping as it traversed the slightly rocky path. Looking up, she found her cousin's eyes on her.

"Still having those nightmares," He asked with a tone cool and his perceptive eyes peering at her.

"No, The carriage just jolted me awake..." She answered spewing an empty line that didn't sound believable even to her own ears.

"The road gets a little bit rocky when we get close, we should be there any moment," Ludwig said indulging in her desire to ignore the subject.

"Good, I bet the headmaster had been waiting for us since this morning," she responded and Louis looked out the window. Their conversation was over.

Glad, Elin leaned back on her bumpy seat and looked at the beautiful scenery rolling by them, immediately taking her away from everything.

Happiness...

What a selfish wish to bestow on someone as your last dying request. How was she supposed to be happy after all that... It was already suffocating to live each day as it is...

"Are you sure that you want to come here?" Louis asked interrupting her self-pitying monologue to ask her the same question for the tenth time since she made this decision, "I doubt that the Royal Academy will teach you anything you don't know. You have enough work to do at the royal palace as it is..."

"It was his majesty's wish. I will do it if he thinks that it's what is good for me..." Elinor responded, "Besides, most of my work can be delivered to me here and the headmaster promised to grant me leave time if the need to travel arises,"

"The government candidates classes are the only advanced classes that could be of your level of education, and even though you got accepted, there are only male students there. And the regular classes will be child's play for you,"

"Louis, I know that already, but if his majesty trusts the headmaster enough to entrust him with my education, who am I to object? I admit that they may be as you say, but, his majesty had always been concerned about me and perhaps it is his way of telling me to take it easy away from the palace life..." Elinor reasoned with her cousin.

There was no way Louis was going to argue the fact that it was the King's wish. As much of a hardhead he was, their uncle and ruler's words were absolute for him.

She was living among a bunch of worrywarts, from her uncle the king, her father and her cousin, and even him... All the men in her family did nothing but constantly worry about her.

Louis remained silent at that, his face rarely wavered from the neutral expression making him look cold. The light reflected on his skin as the carriage made a turn toward the entrance lighting up his handsome face. His long black hair shone as strands from its tied-back tail remained on his shoulder. His narrow soulful light Brown eyes held an intelligent predatory stare that held behind it a genius strategic mind.

Louis might look like an extremely cold person, and his politics tended to border on the cruel side, but to her, he had always been the older brother she'd always looked up to. And he will always be.

"We're here," Louis said just as the carriage stopped. He got down and extended his hand for her to do the same. Just as she got down she felt like she was being watched and looked up to see the figure of someone looking down from the floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor.

Elinor entered the building and let Louis guide her toward the headmaster's office. He'd stopped in front of a double door on the second floor and knocked hearing a faint 'Enter' right away.

Elinor smiled at the man who came from behind his desk and welcomed them with a wide smile.

"Welcome to the Royal Academy, My dear Elinor. I hope you made good travels,"

The Headmaster was a fit man with a penchant for fancy and unique attires. If there was something you could rely upon with that man it would be to stand out in a crowd. The word ordinary would probably never apply to him under any circumstance and Elinor bet that he would consider it an insult if he was ever called that one day.

From his braided beard that merged with his long brown hair to his frilly outfit and accompanying oriental fan. Everything about him screamed unusual, yet he had a way of making the most prejudiced people accept him the way he was...

"Thank you very much, headmaster," Elinor responded

"Come and let us sit down here and have a chat..." He gestured for them to come in and sit down, 

"I always thought that your presence here would be of great influence for our students," He began seeming deep in thought as he flipped his fan with his gloved hand, "Not to mention that you'll have the chance to have contact with people at the same age as you, it's a profitable chance for you to create some durable relationships."

"I'm looking forward to my new academic life, headmaster. If it wasn't for you convincing my father and his majesty my uncle I wouldn't be here today." Elin said remembering how he had practically barged in on them lecturing her uncle about sheltering her too much.

Granted, they were friends since back from their academy days. But still very few people could talk to the king like that. 

"From the grades of the test you passed, it was impossible to place you in a normal class, because it will be wasting your time. We put you in the elite classroom, it’s a class reserved for our most talented students. they are all male students, but I'm sure that you'll be at ease with them, they're wonderful gentlemen and you'll get along well. Of course, you'll have the chance to meet female students in the manners, music, art, and dance classes."

An all-male classroom. The headmaster was trying to challenge her. And Elin wasn’t sure she liked where this was going nor did she have the time for it.

" I fully trust your strategy headmaster. I believe that I won't be in a better situation if I were to choose." She responded politely, knowing how useless it would be to argue about anything with the man.

"I heard from Louis that he will be taking care of the paperwork,..."

"Yes, he was kind enough to insist on doing it instead. To let me have the time to get installed"

"It's only natural since you're not in the shape to start working after this long trip," Louis spoke up for the first time, his dignified cold tone could easily intimidate anyone into thinking that they were thought inferior.

"He's right," said the headmaster, "You should take your time and get used to things as much as you can. And since he will be busy taking care of this, I asked one of our best students to guide you around the campus. He should be here at any moment."

"Oh, there was no need to bother them I wouldn't want to burden them in the middle of their studies. I can do it myself!"

She really didn’t want to be introduced to anyone. She was hoping to get through the experience without interacting with anyone other than Louis.

The headmaster definitely wasn’t going to make that easy.

"It is necessary," Louis interrupted surprising her, " You cannot walk around on your own since everyone knows who you are. It would be best if you had an escort to keep your distance for the time being. Azeph is an excellent gentleman, I'm sure that you will have no trouble getting along with him."

"To think that you would compliment someone like this..." Elinor said with a teasing smile looking at her cousin who raised one eyebrow at her.

"I was only stating the truth. Despite his unrealistic views, he's a good gentleman from a suitable family," He answered and Elinor chuckled.

"I thank your deep consideration headmaster. It's precious help I surely needed." She said with a bright smile looking at the headmaster who nodded in agreement.

Right then someone knocked at the door.

"It should be him, come in! " The headmaster said with his lively speech, which didn't fail to be commanding. 

The door opened, and a blond, handsome young man, with gentle features and a tall strong body that had clearly been well-trained, stepped inside.

"Elinor, this is Azeph count Highzhar's only son."

"It's an honor to make your acquaintance," she said, with a light smile on her face, as she looked directly into his sky-blue eyes, the same color as his uniform.

Her favorite color…

He looked toward her with a warm smile, while removing his white glove then gallantly kneeled on one knee before her and took her hand in his delicately kissing it.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, lady Elinor. Welcome to the Royal Academy. I hope you had a comfortable journey,"

"Yes, it was very enjoyable indeed, especially the passage through the town." She said while looking at the headmaster. 

This one smiled meaningfully and didn't let the chance to brag about the town in his territory slip away.

By the time he was done explaining the reason why his territory was beautiful, Elin had gotten used to the presence of this gallant young noble who’s blue gaze never left her since he got into the office.

Yes, she was still determined to spend her days in the academy on her own…