As days passed, I was slowly allowed out of my room. As I got better, I roamed the estate, slowly getting used to it. There was the garden, the library, the training room, and the banquet hall, apart from the many rooms in the manor. I used to spend most of my time in the library, occasionally roaming around the training ground to see the guards-and sometimes my brothers and Count Wilson-training. I also used to relax in the garden's sitting area, sipping tea and eating snacks while reading the books from the library.
By reading some books of this world, I now know a lot of information about it. Like this, I used to pass my days-until the day my peacefulness came to an end.
"From today onwards, Azure is going to join the academy with Rowan and Glenn," Count Wilson informed us as we were having breakfast.
The magical academy-the place where noble and royal children, along with commoners possesing exceptional magic, recieved education until the age of sixteen. It was where the main story had started, where the heroine first appeared. But she only appeared in the last year, after reaching fifteen. It was common for commoners to join late because they had to earn a scholarship to attend. But noble children joined compulsorily at age ten, it being the most prestigious school in the country.
So now, I was going to join this school. Glenn and Rowan were already in their third year.
We stood in front of the carriage as our parents came to bid us farewell. Fiona hugged Glenn and Rowan and said her goodbyes. Meanwhile, Count Wilson stood in front of me.
"Hope you don't go on creating trouble for everyone there as well."
"You know I don't do that anymore," I replied in a flat tone, though it sounded a bit like sulking.
He chuckled upon hearing this. "Yes, of course you don't." He said with a sad(?) smile.
Lately, these gestures from Count Wilson had increased. I wonder if he actually hated Azure. Maybe he just wanted back the lost connection with his son.
As my brothers boarded the Windward symbol engraved carriage, Fiona came and hugged me.
"Take care of yourself."
A genuine smile appeared upon this warm gesture. "I will...Mother."
I had quickly started accepting her as soon as she reached out-after all, she reminded me of my own mother.
I boarded the carriage and sat opposite of Rowan and Glenn. The carriage pulled off and started along the capital road.
We sat silently looking at the scenery outside. The carriage rumbled gently along the path, it's interior quiet except for the soft crinkling of wheels and the occasional rustle of clothing. Glenn and Rowan were also enjoying the scenery, occasionally glancing at me and then to each other. Rowan had his arms crossed and foot tapping a little too quickly.
"So...first day, huh?" He finally said, not quiet looking at me directly. "Excited?"
I blinked once, processing his approach, then gave a small nod. "A little. Mostly curious."
Glenn offered a polite smile. "You'll get used to it quickly. The first year's not too difficult...just a lot of rules."
I blinked, a little surprised. They both were suddenly being too polite.
"Is your seperation from home already making you homesick?"
They both looked at me confusingly.
"Um...no?" Glenn said, as if questioning himself.
"Then why are you both suddenly being weird? Don't you both hate me to the guts?"
Confusion turned to realisation, and they both looked at me nervously. "About that...Azure, actually we wanted to ask for forgiveness," Glenn said, scratching his neck.
"We're sorry azure, for everythng we did to you," Rowan added.
I looked at them confusingly. "But wasn't this conversation already over? I already forgave you. It wasn't even needed, in return for whatever pain I caused you. I already said I won't bother you anymore. Then why so sudden?"
"Actually, we realised our mistake. You're not bad, Azure. It was us who couldn't percieve your good side. Now that we've understood, we want to make things right. We don't want to let go of our brother like that," Glenn explained.
I stared-were they both originally like this? Not wanting to dwell more on it, and maintaining my personal wall, I answered "I already said it's fine. And you don't need to still feel guilty. I really have forgiven you and forgotten already. You can enjoy freely by yourself without thinking about it. Let's not talk about it from now on. We're even.
I closed the topic forcefully, wanting to maintain a safe distance for my future convenience. They both seemed disappointed but not discouraged.
After an awkward pause, I decided to break the silence. "What's the academy like?"
Glenn, grateful for the shift, jumped in. "Big. Busy. The classrooms are organized by year, and there's an open training field. The library's quiet. Most first-years just try not to set anything on fire."
Rowan smirked faintly. "Glenn did. First week."
Glenn retorted, "It was controlled fire. Mostly."
I chuckled softly, eyes flicking back to the window, "...Then I'll try not to add to the statistics."
I felt them smile at this, tension easing ever so slightly. And we continued our journey silently, not pushing each other's space.
The capital was magnificient-more than described in the book. The palace stood at the centre of it and could be seen fron any corner of the capital. The capital's design gave off a full Medieval European vibe, like those in princess storybook my sister used to force me to read. There were markets, schools, guilds, training grounds, and many more. Things like magic towers, magic stores, and even floating palaces. A typical fantasy setting. Great.
As I was processing this world in my brain, we reached the academy gates. The academy itself was magnificient-covering a vast area. The main building stood the largest. Various rooms could be seen and many students were roaming around. They might have come to look at the academy since classes would start tomorrow. My brothers brought me here for the same reason.
They took me around the building, showed me the corridors, training ground, cafeteria, the clock tower and the magic tower. We weren't allowed to go inside since the rooms were still closed. My interest peaked when they showed me the library. The first thing I would want to explore tomorrow would definitely be that.
As the sun had already set by the time we finished sight seeing, we went straight to the dorms. The dormitory was itself very big, with gardens and all provided. My brothers and I were each given a room next to each other."
I entered the room appointed to me. It was a nice furnished room, fit for nobility with a small balcony and an attached bathroom. It was smaller than the room at the manor but still quite big,
I sighed as I sat on the bed, tired from the days activities. Now i would have to stay here for the whole year. This way I would spend five years before the heroine joins and the story starts. It kind of felt lonely thinking like this.
I was kind of used to the servants' and maids' noises at the manor, so i missed that noise now.
The door knocked as i was thinking this.
"Come in."
"Sir, we have kept all your supplies in your room. Do you need anything else?"
"No, thankyou. You may retire now, John."
He bowed and left. At least John was here with me.
As everything slowly became silent, I sat on my bed and put my hand forward. The room glowed as water started to emerge in my hands, and slowly took the shape of a flute.
Basically I was forbidden to use magic. But as I recovered I found that I could still play the flute if I controlled my magic to the minimal. So I continued to practice it. If only a bit more magic was used then it didn't cause me much damage-just a mild headache or fatigue.
I brought the flute near my lips and played it, relaxing to the music and the silence outside.
Wonder if I can maintain this type of peacefulness throughout the year...