The night passed in warm company, filled with laughter, desserts, and the still-sinking realization that Zeshia and I were now kindoff royalty.
Aunt Novine was easy to talk to despite her overwhelming presence, and Talia—our cousin now—fit into our lives like she'd always been there.
By the time night fell, Aunt Novine offered us a place to stay at her estate in the capital, and since we had nowhere else to go, we agreed.
We bid Talia goodbye, promising to see her soon, and followed our newfound aunt to her mansion—a grand, towering structure carved from polished stone and lined with glowing blue mana lamps.
Zeshia and I shared a luxurious guest room, though honestly? The place felt too big.
The next morning came too soon for my liking.
As expected, Zeshia woke me up far too early.
"Zenith! Zenith, wake up! We have to go to the academy!" she chirped, pulling my blanket off.
I groaned, trying to bury myself deeper into the pillows. "Give me five minutes..."
"You always say that, and then it turns into an hour!"
Despite my protests, I was eventually dragged out of bed, still grumbling as we got ready.
At the front entrance, Aunt Novine was already waiting for us, arms crossed, looking every bit the powerful noblewoman she was.
"Good luck, my dear nieces," she said, before immediately launching into a speech.
It was... strangely familiar.
"Don't trust anyone too quickly, don't let people push you around, always carry emergency money, and if anyone so much as looks at you wrong, remind them that you are De Fiore Princesses."
Zeshia and I shared a look.
"...She sounds exactly like—"
"—Mother Banncia," I finished.
We still weren't used to calling her that. It felt... weird.
Aunt Novine huffed. "Well, she and I are twins. Of course, we'd give the same life lessons." She narrowed her eyes at us. "Speaking of which, you are going to tell her about all this, aren't you?"
Zeshia grinned. "Eventually."
With a final sigh and one last warning about shady noble politics, Aunt Novine let us go.
Arriving at the academy, the process was fairly simple—mostly just formal paperwork and dorm assignments.
Since we had passed with high scores, both Zeshia and I were placed in S-Class—an incredibly rare achievement, given that the acceptance rate was so low.
And then, finally—
It was time to part ways.
I could tell Zeshia wasn't thrilled about it.
She looked at me, hesitating slightly, before giving a forced little grin. "Guess I'll go find my room then..."
I nodded. "Don't get into trouble."
"No promises~" she sang, her usual playful tone returning as she waved and walked off.
Zeshia's POV
Zeshia didn't like this.
She had never spent a night away from Zenith before. Not once. Not in the sixteen years they had been together.
But rules were rules, and as much as she wanted to protest, she wasn't going to throw a tantrum over it.
Not yet, anyway.
Dormitory 12, Third Floor.
She climbed the stairs, her usual bright, innocent, and slightly dramatic demeanor dimming a little.
There was no need to keep up the cute, playful act when Zenith wasn't around.
That side of her had always been a little fake, after all.
She finally reached her room and opened the door, not expecting much—
And then her eyes widened.
A familiar crimson-haired girl was standing near the bed, unpacking her bags.
Zeshia blinked.
Talia looked up.
They both stared for a second before—
"TALIA?!"
Talia's eyes widened in equal disbelief. "You're my roommate?!"
Zeshia's shock instantly melted into pure, unfiltered joy.
A wide, genuine smile spread across her face—one that wasn't just her usual mask of mischief.
She launched herself toward Talia, grabbing her shoulders with excitement.
"Oh my gods, we're roommates! What luck!"
Talia, laughing, pulled her into a brief hug. "Guess we really are cousins now, huh?"
Zeshia grinned. "I wasn't gonna let you go even if we weren't, but this just seals it."
The idea of living with someone she actually liked—someone she didn't have to pretend around—made her day.
Yeah, maybe being at this academy wasn't so bad after all.
Zenith's POV
Honestly, I wasn't too happy about leaving my ticking time bomb of a sister alone,
but there wasn't much choice.
I made my way to my assigned room:
Room 13, Third Floor.
Dragging my bag behind me, I climbed up, feeling a little uneasy.
When I reached the door, I knocked lightly.
A cheerful voice called from inside, "Come in!"
I pushed the door open—and froze.
Standing there was a girl, beaming brightly at me.
She had vibrant red hair, flowing loosely around her shoulders, with bright golden eyes that sparkled mischievously.
She looked nothing like Mother Banncia—
and yet, there was still something familiar about her, maybe in the way she carried herself with such casual confidence.
Before I could even process anything, she ran up to me, practically bouncing.
"Oh my gosh, so you're my new cousin?!" she said excitedly.
Cousin?!
I blinked.
"Wait... are you Talia's sister?" I asked, already preparing myself for more surprises.
She laughed and shook her head quickly.
"Nope! I'm Novine's daughter!"
I just stood there, stunned.
Aunt Novine had a daughter??
And no one even bothered mentioning it?!
Not bothered by my shock, she proudly introduced herself:
"Vivera de Vermilion! But you can call me V.V.!"
I shook her hand a bit awkwardly, still trying to catch up.
First Talia, now Vivera...
Apparently, I had a hidden collection of royal cousins no one bothered telling me about.
V.V. was nothing like what I expected.
She had the energy of a small storm, talking animatedly, smiling so brightly it was hard not to smile back.
She reminded me a little of Zeshia in her excitement—
but unlike Zeshia, there was no hidden danger behind her grin.
Honestly?
It was kind of nice meeting someone normal for once.
As I moved some of my stuff into the room, she hovered nearby, chatting happily about random things.
I decided right then that V.V. suited her perfectly.
(Vivera Vermilion → V.V. → Vivi. It sounded cute.)
Maybe...
just maybe, academy life was going to be more fun than I thought.