The day ended up uneventful after their private conversation in the student council room. Wilson felt lighter knowing that Alexus will support him in his endeavors. He did warn him of the dangers while not really explaining what he was planning or his motivations.
Alexus was understanding. He didn't force any answers, as he always does. He just asked him not to be reckless and to reach out to him before doing anything reckless. For that, Wilson only said he will do his best, and the other gave his trust for him to do his best.
Still, he found himself in proximity to people he does not want to interact with.
Standing before him were familiar faces whom he was acquainted with from before. Not those who helped him. Rather the group who was eager to bring him down to climb up, like Alphonsus.
"Wilson!"
Their call made Wilson's hair rise up. Not of fear, rather of his disgust. How he normally would good-heartedly respond to it like a foolish boy who didn't know he was being tricked.
As much as he does not want to recoil at them, he still carried a smile and responded to them like he was still the boy he once was.
"I heard you messed up with your exam earlier," said one of the boys. "Hard to believe Mr. Perfect had angered old Charles to be red-faced all day long due to the failure of executing a courtesy."
Wilson could hear a berate under their joking tone. He had not noticed it before, but there was always a pattern. It was not the first time he failed at something. While he is an excellent student and well-beloved by his teachers, there are things that he is not good at, so he does have a weakness here and there.
It had the same opening, same meaning. Just different in wording and the occasions it was being said. Mocking him for failure when they themselves are a bigger failure than him.
"My day was not exactly the best," Wilson replied. "Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, if you will. Started off bad, went to worse, then earned myself a detention from Alexus. I ended up missing the prince's gathering. By the way, how was it?"
"Oh, you've missed a lot, my friend." One of them, his name was Raphael from the house of Keills, a strong supporter of Alphonsus due to their blood relations. He was a charmer as the prince, but falls short in prestige for only being of Viscount's lineage. A struggling one at that.
"Care to share a few details as to not be too left out when I talk with the prince?" Wilson said, joking like he meant it. He fully knew what that gathering was about. He had personally gave his support back then, becoming a forerunner to promote the prince to the populace.
"Well..." Raphael looked around before saying, "Best we talk about it somewhere a little private. You see, we're working on a surprise and talking about it publicly is going to ruin the excitement."
"That makes perfect sense." Wilson nodded as he seemingly agreed to talk more about it somewhere else. He could see them smiling as they shared a conspiring look with each other briefly. Still going along with them, he said:
"Where shall we talk about it? And when? I have to serve a community service under Alexus's supervision for a few weeks, and I had a few appointments with Chris, my cousin from the house of Danes." Wilson intentionally gave them a full-packed schedule of his upcoming days. This should give him more time before he can face Alphonsus directly. Because if he saw him now, he was sure he cannot hide the hate in his eyes, and he'll do something he will regret but satisfy himself greatly.
When they heard his schedule, some whistled at the tightness of it, others were asking which side of the bed he woke up to avoid doing the same, and the rest was simply gloating at his luck. Wilson didn't mind and skillfully directed the conversation in his favor. Raphael didn't notice much of his intentional control over the conversations. But Wilson was able to get bits of information from their subtle jeerings.
Kids, he thought. Compared to their sires and dames, they are too green to try and manipulate him now. His short time as an heir had taught him practically and given him experiences with a more cunning and treacherous bunch.
Though he must commend Raphael, despite how much he liked to gloat over his misgivings, he was able to set a time and date for a private talk in between his subtle prodding. Guess he did earn his place next to Alphonsus based on merit and not just blood. Still, he is an idiot in other aspects, unfortunately.
Done getting along with them, he finally got away from them. Sighing as he turned to a corner, he walked back to his room to get changed and call it a day. There are too many things he needs to prepare for. This is just the first day, and it stretches him too thin with everything going at once.
Suddenly he kind of missed the time when he was blind. It was the most quiet time in his life. Other than interacting with people who matter, people tend to overlook him in the virtue of him being disabled. Looking down on him who was disposed.
Reaching near his room, John was waiting for him. As he was near enough, his loyal servant took his sword and his outer coat. He then guided him inside, where tea and a light meal were waiting, just the way he liked it before resting.
Inside his private space, he was quick to loosen his upper clothing and remove his glove to let off some steam. Closing his eyes, he instructed John to fetch a pigeon messenger. There is a message he needs to send back to the family.
He will not stay in the academy more than he needed to. Education-wise, it offers him nothing much. It was the network he could build that made it valuable. However, the children at the academy do not worth anything until they are declared the official heir. Unlike other countries, heirs are only made official when they prove their worth for the titles they are to inherit.
He could have dropped off at fifteen. The changes he made on their land was more than enough for them to be declared as heir back then. But he was ensnared by the Third Prince's words and held back. He used his own wit and networks to help out the prince with his agenda.
His reasoning was that he wanted to create more connections when his father urged him to go home. This time, he sees that this was the wisest thing to do to be away from trouble before it drags him deeper to the swamp. It will take time for him to be released from the academy to start undertaking his duties as a junior noble. So sending up a message for his father to start the process is the first thing that needs to be set in motion.
John made a sound of acknowledgement. Before he left to fetch a pigeon, he mentioned his cousin Chris sending in a message of him dropping over in a while. Nodding at the information, Wilson sat and started eating his would-be dinner for the day. He will not bother with anything else after he consumes his food, for his own sanity.
He swears, after Chris dropped by, he'll sleep away to give his brain some rest. It deserves a break for all the stress. He will not care if the sun is still on the horizon, since it is still summer and the day is longer than night. He will shut away everything and get enough energy to deal with the messes the next day.
Just as he placed the napkin on the table, a knock was heard. Expecting it to be Chris, he said to come in. He had his plate stacked for easier cleaning when John comes back. It was a habit his mother had cultivated in him and his siblings, a thing that other nobles disdained and leered over them.
"How's your stay at the council room?" Without preamble, Chris walked straight to the room like he owned it. Behind him was a exhausted servant who might had just dealt an aftermath of Chris's mischief.
"Don't dare to dirty my sofa with your shoes, Chris." Wilson warned, not looking at his cousin's direction. He knew him too well that he will lay on the sofa like it was a bed. He normally doesn't mind him doing that. After all, he sometimes he finds the sofa comfortable to sleep in after a hard day and the bed seems to be so far.
Out of his hearing, Wilson heard Chris putting his feet on the floor in guilt after flopping on the sofa. Not wanting to discipline someone who intentionally breaks rules for fun, he asked what brings him over.
"Nothing much," Chris said too cheerfully. "Just want to know what happened on the council room. Alexus was blooming the whole time. He is still an ice bag, but he was noticeably warmer than he usually is. Taking a context or two of what happened today, it should be related to you."
"...we just talked," Wilson answered as John came back with the pigeon he asked for. "We discussed a few things and made a compromise on something."
"Does that include him courting you?"
"Christopher Dane!" Wilson called out his increasingly invasive inquiries. "Remember some tact before asking some questions that shouldn't be asked."
Chris flinched at the mention of his full name. He knew he had asked too much for something that his cousin liked to be private. Generous was Wilson's character, but over stepping his bottom line makes him petty and grudge nursing.
Wanting to appease his cousin, he could only smile nervously at him. He hopes it was not too much for him to make him miserable for a day or two. Though he deserved it, he hoped for leniency.
"You wouldn't fool me with that smile of yours." Wilson is not buying his fawning. "I'll mention your lack of tact on my letter home. Let's see what my father will prepare for you when vacation comes in."
"Have mercy, my dear brother!" Cried Chris dramatically. "Don't you feel sorry for me who was sent to survive in the forest for a week with minimal to nothing on me? I nearly lost my life back then!"
"You're still living well, it's clearly not lethal enough."
"...do you need me to be dying before you grant me grace?"
Wilson paused and looked at the familiar green eyes of his cousin dead straight. He remembered eight years from now, this cousin of his will have an accident. He can't remember it clearly as it was only mentioned in passing by a warden when he was imprisoned with his family two years after the incident.
His family may have known more information, but withheld the knowledge from him to make sure he will not do anything reckless. Among cousins, he and Chris are thick as thieves. Even without his eyesight, he can bring down justice for his cousin if he knew of it.
But one thing was sure, Wilson was sure he was schemed against and he broke his legs. Not able to walk anymore, made him stop being a knight. He heard of others dragging him to bad habits of drinking to bury his sorrows.
Not wanting to see this mischievous cousin of his becoming decadent, he'll have to identify the cause of that accident with little information he has about it.
With all seriousness from the deepest of his heart, he said. A sincere promise he will deliver if push comes to shove:
"I would likely only worry when you are dying. However, if you die due to idiocy, I'm dragging someone to be buried with you."