Arvin and Kylen, who were still within the Flamort Academy area, did not immediately leave right away. The two of them walked side by side down the corridor, heading toward the academy's administration building.
Before leaving the academy, Kylen had one important matter to settle. He had to process his resignation as a student of the academy.
Upon arriving there, they stepped into a room filled with tall wooden shelves.
Behind a neat wooden desk sat a middle-aged woman wearing thin-rimmed glasses. She was Ms. Rodenna, the senior staff member in charge of managing the documents and archives for all the students studying at the academy.
Ms. Rodenna shifted her gaze from the stack of parchments on her desk and looked toward the door after hearing the sound of footsteps entering her room.
Realizing who had just arrived, the middle-aged woman was quite surprised. She completely didn't expect a royal prince to suddenly visit her office during class hours like this.
Moreover, Ms. Rodenna's gaze could not tear away from the blue-haired youth walking alongside the prince.
Who is this student in the black uniform from the Astoria Academy? Ms. Rodenna wondered curiously in her heart. Why is he here and walking side by side with His Highness?
Even though her head was filled with various questions and curiosity, the middle-aged woman maintained a professional demeanor in carrying out her duties. She immediately stood up to offer a small bow of respect.
"Good afternoon, Prince Kylenciel." the woman greeted in a very friendly and polite tone. She then gracefully gestured toward two cushioned guest chairs in front of her desk. "Please, take a seat."
"Good afternoon to you as well, Ms. Rodenna." Kylen greeted back in a calm and equally polite tone. "Thank you for welcoming us."
Kylen immediately took a seat, promptly followed by Arvin, who sat with a straight and elegant posture in the chair next to him.
Once both her guests were comfortably seated, Ms. Rodenna sat back down in her chair. She clasped her hands together on the desk.
"What brings you to my office today?" Ms. Rodenna asked, starting their conversation with a professional smile.
"I came here because I want to process my resignation from the academy."
Hearing the intention stated so straightforwardly from the Prince's mouth, Ms. Rodenna was stunned. Her professional smile faded slightly, replaced by a look of sheer disbelief. All this time, there had never been a history of a royal family member resigning from the academy before their study period was completed.
"R-Resignation?" Ms. Rodenna repeated, slightly panicked, yet feeling curious about the bluish-white-haired youth's desire. "But, I apologize if I am being presumptuous, Prince Kylenciel. Why do you suddenly wish to resign from this academy?"
"The reason for my resignation is that tomorrow morning, I will leave this capital and this kingdom forever."
"Leave this kingdom?" Ms. Rodenna repeated again, her curiosity no longer containable. "For what reason do you intend to leave here, and where is your destination after this?"
"I am already married to the man currently sitting next to me." Kylen answered honestly, without the slightest hesitation or shame in his tone.
The answer coming out of the Prince's mouth spontaneously made Ms. Rodenna's eyes widen behind her thin glasses. A same-sex marriage within the royal family was something she had never heard of in her entire life.
That fact completely shocked her.
However, before Ms. Rodenna had the chance to process her shock regarding the marriage fact, Kylen resumed his answer.
"And I will be leaving to follow my husband to the Astoria Kingdom." Kylen said calmly. "To be more precise, we will return and settle down in the Vedegra territory."
"T-The Vedegra territory?!" Ms. Rodenna repeated, unconsciously raising her voice. "I-Is... the blue-haired man who came with you from there?"
Kylen gave a small smile and nodded in confirmation. "I will let my husband properly introduce himself to you, Ms. Rodenna."
Hearing what his spouse said, Arvin, who had been quietly listening all along, instantly took over the conversation. He bowed his head slightly to the middle-aged woman.
"I am Arvin Vedegra, the first son of Duke Melvin Vedegra, and the husband of Kylenciel Carventias Alua Flamort." Arvin introduced himself in a calm, authoritative, and incredibly polite tone. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Rodenna."
Ms. Rodenna's heart felt as if it stopped beating for a second. She never expected that she would be able to meet, speak with, and see firsthand a direct descendant of the high-class noble family that was so highly respected, feared, and revered.
Despite feeling amazed by this unexpected encounter, the middle-aged woman quickly returned to her professional demeanor.
"It is an honor for me to meet you as well, Young Master Arvin Vedegra." Ms. Rodenna greeted back in a highly respectful tone.
A few moments later, right after the surprising introduction session, Ms. Rodenna promptly stood up. She walked toward a large wooden filing cabinet in the corner of the room to search for Kylen's academic documents.
The sound of rustling paper and folders broke the silence of the room for a few minutes.
Once she found the document she was looking for, the middle-aged woman returned to her desk. She prepared a fresh sheet of parchment and then placed it on the desk.
"Please fill in your personal data in these columns, along with your signature at the bottom of this resignation letter, Prince Kylenciel." she requested while handing a quill to the bluish-white-haired youth.
"Thank you, Ms. Rodenna."
After receiving the quill, Kylen began writing and filling out the resignation letter on the desk.
And it was exactly when Kylen was writing that Ms. Rodenna finally truly believed that the prince was not lying at all. She saw with her own eyes a white Life-and-Death contract symbol permanently engraved on the back of the bluish-white-haired student's right hand.
However, Ms. Rodenna was reluctant to ask further about the details of their unusual marriage. She chose to remain silent and respect their privacy rather than act impolitely toward a prince and the eldest son of the Vedegra family.
Time passed, accompanied only by the sound of the quill scratching against the parchment paper, as Kylen reached the end of the letter.
After affixing his signature, he then immediately handed the resignation letter back to the middle-aged woman.
Once she received the letter, Ms. Rodenna briefly skimmed it to ensure it was complete. Afterward, she took an official academy stamp and pressed a seal of approval onto it.
When the seal was in place, she combined the resignation letter into Kylen's student archive folder.
"With this, your request for resignation has been approved, Prince Kylenciel." Ms. Rodenna stated while tidying up the document folder in her hands. "And starting today, you are no longer registered as a student at the Flamort Magic Academy."
"Thank you very much for your help and service, Ms. Rodenna." Kylen replied with a sincere smile, bowing his body slightly as a token of appreciation. He then looked at the academy uniform he was currently wearing. "If permitted by the academy, may I take this uniform with me as a keepsake?"
Ms. Rodenna smiled warmly, her motherly aura radiating. "That uniform is your right, and from the very beginning, it has been entirely yours, Prince Kylenciel. You are free to take it wherever you go."
"Thank you."