Chapter 76: Academy Life

It had been three days since the ceremony ended.

And right after that, the Headmaster had asked for the donations that I would be giving to the commoners.

Couldn’t he have waited a bit?

Did I look that untrustworthy?!

Though I didn’t tell him the exact date, the Headmaster didn’t say anything.

And here I was in my room…

The room was about half the size of my room at the Frost Dukedom… At least that was what I had remembered from Kael’s memories.

I now had a better grasp of what type of life Kael had lived. Though I knew it from the game… There was a difference between knowing and actually feeling those memories.

But the interesting part was—I didn’t feel like those memories were changing my own emotions.

Or had my emotions already been changed?

That couldn’t be possible…

After all, I didn’t feel any identity crisis. I was X and Kael was me—

Huh?!

Something felt off… But at times like this, I had never been able to point it out.

Leaving that aside, today was my first day at the academy.

I glanced at the mirror once, and a pair of black eyes stared back at me.

I had worn a white shirt and a blue blazer to complement my already handsome looks…

Well, at least that was the dress code of the academy.

Additionally, the blazer—or the coat… whatever this thing was called—had shades of black printed across it that gave it a really rich and… intimidating look.

This was a feature only available to the students in the top class of the academy.

The S Class.

And this was the very place where the entire main cast of the game would be present.

I would be studying with the very characters that I had played with.

Haa…

Rubbing my palms, I opened the door and stepped out.

My academy life had finally begun.

***

“Wahhhh… Brother…

Sniff… hic…”

A girl of around nine years sat leaning against the bark of a tree.

Her knee had been injured, and the pain made her unable to walk.

Alicia had just thought to go on a stroll, but she had tripped while walking.

“Brother… Sniff…”

She kept shouting for her brother.

Normally, whenever she needed him, he would appear beside her. But right now…

No matter how many times she called for him… He simply didn’t appear.

It had been a month since her brother had started to behave weirdly.

Nowadays, he would rarely come to eat dinner with them.

Alicia didn’t know what had happened, but her father and big brother would constantly argue with each other.

Father always had a bad look on his face when he saw Brother Kael before him.

As for Kael, he would also have what her elder sister called a displeasing look plastered over his face.

Alicia didn’t know the exact meaning of the word, but she did know that the word was meant to be a bad one.

“Hic… sniff… Brother…

It’s hurting…”

Alicia wanted her family to go back to how they previously were. All eating together, smiling together.

Though elder sister Victoria would play with her along with Kevin, Alicia could notice a hint of anxiety on her sister’s face.

It wasn’t visible for everyone to see, but Alicia knew her sister very well.

When Alicia had asked her sister about it, she had just replied with a small smile.

“It’s going to be alright.” That was what she had said.

But Alicia could feel nothing was going good.

“Alicia! What have you been doing here?”

As Alicia was thinking about her family, Kevin’s high-pitched voice brought her back to reality.

Kevin had come for her… Not Big Brother.

Yes… For Alicia, this was her new reality.

She really wanted to change this into the dream that she always had.

A dream of her family being together again.

“That was why I keep telling you not to run away on your own.”

Kevin had a worried look on his face as he wrapped Alicia’s injured knee with the handkerchief in his pocket.

Alicia just never listened to anyone… Except Brother Kael.

Whenever Kevin saw Alicia crying… He would always find his brother near her.

But now—That was a past that had long been washed away.

In the Frost Dukedom, only the men were allowed to inherit the throne. That was why, as the second in line, Kevin knew more than his sister Alicia.

Father had wanted Kael to train harder… So as to become capable of ruling over the Frost Duchy.

But Kael just refused.

Kevin didn’t understand his brother’s decision.

Kael didn’t even have to train to death. Father just wanted him to at least become capable enough of defending himself and also not appear weak in public.

But Brother Kael had been adamant about his decision.

And with each passing day, that had increased the fracture between Father and Big Brother.

As Kevin managed to stop Alicia’s bleeding somehow—well, there were some efforts on his part, but the rest was done by her body itself, as it quickly clotted the blood in the injured area.

Both Kevin and Alicia had high self-healing capabilities since their births.

That was to show the insane potential of their bodies for higher forms of power.

It wasn’t like their recovery was magical… It was just far faster than humans at their age and core rank.

“Here, take my hand.”

Kevin guided Alicia as she slowly stood under his support.

“Now walk slowly, okay!”

“Y-yes… sniff.”

Alicia whispered in a low voice.

Her body had lost all its energy from crying so long.

Though Alicia was silent, her eyes kept wandering over the surroundings…

Hoping to search for a certain someone.

She desperately hoped that he would appear now… Maybe he was busy with some work and couldn’t come.

Maybe Father had asked him to complete some task.

Maybe…

Somewhere deep in her soul, Alicia knew she was just chasing something that was never meant to happen.

But no matter what her mind told… When your soul yearned for warmth—

It would do its best to find it.

No matter how hopeless the battle was!

Chirp-chirp-chirp!

The sound of birds drifted in the tranquility of the cold morning.

A pair of dark black eyes opened as the girl woke up from her sleep.

As she sat on the bed, her blonde hair fell across her shoulder, giving her a mesmerizing look even in such a state.

“That was just a dream…”

Alicia muttered as a single tear slid down her cheek.

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