The next school year have arrived, 1284 A.D (After Diamant).
Don was ecstatic, and couldn’t sleep last night. He would be going to the Academy with his brother!
Ronin suddenly grabbed his shoulder before going through the entrance.
“Remember, we are in different years and a different spire. I’m 3rd year now, so next year, I would be in the Upper Years, while your still in your Lower Years.”
“And what does that mean, Brother?” He blinked his large blue eyes, confused.
“That means… That we cannot be seen around together much. I am just your servant’s son, it might raise suspicion.” Ronin said.
“But—“
“On the surface, at least. You must focus on gaining connections in Warriors too if you want to become a Knight. Skill is just half of it, socialization is also required.”
Ronin continued to explain. “If they see you hanging around with Commoner and a Scholar…. Knowing the feud between the two Spires… They will find you weird. Freakish.”
Don’s face fell, and he nodded. “I understand, Brother. So we cannot dine together.”
“Yes. Stay on the first floor of the Banquet Palace and make friends with your peers.”
He walked ahead, and waved at him. His vest that donned two stars fluttered as he did.
“I’ll be going now, my Lord. We’ll meet after dinner in my dorm room.”.
Don pouted and sulked, no longer as excited as before. His vest that had no stars sagged, and he went to the Spire of Warriors.
There was also another, personal reason for Ronin to ask him not to be around during day time.
“Ronin! Ronin, you’re back! Over here!”
He grumbled, now the one sulking. No matter where he goes, he was always surrounded by overly excited children.
Though this guy was older than him in this world/ universe, he will never consider Cermin anything more than a kid.
“Good day, Cermin…” He answered plainly.
Cerin hooked an arm around his neck. “I barely heard from you all vacation! I sent so many letters and yet you only replied three or four times.”
Ronin just wore a plastered smile, and took his hand off him.
“I was busy with servant duties.” He reasoned.
“O-Oh. Right.” Cermin seemed to have only now remembered that Ronin was a Commoner after all and a servant.
“Well… anything interesting that happened this summer?” He asked. “All your replies to my letters were basically ‘I’m good, thanks for asking’.”
Ronin shrugged. “No, nothing really interesting. I just cleaned the house, help out my father in certain duties.”
The reason why he could not be hanging with Don was because of Cermin.
His sibling despised this prince to the core. And Don might feel betrayed if he/she found out that he was hanging out with the very person that started the ruined relationship of her family.
Well, partially.
It was mostly due to Duke Taevas’ stubbornness and beliefs about what a noble should and shouldn’t be against Maellan’s.
But still, that accident had affected their family and brought a bad impression on Don.
These two must not meet, or at least, not be seen by the other hanging around Ronin. It was inevitable for the truth to appear, but Ronin aims to keep it hidden as long as possible.
“I see. I would have felt boring if I would have to spend the whole summer cleaning.” Cermin chuckled. “I hope my letters brought some excitement for you.”
“Yes….. I did.” Ronin lied as easily as he breathed.
Actually, it brought more annoyance and headaches for him.
Cermin really did sent him way too many letters, detailing even the event of what he had eaten that day, and what happened at the parties in his palace, etc.
So damn talkative.
But Ronin was used to it even when he was still a system.
Min Cheng was just the type that never stopped talking. He always had something to say about everything.
But it wasn’t in a condescending way, sometimes. Most of the time, it was just him being an easily excited idiot.
“I’ll be going to my class now.” Ronin waved goodbye before he can hear him yapping again.
Cermin waved at him happily. “See you at lunch!”
He saw a figure appear by Cermin’s side, and he instead chattered with this one next. It was Kai.
Ronin and Kai locked eyes for a moment. Kai gave a conflicted and disappointed look, before avoiding his gaze.
“So you won’t pick a side, and yet you despise me now for using you. Hah.” Ronin thought about how hypocritical it really was.
Kai never appeared before Ronin as a person now, merely a neutral and empty holographic screen. So much for remaining unbiased.
He had no one to play chess with, but that’s not really something worthy of thinking about for Ronin. Kai sucks at chess anyway.
At lunchtime, Kai would actually sit beside Cermin and not talk to either of them.
It only spoke when Cermin asked something, and the dumb protagonist thought Ronin couldn’t see them talk like everyone else.
He acted that way too, not paying attention to them when they whisper to each other. Since Kai insisted on regarding Ronin as thin air, Ronin does the same.
This lunchtime was no different. Even with another star added on their vest, the atmosphere doesn’t really change.
When Cermint talks to Ronin, Kai would pretend not to listen. When Cermin talks to Kai, Ronin would focus on his food and merely spies on Cermin’s stats.
But then—
“Ronin, there you are!”
Ronin stopped twirling pasta on his fork, as he turned to the familiar voice.
‘For the love of…. Ugh.’
Don was here, disobeying him on the very first day.
“I looked everywhere for you! I thought you were on the third year floor, why are you with the fourth years—“
Kai was blocking the face of the person it was talking to, and when that person looked up, only did Don realize who it was.
“You…” He was full of shock, and then rage. “You bastard prince!”
Cermin blinked, confused as to why he was suddenly being cursed. “Do I know you?”
But then again, he was generally disliked all over the Academy due to the accidents he was involved in. Even strangers.
He never thought that this person who despised him would have been his best bud Ronin’s family.
“What are you dining with Cermin Drychspiel, Br—Ronin?” He asked, barely keeping his cool.
Ronin sighed, and bowed in an apologetic way.
But he wasn’t really apologetic in the slightest. He said in a tired voice:
“Forgive me for not telling you, Master Don. But His Highness is my companion.”
“Companion?” His eyes bugged out, it felt like popping out. “But aren’t I your companion?”
“Well… Er….. It’s more like he accompanies you because you are the master and he’s the servant.” Cermin interjected. “Meanwhile, I’m actually his friend.”
He actually came to dislike this person as well.
(So entitled! And Ronin called him ‘master’, so he must be someone from that House of Blue People.)
(He must have been the one bullying Ronin all summer to keep cleaning and stay busy!)
Ronin: …. ….. … …. ….
As the two glared daggers at each other, Ronin felt irritated as he was dragged into another war that he wanted nothing of. A war between a ‘family’ and a ‘friend’.
And the funny thing was, he never even considered either of them as a family or friend in the first place. It was a feud over one-sided relationship claims over him.
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