"We need to go down this hall and up the southern flight of stairs," Michael said, half-looking at the map within his violet emblem as he led Rudy from the great hall. They were on their way to the first class of the academy year—Mana theory. Eventually, the two boys managed to find the classroom without too much difficulty. Upon stepping through the old looking wooden doors, a large room stretched out in front of them. To the left were stairs leading up to rows of long desks that spanned the width of the room—each one a level higher than the last, allowing for those in the back to still see the front of the class. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novel✶fire.net To the right was a desk and a large blackboard, likely the place where the teacher would conduct their lesson. There was some open space in the middle where they saw a few students chatting excitedly. Michael scanned the room, his eyes catching the long blue hair of Melody in one of the middle rows. A few girls here own age were trying to talk to her, but her expression remained impassive—like a queen listening to her subjects. Her sapphire eyes moved, falling upon him at the entrance. "Let’s go," he motioned to Rudy, heading up the stairs and picking a seat next to Melody. His appearance resulted in a few whispers from the girls before they left abruptly, clearly not wanting to interact with him. Of course Michael had no problem with this—even if he was not posing as Melody’s fiance, he was more interested in class than making friends. "You didn’t wake me," Melody said as he sat down, her tone even. "I didn’t." He replied simply. Silence stretched between them. "I told you you should have woken her up for breakfast," Rudy whispered, giving him a nudge. Michael ignored him, his attention on the blue-haired girl beside him. "Would you like me to wake you in the future?" "Yes what?" he asked, cupping his ear exaggeratedly. Melody’s small body flinched, her annoyance evident. But Michael’s smile grew even wider—establishing boundaries was just implementing what they’d spoken about the night before. He was no longer her butler, meaning they were no longer master and servant. And if one was asking for a favor, they should always use manners and be polite. "Yes please..." she managed to say in a small voice. Michael nodded in satisfaction. They were a little early to class, but soon more and more first-years began to filter in after finding the classroom. The room was filled with excited chatter from the teens who were about to start their first class. Michael’s eyes moved to the entrance where a few familiar faces walked in. Braydon was at the forefront, flanked by two of his lackeys—the curly-haired Randolph and another black-haired boy that seemed less impressionable. Braydon scanned the room and their gazes met before the guy scoffed and ignored him—turning instead to Melody beside him. After seeing her, his eyes lit up and he made his way over to the other set of stairs, right towards them. This guy just doesn’t give up... Michael sighed inwardly. "Heads up, Blueberry is on the move." Michael whispered. "Ugh," Melody groaned in annoyance. "Good morning Miss Melody," Braydon arrived beside Melody who was seated at the edge—closest to the second set of stairs. "It was." She replied off-handedly. He didn’t seem to notice the remark, or at least he pretended not to. Instead, he continued the conversation. "I’ve heard that mana theory is one of your greatest subjects, my father often praised your attainments in the field—particularly in mana manipulation." Flattery huh? Let’s see how far that gets you, he thought with some amusement. "I also have an interest in mana theory," Braydon continued, not even acknowledging Michael or Rudy’s existence. "Perhaps we could compare notes at some stage? I think it would be quite beneficial." "No thank you," Melody replied succinctly, not even sparing him a glance. However, Braydon didn’t appear too upset about the refusal, at least not at first. He frowned, wearing a slightly pained expression, "I perhaps thought that as a class representative, you would be more inclined to help your fellow students—but it seemed that I was wrong." His words caused Michael to raise an eyebrow. What’s his plan? Is he trying to guilt Melody into studying with him? Michael resisted the urge to laugh. When it came to things like guilt and remorse, no one was more apathetic than the ice-queen herself. Before Melody could respond, the doors flew open dramatically and the sound of footsteps echoed against the walls. A figure walked into the room, his short-cropped black hair and gold rimmed glasses framing his handsome face. The professor—garbed in a flowing black robe and a plaid suit beneath—strolled in with purpose, making a bee-line for his desk. "Get to your seats, class is about to begin." The man said, his voice filled with authority. Braydon sent one more look towards Melody before motioning his lackey’s to follow him to some empty seats towards the back of the room. "My name," the professor began, flourishing his wrist towards the blackboard. "Is Professor Theodore Ignacius Maximilian," he stated grandly. The chalk was lifted from its resting spot and began to furiously write upon the board, controlled by the professor’s magic. There stood a needlessly complex name written in perfect script. He then turned to admire his handiwork, only to freeze a moment later, "Is that how its spelled?" he asked, loud enough for most of the class to hear. Eh? He doesn’t know how to spell his own name? "Anyway, only my mother calls me this—so you shall refer to me as Professor Max." He added with gusto. His grand gestures and behavior were at odds with his aesthetic of a reserved and handsome gentleman, making it difficult to read the guy. "Moving on..." he added, seeing as how the reaction from the class was flat. "I teach one of the fundamental classes here at Arcadia—Mana Theory," he stated, beginning to pace back and forth in front of his desk casually. Now that he’d gotten to the subject, he seemed much more at ease. "Can anyone tell me, what is mana?"