We were halfway across the school courtyard when I spotted them.
The maid and knight my father had supposedly placed in charge of me.
They were standing near the courtyard entrance, looking as though they had been dragged out of some forgotten corner of the Azure Palace.
The knight's armor was dull, scratched, and poorly maintained. Several plates were visibly dented, and the leather straps holding them together looked as though they had not been replaced in years.
The maid wasn't much better.
Her dress was wrinkled and stained, her hair a tangled mess, and the exhaustion written across her face made it obvious that neither of them had expected to find me here.
Then our eyes met.
Their expressions immediately changed.
They rushed toward me.
"How dare you, bastard!"
The knight's voice echoed across the courtyard.
"You ran away without telling us!"
The maid followed close behind him, her face twisted with anger.
"We've been searching everywhere for you! Because of your stupid little stunt, the lord actually cut the funds we were receiving!"
I stopped walking.
My headache worsened.
Their voices were already attracting attention from the surrounding students.
Not far away, Lyra Echonic and Selene Abyssal had noticed the commotion. Though they were some distance away, they could still hear the shouting. When they focused their eyes on the center of the courtyard, they immediately recognized me.
I slowly placed a hand over my face.
Then I sighed.
"Are you done?"
My voice was cold.
Not angry.
Just tired.
The maid opened her mouth.
"Are you ma—"
She stopped.
Her eyes traveled over me.
Only then did she seem to realize how different I looked.
I wore a billowing white poet's shirt with voluminous sleeves that narrowed elegantly at the wrists. An ornate silver lace cravat framed my collar, while a deep burgundy brocade waistcoat rested over the shirt, its surface covered in intricate floral patterns.
Long crimson coat tails extended from the waistcoat, nearly brushing the ground. Decorative medallion patterns lined the hem, each tipped with silver.
My trousers were tailored and slim, matching the dark, polished oxblood dress shoes beneath them.
A dark leather glove covered my right hand.
For a moment, the maid simply stared.
I almost laughed.
They had spent so long treating me like a useless child that they hadn't even bothered to notice when everything about me had changed.
The knight stepped forward.
"Don't speak to us with such arrogance."
His breath reached me.
I resisted the urge to move away.
"Your father sent us here to guard you and serve you."
I chuckled.
"Guard me?"
I tilted my head.
"Tell me something."
The knight frowned.
"What?"
"What exactly did you guard?"
Silence.
His expression stiffened.
I continued.
"What time did you guard me yesterday?"
Nothing.
"What about the day before?"
Still nothing.
I smiled faintly.
"Thought so."
They didn't care about me.
They never had.
The only reason they had suddenly bothered to chase after me was because my disappearance had affected their income.
I was still the son of the ruler of the Azure Palace.
Even if my father treated me like garbage, my existence still carried enough value to earn them a comfortable salary.
And now that salary was in danger.
That was all I was to them.
A paycheck.
The knight's face reddened.
"I'll report this behavior to the ruler of the Azure Palace."
It was meant to frighten me.
It didn't.
I simply walked past him.
"Bold of you to assume I care what he thinks."
The knight's anger finally snapped.
"You—!"
His arm moved.
His hand came toward my face.
But it never reached me.
A hand caught his wrist.
The entire courtyard seemed to fall silent.
The knight's eyes widened.
He hadn't even seen the man move.
A voice came from beside me.
"It's not wise for a dog to bite its master."
The knight's body stiffened.
He looked toward the person holding his wrist.
A tall man stood beside me.
His silver-gray eyes were calm.
Too calm.
He wore a formal butler's tailcoat in deep charcoal and black, subtle silver piping tracing the lapels and edges. Beneath it was a layered gray vest and a crisp white cravat, secured by a round purple gemstone brooch at the throat.
The coat tails were dramatically elongated, giving his silhouette an almost phantom-like quality.
Slim dark trousers completed the outfit, along with polished black oxfords.
He didn't look like a warrior.
He didn't need to.
The knight tried to pull his arm free.
Nothing happened.
He pulled harder.
Still nothing.
The man didn't even move.
The knight's expression changed.
What... is this strength?
He was a low-ranking knight of the Azure Palace, but that didn't mean he was weak. He possessed enough physical strength to overwhelm ordinary soldiers and stand his ground against trained fighters.
Yet this man was stopping him with one hand.
And he wasn't even trying.
The knight's eyes slowly traveled upward.
Who is he?
Which family does this butler belong to?
The maid finally found her voice.
"Who are you?"
Her voice trembled slightly.
"And why are you interfering? This is a personal matter between Nullen and us, servants of the Azure Palace."
The man released the knight.
The knight immediately stepped backward, rubbing his wrist.
The stranger adjusted his glove.
"My name is Vesper."
He gave a courteous nod.
"I am Sir Nullen's butler."
The maid froze.
"His... butler?"
Vesper turned toward her.
"And you are?"
The maid hesitated.
"I-I am Nyx. Sir Nullen's personal maid."
She quickly bowed.
Vesper stared at her.
His expression didn't change.
But somehow, his silence was more insulting than an outburst could have been.
"I don't know where you learned your etiquette," he finally said, "but it is remarkably unsightly."
Nyx's face flushed.
The surrounding students had begun whispering.
"Who are they?"
"Isn't that Nullen and Kael?"
"That's Nullen?"
"Why is someone like that serving him?"
"Who is that butler?"
"Did Nullen somehow get a noble family's servant?"
The whispers spread through the courtyard.
I ignored them.
Vesper turned toward me.
His expression immediately softened.
"Young Master."
He bowed.
"It is time we head home."
I glanced at Kael.
He was already looking at me with an amused expression.
We followed Vesper toward the carriage waiting beyond the courtyard gates.
It was elegant.
Far too elegant for someone like me, at least according to the people who had known me before today.
I placed one foot inside.
Then stopped.
I looked back.
The knight and Nyx were still standing there.
The knight's face was filled with humiliation.
I smiled.
"One last thing."
He looked at me.
"Dogs don't bite their masters."
I paused.
"But you just tried to bite yours."
My smile widened.
"So I suppose that makes you something less than a dog."
I stepped into the carriage.
The door closed behind me.
A moment later, the carriage began to move.
Through the window, I watched the academy slowly disappear behind us.
For the first time in a long while...
I didn't feel like I was walking alone.