Maria - The Blind Princess

Chapter 6

The deep voice from the mysterious person gave Maria a goose bump at first. However thanks to the cane, which could be used as her lance's replacement, she calmed herself down and answered.

"Yes my name is Richard Tranchant, a new student here. How about you, what's your name?"

"Me?"

That room mate person didn't answer his name. Maria thought the only possibility, that he wanted to threat her so she prepared her defensive posture. She should have asked Gerald the name of her room mate then she would not be in a trouble like this.

"Hey why so scared? I did nothing to you."

He slowly walked toward Maria. She then thought, after all the opponent in front of her was just a student. She would be safe inside academic area so she took her cane.

"My apology, I think I was just exaggerating."

"Let's play a introduction game for first year students then?"

"A game?"

In less than a second when Maria's guard taken down, the cane for the blind in her hand got taken away. Everything happened was so fast, that Maria didn't have enough time to fight back. She thought that she had made a very big mistake right now.

"I heard that the blinds will use this cane to find the way?" The mysterious roommate hold her cane up above, outside of her reach and teased her.

"Yes, I'm a blind but it doesn't mean you can bully me." Maria still hid her ace, which was her impressive battling skill "Now give it back to me before I'm out of patience."

"Oops sorry~ I dropped it."

That roommate boy intentionally threw her cane out of the window. It fall into a bush at dormitory area so didn't cause any noise. But Maria's sensitive ears could hear the small sound of the bush appeared within just a second. She shook her head, she got involved trouble into another person.

"Let me tell you something, girly brat." The boy then came to her "We are roommates, but I still don't accept to sleep in the same room with a non-noble like you. Get out of here. Your existence really annoys my eyes."

"Then just be blind like me bro."

Maria countered back with confident smile. However, deep inside her heart, she wanted to cry because he just insulted the vision, the thing that Maria couldn't have.

"So your eyes won't be annoyed anymore."

"You... Do you know that no one never tried to fight back a crown prince like me?!"

The boy got berserk, he raised his hand, tried to give Maria a punch on her face. All of his movements and speed were too predictable, Maria easily stopped his punch by her tiny hand. She turned his punch's strength into her advantage, dragged his hand down to the ground to make him losing balance. Very fast... Bang! Maria used her knee, gave a critical hit on his abdomen.

The coughing sound appeared on the ground, Maria guessed she had finished dealing with her current mess. Without the cane, she had to raise her hands forward, slowly walked to not hit into an obstacle to find where the door is. Inside this unknown space, Maria needed Gerald's help to give her vision. If that roommate boy didn't want to help her, her decision was the only way.

"What's happening here?? I heard the noise in this room!"

Maria startled by the sudden sound. She hard the adult's voice so she guessed it could be the supervisor. A few moment later, she also heard Gerald's voice coming near her.

"Richard, are you ok?" Maria felt relieved when Gerald touched her. She nobbed her head with a smile.

"Your highness, what happened to you?" The supervisor asked, but didn't help him to stand up.

"That... blind... brat... He bullied... and hit me... on... my... abdomen."

"It's not true." Maria fought back "I had to self-defend because he tried to hit me first."

"Shut up! You... non-noble!" He yelled with anger "Mr. Supervisor... you have to... bring me to the hospitality... to confirm the injury... So I can prove... my innocence."

"I heard you throwing my cane to the window! You even caused trouble to me first!" This time Maria had to shout "What a nonsense to say that you're innocent!"

"It's enough you two!" The fight of the kids stopped when the supervisor yelled with his voice "Your highness, please follow me to go to the hospitality. And you Mr. Tranchant, you will be punished for being f*******n to eat the breakfast and lunch."

"What? This is unfair!" Gerald got angry "Let a student being starved for day is too brutal!"

"This is my order."

Everything happened next were just the silence. After the supervisor and the prince left the room, Gerald hugged Maria to ease her. He also helped her keeping her cry's voice being low, to not echo to the next rooms.

***

The next morning, Maria had to take the punishment so she couldn't eat and had to stand in the corner until the breakfast time over. She could hear the discussing noise from other students, about how brave she was when she dared to fight against the crown prince. From them, she just knew his name was Jacques.

Gerald felt worried by watching Maria. He tried to hide a small cheese cake inside his uniform's pocket. On their way to the first class, he could give it to her.

"Maria, follow me a little moment."

Gerald hold Maria's hand, dragged her to an empty space. He tossed the cake inside her pocket.

"Eat it, the cake's sugar will keep you focusing in the class easier."

"Ah... thank you, Gerald." When she began eating the cake, she suddenly stopped "No, punishment is punishment. I cannot eat it to prevent the case if the supervisor can use magic to detect me cheating."

"Maria..."

The first class of this morning was Eurydian History. Everything was just fine and Maria really liked this class, meanwhile Gerald followed behind her, he looked really alike a zombie due to exhaustion.

Maria's stomach kept grumbling. She was very hungry currently. But she encouraged herself it was just the first step of the hardship to achieve her dream.

The second class of the morning was Nhordish language. Gerald could notice at this moment, Maria was lacking focus. She looked down on the desk, tried to suffer to not put herself to sleep. Gerald was in the hard decision, he should not do that, but had no other choice: He gave her a little stab on her arm by his feather pen. Maria startled and got back her consciousness, the other students around looked at her a few seconds then back to their study.

"Thanks Gerald..."

Maria blushed when he knew she almost fall asleep. He gave her an "uhm" with a smile, then keep writing on the paper.

The Nhordish language class ended, also the lunch time began. Gerald could see that Maria reached her limit due to starvation. He had to carry her shoulder by shoulder.

"Maria, this noon you can take a rest at hospitality. I will take notes all noon classes and teach you tonight."

"It's ok Gerald I can endure..."

Suddenly, an adult in professor costume stood in front of them.

"Oh, are you Tranchant brothers? And what's happening to Richard?"

It was the prince William - their mathematics professor.

***

"Just eat as much as you want, Mr.Tranchant. You have done very well."

Gerald and Maria were invited into William's office. They never expected inside the working space of a genius professor and a prince like him, there was a super huge collection of luxury sweets.

"Pro...professor? Will the supervisor detect us?" Gerald asked. He looked at the window and felt nervous.

"I have casted a seal outside my office's door. The supervisor won't find out you two here." He gently answered "But thinking how coward my little brother is just shocked me more. I can't believe he dare to bully a student with disability too."

"Professor, do you know why the prince Jacques act like that? And why aren't you the crown prince even if you're the eldest?" Gerald asked.

"Gerald, this is royal internal business. It's better if you don't ask it."

"It doesn't matter much. I can tell you two actually. The reason I'm not the crown prince, it began when my mother used to be one of the maids of the king."

"Ah.... So that's why...."

"I was told that my mother got expelled from the palace when they found out she had illegal relationship with the king. At that moment the king didn't have any child so he invited me back to become the crown prince, and studied at this academy.

I don't want to say this, by my objective point of view, my father - as you know the current king, is having problem with this kingdom's management. 10 years ago, I debated with him and ended up being taken away the title of crown prince. Being called the eldest prince but I don't have the same treatment as Jacques, I'm just a normal professor until today."

"But you still get the respect at this academy right? That's what I see when you appeared yesterday."

"Because almost the professors here are my friends and they also agree my opinion." William answered "We are trying ourselves to build this academy to become better."

"What a meaningful dream..." Maria smiled, her eyes sparkled like a star.

"The one I actually admire the most is you, Richard Tranchant." The prince laughed "There must be a reason for a blind like you to enter this academy?"

"Yes professor, I have a dream to become a royal knight."

"So no wonder... I'm pretty sure you can do it. Because I saw your eyes are sparkling with full of passion and determination."

Maria didn't know why she got blushed after hearing what the prince said.

"Well, it's time for my next class... oh, isn't it at your class as well? Why don't we go together?"

"Sure, professor!"

Meanwhile, at the hospitality area of the academy, when the prince Jacques was reading a book, the servant knocked his door.

"Your highness, the princess is coming."