Chapter 9
1259 Words
CHAPTER NINE
THE SCHOLAR
Diane slowly dusted her skirt and stood up, clutching her bag tightly against her chest.
She lifted her head and
at the enormous school building in front of her.
It looked more like a palace than a school.
The building seemed to stretch endlessly toward the sky, with at least fifteen magnificent floors. Its walls were made of beautiful white stone, decorated with enormous glass windows that reflected the sunlight. Golden symbols were carved above the entrance, and two massive statues stood on either side of the doors.
Diane’s mouth fell open.
“Fifteen stories… for a school?”
She shook her head in disbelief.
“Oh my God. The person who owns this place must be unbelievably rich.”
She adjusted her bag and began walking toward the entrance, looking around nervously.
She had barely taken a few steps when she heard a voice behind her.
“Hi, newbie!”
Diane stopped.
Slowly, she turned around.
Standing a few feet away was a beautiful girl dressed in what looked like an extremely expensive school uniform. Her long, silky hair fell perfectly over her shoulders, and everything about her screamed luxury.
Even her shoes looked more expensive than everything Diane owned.
Diane blinked.
“How did you know I’m a newbie?”
The girl smiled.
“Well, first of all, my name is Shantai.”
She walked closer and looked Diane up and down.
“I can tell you’re new because you’re staring at the school like you’ve never seen a building before. And you’re looking around like you’re trying to find your way.”
Diane’s cheeks became warm.
“Oh…”
Shantai laughed.
“Did I get it right?”
Diane sighed and smiled.
“Yeah. You got me. I just got here.”
She hesitated before adding,
“I’m a scholar.”
Shantai’s smile disappeared.
“Shh!”
She quickly placed a finger against her lips.
“Don’t tell people here that you’re a scholar.”
Diane frowned.
“Why?”
“Because they’ll laugh at you.”
Shantai lowered her voice.
“They’ll avoid you, call you names, and make you feel like you don’t belong here.”
Diane looked around the enormous school.
“Well… everybody is probably going to find out eventually.”
“That doesn’t mean you should announce it.”
Diane gave a small shrug.
“I’m just trying to keep it secret for now.”
Shantai nodded.
“Good. Then we’re on the same page.”
She glanced at Diane’s schedule.
“What building are you looking for?”
“Building C.”
Shantai’s eyes widened.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.”
A huge smile appeared on Shantai’s face.
“That’s my building too!”
She grabbed Diane’s hand.
“Come on. I’ll show you.”
Diane smiled.
“Nice to meet you, Shantai. My name is Diane.”
Shantai squeezed her hand.
“Diane…”
She smiled.
“Best friends?”
Diane laughed softly.
“Best friends.”
The two girls walked toward Building C together.
For the first time since Diane had arrived at Royal High Academy, she didn’t feel completely alone.
But the moment she stepped inside the building, that feeling disappeared.
Everyone turned to look at her.
One girl whispered something into her friend’s ear.
“Where did she get those shoes?”
Another girl covered her mouth and laughed.
“Look at her hair. It’s so rough.”
Someone else pointed at Diane’s bracelets.
“Are those even real?”
“They look so cheap.”
Diane’s smile slowly faded.
She looked down at herself.
Her shoes were old.
Her bracelets weren’t expensive.
Her hair wasn’t styled like the other girls’.
And suddenly, she felt painfully aware of everything she was wearing.
A boy standing nearby laughed.
“She must be the poorest person in this school.”
Another student scoffed.
“Who even brought her here?”
Diane’s fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.
Her heart began beating faster.
Don’t cry.
She looked at Shantai.
Shantai’s expression had changed completely.
She looked angry.
“Don’t listen to them,” she whispered.
But Diane could still hear everything.
The whispers.
The laughter.
The judgment.
She had spent years being treated like an outsider in her village.
She thought coming here would finally be different.
She thought Royal High Academy would be a place where she could start over.
But apparently, she had been wrong.
Diane swallowed hard.
Is this what I’m going to experience every day?
She looked around the luxurious hallway.
“I don’t think I can do this,” she whispered.
Shantai immediately turned toward her.
“Yes, you can.”
Diane shook her head.
“No, Shantai. Look at them.”
She lowered her voice.
“They already hate me, and they don’t even know me.”
Shantai stepped closer.
“Then let them hate you.”
Diane stared at her.
Shantai smiled.
“You didn’t come here to impress them. You came here to study.”
Before Diane could respond, a loud bell rang throughout the building.
Everyone immediately stopped talking.
The students rushed toward their classrooms.
Shantai pulled Diane along.
“Come on. We’re going to be late.”
They hurried down the corridor and entered their classroom.
Diane took a deep breath before stepping inside.
The classroom was even more beautiful than she expected.
Crystal lights hung from the ceiling.
The desks looked expensive enough to belong in a palace.
And at the front of the room was a large blackboard covered with strange symbols Diane couldn’t understand.
She quietly took a seat beside Shantai.
Then the classroom door opened.
A tall woman walked in.
The room immediately became silent.
She had long black hair, piercing eyes, and an expression that made everyone sit up straight.
She placed a book on the desk.
“Good morning, students.”
“Good morning, Professor,” everyone replied.
The professor’s eyes moved across the classroom.
Then they stopped on Diane.
She stared at her for several seconds.
“New student.”
Diane’s heart jumped.
“Yes, ma’am?”
“Stand up.”
Slowly, Diane stood.
The professor looked at her carefully.
“What is your name?”
“Diane Jeffrey.”
A few students immediately began whispering.
The professor raised an eyebrow.
“Jeffrey?”
Diane nodded.
“Yes, ma’am.”
The professor looked down at her book.
Then she looked back at Diane.
“Interesting.”
Diane frowned.
“What is interesting, ma’am?”
The professor didn’t answer.
Instead, she turned toward the board.
“Class, today we will begin with something very important.”
She wrote three words on the board.
THE ROYAL BLOODLINE.
Diane’s eyes widened.
Something strange happened the moment she saw those words.
Her head suddenly began to ache.
A cold wind passed through the classroom.
And for just a second…
Diane heard a voice inside her head.
Diane.
She froze.
That voice.
She knew it.
It was the same mysterious voice that had been following her for years.
And this time, it sounded closer than ever.
You finally came.
Diane’s eyes widened.
Who are you?
Silence.
Then the voice whispered one final sentence.
You came back to me.
Diane’s heart stopped.
Back?
What did that mean?
She had never been here before.
At least…
That was what she thought.
Outside the classroom window, the sky suddenly darkened.
And somewhere far away, inside the deepest part of the kingdom…
A young man opened his eyes.
Royal smiled.
“She has arrived.”
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