Nobility of the 21st century

Chapter V: Enemies

The boy spoke, eliciting thousands of surprised faces, momentary murmurs, and others more prolonged.

Benjamin was taken aback and began to review the papers again. The professor frowned and stared intently at the dark-haired boy, who started to get annoyed. He didn’t understand what was going on.

—Sorry for the question, but are you Ethan Vasiliev's son? —Erika inquired when she saw that no one said anything. She really wanted to know if it was true. Edgar furrowed his brow at the question and crossed his arms. He didn’t understand why she was asking that; it seemed obvious to him.

—Yes, why do you ask? —Edgar's words further complicated the atmosphere. Everyone began to talk, maintaining expressions of surprise. Benjamin couldn't believe it and kept his eyes glued to the papers, but the surname Vasiliev wasn’t anywhere.

Quickly, he stood up and confronted the dark-haired boy, who stared back at him. Edgar recognized those eyes; the boy from the hallway, who had been laughing cheerfully, was now looking at him with annoyance. His eyes seemed to have lost their sparkle from a few moments ago.

—Why doesn’t your registration show it like that? —the brown-haired boy questioned, causing the Russian to raise an eyebrow in annoyance.

—I don’t know, why do you have my registration? —Edgar asked. Professor Philip observed the dark-haired boy intently because his question was somewhat strange.

—Because I’m Benjamin Fox, first secretary of the Student Committee, and American Imperial Prince —Benjie replied, standing firm with his words and maintaining a straight and elegant posture.

The entire classroom fell into total silence; after all, the history of both empires narrated that they were descendants of ancient enemies. It was like witnessing a battle. Some were excited, but others were fearful. No one knew what could happen with this encounter, enemy families, two empires in the same territory. Something that hadn’t been witnessed for decades.

—Ah... —Edgar muttered upon hearing that. Now he understood everything. The tense atmosphere was because many knew of his enmity with the American Crown, although he never paid much attention to it. However, he also didn’t expect to encounter the second son of the Fox family. His luck really made him laugh.

—Why doesn’t your second surname appear in the registration? —the brown-haired boy reiterated. Edgar began to suffer from a headache due to the constant questions.

—I’ve told you I don’t know. I also don’t know why it concerns you —the dark-haired boy grumbled, and Erika covered her mouth to contain a giggle. Lucien wanted to stand up and shut him up with a punch, but it would be too risky.

—You’re a Vasiliev, what did you expect? —Benjie objected, and the professor drew everyone's attention with a clearing of his throat. The gazes turned to the older man, who turned to give Edgar a book.

—That’s enough. I’m not aware of this matter, but Edgar is an official student of the Gold and Silver Crowns, and as such, I can't allow this interrogation, Benjamin —Philip reprimanded, causing the mentioned to sit down abruptly with a furrowed brow—. Take this, it's the material for this class. You’ll get the rest from the other teachers. Now take a seat —he explained to the Russian, who nodded silently, gathering his things.

He found an empty seat in the room, finding one near the window. As he settled in, his dark eyes scanned the room for Benjamin, the son of the man with whom his family had a long history of rivalry. He knew that sooner or later he would have to face him and overcome the prejudices that had been inherited over the years. Although he didn’t know if it would make any difference; after all, the brown-haired boy seemed to have a different goal than him regarding that.

Finally, his eyes landed on Benjamin, a boy of serene and confident appearance. Edgar could notice the hue of his curly and light hair, and the natural elegance that seemed to envelop him. He couldn’t help but feel a mixture of curiosity and tension as he observed him. That encounter left him with a clear idea of his attitude and temperament, but also of how polite he was in dealing with people.

—Le Brun! —the professor shouted upon seeing the count dozing off in his seat—. Stop sleeping in my class or I can send you to the principal's office —he threatened, causing the boy to straighten up in his seat.

—Fine, I heard you... —muttered Lucien and turned on his computer to start reading and taking notes from the professor.

—Good —replied Philip and turned to display the slides on the classroom's giant screen—. By the way, Edgar, to follow the class, you need to turn on the computer; all the digital material is there. —The mentioned nodded and started his computer. He also saw an iPad with a pencil on the side, assuming it was for notes—. This iPad is yours now; you can take it home without any problem, so make sure to take notes. You can catch up more after class.

Philip remained silent for a moment, waiting for the students to get ready, and then checked the roster. It was curious that the boy wasn’t listed with his second surname, but he didn’t seem to have any idea about that either. He sighed resignedly. It was troublesome to have a transfer student at this point in the year, but he knew how to handle it, although he didn’t expect such a surprise. He needed to get some answers from the principal and, of course, from the Imperial King.

—So, let's begin. (...) Hours had passed quickly, except for Benjamin, who couldn't stop thinking about O’Neal. Everything was so strange, and it seemed to him that it couldn't be his father's doing. Something must have happened for him to let in the son of his greatest enemy.

—Come on, Benjie, wipe that look off your face —Erika pleaded, shaking the brown-haired boy to bring him back to reality. It was already lunchtime, but his friend hadn't touched his food—. You gain nothing from thinking about it all day...

—Erika is right, Benjamin —added Lucien and pushed the plate of food closer to the brown-haired boy, who sighed.

The count and the marchioness watched the prince's robotic movements and couldn’t help but laugh.

—Don’t laugh... I have to go to the principal's office to deliver these damn documents, and, by the way, I’ll ask for some explanation. Although, who should give it to me is my dad —mumbled Benjamin and took another bite of his sandwich. Erika smiled.

—Listen, I know your father will have a valid reason for this, so don't dwell on it too much —commented the count, smiling at the brown-haired boy, who returned the smile—. Alright, changing the subject, how's the party planning going? —he inquired, looking at the dark-haired girl.