Chapter 21 - Confrontation

The night passed without any problems. Aether found himself both energized and nervous for the day. He was excited to see what type of classes he would be taking now, though if they were anything like the mathematical theory class he attended by accident, he had a feeling they would be rather boring.

On the other hand, he was nervous because of how 'Aether' is perceived at the Royal Academy.

'Will this end well? Or am I going to be killed the moment Leon turns his back.' He gritted his teeth and shifted through his bag.

Mina had prepared his uniform and packed his bag. They were brand new and of higher quality. The uniform itself was smooth on his skin almost as if it was silk, but the harshness on the outside told him otherwise. There were small designs, almost invisible to the eye, on the cuff of his shirt and pants. He wasn't positive about what they were, but had a feeling they weren't supposed to be there.

The book bag was made out of fine leather, a small symbol on the back told him that it was made by a high end company. Mina had filled it to the brim with books and writing utensils, but that was all. Aether gazed around the room. He wanted something sharp to help him, just in case he ever got into trouble and Leon wasn't there to protect him. There wasn't anything sharp in his room, but breakfast came with a knife. He doubted a knife would do any good, but it would have to do.

To his surprise, the carriage waiting for him at the entrance was not his, but Leon's. Leon was seated inside, his arms crossed and his eyes looking forward. His butler was waiting on the outside of the carriage with the driver already in position.

When the butler noticed him, he bowed and gestured for Aether to get into the carriage. Aether smiled at the butler.

"Mina." He asked, pausing in his steps. He glanced back at the girl who stood beside him. An uneasiness spread throughout his stomach and he found it difficult to get into the carriage.

"Yes ,Young Master?" Her concern was evident and she took a step closer with his bag in her hand. She gave him a small smile and placed the bag in his hands while whispering, "Remember, keep your head held up high and don't let anyone look down on you." She took a step back and said a little louder, "You will be fine. With Leon by your side, you have nothing to worry about."

Aether nodded his head and got into the carriage. The carriage was just as, if not more, extravagant than what he had remembered. The seats were cushioned and a few pillows sat nicely on each side of the seats.

Aether smiled at Leon and took the seat opposite of him.

"Huh? Where is Aria?" He asked. He hadn't noticed before, but she was nowhere to be seen.

He hadn't been around his sister to know much about her, but he knew enough about her from the novel to know that her not being in the carriage to go to the Royal Academy was strange.

Leon glanced at him, "She left earlier."

'Oh, that makes sense.' He remembered in the novel that Aria was never late to the Royal Academy. In fact she was often seen in the early mornings training or studying. That was the only way the first prince ever ran into her.

'If The first prince and Aria have already met, does that mean the first prince is already making his move? If that's the case, has the novel processed faster than normal?' Aether furrowed his eyebrows, 'Does that mean the Assassination of the nobles will happen sooner?'

Although worried about this, Aether gave a small smile and decided to change the subject, "I'm unsure of what the advanced classes are like. I only sat in one. Are they all like that?"

Leon glanced at him, "No."

"No?" Aether tilted his head, "Then what are they like?" He leaned forward slightly.

Leon turned away, "Brutal."

Aether blinked.

'Fuck.'

Aether furrowed his eyebrows, "Brutal? Am I going to be okay?"

Leon glanced at him again, his hand covering his mouth, but Aether could see his jaw clench and his eyes narrow. "You will be fine. I will be there with you. If anyone tries to harm you they will have to deal with me first." Leon's chest puffed out just slightly and Aether almost laughed.

'It seems my brother wants to show off.'

"How will I know they mean to do me harm?"

Leon turned to face him, his expression calm and his back straight, "Assume that everyone means you harm. If someone comes up to you, walk away. If they try to talk to you, apologize and turn away. Whatever you do," He reached forward and grabbed Aether by the arm, "Do not interact with anyone."

Aether gulped and let out a nervous laugh. Leon let go of his arm and Aether rubbed the sore spot. 'He only held my arm for a couple of seconds and I'm probably already bruised.' He clicked his tongue and glanced sideways.

'I'm not ready for this. My mind may be up to par on what's going on, but this body can't handle what they will do.' He glanced at his arm, 'The moment they discover that I can be defeated easily they won't hesitate to take me out. After all, I'm a weakness.'

The Royal Academy came into view and he let out a long sigh, 'This school is all about power, but I'm a Frenzel without any power. I'm like a walking target. What was father thinking?'

The carriage came to a jolting stop, the doors were opened and Leon was the first to get out.

Aether followed his brother out of the carriage and immediately regretted it.

The last time he had been here, he was bullied, lost, and ripped out the classroom by his own brother. Of course coming back wouldn't be as easy as it sounded.

People were staring at him. Their gazes at first hostile, but the moment they spotted Leon who was standing a little in front of Aether their faces morphed into ones of curiosity and confusion.

"Let's go." Leon did not wait for Aether to answer and began to walk into the Royal Academy. They walked down countless hallways until they reached a courtyard that separated two buildings.

The Royal Academy was serrated by buildings, so he wasn't surprised by this, but he also wasn't looking forward to entering it.

"Let's go." Leon muttered, glaring at any student who looked their way.

Students and professors alike stopped to look at them. Aether felt a chill down his spine with all their glares, but nonetheless he kept his head held up high and his gaze soft.

He wanted to come off as gentle and kind. He knew it was best not to show fear, so he chose a slightly different approach. These students probably had never seen a Frenzel smile like he did and he wanted to use that as a way to temporarily throw them off. Instead of thinking about fighting him right off the bat, they would be questioning why and how a Frenzel could smile so gently.

Their first class was one that Aether was actually looking forward to. History. He had been having a hard time finding information on the history of this world and couldn't wait to finally figure out the history that made this world so crazy. Though it seemed he wouldn't be getting there without some confrontation.

Lucian and Sean were walking towards them. Lucian had his eyes lowered as he read a book while Sean was smiling with his arms behind his back. A bird sat on his shoulder, chirping happily as they passed others. Students moved around them like they were the plague, but the eyes in both the females and males held looks of admiration and want. He could even seen a few female students crowded around in the front whispering to one another as they pushed each other towards Lucian and Sean.

With a hard push one of the girls fell forward with a yelp. With an effortless movement Sean caught her with one hand. Helping her up he gave a soft smile and a rose that the bird had rushed off to grab. The girl's eyes sparkled and her face turned a beat red. The friends that pushed her hooted and hollered.

Aether grimaced at such a scene. He moved closer to Leon who was walking on the other side of the hallway. He was walking at a faster pace and favoring the wall, obviously trying to stay away from the Princes, but it seemed luck was not in their favor.

They took one step past Lucian. In a second Lucian slammed his books close and reached out. He never got a chance to touch Aether as Aether was pulled to the side and pushed behind Leon, his back now touching the wall.

"Brother, what's going on?" Aether asked. Leon was in front of him, hiding him from Lucian and Sean who were now looking at them. Lucian had his hand outreached, his expression unreadable as he stared at Leon who was gripping his wrist.

The students that had gathered around, huddled close to one another , whispering and most likely betting on who would win. It was after all, two of the biggest families in the Royal Academy. If they were to fight then it would definitely be a fight to see.

Lucian was glaring daggers at Leon. His hand was still outreached, shaking as he tried to move it towards Aether. Lucian's eye twitched.

"What's wrong? I just wanted to greet a fellow student." Lucian said, his voice soft and calm yet his eyes were firm and ferocious.

Leon did not respond. His eyes narrowed and he threw the other hand away.

Lucian rubbed his wrist, "Aether-"

"No." Leon cut him off. "He will not be talking to you. Now leave." Leon pushed Aether by the shoulders to keep walking. Aether nodded and began to walk, but was stopped by Lucian.

"Aether I heard the news. Being moved to advance classes so quickly. If you have any difficulties, please don't hesitate to-"

"He won't be needing your help." Leon snapped.

"I wasn't talking to-"

"He won't need your help." Leon repeated. This time the shadows around his feet began to flicker, making Aether stumble a little aways in slight fear.

"You're like a dog." Lucian's voice cut through the air. The students went silent, their eyes watching the alteration with great hesitancy.

"A dog who only knows how to speak for its owner. A dog who only knows to bare its teeth." Lucian took a step forward with every word. The shadows around him flickered as well.

The students around them gathered in numbers, though they stayed a certain distance away. Aether could see them mumbling to one another and passing each other something.

'They must have seen this before and are waiting for the fight to begin.' Aether thought.

Aether was at a loss on why this was happening. Obviously Leon and the Princes don't get along, but this was ridiculous.

Leon scoffed, "Look who's talking."

Lucian sneered, then as if he realized something his eyes turned focus onto Aether. His sneer disappeared and the shadows calmed down. With a gentle smile he spoke to Aether, "Aether, come now, your brother is being difficult. Wouldn't it be better if we stop this nonsense and go somewhere to talk?"

All eyes turned to Aether.

'Fuck.'

Aether squirmed under the countless gazes. Their eyes pierced his soul and a deep unsettling fear was crawling inside him. He took another step back. For a moment all their faces blended and even Leon looked more scary than before, but he couldn't show that he was scared. Not now, not in front of all these people. He had a reputation to withhold. A new image to broadcast to these heathens.

'Think, think. Oh!'

With a deep breath. He held his head high and ran up to his brother. He gripped Leon's shirt with misty eyes and said, "Brother, why are they fighting with you?" To make it look more believable he even let a few stray tears fall.

Leon was at a loss for words. He stood there blankly, his mouth opening and closing before firmly staying shut. He shook his head and gestured for them to leave, but Aether had more planned.

His eyes focused on the Princes. 'They wouldn't get away without a scratch either.' He thought.

"Is there something you want?" He asked pitifully. "Brother was just watching over me to make sure I would be okay, he didn't know that you didn't mean harm." He said.

Lucian's eyes narrowed. He smiled and said "I apologize. I didn't think that me reaching out to you meant harm."

Aether smiled back, the tears practically gone at this point, "Oh? And here I thought the rule of this Academy was only the strongest survive." Lucian's smile faltered, his eyes narrowing. The students whispered to one another, confusion masking their faces.

"In a normal academy, you reaching out to me might have been harmless, but we are not in a normal academy. This academy is like war." He gestured around him, " If someone I barely know were to reach for me from behind in a war, wouldn't it be safe to assume that I would be dead?" His gaze landed on Lucian, "In this sense, I can assume you most likely meant to harm me in some way."

There was a moment of tense silence before Lucian spoke up.

"I wouldn't dare." Lucian said. "You are assuming the worst of me."

Aether shrugged and said with a smile, "I apologize, but in this Academy I must assume the worst of everyone."

Lucian stuttered. His mouth opened and closed twice before finally saying, "I promise that I had no ill intentions. In fact I wished to talk to you about some private matters." He stood up straight as he spoke and re-opened his book.

"Private matters?" Aether glanced at him, "If you wish to talk about private matters please send a letter to the Frenzel household. We would be honored to discuss such matters." Aether said sweetly, smiling as Lucian's hand twitched on the book he was holding.

He turned to his brother and said, "Brother, it's time for class. I don't want to be late."

Leon nodded, "Mhm." And together they left the two princes behind in a crowd of students.

"Brother." Sean said.

"I know." Lucian glared daggers at their retreating forms. He slammed the book shut and turned away.

In the shadows of the building, a lone figure watched the exchange. He frowned and disappeared into the shadows.