Chapter 15 – A Path

“Are you okay, my lady? Do you want me to get an ointment for you?” her hand maiden Agnes asked her gently especially seeing the red mark on her face that hasn’t subsided yet.

“I’m fine, I’ll tend it myself later. Call Alexandro for me instead” Agnes nodded her head and retreated back to where they came from. She, on the other hand continue walking towards the kitchen to check for breakfast but before she could even see the table, another person grabbed her attention instead.

“Good morning, my lady. Have you been well?” an old man greeted her with a sly smile as he brought a cup to his lips to sip on his coffee.

Aurora almost rolled her eyes. She’s not yet ready for another battle against her mother when they’ve just finished one so instead of being blatantly disrespectful towards the old man like she’s used to, she gave him a forced smile.

“I’ve been well. Marquis Ramis. Thank you,” she said formally. A maid handed her a plate which she is silently thankful for because that provided her a good excuse to not talk to him. She busied herself with grabbing portions of food in front of her, making sure it would be enough for her and his twin brother who doesn’t want to cross paths with the marquis who’s been staying at their mansion for a couple of days already.

“Are you not going to dine with us? Your mother is just changing her dress,” Marquis Ramis said.

“We do not eat together in this house anymore, and I am afraid there is something I need to talk with my brother privately.”

She did not wait for his response. Once she got everything she needed, she turned on her heel then walked towards the garden where his twin brother is waiting for her. She hasn’t put down the plate on the table yet when her brother grabbed a freshly baked croissant.

“The old man is still here?” he asked her. She nodded at that while cutting and glazing her brioche with butter that quickly melted because of the heat.

“Fucking bastard. Father’s grave hasn’t started growing grass yet another man is already posing as the master of this house.” Alexandro said with a sarcastic smile but Aurora knew better that he’s far from thinking of the situation as a spectacle.

She doesn’t want to be the first one to bring it up but she’s aware that their mother, Countess Alvarez has been seeing Marquis Ramis already even before their father died due to an illness a month ago. Even the social circle is aware about that though no one dared to speak about it openly since they are part of the imperial family.

When she found out about it, it did not surprise her at all. Aurora grew up with no memories of her parents being affectionate towards each other or at least her mother. For her, her father is a very good man. For a man who used to be just an ordinary knight who contributed a lot to the empire hence he was granted a title of count and a bride from imperial family, he did his best. He may not have received the love he wanted from his wife until his last breath, but his children have filled the loneliness and it’s more than enough.

Aurora found herself on the brink of crying again upon remembering her father and how he endured being a laughing stock at the social circle for them, but she quickly shook her head. She loves him dearly but there is something more important right now that they need to talk about.

“I will be going to Xenon soon. I received the imperial order last night,” she started.

Alexandro tsked at that. “Here I was, thinking that you’re just bluffing.”

She shook her head and eyed his twin brother seriously. “This is to fulfill my promise to father. Anyway, I never wanted the throne. I just didn’t want mother constantly nagging at me,” she admitted which is the truth.

When she was just a little girl, a lot of people have asked her what she aims to be when she grows up. Her cousins, and basically all the ladies in the imperial family her age will automatically say that they want to be the next empress regnant, but Aurora has always answered differently.

Once she saw her father yielded a sword and listened to his stories using his sword to save people and bring justice,

Aurora have always wanted to be a knight. Her father found it heroic and honorable but of course her mother thought otherwise. Originally, she did not intend to obey her to attend the academia for empress regnant aspirants but one night, she heard her mother yelling at his father, blaming him for her desire to be a knight and it broke her. So even though she can’t really find it in her heart to crave or even look at the throne, she gritted her teeth and still did it.

But now that their father is already gone and she has other several reasons as to why she doesn’t want to be the next empress regnant, she’s decided that she will walk a path that is made by her and not by the Countess Alvarez who’s nothing but a woman crazed for power and desperation because she did not become the empress regnant herself during her time.

“My friends at Xenon are all at year four so I am not quite sure if they will be able to protect you. Does mother know this already?” Alexandro asked breaking her trance.

“I just told her this morning but I haven’t mentioned that I’ll be transferring to Xenon. It’s not that she needs to know, anyway. Her majesty already paid for my tuition fee and certified my transfer already. All I need to do is pack my luggage and move to the townhouse close to Xenon.”

“When are you moving? Do you intend to go back here after?”

That question caught her off guard. Truth be told, she hasn’t planned that far yet. All she wanted to do right now is graduate from Xenon with flying colors so once she submits her application as a royal knight, her promotion would be effortless.

After all, she’s not planning to use the influence of the imperial family for that. She may be a pampered lady thanks to her mother, but she’s not one of those nobles who loves bragging their name and money but have no skills to show at all.

That’s why when she talked with Empress Katya, she asked her to leave her surname empty on the application. The empress was worried for her but she reassured her that she would be fine even though Xenon, is an academia exclusively for males to enter.

If she can’t survive amidst a world dominated by the male population, is she even worthy of following her father’s footsteps?