Royals

The cafeteria buzzed with chatter and clinking utensils as the group continued eating.

Laurent, who had been quiet until now, suddenly nodded toward a brown-haired girl walking by. "Hey, Adelaide," he called out, waving her over.

The girl paused mid-step, her gaze landing on the table.

Her expression hardened when she saw Annis sitting there, but after a moment of hesitation, she walked over and sat down, ignoring Annis completely.

"It's you," Visconti said dryly, not even attempting to hide his disdain.

Adelaide tilted her head, her expression a mix of boredom and disdain. "Yeah. So what if it's me?" she replied condescendingly, crossing her arms as if daring him to push further.

Before Visconti could retort, Enu quickly stepped in, raising his hands in a gesture of peace. "Hey, hey, Visconti. Don't get into a fight with a Royal."

The table froze, every set of eyes snapping toward Adelaide in surprise..

"Wait... Royal?" Kieran blurted, his fork clattering onto his plate.

Everyone at the table turned to stare at Adelaide, who smirked, clearly enjoying the reaction.

Kieran, always the quickest to voice his thoughts, pointed a finger at her. "You're from the Acalusia family?"

Adelaide's smirk widened. "And what if I am?"

The table fell silent.

The Acalusia family—the Royals. The name carried a weight unlike known as the strongest among the Great 17 Families, they were the only ones given the honorary title of "Royals".

Unlike most noble families that emphasizes the importance of bloodline, the Acalusia family values talent above all else. The family has produced countless great warriors.

Visconti leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable but his tone laced with skepticism. "The Acalusia family values talent above all else, right? Makes sense they'd pick someone with an attitude like yours."

Adelaide's eyes narrowed slightly, though her smirk didn't falter. "And the Zenon family values... what, exactly? Collecting snakes?"

Visconti's jaw clenched, and Kieran quickly jumped in to defuse the tension. "Alright, alright, let's not turn this table into a battlefield. We're all friends here, right?"

"I wouldn't go that far," Adelaide said, her tone cool.

Elijah was the first to recover, his voice quiet but awed. "The Acalusia family only chooses one member every century…"

Kieran was practically vibrating with questions. "The Acalusia family?! The strongest warriors? The strictest rules? The ones who only pick one member every 100 years? That Acalusia family?"

"Do you know of another?" Adelaide replied, her tone flat but biting.

Kieran leaned forward, his excitement bubbling over. "So you're the Princess of the Acalusia family? That's insane!"

Adelaide's expression didn't change, but there was a glint of pride in her eyes. "That's correct."

Visconti snorted, clearly unimpressed. "Princess or not, that doesn't give you an excuse to act like you're better than everyone else."

"Better than you?" Adelaide countered smoothly, her tone sharp. "Absolutely."

Kieran looked at her in awe. "That's insane. You must've been chosen because you're insanely talented."

Adelaide's expression didn't change, but there was a flicker of something—pride? Amusement? It was hard to tell. "The family doesn't waste time on the unworthy."

Meanwhile, Enu, who had been watching the exchange with growing unease, finally said, "Uh, maybe we should change the topic. This is starting to feel like a history lecture."

Hanz chuckled softly, breaking the tension a bit. "Yeah, let's not scare the cadets sitting nearby. They look like they're about to faint hearing all this."

Before Visconti could retort, Kieran leaned forward eagerly. "Wait, wait! What's it like being part of the Acalusia family? Is it true that Atlas Acalusia never ages? And that he once took down a level 10 Esper on his own when he was twenty?"

Adelaide raised an eyebrow at the barrage of questions. "I'm not here to tell bedtime stories."

Kieran pouted. "Come on, just one cool story! Please?"

Adelaide ignored him and turned her attention to her food.

Meanwhile, Enu was looking between Adelaide and Annis, his curiosity barely contained.

"So, uh…" Enu began, glancing at Annis and then at Adelaide. "You two know each other?"

Annis, who had been silently picking at her meal, stiffened slightly. Adelaide, on the other hand, didn't miss a beat. "Of course."

Her tone was cool, but it carried weight. The table fell silent again, the tension thickening.

Kieran, sensing the unease but not understanding it, tried to lighten the mood. "Well, this is awkward. Someone say something funny before I choke on this air!"

"Maybe choke quietly," Visconti said dryly, earning a glare from Kieran.

Elijah's sharp eyes darted between Adelaide and Annis.

'There's something going on here,' he thought, noting how both girls avoided looking at each other.

He decided not to press—at least not yet.

"Anyway," Laurent chimed in, breaking the silence, "You Royals must have some serious expectations to live up to, huh?"

Adelaide didn't respond immediately, her gaze distant. Finally, she said, "It's not as glamorous as you think."

That simple statement left the table quiet again, everyone unsure how to respond.

"Well," Kieran finally said, trying to bring back some levity, "At least you don't have to do patrols anymore!"

Elijah frowned slightly, trying to wrap his head around it. "So, no one in your family is related to the head, Atlas Acalusia?"

Adelaide glanced at him, her gaze sharp but not unkind. "Correct. The Acalusia family believes bloodlines are irrelevant. Talent is what matters. The head of our family, Atlas Acalusia, is the strongest mage alive, and none of us share his blood. Our worth is determined by our skill and discipline, nothing more."

Annis, who had been silent up until now, crossed her arms and gave Adelaide a sidelong glance. "Yeah, and they don't even care about bloodlines if it's useless. They only take the most talented."

"And they can't have kids, right?" Kieran added, pointing his fork at Adelaide. "It's, like, one of their rules or something?"

"Correct," Adelaide said coolly, clearly unfazed by the attention. "Our family doesn't need messy bloodlines. We're chosen for our abilities, not who we're related to."

Elijah couldn't help but marvel at the strictness of such a system.