Strange Student (1)

Seated on a plush red cushion, the carriage rocked gently with the rhythm of the horses' strides.

The journey wasn't long before it came to a gradual halt.

A gentle hand opened the door, revealing a passenger within.

When she stepped out, her polished leather shoes met the cold cobblestone—a sensation unfamiliar to her refined upbringing.

The breeze swept through her golden hair, tugging at its neat curls as she adjusted her blue uniform. A quick brush removed an errant speck of dust from the pleats of her skirt.

Lifting her gaze, her emerald eyes settled on the modest marble gate ahead.

"White Tower Academy."

Students in identical uniforms bustled around, not sparing her a glance.

For once, she didn't mind.

Today marked a fresh start, a chance to be recognized not by her noble title as the third princess of the Fleur Empire.

From this day on, she would be known simply as:

Victoria Elizabeth De Fleur.

Here, nobles and commoners mingled as equals. The hierarchy was replaced by meritocracy, with talent and genius being the only true distinctions.

She wandered the campus until she arrived at the designated spot:

The Academy's Announcement Hall.

Excitement buzzed through the crowd.

Who wouldn't be excited? White Tower Academy was the most prestigious school, one even foreign royals sought admission to.

If not for Victoria's relentless hard work and dedication, she doubted she would have secured a spot—even in the lowest class.

Her heart pounded as she scanned the seating chart.

"47B."

When she finally reached her seat, Victoria's steps faltered.

A young man was already there, slumped forward with his arms crossed, a thin line of drool dripping from his chin.

He had messy blue hair tied in a loose ponytail. And his iron ID badge caught her attention.

[Elijah Noe Shaharazad. Class F.]

'Class F? Is this how lower-ranking students behave? So… laidback?'

She glanced down at her own badge: Class B.

Realizing how rude her own thoughts sounded, Victoria mentally scolded herself.

How dare she judge someone by their class ranking? Shame burned in her chest.

Taking a breath, she nudged his shoulder lightly in an attempt to wake him.

"Excuse me…?"

No response.

She tried again, this time with more insistence.

"Um… hey?"

He snored in response.

Her patience wore thin, a vein popped on her forehead.

She inhaled deeply as her voice rose.

"Hey! I said wake up!"

This time, Elijah stirred, blinking groggily as he lifted his head.

Not only him, but the commotion drew the room's attention. Whispers rippled through the hall.

"Isn't that the princess of the Fleur Empire?"

"Whoa… bullying a commoner already?"

"Tsk, tsk. Should we report this?"

This… was not what she intended. Yep. Great start.

Taking a steadying breath, she turned her attention back to the sleepy student, Elijah Noe.

"Look," Victoria began, trying to explain herself. "There must be a misunderstanding… but I just wanted to tell you that this is my seat—"

"Pfft…"

Her words halted as Elijah stifled a laugh.

She ignored it and continued. "So, would you mind—"

"Pft… aha… ahahaha!"

Alas, Elijah didn't even let her finish as his weak attempts to hold back failed miserably. He burst into open laughter, clutching his stomach tightly.

Of course, she was offended.

Victoria's eye twitched in irritation. "Hey! Stop laughing, would you?!"

The strange blue-haired student waved a hand in surrender, struggling to compose himself.

"My bad, my bad…" He stifled another chuckle, pointing vaguely at her. "It's just… there's something over your head."

Victoria's brows furrowed, and her hand instinctively flew to her hair.

"My head?" She patted it, searching for anything amiss. Her braids were intact, weren't they? Nothing strange had landed there.

After a few fruitless attempts, she glared at him. "What's on my head?"

Elijah simply smiled and replied, "Oh right, I forgot. You can't see it."

'Can't see what?!' Her confusion only seemed to amuse him further. At this point, Victoria assumed one thing. 'Is this some kind of joke calling me dumb?!'

'How rude!'

****

Before coming to the White Tower Academy, Victoria had done her research thoroughly.

She had scoured every available resource on academy life—from rules and etiquette to tips on blending in with her peers.

Why? Because she wanted to enjoy her time here like any other normal student.

In one of her rare moments of free time, she had even studied guides on making friends.

After all, if she was going to survive five years in this academy, building connections was essential.

And if she was going to do it, she would do it perfectly.

That included befriending the person sitting beside her.

Who also happened to be the baron, unfortunately, she just realized after examining his surname once more.

Shaharazad Household.

Seated at her desk, Victoria fidgeted with her fingers, glancing briefly at the stage.

Her mind wondered what kind of family the Shaharazad household, knowing they remained neutral to every politics.

Perhaps, she can ask him.

The ceremony had been going on for thirty-five minutes, and the headmaster was still droning on about basic rules and expectations.

Victoria tried to focus, but her mind kept wandering.

Nothing the headmaster said was new or particularly riveting, and her attention repeatedly shifted to the person beside her.

Elijah, who was snoring loudly, was completely unbothered by the formal setting.

He was… incredible. Not in a good way, though.

How could someone sleep so soundly in such an important event? Wouldn't he get detention for misbehavior?

Victoria pressed her lips into a thin line. Ever since she'd confronted him about stealing her seat, he had surprised her.

Instead of being stubborn or difficult, he had moved without complaint to his assigned seat—which, ironically, was right next to hers.

She had been bracing for confrontation, but he turned out to be unexpectedly… nice.

And now, guilt pricked at her for raising her voice earlier.

Summoning her courage, she leaned over and tapped his shoulder lightly.

This time, Elijah woke up almost immediately, blinking blearily at her.

"Hm… what?"

Victoria coughed, straightening herself before speaking softly.

"Wanna talk instead? I'm getting bored."

For a moment, he stared at her, his dark blue eyes unreadable.

Then, in a flat voice, he replied:

"No. I'm going back to sleep."

And just like that, he closed his eyes again, leaving Victoria speechless.

"Y-you're actually going to sleep again?!"

"Zzz…"

"Oh, come on!"

As if sensing her distress, Elijah cracked open an eye and sighed.

"Fine. What do you wanna talk about?"

"Uh…" Victoria pondered before replying, "What do you plan to do after—"

"Boring."

"I'm actually trying to start a proper conversation!"

"Students in the back," the headmaster's voice suddenly rang out, addressing their direction. "Get out."

"Oh crap…" The two muttered in unison.

"This is definitely your fault princess..."