**Chapter 1B: The Stranger in Frost Colors**
Rin offered no reply.
Felix sighed, the sound heavy with weariness. “Come. Let us retire to my study. Alfons, Albert—you as well.”
The study was a smaller chamber paneled in dark oak, warmed by a brazier of enchanted coals that burned without smoke. Shelves groaned beneath the weight of ancient tomes, grimoires bound in dragonhide, and scrolls sealed with the runes that of protection. A massive desk dominated the room, its surface scattered with maps of the borderlands and reports.
The door closed with a solid *thunk*.
Felix seated himself behind the desk, gesturing for the others to sit. Rin remained standing, her hands clasped behind her back.
“There is little that can be done to change what has passed,” Felix began. “Your mother—Lady Lilian—will need time to adjust. She has raised Lily as her own since infancy. This… revelation is painful for her. it affects everyone.”
He looked at Rin directly. “You will register at the Royal Arcane Academy as a commoner, for now. I will send word to the dean and to the masters. You are a Frost by blood; you will receive every privilege due to my daughter. But discretion is necessary. Rumors could harm the family’s standing.”
He turned to his sons. “Alfons, Albert. You will look after her. She will need guidance in navigating the Academy and… our world.” He emphasize as the former life Rin lives is different from the present.
Alfons inclined his head. “Of course, Father.”
Albert merely raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk playing at his lips.
Felix’s gaze returned to Rin. “I would ask you to be patient with your mother. She has known only Lily as her daughter for fourteen years.”
Rin nodded once, a small, careful motion.
“You are welcome to live here,” Felix continued. “The estate is not far from the Academy—a half-day’s ride, less if you take the griffin post. You may travel back and forth.”
“No,” Rin said quietly. Her voice was low, steady, carrying the faintest trace of an accent from the borderlands. “I plan to stay in the Academy dormitories.”
Felix’s brow furrowed. “You need not exile yourself. This is your home.” He wanted to get to know his estranged daughter.
“It is not,” Rin replied, without heat or anger. “Not yet. Perhaps not ever. I have made my arrangements. I will remain at the Academy.”
Silence fell. Alfons watched her with renewed interest. Albert’s smirk faded into something closer to respect.
The siblings did not expect that she would stand her ground, able to face their father without fear despite living like a subordinate.
Felix exhaled slowly. “Very well. If that is your wish.”
He rose, signaling the end of the audience. “You will be provided with suitable clothing, supplies, and coin for your needs. The Academy term begins in three days. Until then, you may rest here or return to your lodgings in the city. The choice is yours.”
Rin inclined her head slightly. “Thank you.”
As she turned to leave, Albert spoke for the first time.
“Rin,” he said, his tone light but probing. “You’ve lived all these years without a name, without a house. What *did* you do out there?”
Rin paused at the door, her hand on the latch.
“I survived,” she said simply.
Then she stepped into the corridor and was gone.