The lunch break in the scholarship dormitory passed peacefully until the ticking of the clock on the wall jolted Aryosha out of his reverie.
The neatly uniformed teenager glanced at the clock, his face immediately turning pale.
“Y-Young Master…
break time is almost over.
We have to get back to class soon, or we’ll be punished for being late,” Aryosha squeaked in a panicked tone, hurriedly straightening the collar of his uniform and combing his hair with his fingers.
On the single bed, Lucien, who was enjoying the ultimate level of comfort, lying perfectly still, immediately frowned.
He snorted softly, deeply disturbed.
“Almost finished?” Lucien muttered lazily.
He glanced at Zeonly, who was still sitting quietly on the wooden chair.
“Master Zeonly, please take care of the rest.
Just tell the teacher in the next class that I’m sick and resting in the infirmary or something.” Zeonly nodded slowly, considering the suggestion.
“The blood coughing incident this afternoon was indeed a strong enough excuse to warrant a sick leave.
But…” Zeonly stared at Lucien sharply, “Those people you’re avoiding would surely be desperately searching for you all over the academy.
Especially Prince Seilas and your brother.
Their identities are unusual, and if they continue to circle this area, it would only bring danger and trouble to Aryosha.” Lucien paused for a moment.
The thought was valid.
If he continued to hide here for the sake of his ego and laziness, those noisy people might drag Aryosha into the disgusting maelstrom of noble troubles.
There was no way he could stay in someone else’s room forever.
With a sour face and a muffled grumble, Lucien finally got up from the bed.
“Damn it.
I have no choice but to go back to the lion’s den.” However, before he could leave the small room, a brilliant idea crossed Lucien’s mind.
He turned to look at Aryosha and the small table in the corner.
“Listen, Aryosha,” Lucien said seriously, pointing to the room.
“Starting today, this room is officially my secret base.
Every lunch break, I’ll come here to sleep.” Aryosha choked on his own saliva, his eyes wide open.
“Huh?!
A secret base?!
Young Master, this is my scholarship dorm room!
Why is my room being used as a base?!” Before Aryosha could protest further, Master Zeonly stood up from his chair with his eyes sparkling with interest.
“Very interesting idea.
For the same reason, I would also make this room my place to relax.” Lucien turned quickly, glaring at the Grand Mage.
“Huh?
Don’t get involved!
Find another place!
Why are you using my base as yours too?!” “As a fellow person who longs for a break from the monotony of routine, this room was an efficient meeting point,” Zeonly replied without the slightest trace of guilt.
“Efficient, you say?!
A room this small, with the three of us in it, felt like being put in a cage!” Lucien protested fiercely.
Aryosha, standing near the door, was now nearly unconscious.
He stared at Lucien, who had dared to yell at a Grand Mage, and then at the Grand Mage, who had casually taken over his modest scholarship room and used it as a private hangout.
‘Am I experiencing a mass hallucination today?’ Aryosha thought miserably.
Ignoring Lucien’s further protests or Aryosha’s shock, the three of them finally decided to leave the room and walked side by side towards the main classroom building of the first-year students.
As soon as the bell for the next lesson rang, Lucien stepped into the classroom with a half-dead lazy gait.
Followed by Aryosha, who walked behind him.
The previously lively atmosphere in the classroom suddenly turned silent in less than a second.
Dozens of pairs of eyes stared toward the front door.
Lucien stood there with a blank expression on his face, his skin still retaining a pale hue, and his uniform still bearing blood stains from the incident earlier that morning.
The entire first-year class was immediately struck by a wave of guilt and amazement.
In their minds, Lucien was a high-ranking figure who should have been resting in his family mansion or at least hospitalized in the infirmary after coughing up blood profusely.
But what was he doing now?
With a body that looked frail and on the verge of collapse, the white-haired teenager still forced himself to attend class to pursue his education!
What a touching dedication!
“Young Master Lucien…” whispered one of the students, his eyes glistening with admiration.
“He truly is an exemplary student…
even when his health is failing, he still remembers his obligation to study…” Lucien, unaware of what was going through his classmates’ minds, felt uneasy at the looks of pity and admiration directed at him.
He quickly walked to his seat and dropped his head onto the table.
Meanwhile, Zeonly, who happened to be monitoring the class, nodded in admiration.
‘Amazing,’ Zeonly thought appreciatively.
‘That kid could have slept all he wanted in his luxurious private dormitory, but he chose to go to class because he didn’t want to waste time…
or maybe because he was too lazy to go all the way to his own room.
What an unreadable mindset.’ In fact, Lucien’s real reason was very simple: besides not wanting to bother Aryosha, Lucien was afraid that his secret base in the scholarship dormitory would be exposed if he continued to hide there while people were looking for him.
It was better to suffer in class than to lose his secret resting place.
Time passed so slowly for Lucien, until finally the bell signaling the end of school rang loudly throughout the academy.
The students poured out of the classroom with beaming faces.
Lucien packed his bag in slow motion, savoring the last seconds before he had to return to reality.
With unsteady steps and eyes half-closed from sleepiness, he walked down the main corridor towards the exit of the academy building.
His thoughts had already drifted to his bed in the dormitory—imagining twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep.
However, as soon as Lucien stepped out through the main doors of the academy building, his dreams were shattered into pieces.
Right in the outer courtyard, three figures stood, blocking his path.
Reichardt stood with a panicked and anxious expression, Prince Seilas held a tense posture with his eyes gleaming with obsession, and Rose stood beside them, wringing her hands in worry.
Lucien stopped in his tracks suddenly.
His blood seemed to stop flowing, and he immediately cursed loudly in his heart.
‘Damn it.
Can they just leave me alone for one day?!’ He’d completely forgotten.
Amidst all the drama and plans for his new base, he’d forgotten that the academy’s loudest bunch had been waiting for him since class ended.