Claire had expected Lady Vivienne Beaumont to be... intimidating.
Not because she’d ever met her before.
She hadn’t.
But growing up in one of the country’s wealthiest business families meant attending enough charity galas, foundation dinners, and social functions to hear the names of the great noble houses mentioned time and time again.
House Ashford.
House Beaumont.
House Blackwood.
Claire herself never paid much attention to aristocratic family trees.
Her mother certainly did.
"Old noble families carry themselves differently," her mother would often say whenever they returned from another charity gala. "They’re elegant, refined... and sometimes a little difficult to approach."
So when Claire learned that her assigned roommate was Lady Vivienne Beaumont herself, she had quietly prepared for a year of perfect etiquette, careful conversations, and polite distance.
Instead...
Vivienne spent nearly five minutes deciding where a flower vase looked nicest.
Thanked the residence staff who brought up their luggage.
Laughed without restraint whenever something amused her.
And somehow managed to make Room 314 feel warm and comfortable within a single afternoon.
It was...
Unexpected.
Claire glanced across the room where Vivienne was carefully arranging the last few books on her shelf.
"...Can I tell you something?"
Vivienne looked over her shoulder and smiled.
"Of course."
Claire laughed sheepishly.
"I hope this doesn’t sound rude."
"I don’t think it will."
Claire hesitated for another second before speaking.
"I always imagined a duke’s daughter would be... different."
Vivienne blinked.
"...Different?"
"A little more..."
Claire searched for the right word.
"...Difficult to talk to."
Vivienne stared at her for a heartbeat before laughing softly.
"Oh."
"So that’s what you’ve been worried about."
Claire scratched the back of her neck, looking slightly embarrassed.
"...A little."
Vivienne closed the drawer she had been organizing and leaned casually against it.
"In my experience..."
She smiled thoughtfully.
"People are just people."
Claire tilted her head.
Vivienne continued.
"Some are kind."
"Some aren’t."
"I don’t think titles or money really decide that."
The words came naturally.
Perhaps because, in another life, she’d attended enough charity galas and business dinners to know that wealth looked remarkably similar no matter what world one lived in.
Some old aristocratic families had looked down on everyone around them.
Some billionaire families behaved exactly the same way.
Others, regardless of status, had been wonderfully kind.
Changing worlds hadn’t changed that.
Only the titles were different.
Claire studied her quietly before a smile slowly spread across her face.
"...I like that answer."
Vivienne smiled back.
"I’m glad."
The last trace of awkwardness between them seemed to disappear.
Claire suddenly laughed.
"Actually..."
"There was another reason I thought I recognized your name."
Vivienne raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"My older brother met you once."
"He did?"
Claire nodded enthusiastically.
"Our parents attended a charity gala a few years ago. He came home insisting Lady Vivienne Beaumont was the prettiest young lady in the ballroom."
Vivienne immediately covered her face with one hand.
"Oh dear..."
Claire couldn’t help laughing.
"Don’t worry."
"It only lasted about a month."
"Only?"
"He declared he was going to marry you."
Vivienne laughed so hard she nearly dropped the book she was holding.
"And then?"
"Mother reminded him you were already engaged."
Vivienne blinked.
"...That must have been disappointing."
Claire grinned.
"For about three days."
"Then he discovered a movie actress and forgot all about it."
The two girls burst into laughter.
When the laughter subsided, Claire sat on the edge of her bed.
"My family isn’t part of the nobility," she said. "My father built the Whitmore Group from the ground up, so business has always been the center of our lives. Mother enjoys high society much more than the rest of us do. She’s the one who actually remembers which noble family is which."
Vivienne nodded knowingly.
"So that explains earlier."
Claire blinked.
"Earlier?"
"When you said your mother knew the noble families better than you did."
Claire laughed.
"Exactly."
"I honestly couldn’t tell one family crest from another."
Vivienne smiled.
"I think that’s rather refreshing."
Claire looked at her curiously.
"You really don’t mind?"
"Why would I?"
"I don’t know..."
Claire admitted with a sheepish laugh.
"I thought a duke’s daughter might prefer spending time with other nobles."
Vivienne shook her head.
"I prefer spending time with people I enjoy."
Claire smiled.
"...I’m really glad we’re roommates."
"So am I."
A comfortable silence settled over the room.
Outside, the afternoon sun bathed the university grounds in warm gold, while cheerful voices drifted in through the open window.
Claire stretched before suddenly hopping to her feet.
"We’ve been inside for hours."
Vivienne glanced toward the window.
She was right.
The weather was far too beautiful to waste indoors.
Claire smiled brightly.
"Come on."
"My brother always said the best way to learn St. Albion was to get lost in it at least once."
Vivienne laughed as she picked up her light cardigan.
"I’ve already managed that in the morning."
"Perfect."
Claire looped her arm through Vivienne’s with an easy familiarity that surprised them both.
"Now we’ll call it exploring."
Laughing together, the two girls left Room 314, ready to discover the campus that would become their home over the next four years.