Michael lay in bed staring at the ceiling some time later, his discussion with Melody still fresh in his mind. There was a sense of helplessness that tugged at his psyche, but his mood was not too grim.
The fact that Melody had opened up to him was a huge stride forward in their relationship—changing the dynamic significantly. If before he was just a butler whom the young miss was comfortable around, now it felt like they were really partners.
Definitely not the kind of partners that they were portraying, but more of a friendly basis.
To think Mary was the King’s sister... Michael sighed in his heart, feeling some trepidation.
Suddenly, all of the attention from the young nobles in the academy seemed to make sense—as well as Melody’s relationship with Magnus. They were indeed cousins by blood—since the young man was the second prince.
But this brought to light many more questions. Just who was Brian Winterborne? And how did he manage to acquire the hand of the King’s sister?
As just a lord of a city, there was no way he had the status to marry anyone from the royal family—even if it was just the sister of king who held little to no power.
So while he had more of an understanding of the landscape, he was still missing a few key points. But for now, this was enough information.
All the noble families who were vying for Melody’s hand clearly wanted ties to the royal family. Since it was still tradition for the woman to marry into the man’s family, their goal was evident.
At least I know why she’s so popular, not that it changes much, he thought in exasperation. I’ll still have to deal with idiots like Braydon Marbury.
But Michael’s mood improved a few moments later. If he could set himself apart in class, he might be able to deal with the lower level nobles without having to lift a finger—leaving only the big fish.
Sure it would be difficult, but Michael loved magic. Not only had he been tutored by Charles for the past three years, but he’d also done so alongside Melody, a prodigy in mana manipulation.
Even she had begrudgingly agreed he held some talent.
For the first time since he could remember, Michael felt a burgeoning confidence about his talents. Not only had he secured his place in the violet dorms alongside Melody and Rudy—Professor Stark’s assessment during the entrance exam told him that his potential was not yet spent.
As someone who had been labeled as useless for majority of his life, it was both a shock and relief. After all, ever since joining the Winterborne household, he’d been worried that his soul was at its limit—that he would not improve past the red rings.
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I should probably get some sleep, Michael commented inwardly, letting out a yawn.
Sleep came swiftly for the boy who was both mentally and physically drained from the long and arduous day.
"Good mornin’ sunshine~"
Michael rubbed his eyes, stirring from his deep sleep. The familiar call caused his mind to lag as he sat up slowly and deliberately.
"Shirley?" he asked groggily.
"Huh? Who is that?" a clearly male voice replied with confusion.
Michael blinked away his blurry vision, only to see Rudy’s face just a foot away from his own—sitting on the side of his bed.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Not much," Rudy replied with a shrug, "I used to wake up my little brothers and sisters back home."
Even in his half-asleep state, Michael could see the pain behind the guy’s expression—softening his irritation slightly. With a small sigh, he pat the guy on the shoulder and swung his legs off the bed.
"Are you up for breakfast? Or are you still full from last night?" Michael added, his tone slightly teasing.
Rudy let out a small laugh and rubbed his stomach with a grin, "I’ve always got room for more food."
"Good. Our first class starts starts at nine, we don’t have much time," Michael said, searching for his uniform from last night.
"Who is Shirley by the way?" Rudy asked with a slight undertone.
Michael would have had to be stupid to not catch his insinuation, however, he didn’t hesitate to respond. "She’s someone very special to me," he replied, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he reminisced.
"I guess you could say she’s like the big sister I never had." He added, fixing his belt.
Instead of quipping back, Rudy nodded gently, "She sounds wonderful..."
Michael turned and saw his friend staring off to the side of the room, his gaze unfocused. Realizing that Rudy was probably reminiscing about his own siblings, he walked over and gave the guy a nudge, "let’s go, I’m starving."
When they walked out of their room, Melody’s door was closed. If they were back at the Winterborne manor, Michael would have already woken her up—delivering some tea and sweets for breakfast.
But that part of his life was done now.
"Michael?" Rudy asked, "Are you going to wake your girl?"
"No, I’ll let her sleep in." He replied, lingering for only a moment. After last night’s discussion, he felt a lot closer to Melody—especially since they’d both agreed on each other’s roles from now on.
They’d continue to act like a couple in public, and Melody would provide information on those who would actively try to stir trouble—identifying the major players in the noble circle.
Since they were at the prestigious Arcadia, practically everyone had noble ties, whether through direct lineage, or recruited. It would be far too tiresome to research every individual student in the academy.
For now, only Braydon Marbury and Randolph Bishop were the ones who had taken the bait so far. But there would be others—of that he was certain.
Speaking of Braydon... I hope we don’t bump into him this morning. Michael let out a small sigh, feeling a headache coming on.
It was one thing planning, but executing their plan was another thing entirely. But one thing remained certain, Michael needed to get stronger. After all, who knew what kind of lengths these young scions would go to in order to secure ties to the royal family?