Chapter 212
Felix
The same trip. But different.
Same crooked road leading into the old valley. Same crumbling temple stones beneath the moss. Same excited, gravel-voiced professor gesturing wildly with his hands while trying to keep everyone's attention focused on some long-dead noble's mural.
But for me?
Everything's changed.
I'm no longer standing in the front of the group, squinting through sweat as I try to hear every word. I'm not jostling for space with other lower-class students or fighting for a patch of shade beneath a withering tree.
No. This time, I'm seated at the back. On an actual foldout chair. Under a massive parasol held by a personal attendant whose only job is to follow my shadow.
A small table beside me holds a tray of chilled fruit and sparkling mineral water so expensive, it might as well have been drawn from the tears of some sacred beast.
It's surreal.
