You've probably had Geography classes before. You probably know that there are exactly 195 countries in the world, spread across the seven continents.
But that's a lie.
There's one more you were never told about.
In fact, its existence is a closely guarded secret among the leaders of powerful nations. It's a place even more secretive and isolated than North Korea.
This country is called Laurelian. An island its citizens believe lies somewhere near the western edge of Europe.
But how come it's not on any map? Why can't it be seen from the sky?
I'll tell you.
Our country is magical.
Well– to be precise, one person is. The man who's supposed to lead us to greatness. Or something like that.
Our ruler, King Sora.
He's a vicious, oppressive tyrant who somehow has magic, and has apparently lived for hundreds of years despite appearing young. King Sora is the one who uses his powers to hide Laurelian from the world.
Now, in 2025 we–
'NADINE!'
A voice snapped her back to reality.
'STOP DAYDREAMING AND DO YOUR WORK!'
'Huh?! What? Oh, I'm so sorry, Mrs Jain! It won't happen again, I swear!' Nadine yelped.
She'd been mentally composing the letter she would send to an outsider living in a free country, if she were ever given the chance. Getting yelled at instantly made her feel guilty, even though thinking wasn't a crime.
I hate this class, Nadine grumbled internally. Ugh! What did I do to get Jain? She's such a bitch for no reason. And everyone knows she reports EVERY TINY THING to the higher-ups.
This time I bet she'll say I've been plotting a revolution instead of doing my Politics work.
'You'd better be sorry, young lady. You know what happens if you're not on your best behaviour here. The government will find out, and they'll come and have you thrown in jail. Or maybe even have you killed! I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they do…'
Jain smirked as she walked off, probably to terrorise the next student in her path. Nadine rolled her eyes once she was sure Jain's back was turned.
Jain loved to exaggerate what happened to 'misbehaving' students.
There were some who felt despair when they became a teacher. Some tried to make the best of what they had.
But Jain?
She thrived on it. The ability to wield even the smallest power over others– to make their lives miserable just for her own entertainment.
Maybe it was her way of coping with reality, but that didn't make it excusable. She always picked favourites, targeted those she didn't like, and tormented them in little, quiet ways.
There was even a rumour that two former students had been executed because of something she wrote in her reports to the government. It probably wasn't true, but nobody wanted to test it.
Man, Nadine thought, if those rumours aren't actually bullshit, I'm gonna need to give my friends my will and my pre-death death certificate.
Nadine Ayna, January 19th, 2007 to whatever-today's-date is. Was beheaded at age 18 for silently conspiring to overthrow the King. She shall be forever hated for trying to bring down our glorious kingdom.
Suddenly, the bell rang, jolting her from her thoughts.
'Alright, class!' Jain barked. 'All your remaining work will be finished at home. I'm checking first thing Monday, so it better be ready. Especially you, Nadine. Now get out of my sight, brats.'
Nadine turned red from being singled out, but was relieved to finally be done with Friday's boring classes– especially Politics. She gathered up her things and hurried out.
As she made her way through the hallway, she expected to hear the usual lively conversations bouncing off the walls.
But today, all she heard was excited whispers.
Eh, whatever. Maybe someone got in trouble. Who knows, who cares? Jain's Politics of Laurelian is so mind numbing.
If I'd had a different class before, maybe I'd have the energy to investigate. But having Jain go on and on about how great Sora and his stupid restrictive system is– AND having to finish a thousand word essay on it over the weekend– really does a number on your will to live.
Ugh, if Mr Sojel wasn't my teacher for History of Laurelian, I might've just skipped next class. Okay, maybe I wouldn't. But still!
She finally arrived at the eastern courtyard where she and her friends usually hung out. It was like a mini park: trees dotting the space, a little pond, and a bunch of tables spread under shady spots. The open sky above made it feel peaceful.
She paused to look around, expecting to be the first one there like always. But this time, she wasn't.
'Nadine! Get over here, we've got MAJOR news to share! If you haven't heard yet, of course!' Kaylie called out.
She didn't wait for Nadine to sit down, or even reply, before launching into it.
'There's gonna be a new kid coming to our school!! This has never happened before. Like, I didn't even know it possible for anyone to transfer schools. I bet one of their parents is some high-ranking official who pulled strings for them. Should we become friends with them if they're in our year?'
'Wait. Hold up. There's a new kid coming?' Nadine repeated.
'That's right,' Kaylie nodded.
Huh. Well, that's odd.
There wasn't a single person in their school who hadn't been going there since the beginning of their sixth year.
The reason the news was such a surprise was Laurelian Law, Section 13 of the School System, Clause 5: Students are not allowed to change schools, except when transitioning from primary to secondary.
For a new student to join after the beginning of the school year, they would've needed approval from a third-tier official– someone working directly under the King's second-in-command, Kieran Bennett, himself.
Only people with that kind of influence could get around that law.
'Damn. Must be some big-shot's kid,' Nadine muttered. 'I don't wanna get involved with someone like that. What if they're a snobby brat who wants to watch the world burn?'
She looked at her friends.
'If you guys are still aiming for a job in the palace, you might wanna keep to yourselves. It's been a little over eleven years, you just need to do it for one more. Getting into trouble with a powerful person's kid won't look too good on your profiles.'
Kaylie and Dan looked at each other.
'And– and… things might escalate and you might have your head chopped off!' Nadine added dramatically.
'Uh, Nadine? Chill! What's up with you?' Dan asked, concerned.
'Oh… sorry. Got a bit worked up. I had Politics last, and learning about how I'm going to forever be a slave to the system kinda wrecked my mood.' She sighed. 'And hearing about how every criminal gets executed, even for something small like pissing off someone important… It's terrifying. I know we've been taught this since first year, but the way Jain talks about it makes it feel, y'know, real.'
Once again, Kaylie and Dan exchanged glances like they were having a silent conversation.
The breeze picked up slightly, breaking the moment.
'Mm, I know how you feel. She's the worst. And she's just so smug about it,' Kaylie said. 'But thinking about it won't change anything.'
She brightened. 'Let's talk about something actually fun! The usual question: if you were King, what's the first thing you would do? I'll go first. I'd open up Laurelian to the world. Then I'd go travelling, visit other countries, and learn their languages. See how they live. You know how I've always wanted to go to France,' Kaylie finished.
It was one of their favourite topics. While Kaylie always had the same answer, Dan and Nadine constantly changed theirs, which sparked many debates over the years.
'I'd go visit the western side of the island. I've always wanted to know why it's forbidden. Bet there's a secret holiday village they're keeping to themselves over there. Oh, and I'd have a beach named after me. Dan Beach!'
He grinned. Dan was obsessed with the beach. Their school was a few kilometres away from the ocean, and you could see it from the top floor.
Dan loved staring at it with a dramatic expression.
He often joked that the whole reason he wanted to work in the palace was for the exclusive benefit of actually getting to swim in the ocean, instead being blocked by the barrier of the law that kept anyone else from getting even close. He often called his dream a metaphor for freedom.
It was kind of funny how much he wanted it. Nadine didn't really get the hype– but hey, to him, the beach was the most wonderful thing in the world. To each their own.
'Okay, Mr The-Pool's-Not-Good-Enough. Nadine, how 'bout you? I know you have a hundred ideas for this stored in your genius scheming brain,' Kaylie teased.
'I'm not scheming! I'm just veeeery creative with my ideas, hehe. Alright, this time, I choose to liberate the people! No more lives planned out for them since birth. No more 'Sora this, Laurelian that!' Or– I could go conquer the world. Then give everyone true freedom. And I'd toss corrupt politicians in jail and throw away the key.'
She sat up straighter, becoming more animated. 'I was seriously shocked when we learned that in other countries multiple people can have power. And that most of them abuse it for money! And more power! Like come on. Your citizens need you to be a good leader before everything else. Earth doesn't need a bunch of greedy motherfuckers in charge.'
'Pfft, look who's fired up. You go, girl.'
'Hahaha! Evildoers beware. Your righteous king is coming for you! Rahhh!' Nadine whipped out a ruler from her bag and started whacking Kaylie on the head with it, roughing up her already messy red hair.
This is why I love them, Nadine thought. I was feeling pretty down a few minutes ago, and now everything's all sunshine and rainbows again. Forget the future– I just want to focus on the here and now.
'Ow! Why're you so strong?' Kaylie laughed so hard her words came out in wheezes. But Nadine only hit her harder, setting off another wave of giggles.
'Agh! Aah! Noooo, I'm gonna get you for this. Dan, help!' she cried, ducking behind him. He just looked back at her with a smirk.
'Kaylie, you chose to risk this path when you brought up what we'd do as King. This always happens when you get her too excited,' he said.
'Bastard! I'll have my revenge. I'LL HAVE IT!'
The bell rang. Kaylie snatched her bag off the ground and bolted toward the main building.
'Welp, she's gone. Whatcha got now? Dan asked. 'I've got Math, if you were wondering.'
'Yikes. Math last thing on a Friday? That sucks. I've got History of Laurelian. Not the worst thing to end with.'
'Oh, come on. I swear you always have interesting classes when I ask. Anyway, my classroom's on the other side of the school. Better get a move on, or I'll get 'late to everything' slapped on my profile. Seeya!'
He jumped up and hurried to the building.
Nadine sighed. She got up and began walking. Luckily for her, her classroom was close to the eastern courtyard, so she could take her time. As she made her way down the hallway, the whispers floated past her again.
Now that she was in a better mood, the gossip actually piqued her interest.
'...So I heard the new kid's a boy in twelfth year.'
'Haha, nice. Hope he's hot.'
'When's he coming?'
'Monday.'
The rest of the chatter was about the same. Half truths, maybe less. Nadine even heard one boy saying the kid was Kieran Bennett's son– or at least a close relative.
Pfft. That's gotta be fake news. If the kid's got ties like that, he'd go to a better school than this, even if this one is the closest to the palace.