The Royal Academy of Helio stood proud on a hill overlooking the capital its white towers glimmering like ivory against the early spring sun.
It was the pride of nobles and scholars alike a place where only the most gifted could enter, and where the difference between "gifted" and "worthy" was often decided by family names.
This year, for the first time in decades, a common noble from a lesser house had been admitted through sheer talent.
Her name was Vivian Norwood.
When she first stepped into the academy courtyard, her uniform crisp and her posture composed, whispers spread like wildfire.
"Isn't that the girl from a minor county?"
"They say she passed the entrance exam without a sponsor."
"How audacious. She looks too proud for her place."
Vivian heard it all but walked on with calm grace. Her long black hair swayed gently as she found her classroom, eyes steady, voice polite.
In truth, she was nervous yet something deep inside her had always told her to stand tall, no matter who tried to push her down.
During the first lecture, when the professor asked a question about Helio's trade expansion, her hand rose naturally.
She spoke with clarity, weaving logic and confidence that left the entire class silent.
The professor smiled, impressed. "Remarkable, Lady Norwood. I see why the Council granted you admission."
But admiration from the teacher only fanned the quiet flames of envy.
At lunch, her tray "accidentally" slipped from her hands because someone brushed past too close.
In etiquette class, her chair was moved just enough that she fell when sitting.
When she left her locker open once, her notes were mysteriously torn.
None of it was enough to raise alarm just small humiliations, subtle and cruel.
Each time, Vivian simply bowed her head, murmuring, "It's alright."
But every night, the weight grew heavier.
"Why don't you complain to the chairman?" asked her only acquaintance, a quiet girl from the outskirts named Mira.
"They'll just call it my imagination," Vivian replied, smiling faintly. "Besides, my parents wouldn't allow me to leave. They said it's an honor to study here, even if I have to crawl through the year."
Mira frowned. "That's not honor. That's cruelty."
Vivian looked away. "Maybe. But it's all I have."
Days blurred into weeks.
Her brilliance in class became a reason for others to target her even more. Some noble ladies mocked her clothes for being too simple, her lunch for being too plain.
And yet she endured.
Because she had learned, unknowingly from another lifetime, how to hide pain behind quiet strength.
That evening, the academy glowed in the orange of twilight. The other students had gone home to their carriages, laughter fading down the marble corridors.
Vivian walked aimlessly until she reached the inner garden, a quiet place few visited.
The garden opened onto a small lake, its surface reflecting the burning sky.
She sat by the edge, knees drawn close, her reflection trembling in the water.
The air smelled faintly of rain and violets.
Her voice cracked as she whispered to herself,
"Why does it hurt so much… even when I don't remember why?"
A tear slipped down her cheek, landing on the surface of the lake.
From the other side of the garden, half hidden beneath the willow trees, Arthur Helio stood.
He had come to the garden to clear his mind after a council lecture. His path had crossed the lake's edge and there she was, a girl with long black hair shimmering against the fading light.
He didn't know her name. He didn't know her pain.
But the sight of her crying tore something open in him, sharp and inexplicable.
His chest tightened, breath caught in his throat as if some invisible string had pulled at his very soul.
He took a step forward unconsciously.
"Who… is she?" he murmured under his breath.
The wind shifted, carrying her soft sob toward him. He froze.
The sound echoed somewhere deep inside him, awakening a memory that didn't belong to this life a voice trembling in farewell.
"So I'll leave, just as you wanted… Your Grace."
Arthur's eyes widened. He gripped his chest, heart pounding painfully.
He didn't know her.
And yet… he did.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, he turned away before she could see him leaving her unaware that fate had already found her again.