Dear Marilla,
I pray that name is growing on you. Shall I refer to you as such in the future to help you adjust?
How have you been, little rosebud? I've heard your classes have begun. How far have you mapped the school? Is anyone troubling you? You need not be afraid of giving me names.
Remain vigilant, Halfeti. The Nobles are a rabid bunch. They will carve you out from the inside if you let them. Do not get tangled up in their power struggles. And try not to be too close to them. You never know when they might betray you for their own cause.
If you face any trouble— any trouble at all— you must confide in me. My help will always be at your fingertips.
Stay strong, little rosebud.
Yours, forever a guiding light,
Sister
P. S.: Ausgold here! Ausmas and I are planning to sneak out and visit you one of these days, so don't act like a stranger when we show up! You'll have to show us around and everything! We're still wondering if we should bring Sunsprite along, though.
* * *
Her new name was growing on her. It felt almost natural for Halfeti to refer to herself as Marilla in casual conversation.
Whether that was a good or bad thing, she didn't know.
Her classes were sailing smoothly, too. She seemed to be ahead of most of her classmates, commoner and noble alike, in subjects such as Etiquette and Weaponry, but History tended to stump her, as did Administration .
Why she had to study half the things they taught here, she didn't know. They were all...rather niche subjects. Important for the noble spawn, perhaps, but impractical for her. Halfeti knew how to handle a spear, how to patch up a wound, how to identify safety in the wilderness. She didn't need to know which emperor had waged which wars.
It had been pointless when she was preparing for the entrance, and it remained pointless now. If not for the Garden's orders and the Sister's insistence, Halfeti would never have come here.
The teachers here had begun to notice her, too. To praise her efforts, to raise her through the ranks. It was flattering, and the Garden would surely be proud.But it also meant that she was the one having to run all their errands, if only to maintain a good impression. Presently, she attempted to find the princess for their Aesthetic Arts teacher.
It was recess, so the princess was probably out with her posse of friends, but Halfeti hadn't expected her to be this difficult to find. She had already scoured through the common grounds, as well as the First Years' Wing, and the possibility of the princess being anywhere else was low. She had no real reason to visit the higher classes.
Halfeti spotted one of the many groups the nobles had divided themselves into. The princess tended to gravitate from one group to the other, never staying in one for too long. Halfeti was yet to figure out the reasons behind this behaviour, but the princess was also infinitely more liked than she was, so she must be doing something right.
Halfeti approached the group. "Excuse me," she asked one of them, "would you know where I can find Her Highness?"
A boy answered. "Her Highness— you mean Kathryn?" he considered for a moment. "I don't know, unfortunately. Justina, would you happen to know?"
The noble called Justina perked up at the mention of her name. "She said something about visiting her brother. You might want to check if she's in the Second Years' Wing."
"I see." Halfeti hadn't even begun scouting that far yet. This was proving to be quite the drag. "Thank you, Your Grace."
"Your Grace," one of the girls elbowed Justina. Halfeti's heart sank. Had she made a mistake? Was that not the way she was meant to address such people? The nobles had too many titles— too many names— and Halfeti had tried to commit them all to memory but they still escaped her grasp.
Justina sighed. "Marilla, please, just call me by my name. We're all equal here."
A lie. A blatant, disgusting lie.
If they were all equal, Halfeti wouldn't have to tread on eggshells around everyone she came across. If they were all equal, they wouldn't be wearing different colours. If they were all equal, their dorms wouldn't be separated. If they were all equal, Halfeti would never have had to come here in the first place.
The Academy loved propagating its false ideals. But a lack of outright discriminatory bullying didn't necessarily lead to equal opportunity. Not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Even now, as they stood, slaves were being traded underground, and children being killed for showing the slightest signs of becoming Vessels.
But, of course, Halfeti had no choice but to agree. "Pardon me. I'll keep it in mind next time."
Justina gave her a bright smile.
* * *
Dear Sister,
Please address me however you see fit.
I'm well. Classes have begun.
If there is anything I need to inform you, I will, but things remain peaceful as of now.
I hope the others are doing well.
Yours truly,
HaMarilla
* * *
The princess's voice. "Caleb Beirne, this is your final warning. You will leave. My brother. Alone."
"Pointless accusation. I do not willingly seek him out." A different voice.
The princess wasn't visiting her brother. Halfeti had spotted her talking to a different noble in a tiny little hidden corner of a stairwell.
"Are you implying that Damien insinuated this?"
"I'm implying that this is none of your business."
Or, well. Not exactly talking.
From what Halfeti could infer, the bastard prince had landed himself in a fight. The next assumption would naturally be that the princess was arguing with the other party. But one could never be sure about feuds within the nobility.
"Damien would never."
"You don't know him as well as you think."
"And I suppose you know him better than me?"
A scoff. "Your brother confounds me. The One forbid there be any logic to his actions."
"Your actions are perfectly logical to you, then?"
"Of course."
Halfeti tuned out the rest of the conversation. It was best not to get caught up in squabble.
Why nobles over-dramatized everything, Halfeti could never figure out. It was essentially just a fight between two boys. She had seen plenty of boys fight back at the Garden. If such confrontations happened at every turn, everyone would be arguing endlessly.
Although, she supposed some kind of politics would be at play in this situation. But that didn't exactly make things better. The empire would do better if administrative decisions were out of the hands of people who got this affected over trivial things.
The sharp sound of a slap resonated from behind the stairwell. Halfeti watched the princess appear into daylight, clutching one hand in another, lips trembling just the slightest bit. She spotted Halfeti and froze in her tracks.
"Your Highness," Halfeti said, curtsying. She had hated learning to do that back at the Garden, but it came in handy quite a lot.
"You're...Marilla," the princess said after a moment. "You're from my grade, aren't you? Why...are you here?"
"Professor Kellen wanted to speak to you." Marilla noticed the tremble in the princess's hands. "For opinion on the decorations in the great hall. For the upcoming Youth Fest, I believe?"
"Oh, yes. Of course."
The princess seemed unable to find her posture, fidgeting with her hands. Behind her, a dark-haired boy walked out from behind the stairwell. Halfeti noticed one of his cheeks reddening with the imprint of a hand.
Well, that explained the sound.
A moment passed as she and the princess stood there. Was Halfeti supposed to suggest heading back? Would the princess take offense at that, assuming it to be an order? By now Halfeti knew that she wouldn't be thrown into a dungeon for making a mistake but it still wouldn't be a good thing if the princess was left with an unfavourable opinion of her.
"Would you..." the princess said at last, "Would you like to head back to our Wing?"
Halfeti bowed her head. "Yes, Your Highness."
* * *
Dear Sunsprite,
I've been tardy at replying to you. Forgive me?
Don't worry about not being able to see me off. In my heart, you will always be with me.
I left Minnie back in my trunk. Please take care of her for me.
Love,
Halfeti
P. S.: Ausgold stop hijacking other people's letters.