Chapter 128

Chapter 100 I Want to Be Like Him

After entering, I found that it was not quite what I had expected.

The internal structure of the tower did not give the feeling of being tall and narrow as I had anticipated; instead, it was quite spacious. The spiral staircase leading to each floor extended all the way to the top of the tower, which would be quite tiring to climb… although I wouldn’t feel tired, what about those living on the 18th or 19th floors who aren’t very physically fit?

Every day going up and down would be a real trial, especially without an elevator.

“Miss Peyello, I guess you must be praying in your heart right now that you won’t be assigned to the uppermost floors, right?” Teacher Melville, walking ahead, turned back and said with a smile, as if he could see my confusion.

I nodded.

Well… it might not be exactly what you thought. Such stairs, even if I run back and forth several times, I won’t get out of breath. But if it’s every day, I might start to find it annoying after a while.

“In fact, the academy designed the dormitories this way for a specific reason. We will screen out those with weaker physical strength in our tests and place them on higher floors… does Miss understand?”

Oh, so this is also part of daily training. The details have been well thought out.

Carlos suddenly interjected at this point, “But this isn’t a problem for Miss Peyello. Assigning her to a higher floor doesn’t matter.”

I immediately glared at him.

“Generally, the first-year student floors are not low, especially for girls with delicate constitutions. Physical training is fundamental. The academy won’t make any compromises in this regard. If one can’t endure a little hardship, they shouldn’t come here at all… so Miss, your room is on the 15th floor.”

…Alright.

At this point, do I even have any room to argue? It may be troublesome, but it’s not a big deal.

Following behind Teacher Melville, we stepped onto the ancient corridor on the 15th floor.

“From 01 to 08 are girls’ rooms. Miss can choose any one you like.”

“Are they all the same?”

“Yes, they are all four-person rooms.”

So there’s nothing to choose from.

I pushed open the door closest to me, which had the number ‘1504’ carved on it.

“Let’s stay here.”

A faint light illuminated my face.

The furnishings in the room… were naturally not luxurious.

A simple desk and chair, wooden bunk beds that didn’t look very comfortable, but surprisingly clean and tidy.

What comforted me was that the space was much larger than I had imagined, roughly estimating around 100 square meters. There was an independent bathroom and washroom, and they were separate. These conditions were already more comfortable than most children from common families.

After all, it is a royal academy.

The new student test lasts two days. Those who pass the interview will participate in written exams and practical assessments, so other students will likely start moving in tomorrow evening.

I placed my books on the upper bunk by the window. Teacher Melville handed me the key to room 1504 and gave me a map of the academy.

“The academy has a church, library, infirmary, and cafeteria. To the right of the teaching area is a whole street of shops. Although the goods there are not particularly outstanding, they meet daily needs. You can go take a look later.”

He stroked his beard, then took out a delicate silver badge from his pocket and handed it to me.

“After the opening ceremony, the academy badge should be worn on the chest. If you forget, you’ll be punished.”

I nodded and took the badge, seeing the lifelike lion head carved on it, identical to the one on the car when I arrived… speaking of which, how many badges do I have now?

“Then that’s it. The school uniforms will be distributed the night before the opening ceremony. You two can use the rest of the time as you wish. You can leave campus, but you need to return by tonight. I have to go now.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Teacher,” Carlos said.

“It’s nothing. My study and the principal’s office are on the same floor. I’ll basically be there during the day except for class hours. Miss…”

“Teacher, just call me Pepe.”

“…Pepe, you can come to me anytime if you need anything.”

“Okay, thank you.” I bowed again.

The elderly yet energetic teacher waved us off and left hurriedly. Looking at his appearance, it seemed he had a lot to do today.

Actually, he was quite busy… Even so, he still took time to pick me up on Longdale Street, which made me feel a bit guilty.

In the afternoon, Carlos accompanied me to the most bustling street in the royal city—Morseville Street—and there we bought the necessities for my life at the academy.

The items Mother had brought were stored at the mansion; I wanted to go back on my days off and didn’t want to keep moving things around. We strolled through the academy’s commercial street and found that what Teacher Melville said was true; it could basically only meet daily needs… The quality of the goods wasn’t necessarily bad, but it was somewhat unsatisfactory in my eyes.

It wasn’t hard to understand.

Although this should be the academy with the most children of nobles in the world, those at the top of the pyramid were few, and the majority were ordinary nobles and slightly wealthy commoners. The academy naturally prioritized their needs first.

So I had to buy them myself.

This wasn’t me being fussy. I could endure the harsh conditions in the village, but now that better options were available, why should I settle? Isn’t that just making things difficult for myself?

Moreover, I have requirements for my bed—it must be soft!

Otherwise, I’d feel like I was sleeping in a carriage! I don’t want that.

I immediately went back to the tower and covered the wooden bed with layers of soft silk and goose feather bedding. After lying down to test it… it felt like I could get a good night’s sleep.

Only then did I feel satisfied.

During this time, Carlos went to see Grandma Bertha, and by the time he returned, dusk had fallen.

The dormitory would definitely be empty tonight, so I carried my bulging small backpack and returned with him to the mansion on Longdale Street.

That evening, Carlos told me many details about life in the royal city. His usually casual gaze shone brightly under the candlelight.

I could tell that he wasn’t familiar with the royal city, and his understanding was superficial. Many things seemed to be learned in the past two days, yet he spoke very detailedly and seriously.

This was the first time I felt the warmth from this guy.

Then, the next day, he had to leave.

…………

The sunlight in the royal city was gentle.

The golden curtain filtered through the high barrier and fell on the small grass growing on the brown soil, making Carlos’ white ceremonial robe appear slightly yellow. He waved at me, and a smile appeared on his stubbly face.

“I’m leaving.”

I deliberately showed an impatient expression.

“Go ahead.”

But inside, I felt somewhat empty.

“Are you okay? Take care of yourself,” Carlos said, somewhat worried.

I rolled my eyes.

“Don’t worry about me, really… Only now do you say this when you’re about to leave…”

The latter part sounded more like a murmur to himself. Carlos probably didn’t hear it, as he continued to instruct me: “Don’t quarrel with Her Majesty the Queen; if something happens, you can consult her… Don’t take it lightly; many people can’t even get a word in with her.”

“…I know!”

The church’s unicorn-drawn carriage slowly stopped at the entrance. Carlos walked forward two steps and turned back to look at me.

“Little Hill…”

“Carlos.”

Both called out each other’s names simultaneously, then they both laughed.

“You go first,” Carlos shrugged his shoulders to signal me. I hesitated for a moment but finally couldn’t hold back and asked the question in my heart.

“Will… will you come back?”

A bird flew across the sky.

Carlos looked up, gazing at the golden film above the sky, and gently pulled at the corners of his mouth.

“Probably not anymore.”

“…Why?”

“The Order City has stood for thousands of years; it doesn’t need a knight like me.”

“Oh…” I lowered my head, “Then you’ll stay in the… Winter City?”

“Maybe, but not for long.”

“Why…”

The wind blew through the courtyard, lifting the young grass and flowers, brushing against his loose white hair.

“There are so many questions…” Carlos’ smile grew brighter, “Because there are so many things to do… My teacher, Mr. Ryan. He has spent his whole life establishing principles for the world and ensuring the livelihood of the people. Now at seventy years old, he still stands with the weak…”

He looked at me, and his eyes had a certain enchanting flicker.

“I want to become someone like him.”