Upon arriving at the Academy, the maid who had accompanied Tif had just finished seeing her inside and was preparing to head back home.
Just as she stepped out of the Academy gates, she saw another carriage from House Geno approaching.
Before she could process what was happening, Lyr jumped down from the carriage right before her eyes, leaving her utterly astonished.
“Young Master, why are you back here again?”
Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought Tif had forgotten something and Lyr was delivering it.
However, Tif was meticulous; such a thing had never happened before.
Lyr took a breath.
“It’s a long story, and it’s hard to explain.”
As he spoke, Lyr casually ran a hand through his hair.
“There shouldn’t be anything wrong with how I look right now, right?”
“Wrong… well, not exactly, but there’s an indescribable feeling about you compared to usual.”
If anything, he was excessively formal.
Lyr and Tif were polar opposites.
The former was usually very casual.
Whenever he returned home in the past, he would be as relaxed as possible, but today, he was far too formal.
“As long as there’s no problem, then.”
Lyr didn’t have time to say much more.
He walked directly toward the Academy, leaving the maid standing there in a daze.
It took her a few moments before she scratched her head.
Whether it was in the past or now, the servants of the household always felt Lyr was a good young master, but he was truly strange at times—just like right now.
Upon entering the Academy, he found many students walking back and forth along the path.
All the students were wearing the Academy uniform, making Lyr’s clothes look out of place.
Yet, this was already the most formal attire Lyr owned.
Among them, several passing students proactively greeted him, which left the flustered Lyr unsure of how to respond.
In the students’ minds, anyone not wearing an Academy uniform was essentially a teacher.
“You are Lyr Gnoh, correct?”
Before Lyr could decide where exactly he needed to go—since Lulong hadn’t really told him much back then—a woman appeared before him.
She looked as though she had been waiting there for quite a while.
Seeing Lyr’s dazed expression, she continued, “The Academy Director asked me to wait for you here today and bring you to the office.
Once we arrive, someone will explain what you need to do next.”
“Is the Academy Director busy right now?
I have something I want to discuss with him in person.”
Even after arriving here, Lyr had not given up on the idea of finding Lulong to explain things face-to-face.
This was his only chance to leave the Academy.
“The Academy Director is not on campus today; he went out on business.”
After a brief explanation, the woman didn’t give Lyr another chance.
“Please follow me.”
“Uh…”
Lyr couldn’t recall her name, but he had some impression of her.
At the teacher’s assembly that day, this person had sat next to Lulong as an Academy Councilor.
Compared to Lulong’s kind and gentle appearance, she had surveyed the teachers below with a very stern gaze.
When Lyr had accidentally made a noise back then, she had even pointedly glared at him as a reminder and a warning.
Even though Lyr now held the title of teacher, he still disliked this kind of atmosphere.
These veteran teachers seemed to possess an innate pressure that was even more terrifying than the magical beasts and wild animals Lyr had encountered in the Border Regions.
On the other side, Tif had arrived in her classroom early.
The faces were still the same.
Those who liked to gather together did so, and those who preferred solitude remained alone.
It was like a place with a strict hierarchy where everyone played their respective roles.
Thinking this, Tif silently glanced at a spot not far in front of her.
There, toward the front, a head of silver hair looked like snow falling from a mountain.
Everyone instinctively kept their distance from her, giving her a somewhat chilly aura.
The girl herself seemed indifferent.
On the contrary, if anyone noticed her, she would return a cold, sharp gaze as a warning.
‘Is Lady Yilu still going to be like this this semester?’
As her best friend, Teanya naturally sat down beside Tif.
Looking at Yilu ahead of them, she couldn’t help but sigh.
“It seems so.”
Just after saying that, Tif shook her head to cut off her train of thought.
How others acted didn’t have much to do with her.
Moreover, she disliked commenting on people behind their backs.
However, her friend didn’t feel the same way.
“I’m telling you, I heard Lady Yilu’s older brother committed treason by defecting to the enemy.”
“How do you know that?”
Tif didn’t have much interest, picking up a book as she listened.
“I heard it from my family, of course.
But His Majesty hasn’t said anything about it yet, which is quite subtle.”
Not long ago, Yilu’s brother had gone missing, and subsequently, this rumor had somehow spread among the nobility.
“Don’t talk about things that haven’t been settled yet.”
This matter involved too many layers.
It wasn’t something that noble children who were still students could discuss.
Furthermore, if it were truly treason, His Majesty would have moved against the Shiga Family long ago.
As for where the rumor originated, Tif used her peripheral vision to glance at a few guys not far to the left, getting a general idea.
Although the elders of the Geno Clan spent the entire year in the Border Regions, the military power they wielded was real and tangible.
They held significant influence within the Kingdom.
The schemes and infighting of the nobles in the Royal Capital didn’t touch the Geno Clan.
Even if they had such thoughts, they would have to weigh the consequences for themselves.
Therefore, Tif basically had no worries in the Academy, and no one would intentionally make things difficult for her.
Similarly, she had no intention of treating others that way.
“You really are boring,” Teanya pouted.
It was rare for her to share some interesting news she’d learned at the start of school, but she hadn’t expected Tif to react like this.
However, she was already used to it.
“The First Prince is graduating from the Academy this year.
We won’t see him much after this.”
Tif felt helpless and didn’t really want to respond.
She couldn’t tell if Teanya was just being a fangirl or what.
“Also, a lot of new teachers have come to the Academy this year.
Apparently, they aren’t much older than us.
Aren’t you curious about that?”
At this mention, Tif’s body stiffened for a moment, and her brow furrowed.
This tiny movement immediately caught Teanya’s attention.
“Well?
You’re curious too, right?
I knew it.”
Unfortunately, what Teanya wanted to see didn’t appear on Tif’s face.
Instead, she received an irritable response.
“You’re so annoying.”
“…”
Teanya puffed out her cheeks, looking indignant.
Even if Tif usually found her noisy, she had never said it so directly.
It felt like Tif was inexplicably irritable today.