Lucian overlooked the students in the cafeteria. The ranks were clearly distinguished by the areas they occupied.
The second floor was for the elite, where the most important families gathered. The ground floor was for the commoner and the low nobility, who were too afraid to approach the stairs, as if they were forbidden to climb up to the higher level.
The teachers and the staff had their own space near the kitchen, where they could dine separately. It was always full, so most would choose to skip lunch or eat it in their offices.
Lucian didn't mind the noise and chose to have lunch in the corner of the cafeteria. His light colored suit drew so stares from the students, as if they were seeing a priest from the local church.
The color and style built trust and prevented being picked on by his peers. Most wouldn't want to ss with God's servants.
That's how they, the hay heads, survived in the past, and it still works today. They could still get so respect from the crowd.
Ironically, Lucian was picked on the most by the hay-headed priests, who were jealous of his health. They still didn't like him even after years of donations and good deeds.
He beca what they couldn't, rich and popular among the ladies. They hated it, so he would make donations when the most ladies were around to watch, so he could rub it in their faces. They would then have to bow to him and say thank you.
Lucian listened to his father's advice, 'do good...so nobody would ever doubt you of being a shackled.'
His father's eyes were light brown, almost amber, and he struggled due to the discrimination against him. So when his son was born with an even lighter shade of eyes, any sign of bad behavior was imdiately cut off to prevent potential problems in the future.
"May I join you?" The Crown Prince suddenly appeared at Lucian's table.
"Of course, your Highness," Lucian stood up, greeting him and inviting him to sit down.
The Crown Prince chose the seat across from him, and a waiter imdiately approached to hand him a nu.
"What brings Your Highness to my humble corner?" Lucian asked, not expecting to have a conversation with him of all people. The Crown Prince looked like he was trying to escape from sothing or soone.
Lucian didn't have to wait long for the explanation because the answer ca soon enough.
Celine entered the cafeteria.
The Crown Prince probably thought she wouldn't want to sit in the commoner section where he was now, but Lucian knew that she got even more excited.
She imdiately approached the table, "Good day, Your Highness. It's nice to see you here, but what do I see?" She gave Lucian a disapproving look before turning her attention back to the Crown Prince, "You shouldn't be talking to a lowly peasant, Your Highness. He might infect you with his bad blood."
"..." Lucian tried to keep a poker face while Edmund sighed by her side. He must have felt the sa way as Lucian: Was she going to pick a fight with Lucian so they could bond over it?
"I don't mind, Lady Rochefort," the Crown Prince answered coldly, his eyes on the nu, "I don't judge people by their status. It's their actions that speak louder than anything else. You can sit on the upper floor if you are so disgusted by the people here. Besides, Mr. Arclight is a teacher at this institution. Show him the proper respect."
"Teachers are the sa as servants," Celine said, "They serve their purpose in their workplace and that's it. What makes them different from servants? They are paid to do their job. Isn't that what a servant is?"
"What about yourself then?" The Crown Prince asked, "You are a vassal to the Diamante Kingdom, aren't you?"
"We don't get paid to serve, Your Highness. It's called loyalty and devotion to our country. It's an act of selflessness and a duty that requires no paynt..."
Edmund coughed into his fist to stop his sister from showing off before her secret lover (with a word fight against the Crown Prince, which she seed determined to win).
Chuckling, Lucian stood up to slide the chair next to him, "A Lady shouldn't be kept standing while the gentlen are sitting, please take a seat."
Celine sat down with the help of Lucian, pushing the chair in place, "Don't think that just because you are the teacher, you can take advantage of the Crown Prince's kindness. He is too polite to call you out, but I won't. Know your place and don't be a nuisance to His Highness..."
"Enough, Lady Rochefort," the Crown Prince finally said. "I ca here to have a al in peace and quiet. You are ruining the experience."
Celine imdiately shut up, and the waiter arrived to take the orders. Everyone ordered their als, and the silence lasted for a couple of minutes before Celine started her nonsense again.
"Let tell you about the wonderful ti I had at our new sumr ho. I bet that you don't have a place like that in the whole of relia, do you, Mr. Arclight?"
Lucian never heard Celine talk so much about herself (he was the chatterbox in their relationship).
Celine was bragging and flaunting her wealth to both him and the Crown Prince, who didn't seem interested in the slightest. In fact, his face looked rather grim as she went on about the rare and exotic goods that adorned their new mansion.
Lucian took it from a different viewpoint if one removed the haughty tone she used. That's what he was missing by not being part of her daily life. The little, mundane monts she had to enjoy by herself, yet was unable to share with him.
If Lucian were to marry Celine now, he was afraid that he might be hanged for becoming more powerful than he was supposed to be (he might be frad for being a shackled). His reputation wasn't solid enough to take on the pressure, especially from the older generation.
He still wasn't strong enough to protect Celine from the people who had the power to take her away. He couldn't even let her show her full potential for fear of her being noticed.
It was frustrating how his hands were tied. Not only by external threats, but also by the internal ones.
He still didn't know the Voice's goal besides wanting him to reach the pinnacle of power, and he couldn't shake off the thought that one day, sothing might happen and Voice would take over him completely.
Up until now, Voice's advice was a miss or a hit, making Lucian believe that he was being used as a learning material to improve its decision-making skills. Like a child using a tool to learn how to use it properly, and in the future, to use it against the world.
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