Chapter 39 – Plans / St. Astra’s Academy for Young Ladies

Chapter 39

Plans / St. Astra’s Academy for Young Ladies

            As I stand to leave, my mother stops me.

            “One final matter,” she says, standing up.  “If you intend to return to St. Astra’s, arrangements must be made.  You’ll need to be registered for the upcoming semester, the faculty needs to be given proper notice, and you need to reacquaint yourself with the grounds.”

            “That makes s-sense,” I say, nodding slowly.

            She studies me briefly before continuing.

            “Would you care to tour the academy tomorrow morning?” she asks.

            I hesitate for a moment before responding with a nod.

            “Yes, Mother.  I think that might be best.”

            She nods and walks me over to the door.

            “Good,” she states plainly before opening the door.  “Tomorrow morning then.”

            Mary is standing outside of the door, waiting on me.

            “My Lady, you still have about thirty minutes until dinner is served,” she says.  “Would you like to return to your friends in the library?”

            I nod and step into the hall.  Mary, having received confirmation, has already turned and started to walk away, expecting me to follow.  Behind me, the door shuts.

            I follow behind her but don’t get far before I hear my name called out by a familiar voice which causes me to pause.

            “Beira.”

            I turn and see Angus walking toward me.

            “May I have a moment of your time?” he asks me, then glances at Mary.  “It won’t take long.”

            “Y-yes?”  I try not to blush, but I can feel the heat rising as I remember the talk I had just had with my parents about Angus.

            “Well, I was just wondering…” he starts but his voice trails off as he looks over my shoulder.

            I look back and see Mary with the most peculiar look on her face. 

            Oh, she could probably hear what my parents were saying about us as she waited in the hall.  Please don’t stare daggers at him, Mary Eonni!

            Glancing at me, Mary’s face drops back to a neutral expression.  She dips into a deep curtsey, then turns back around, clearly waiting.

            Angus clears his throat, drawing my attention back to him.

            “Ehm.  As I was saying,” he continues, taking my hand as he speaks, “Tomorrow, after lunch, would you like to go to the art museum you used to love?”

            I nod, a little too quickly.

            “I would like that, but I have some things I already agreed to take care of in the morning with my mother.  I don’t know how long that will take,” I say.

            “I’ll mention it to them,” he says.  “I was actually on my way to speak to them when I saw you.  Assuming your afternoon is clear, I’ll see you then?”

            I nod and he raises my hand to his lips.  He smiles and lightly brushes them against my fingers before dropping my hand and stepping back. 

            “Well then, I shall see you at dinner, Lady Beira.”

            He turns and makes his way to the office I had just left and knocks before opening the door.

            I turn and follow Mary as she resumes the task of leading me back to my friends.

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          Last night, after dinner, a letter arrived from the royal tailor informing us that there was an issue with my dress, though he assured us it would be ready in time for the princess’s ball.  The letter didn’t say what the issue was, which clearly bothered my mother, despite her composed exterior.  My father laughed it off and did his best to placate her, though I could tell it still got under her skin.

            Afterward, we passed the time playing another game of Affinity Siege, this time, with Angus joining us.

            It turns out, on the battlefield, Angus can be quite ruthless.  He worked with me to take both Izzy and Mari down… only to stab me in the back and claim victory for himself.

            I suppose the saying is true... all’s fair in love and war.

            It was all in good fun, though.

            The following morning, Mary wakes me early and helps me get dressed.  I notice that she is taking special care to ensure my presentation is impeccable.  Likely, this is a decision of my mother’s, but I know that with where we are going, I am likely to be scrutinized for the tiniest flaw.  Once Mary is finished fussing over me, I emerge from my room and find Izzy and Mari already in the hall waiting on me, dressed in matching uniforms that, while a bit more conservative than the girls’ uniforms from Earth, are still rather cute. 

            These must be the summer uniforms as they are obviously designed with the heat in mind.  The white blouse, while still long-sleeved, and buttoned down, is made from a light breezy fabric that looks like it would be comfortable regardless of the heat.  On the right breast of the blouse is a small, embroidered crest which is likely the school’s crest.  At the collar, each girl has a large maroon bow.  The pleated long skirts come down to their midcalf and are maroon and yellow plaid.  On their feet, they are wearing matching black lace-up boots with a short heel, the top of the boots vanishing under the hem of their skirts.

            “G-good morning,” I say with a smile.

            “Good morning, cousin.” Mari says, the tone in her voice not quite as flat as usual.  Since meeting her, I have quickly picked up on her little quirks and can clearly see how enthusiastic she is about my joining them on the way to St. Astra’s.

            “Morning, Beri!”  Izzy says, her expression more cheerful than usual.

            Before she can say anything else, Mary steps in and motions to the stairs at the end of the hall.

            “Ladies, you wouldn’t want to be late now, would you?” she says.

            Mari nods a single time and grabs Izzy by the wrist, dragging her off before she can protest.  I follow close behind.  After we reach the bottom of the stairs Izzy starts complaining loudly and demanding that Mari release her.  Seeing that she was willing to walk on her own, Mari complies.

            When we reach the front doors to the estate mansion, we find my mother waiting.

            “Oh good, you have arrived just on time.  The carriage should be waiting outside,” she says. 

            A servant I’m not familiar with opens the door and we step out into the morning sun.

            A large carriage awaits us.  It looks like the one that my parents and I had made the trip to Aberling in, only its damage had been repaired.  Sir Ashley and another guard I don’t know the name of are waiting with the carriage, I assume that they are going to be our escort and guard detail for this morning’s outing.

            Taking Sir Ashley’s offered hand, we board the carriage one by one.

            As we travel through the streets of the city, Izzy regales me and my mother with tales of things that have happened over the past semester with Mari occasionally providing input to either correct or clarify things the princess talks about. 

            Right now, Izzy doesn’t know that I have already decided to return to the academy.  Last night at dinner my mother and I only mentioned that I would be going to meet the staff and tour the campus to see if it would help me decide on what to do.  As a result, a portion of the ride so far has been spent with her trying to sell me on academy life, including the fact that I won’t have to stay in the dorms because my family has a residence in the city.  Apparently, the original Beira used to stay at the estate and go back to Lochavria for the winter and summer breaks.    My birthday was apparently right in the middle of the month-long winter break, which explains why I woke up in Braemar Keep instead of my room in the estate. 

            Okay, technically, the winter break happens towards the end of winter and part of the way into spring, but Izzy called it a winter break and Mari didn’t refute that, so that is what I’ll call it.  Likewise, the summer break actually occurs at the end of summer and the early parts of fall.  Why it is set up this way, I don’t know. 

            I try to keep track of it all, but it still feels strange after all this time.  Months here last much longer than they did on Earth, forty-nine days each, and there are sixteen of them in a year.  By all rights, I should feel older, but I don’t.  People grow more slowly here.  Fifteen is still fifteen, even if the math in my head says it shouldn’t be.  There are still seven days in a week and twenty-four hours in a day, so that is the same.  The concept just confuses me the more I think about it.

            A nudge knocks me out of my thoughts, and I look up to see Mari pointing out the window.  The carriage slows as we crest a small hill and then I see it.  The sight makes my breath catch and somewhere in my head a memory triggers, but I push it aside for the moment and take the sight in.

            Tall white stone walls rise from the manicured grounds, their surfaces catching the morning light in a way that makes the entire structure seem almost luminous. Ivy climbs in careful patterns along the outer edges, trimmed just enough to look intentional rather than wild. The main building stretches wide, its tall arched windows reflecting the sky.  It stands proud, a monument to the education and refinement of young women throughout the kingdom. 

            To the left and right of the majestic main building are two other buildings, similar in design, but not nearly as impressive.  Seeing me looking at the smaller buildings, Mari speaks up.

            “Dorms,” she says.

            The carriage rolls to a stop in front of the main gate, where a handful of other carriages are already arriving.  Students step down in small clusters, laughter and conversation carrying faintly through the morning air.

            Izzy is the first to move, practically throwing the door open before the carriage fully settles. 

            “We’re here!” she announces brightly, hopping down without waiting for assistance.

            “Your Highness,” Mari says flatly, “be more careful.”

            By this point, Sir Ashley has hopped down from his perch and offers a hand to Mari who takes it gracefully.  As she steps down, I notice a slight blush to her cheeks. 

            Could it be that Mari has a crush?

            I shake my head at the thought, that isn’t important now.

            Taking his hand, I step down carefully, my eyes drifting over the increasingly familiar-looking courtyard.  The stone path beneath my feet, the trimmed hedges lining the walkways, even the fountain at the center, it all clicks into place.  I have been here before.

            No, I haven’t, that wasn’t me.

            A few nearby conversations falter as the people around us go silent.  I step away from the carriage to make room for my mother’s exit, but I feel as if I want to be anywhere else but here.  I glance around and start to feel my chest tighten.

            A pair of girls near the fountain glance in my direction, one leaning in to whisper something to the other. Another student pauses mid-step, her gaze lingering just a moment too long before she looks away.  All around me I can feel them staring.

            There are too many people, too many eyes on me.

            A hand settles on my shoulder, almost causing me to jump.  I look over and see Mari.  She simply nods and removes her hand.

            “You’ve got that look.”  Izzy says, popping up beside me.

            “L-look?” I ask.

            “Yup,” she nods.  “That look you always get when you start thinking too hard.”

            “Do not harass her,” Mari says.

            “I’m not harassing her,” Izzy insists. “I’m making an observation.”

            “A poor one,” Mari replies, though the look in her eyes tells me this is just playful banter between them.

            I let out a small breath that is somewhere between a laugh and a sigh, and force myself to look forward again.

            My mother steps past us without hesitation, her commanding presence cutting cleanly through the attention that had just been on me.  The conversations resume, as if they had never paused in the first place.  She moves forward, walking with purpose toward the grand double doors at the front of the building.

            We follow.

            The main doors open before we even reach them and several attendants step out, bowing deeply as we approach.

            “Duchess Braemar. Your Highness.”  One if the attendants in the front row says, her eyes on the ground.

            My mother inclines her head slightly in acknowledgment.

            “Headmistress Ardel is expecting us,” she says as she passes, her pace not slowing.

            Inside, the air is cooler and the sounds of the courtyard fade into a quieter, more controlled space.  Polished floors reflect the light filtering in through tall windows, and the familiar scent of parchment and ink lingers faintly in the air.

            My steps slow without me meaning them to.

            I’ve walked these halls before; I know where they lead, but it feels like I’m seeing them for the first time.

            That’s because it is the first time, I remind myself.

            “We’ll separate here,” Mari says, stopping near a branching corridor. “We have lessons shortly.”

            “Ugh, don’t remind me.”  Izzy groans before turning to me with an excited gleam in her eye. “I’ll tell you everything you miss later.”

            “I somehow doubt that,” Mari mutters.

            “Hey!”

            I smile faintly at the two of them.

            “I’ll h-hold you to that, Izzy.”

            She grins.

            “You better.”

            Mari gives me a small nod, subtle, but no less genuine.  Then, just like that, they’re gone.  The hallway feels quieter without them.

            “This way,” my mother says, turning down the main corridor.

            I follow, my gaze drifting again as we walk, lingering on doors I vaguely remember, over corners that feel just out of reach in my mind.  A classroom passes on our right. The door is open just enough for me to glimpse rows of desks, neatly arranged.

            For a moment, I can almost see it.  Myself sitting there, listening to a lecture, being… someone else.

            I look away, feeling a bit unnerved.

            “You’ll be returning here soon,” my mother says without looking back.  “Familiarize yourself with the layout of these halls so you aren’t late to classes.”

            I hesitate for half a step before answering.

            “Yes, Mother,” I say, hurrying after her.