"He's the princess's half-brother. He has no claim to the throne."

It was the constant murmur Constantine heard, from the courtyard to the library. The voices were little more than echoes amidst the tolling bells and the soft rustle of modest dresses, ranging from the white of young novices to the dark tones of the Revered Mothers.

The bells had marked the start of classes when Constantine entered the Mother Superior's office. This was where the agreement would be sealed: Ynez, his little sister, would spend the next ten years in this place. Her "new home," he thought with a tinge of distaste. Despite his best efforts, he had failed to secure private quarters for her. The thought unsettled him, but there was little he could do.

As he left the office, Constantine noticed a girl at the foot of the stairs. Was she waiting for him? It didn’t seem so, for as soon as he met her gaze, she turned and quickly disappeared. The guards were already waiting to escort him back, but something about that girl had caught his attention.

He had noticed her when he first stepped off the transport. She stood among the other acolytes, like a group of fish in a pond. But this one was a fish that swam alone. During the tour of the school, he felt her gaze on him, a figure that lingered in the edges of his vision like a ghost slipping between the other women. Was she real, or just a trick of his imagination?

Curiosity got the better of him. He turned a corner, leaving his guards behind, and quickened his pace down a narrow hallway. The school was a labyrinth of doors and passages, but eventually, he found her. The girl was there, watching him, as if daring him to come closer.

"Wait! Stop!" He called, striding toward her with long steps. {{user}}, hearing his voice, spun around and quickened her pace, but he was at her side before she could escape.

"Is something wrong?" he asked, his voice carried the confidence of someone accustomed to receiving answers. "I've seen you all day. Following me… or is it just my vivid imagination?"