After several months of relentless task-taking, I had become accustomed to waking up at the crack of dawn, or even a bit earlier. Taking in the view from the window, I could see the silhouettes and outlines of Jyvra City’s skyline, using the term generously.

I yawned and wiped my face, rubbing my eyes clear of the dirt and crust.

Getting ready took no time at all, as my private bathroom was only a few feet away from my bed.

Dressed in decent clothes, I had everything I thought I would need for the first day of classes in my shoulder bag: quills and spares, inkpots and ink bottles, five notebooks, reams of loose paper, and my bone knife, which I always kept on me as a precaution, despite not knowing how to use it properly.

Everything else was either in my beast space or hastily folded in the dresser.

Eager to start, I walked to my first class which was…etiquette.

Ugh, well, I can’t honestly say I’m looking forward to it. Reliving the teachings of the illustrious Countess Troia Ryfellin, Lady of….yeah, now that she’s not here, it sounds a little creepy instead of the sarcastic tone I’m going for.

Regardless, I just have to suck it up and deal with it, as this falls under the category of ‘it’s better to know it than be caught lacking’. I just hope the other classes are more interesting.

The classroom buildings were separated by their general subjects. The etiquette classroom was located in the same building as other social, literary, artistic, and generally noble-themed topics. There was a separate building for each branch of magic, and plenty of attached sheds or warehouses next to each of them.

I entered the etiquette classroom, thankfully located on the ground floor, and took a center position on one of the sides among the rows of desks. The class had a maximum of fifty students, judging by the number of available seats.

As time passed, more and more students arrived. I could recognize most of them as commoners, with roughly ten to fifteen being nobles of some sort. Finally, five minutes before the appointed start time of the class, a mature noblewoman walked in.

She had a bright smile on her slightly lined face, matching the bright raiments she was clothed in, white and blue, like a single cloud in the sky. She looked around the classroom, apparently judging or making her own preliminary analysis of everyone, then nodded to herself.

“A pleasant morning to all of you, students, on this fine day. You may address me as Lady Olyn Degrachaff or Professor Degrachaff within the confines of the academy, as I believe that title holds far more importance than any other I hold,” she said, her diction utterly immaculate.

She held eye contact with everyone for a fraction of a second as she spoke, yet I felt as though every student would believe that she was speaking to them directly. It was an interesting engagement technique.

That feeling dissipated abruptly as somebody asked her a question.

“Forgive me, Professor, but what is your rank? I ask only out of curiosity, and so I may follow the appropriate standards.” The one who spoke was definitely a noble, evidenced by the smug tone in his voice. He didn’t raise his hand or make any indication he wanted to ask a question, something the Countess told me was basic, and expected of most, if not all, nobles at the academy.

Maybe he thought he could breeze through the class somehow if he was a higher rank than her? Either way, he had to be part of a high-ranking family to honestly believe he could use his family’s influence like this in the academy, and against a teacher no less.

Whatever he was thinking, the Countess would have reprimanded him for poor manners. As interrupting a lady was rather rude, it could be somewhat forgiven if he was of a higher tier than her, I mean, she. Still weird how that grammar works.

What was less forgivable, however, was the implication that he would treat her poorly if she were lower ranked than him.

Implying that lower tiered nobles were inferior to those higher solely based on their tier, and so afforded less courtesy.

A notion which she swiftly disabused him of.

“The one who spoke just now, stand up.”

Her previous sunny demeanor evaporated, replaced by the stern, hard, austere bearing I had seen on the Countess during my own etiquette crash course with her, whenever she needed to correct my mistake.

The young man stood at his desk, a few inches shorter than her. He looked a bit nervous, but probably still thought he had the situation in hand, that smug smile still on his face. The lady made her way from the front of the room to his desk, the clack-clack of her shoes tapping on the glass floor, and began questioning him.

“Now, what is your name, young lord?” she asked,

“...Fior Demulinn, eldest son and heir to Duke Demullin of Spring Mountain City…my lady.” His last words were clearly said unwillingly, but he spat them out.

“So, young lord Fior. If I were to assume that you had lessons in etiquette prior to today, would I be correct?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And your father, the honorable Duke, surely has, or had I suppose, within his coffers enough funds to appoint a suitable tutor for you and his other children?”

“Of course!” he said, offended. As if it wasn’t clear that he came from anything but money.

Then without any warning, she slapped him. Twice on each side of his face, alternating left and right, barely a moment’s pause between the blows.

He still stood, but only because she was holding onto him by the collar. He fell half-conscious from those four strikes, and blood leaked out of his mouth as he tried to say something and failed, gurgling nonsense syllables.

Finally, she released her grip on him, dropping him back onto his seat. He was only supported by the back of his seat, while those around him were either staring at him or the lady with shock in their eyes.

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“Once again. For the clarification of everyone present, and our young lord Fior here, let me reintroduce myself. Within these halls you may address me as Professor, or Lady, Degrachaff. I had hoped that no…unpleasantness would occur, but it seems the quality of tutors is lower than expected,” she said, throwing an unpleasant look at Fior.

“As for my address outside the academy? Well, in any case, you will find out one way or another. My full title is archd –”

Gasps, murmurs and muffled whispers filled the room in an instant, with most of the commoners looking dumbfounded or confused, and the majority of nobles speaking to their neighbors about this development.

The most polite, or perhaps the most level-headed of the students, immediately kneeled, heads lowered as they tried to lower themselves into the proper position, despite the arrangements of close desks making it awkward. I counted myself extremely lucky that I had enough presence of mind to react, and not just do nothing, like the rest of the commoners,

“Oh? Isn’t this interesting?” The severity of her voice lowered as I heard her inflection change, and the tapping of her shoes grew louder. Something interesting? What could possibly be more interesting than an member of the goddamn royal family making themselves known–

“And who might you be, boy?”

Shit.

She was talking to me.

With as much grace as I could muster, and trying to ignore the thought that this woman could legally kill me via any number of means if I offended her, knowingly or not, I answered to the best of my ability.

“This one is but a lowly commoner, Your Grace. My name is…Rhaaj, and I find myself humbled that a person of your esteem would deign to speak with one such as I.”

The one thing that I absorbed from the Countess’ lessons more than any other?

If in doubt, shut your mouth….or kiss their ass to the extreme while making yourself out to be a pebble on the side of the road, unimportant and not worth any time or attention.

“Hahaha, oh, this day continues to surprise me! A commoner with enough forethought to properly study etiquette, and a noble brat using his family's status as a maul! How utterly unexpected!” The archduchess was no doubt giggling at the absurdity of the scene that had played out in front of her.

“Now, child, you said your name was Rhaaj?” Apparently, my time in the limelight wasn’t over yet.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“Hmm, you’ve embodied your namesake rather well, haven’t you? Working tirelessly to better yourself.”

“...you honor me, Your Grace.” I said.

A few moments of silence tortured me while I waited for her to continue. The uncertainty of the situation was killing me. Just like she might kill me if she wants to. No, you haven’t done anything to her, there’s no reason for her– then again, she doesn’t need a reason to kill me. She could literally do anything she wants, and –

“Rise, Rhaaj, academy student.”

At her command, I rose from the ground, and while my back may have been straight and my head facing forward, I sure as hell was not going to make eye contact with her. That was a one-way ticket to dying again, considering her station.

“All of you, take a look at this classmate of yours. A commoner with enough foresight to study etiquette, with enough ability to provide for his own education, and composure exceeding that of the nobles present here.”

As she spoke, the nobles who were initially whispering amongst themselves throughout the events curtsied or kneeled, getting out of their seats and awkwardly trying not to bump into those around them.

I wondered how she knew I could provide for myself, alluding to how I paid for the academy fees, but I didn’t have time to think too hard about it as she kept talking.

“Etiquette is the name we have given to the set of rules and behavior that elevate, dignify, and separate us from other animals and beasts. Without it, civilization falls apart, society collapses, and all manner of evil descends upon us as we return to our primal roots. Some of you may be wondering why one such as myself is teaching here. It is precisely because of my bloodline that I find myself here. Let me teach you all your first lesson as students of this academy.

“Nobility is not a weapon to be used maliciously against those lower than you, despite what young lord Fior and others might believe. It is a status implying that the one bearing it is capable of embracing a more refined way of living. To most nobles, their status should be a burden: a marker that they are responsible for the well-being of those under their care, commoner and noble alike. Yes, nobles have increased privileges. Luxury, wealth, authority.

“But all of those privileges are contingent on two things: competency….and virtue. Should either of those qualities be found lacking in any member of the nobility, I encourage you to report them to the proper authorities. For the commoners here, a notice to the Workman’s Society should be enough. Simply state your desire to lodge a complaint against the noble you believe is unfit for their position, and the Society will inform their relevant superiors. That motto of theirs is not just for show.

“In fact, correct me if I am wrong, but you played an active role in a recent case of injustice, did you not, young Rhaaj?” she asked me.

She knows. How the fuck does she know?!

“You are correct, Your Grace, though you overstate my involvement in the matter. I merely reported what I believed to be suspicious activities to my tutor, and I’m given to understand that it was she and her husband who informed the city lord, who then brought the perpetrator to justice.”

“Ah! You see, what did I tell you? Competency, and virtue. Traits I hope to engender in this class. You all may return to your seats. As for you and you,” she pointed out two random students, “escort young lord Fior to the infirmary. He may be unable to attend the rest of the day’s classes, but such is life.”

The students she pointed to lifted Fior between them, supporting him out of the room as the rest of us returned to our seats.

“Some of you may be wondering why I…educated….the young lord so vigorously. My actions were done for two reasons, and rest assured, he will hear them from me soon enough. One of which I have said previously but will reiterate: in not so many words, he believed his father’s status would shield him from repercussions and allow him to behave as he wished, a convenient shield and sword to be wielded. The second reason?”

The lady paused for effect, as the students leaned in, entranced by both her voice and her words.

“One does not call into question the nobility of royalty, knowingly or otherwise.”

That sentence, every single one of her words was…heavy. My eyes widened, and I’m confident others grew nervous even knowing they did nothing wrong. That was just how profound the truth of her words was.

It was like a predator marking its territory. A predator didn’t care if you knew you were trespassing or not, only that a challenge had been issued. And apparently, this predator felt she had been issued a challenge.

“Once again, we arrive at the main subject of this class: etiquette. In time, I will instruct you on the proper behavior expected of you: your demeanor, your elocution, and all other aspects of your conduct. And by the time this class is over, you will be respectable members of society capable of conducting yourselves accordingly. But for now, our lessons start at the foundation: tiers.”

And so the first etiquette lesson began. The archduchess went over the basics of the tiers of nobility, even mentioning the little bouncy upbeat song that Ennin had used when introducing them to me for the first time, and the rights and responsibilities of nobles. She summarized what topics would be covered over the course of the year, and ended the lesson on a high note; that while punishments were administered to those who behaved poorly, so too were rewards given to those performing at or above expectations.

It was good to see that she was capable of using the carrot in addition to the stick.

At least, that was my thought before she called me out at the end of the class.

We were in the hallway just outside the classroom as she spoke to me, and while I may not have knelt due to the numerous students moving all around, I lowered my head, as befit my lack of rank.

“At ease, child.”

I lifted my head, nervously wondering why she had wanted to speak to me privately.

She looked at me with a smile on her face, and an almost mad gleam in her eyes. She wanted something from me, I could tell. Which meant I had the absolute tiniest amount of leverage. But unlike what happened with Khime, I couldn’t use the threat of mutually assured destruction or a similar ‘lose-lose’ scenario, since now I actually had an attachment to living.

“You are just marvelous, little Rhaaj! Tell me, how do you feel about the academy?” she asked me.

“Forgive my audacity, my lady, but may I be blunt?” I asked.

“Oh, by all means, speak freely! Hold nothing back!” she exclaimed.

It’s not like my motivation was some big secret, unlike the other secrets I had, and if confiding some personal truths to a royal could build some semblance of trust, I wouldn’t mind opening up a bit. What I did with that trust was a matter for another day, when I had a better grasp on her agenda regarding me.

“It’s too soon for me to tell. Ever since I had heard about the academy, I wanted to join. Knowledge is…vital to me. I can’t function without it. I hated the feeling of being too stupid to know how stupid I really was. That vulnerability….it ate away at me, and I wanted, no, needed to get rid of it. I heard a phrase somewhere that resonated with me.

“Knowledge is power. If I wanted knowledge, I would be wanting power. And I was sure that joining the academy without a sponsorship would make me stand out to those in power. I had somehow convinced myself that the academy would be, frankly, dangerous for me to attend. I had the preconceived notion that most nobles would be like young lord Demullin. No offense, my lady.” I hurriedly said.

“None taken,” she smirked. “Knowledge is power. Fascinating. I would love to speak with whoever you heard that from. But…well, I speak on behalf of the academy when I say we always value the perspectives of commoners more than the nobles who come here, considering how rare it is for someone unsponsored to enroll. I can assure you, this is a safe learning environment. Oh, you might earn some bumps and bruises on the practice yards, but those are part and parcel of studying here, at least if you wish to pursue any physical courses later on.

“As for anything else? Know that you have my personal guarantee that nothing untowards will befall you. If you feel aggrieved even after today, come find me. You have my word that I will do everything in my power for you to feel that you can study in peace here.” she said.

“Thank you, Lady Degrachaff, for your kindness,” I said with as much formality as I could muster.

“Think nothing of it, child. Now, your next class should be starting fairly soon. Off you go,” she dismissed me with those words, and I nodded, returning to the same classroom I had left, and immediately the silence turned into whispers and murmurs, before finally full-blown conversations erupted, and I was approached by a gaggle of students asking me why the archduchess wanted to speak with me.

Thankfully, I was saved from the impromptu interrogation by the arrival of the next teacher, and the start of the next class.

Hopefully, not all the lessons would be taught by a royal with an interest in me.