Author Note: I'll start referring to Aura Knight ranks from now on by their colors like Bronze-ranked Knight or Silver Aura Knight. They still hold the same meaning as Apprentice and Adept Knights respectively.
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(Part 1)
This was supposed to be the night we, the students of the Academy, should cherish as the most memorable and one of the most precious moments of our lives. Graduating from the First Royal Academy meant so much to many people: success, honor, prestige, and the start of our metamorphosis into adult and professional lives.
Some of us had their weddings planned right after that event, some of us were going to be dispatched to other parts of the world to establish our own names, and some of us just wanted to embrace our loved ones and dance for our last night as children, for tomorrow we will wake up as the men and women who carry the future on their backs.
Yet evil resides within every soul, and in some, it takes away most of the good they can do and turns it into eldritch malice and impure maleficence.
That night in the academy, I watched two lives get destroyed. A student was murdered and a girl's life was shattered to ruin. I was on the sidelines, watching how it unfolded in disgust while fully realizing that I knew nothing before.
This so-called noble high society is just another construct of man, and such things can be flawed and filled with evil.
***
—Earlier that Night—
It wasn't as expected for certain characters how the day would pass.
Like many, the performance of Prince Liam and Lady Matilda has captivated many with its celestial theme and holy aura. And while Vivian wasn't expected to live up to the challenge of being the following performer of those two talented individuals, her performance alone swooped the crowd off their feet and left them dazzled by her charm.
Her vocal skills weren't in any way, shape, or form superior to those of Matilda, and her piano skills —while they could rival the best pianists— were slightly above the Prince's skill. Regarding skill, she is right there among her peers, standing out only a little.
But her performance was truly remarkable, and the combination of her singing, playing, and emotive delivery was nothing short of flawless. She took a masterpiece from a legendary musician —a cultural atomic bomb so to speak— and reinterpreted it in a way that resonated with her own personal narrative.
And at that moment Vivian took her seat among her peers, she was no longer seen as the antagonist of the dream-like relationship of Prince Liam and Matilda Ambrose, but rather someone who has been through a tough experience and threatened by powers no one would dare face. She was even acknowledged highly by Theodore Nightingale, who, despite his unexpected jokester attitude, is a very serious man about music.
And so it was over, the 21 student performances of this year's graduates. While it was up to the standards on every front, the musical performance captivated everyone this year and set the bar way too high for the following years.
But now was the time to relax and let the steam cool off. Provost Albert Morgan took to the stage in the VIP area once again and spoke to the crowd.
"We appreciate your dedication and patience in mentoring our students. Their outstanding performances serve as a testament to your efforts in raising them and preparing them for the real world. I hope that the younger students will learn from their seniors and continue to showcase our talents and cultural heritage to the world in the upcoming year.
And with that, I think everyone deserves to stretch a bit. We have been seated for more than two hours now. Until the grades are ready to be revealed, you can have fun."
The provost clapped and rows of servants and musicians started to flow into the hall. The musicians carried their instruments and the servants carried liquor. A few open buffets were even revealed in various places of the hall.
The performance court was now opened to be accessed directly from the seating areas and the students were encouraged to gather down for the dance ball.
The male students were to gather on the eastern side of the court while the female students were to gather on the western side. The two groups would face each other and the couples would elegantly walk up to each other and join hands.
The music started.
At the forefront of the male students was Prince Liam, who stepped forward with a very elegant style and footwork, facing him was Matilda, who stepped forward just as elegantly and joined him.
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The two faced each other and bowed slightly before joining arms and dancing slowly. Four young men moved after that and faced four young ladies from the other direction who moved simultaneously with them.
Later, the young men and women flocked towards each other on the dancing court and the music kept moving them with its smooth classical motions.
Back on the western side, Vivian stood among the other female students who still waited for their partners to come and she was then joined by Edith.
"Congratulations on your performance, senior." Edith spoke with obvious glee and a wide smile.
To that, Vivian turned to face her in a stiff manner.
"Yes. Thank you." She replied.
"What's wrong?" Edith asked.
"I'm worried." Vivian said, "Now that I cooled off, wasn't my performance too bold?"
"Oh, it was the boldest." Edith replied with a serious face.
"Oh, boy!" Vivian stiffened even more.
"Well, I wouldn't worry if I were you. Being bold is not being rude. Nobody was offended and it was a performance for the ages." Edith added.
"Thank you, Edith. I guess." Vivian nodded.
"And don't worry about the dance. I am here all by myself too. We can just slip back and nobody will…"
"Here you are, my ladies."
As Edith was insinuating Vivian skipping the party, two young men approached them. To the dismay of Vivian, one of them was Richard Marshall, the one on the top of her hit list which she recites every night once or twice. Along with him was his partner from the performance, third-year student, Reginald Ashcroft.
From what it seemed, Reginald was the one driving Richard here against his own will. Reginald had his arm over Richard's shoulder and the latter wasn't even looking towards Vivian.
"Lord Reginald." Vivian spoke to the man she could at least tolerate.
"Lady Vivian, that was a performance to remember. I clapped until my hands went red." Reginald said and showed his red palms to Vivian.
"I am glad my humble performance was to your liking, my Lord." Vivian replied with a bashful bow.
"Lady Edith, I assume you are this guy's fiancée." Reginald said while turning to Edith and nudged Richard's side.
"I happen to be." Edith replied without making eye contact with Richard, whom she was mad at.
"Splendid! I don't know what he had in mind but that guy is clumsy enough to forget inviting you to the dance, and so I deliver him safe and sound." Reginald said with a cheerful attitude while patting Richard hard on his back.
Bothered by Reginald's happy-go-luckiness and chummy attitude, Richard followed his senior's instructions and stepped ahead towards Edith.
"Dear Edith." Richard spoke while keeping the coolest attitude he had and facing her.
"Dear Richard." Edith faced Richard in return.
"Will you honor me with this dance?" He asked politely and offered a hand.
Edith looked between Vivian and Richard since she was planning to skip the dance with Vivian but now as she had a dancing partner, even Vivian encouraged her to go.
It wasn't that Vivian was okay with Richard being with Edith, her first friend after transmigrating, but rather she didn't want to be seen as someone who was getting between two betrothed people. On the other hand, Edith was hoping for Vivian to activate her villainess mode and smite Richard with some nasty lines but knowing that Vivian has just restored part of her public image, she didn't want to burden her either and decided to go with Richard.
As for Vivian, she found herself standing alone with Reginald Ashcroft, who smiled in a friendly manner by her side.
"Something funny on my face, Lord Reginald?" Vivian asked.
"Oh, excuse my rudeness. It is just that no one could have ever expected you to be such a musician." Reginald said.
"Such a musician?" Vivian asked with her brows up.
"Such a great musician." Reginald rephrased his line with an index of indication.
"Thank you, that's very kind of you, my Lord. I may have not witnessed your performance but people praise it royally." Vivian said, returning the courtesy.
"Are you being serious? Nobody is talking about anything that happened before your performance except that of His Highness. Practically nobody remembers us now." Reginald complained with a tired face that conveyed how wronged he must have felt.
"Cheer up, my lord. At least you are confident in your ability." Vivian said.
"Indeed. But against that Richard…" Reginald said and let out a sigh, "Sometimes I feel he goes easy on me."
"Can't say I am fond of your choice of friends." Vivian replied while looking away.
"I know. But he's a good person when you get to befriend him… and his father is my father's liege lord. So he will be my liege lord one day." Reginald stated.
"I assume that makes you his biggest fan by default." Vivian said.
"We're just good friends." Reginald said before facing Vivian and offering her a hand, "I hope my friendly manners and good attitude have earned me a dance."
"What about your dancing partner?" Vivian asked.
"Let's say that Richard wasn't the only clumsy one. A lot of us, boys, actually didn't get to invite a girl." Reginald said without a hint of being ashamed.
"Fine. I'll be honored, my lord."
Vivian agreed to join Reginald on the dance floor and they slowly joined the crowd. Being a Silver-ranked Knight, Reginald was taught in all the refined arts from a young age and so was Vivian. The two danced beautifully and attracted attention until the music was slowly ending.
Each dancer faced their own partner and greeted each other with a polite bow before all turning around to face the VIP second where Provost Albert Morgan took to his stage once again.