"Academically, magically, politically, socially," my mother listed. "They'll try to outdo each other in every way imaginable to catch the attention of desirable males. So rivalries have lasted for generations."
"And the academy allows this?"
"Encourages it, actually," Cassandra said with a grin. "Controlled competition breeds excellence. Plus, it's useful for the males to see their potential wives at their absolute best."
I was starting to get a picture of what awaited . A school full of powerful, competitive won who would see as a prize to be won. Won trained from birth to be leaders, fighters, rulers – all vying for the chance to own a pretty boy from a prestigious house.
"The instructors must be incredible to handle all that," I said.
"Oh, they are," my mother said mysteriously. "In fact, that reminds – there's sothing else you should know about the academy."
"What?"
"The senior faculty aren't exactly... normal," Lyanna said carefully.
"What do you an?"
"They're immortal," Cassandra dropped the bombshell casually.
I nearly choked on my water. "Immortal? Like... actually immortal?"
"Well, not completely immortal," my mother clarified. "They can be killed, but they are incredibly powerful and don't age past their pri and they've lived for millennia. The Headmistress, Lady Seraphina, founded the academy over a thousand years ago."
"A thousand years?" I squeaked.
"The Combat Instructor, General Valkyria, commanded armies during the First Divine Wars fifteen hundred years ago," Lyanna added. "And Professor Mystica, who teaches advanced magical theory, was apparently there when the very foundations of magical education were laid two millennia ago."
"Two thousand years?" My voice cracked.
"When you et them," my mother said with sothing approaching reverence, "you'll understand imdiately why they command such respect. Lady Seraphina... when she enters a room, the very air seems to hold its breath. She's beautiful in a way that transcends mortal understanding—not just physically, though she's stunning, but there's sothing about her presence that makes you feel like you're standing before a force of nature."
"General Valkyria is..." Cassandra paused, searching for words. "Imagine the most magnificent predator you've ever seen, but elevated to an art form. She moves like liquid death wrapped in silk, and when she looks at you, you feel like she's cataloging every weakness you have while simultaneously deciding whether you're worth her ti."
"And Professor Mystica," Lyanna continued, her analytical mask slipping to show genuine awe, "she's like looking at the concept of ancient wisdom given form. Beautiful beyond description, but with eyes that have seen the birth and death of civilizations. When she speaks, it's like the universe itself is sharing secrets with you."
"Their re presence," my mother added softly, "is overwhelming. Students have been known to freeze completely the first ti they encounter any of them. Not from fear, exactly, but from the sheer weight of being in the presence of beings who have shaped the world for longer than most empires have existed."
"They're beautiful in the way that ancient mountains are beautiful," Cassandra said dreamily. "Tiless, majestic, and utterly untouchable. You look at them and understand imdiately that you're seeing sothing beyond mortal comprehension."
"And here's the truly fascinating part," Lyanna added with a knowing smirk. "In all their millennia of existence, none of them have ever taken a partner. Not once."
"What?" I sat up straighter, suddenly very interested.
"It's true," my mother confird. "Thousands of years, countless empires, millions of students—both male and female —and not one has ever caught their attention romantically. There are rumors that they've maintained complete chastity since their transformation to immortality."
"So say they're waiting," Cassandra said, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "That beings of their power and beauty couldn't possibly be satisfied with ordinary mortals. They'd need soone... exceptional."
"Others believe they've transcended such earthly desires entirely," Lyanna countered. "That immortality has elevated them beyond physical or emotional attachnts."
"But the romantic theory is much more popular among the students," my mother admitted with a small smile. "The idea that these magnificent, ancient beings are still waiting for soone worthy enough to capture their hearts."
I felt sothing stir in my chest—part intrigue, part challenge, part pure masculine pride. Beautiful, powerful, immortal won who had never found anyone worthy of their attention? Who had waited millennia without a single romantic entanglent?
"That's... that's actually incredible," I said, trying to keep my voice casual while my mind raced.
"I thought you'd find that interesting," Cassandra said with amusent. "Though I should warn you—countless nobles, princes, and prodigies have had the sa thought over the centuries. The academy grounds are practically littered with the broken dreams of young n who thought they might be the exception."
"Still," my mother mused, "it does make one wonder what kind of person could possibly interest beings who have seen and experienced everything the world has to offer."
"Are they... dangerous?"
"Not to students," my mother assured quickly. "They're incredibly protective of the academy and everyone in it. But they're also impossibly powerful and have seen empires rise and fall. They don't tolerate disrespect, laziness, or political gas that threaten their students."
"Plus," Lyanna added with dark amusent, "they have very little patience for the usual teenage drama. Several noble daughters have learned that the hard way over the years."
I tried to wrap my head around the idea of immortal teachers who had been alive for centuries. "Do they know about... everything? Like, the political situations, family secrets?"
"Everything," Cassandra confird. "Lady Seraphina knew your grandmother. Professor Mystica taught your great-aunt. They've watched all powerful families for generations."
"Which ans," my mother said with a significant look, "they'll probably know exactly who you are the mont they see you, despite our secrecy. Immortals tend to have very good mories for bloodlines."
Great. So not only would I be walking into a school full of competitive super-won who wanted to claim as a prize, but I'd be doing it under the watchful eyes of ancient immortal beings who had probably seen every political ga, every family drama, and every sche imaginable.
"This keeps getting better and better," I muttered.
"Oh, it will be wonderful," my mother said, completely missing my sarcasm. "The connections you'll make, the education you'll receive, the wives you'll et – it's going to be the experience of a lifeti."
The experience of a lifeti. At an academy where immortal instructors watched over competitions between empire-born won who wanted to own .
I looked around the comfortable dining room, at my beautiful family who wanted nothing more than to package up and deliver to this academic thunderdo.
And I realized that my plan had just gotten a lot more complicated.
But also, potentially, a lot more interesting.
If I was going to make my family realize what they were giving away, I'd have to do it in front of so of the most powerful, competitive won in the known world.
Under the supervision of immortal beings who had seen every ga played before.
Challenge accepted.
____
Teeheee~
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