August 1st, 1513; 07:00 hrs;
Inside the hustling and bustling city of Lun, skyscrapers and luxury high-rises pierced the sky, their glass windows reflecting blinding sunlight.
All kinds of luxurious, sleek, and expensive cars were driving around, moving around artisanal cafés and high-end boutiques.
Large screens advertised different products on the skyscrapers, and nouveau riche young adults drove around recklessly.
This was Lun City, the financial hub of Cythos, richer than even the capital city of Veltara.
If Veltara was a hub of rich and powerful nobility, Lun was the hub of powerful guilds, rchants, and trading between nations due to its proximity to the border..
But the thing this city was most famous for was the Lun Academy, the best Academy in not just Cythos, but also for Solstice.
And this month, the entire city was even more bustling due to a single event that was going to air on national television.
Lun Academy’s entrance exam.
Top talents from all over the Cythos and Solstice were attending the exam, trying to get into this prestigious institution, only reserved for the best of the best.
It was one of the biggest achievents a person can get, even as a high noble.
Getting into the Lun Academy proved that the person in question was one of the top talents in the entire nation.
Tens of thousands attended the exam every year, but there were only 400 seats.
That was it.
This made it the most cut-throat exam for any Academy out there.
And Lucien had to prove himself here today.
...
The academy was situated in the back end of the city, due to much sheer space it acquired.
It even owned several square miles of the forest behind the city for training purposes.
Needless to say, an academy funded by the governnt, nobles, and all sorts of tycoons was bound to be filthy rich.
Outside one of its main gates, two beautiful girls stood in a long line, waiting to get inside for the exams.
They were getting gazes of many people, especially guys, but she seamlessly ignored them.
"Do you think I would pass the exams, Florence?" The one with dark brown hair asked, anxiously biting her nails.
"Relax, Teresa, we would. You are so smart, after all." Florence spoke, her pitch black hair flowing in the wind effortlessly.
"Err..." Teresa stared dead into Florence’s golden eyes, her voice deadpan. "Then why are you chewing on that lavender then?"
"Huh?" Florence was surprised, not realizing when she started chewing on the lavender sticks.
It was a little quirk she had.
She started chewing on lavender sticks whenever she felt nervous or stressed out.
"I guess I am." Florence shrugged, continuing her chewing.
And Teresa, being her childhood friend, knew about this quirk of hers.
"It’s not daily that you get to–Huh?" Suddenly, she noticed a car entering the pathway.
Teresa, noticing her frown, also turned around to look. "Weren’t cars banned in the Academy grounds?"
"I thought so too." Both nodded, noticing others murmuring about the sa.
Not too long after, the black car was followed by another car, and then another, and then another.
An entire motorcade of black, sleek sedans pulled up in the academy, disrupting the flow of others, but then they noticed sothing.
The insignia of the Cythos royal family.
It imdiately clicked with everyone.
The Royal Prince was arriving inside.
The motorcade stopped right in front of the gate, and a handso, blond, and young man with gray eyes stepped outside the limousine in the center.
Everyone’s attention was on him, but he looked annoyed by that.
He looked around, running his gaze through the sea of candidates.
For a second, Florence felt like his gaze stopped at her, but it didn’t last long, as Prince Lucien walked inside the gate, cutting the line and not even paying attention to the guards who were checking others’ IDs.
"I think the Prince looked at for a second, Florence," Teresa said, her voice giddy with excitent.
But on the other hand, Florence didn’t look amused at all. "Bleh, I don’t like rich people."
Teresa looked at her with wide eyes, not believing her ears, "Wow! I can’t believe you said that to a Prince."
Hahaha!
Before Florence could reply, Teresa burst into quiet laughter.
"That’s exactly what I thought you would say, though."
Her laughter didn’t stop for a while, making Florence roll her eyes. "Whatever."
...
’Damnit!’ Lucien thought as soon as he reached the academy. ’Nobody fucking told about it.’
On his way, he got to know that other high-profile candidates were allowed early entry yesterday to avoid attention outside.
’I could’ve snuck in with other nobles yesterday instead of attracting so much attention.’
And if that wasn’t enough, the lack of privileges was already biting him back.
The car could’ve taken him inside directly, but he had absolutely no privilege as a royal as soon as he stepped into the academy.
His face tightened, annoyed by the things happening around him, but suddenly, his instincts triggered.
He frantically looked around and noticed a black-haired, golden-eyed girl staring at him normally.
’She’s strong.’ One thing that Lucien had absolute trust in was his instincts, and he could tell that the girl was strong.
Possibly the strongest one in the entire crowd.
He was curious about her, but he had better things to do right now.
He didn’t like all this attention, as he stord inside the academy with fast strides.
He made sure to rember her face and add her to his ntal list to look out for.
’Woah!’
Lucien gasped, looking at the scenery in front.
Even as a Prince, Lucien didn’t expect the Academy to look this good.
It was like there were multiple castles scattered and stacked on top in a beautiful way.
The towering spires were as tall as smaller skyscrapers themselves, and the main hall was like a stadium.
The architecture style looked old, which was to be expected, since this Academy has withstood the test of ti for more than half a millennium.
The Academy was so big that he wasn’t even seeing half of its buildings, and it was still massive.
The sheer grandeur was enough to take away anyone’s breath and even stun Lucien.
’Damn.’
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