Moonveil Academy: Trapped With The Five Kings

Elara:

I leaned against the kitchen island, watching the girl work. She moved efficiently, as though she’d done this countless times before. Everything she touched was handled with care instead of haste, and somehow that simple observation made the dorm feel warmer than it had since I’d moved in.

After nearly a minute of comfortable silence, curiosity finally got the better of me. ”Do you work in the academy’s maintenance department?”

The girl looked up, blinking in surprise as if she didn’t expect me to talk to her. Then she quickly shook her head. ”N-No.” She smiled shyly. ”My mother does. She’s part of the maintenance staff, and the one in charge of your dorm.”

She lowered her eyes toward the cloth in her hands as she added softly, ”She’s had a fever since yesterday morning. So...” She shrugged almost apologetically. ”I have been doing her work until she gets better.”

Something inside my chest tightened. That explained why someone so young was cleaning the dormitories. Then almost immediately, another realization struck me. I looked around the kitchen before turning back to her.

”Wait... were you the one who filled my refrigerator yesterday?” I asked, finally understanding why so many things looked different yesterday in the dorm.

Though my refrigerator always had stock in it, but yesterday it was packed with all the healthy things - bottled water, fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, herbs, juices, and even a box of chocolates and candies that looked unlike anything I had seen back in Florida.

Her eyes widened as if she just got caught red-handed.

I pointed toward the neatly arranged cupboards. ”And... were you also the one who reorganized the kitchen, the living room, and those flower pots in the balcony, as well as the chairs?”

Her face immediately turned pale. ”I-I’m sorry!” She bowed so quickly that it left me stunned. ”I shouldn’t have touched your things without permission! I just thought that it might feel more like home if everything was arranged properly.” Her voice grew smaller. ”I know I went too far. I’m really sorry.”

I couldn’t help smiling. ”No. You didn’t.”

She looked up uncertainly.

”You don’t need to apologize.” I meant every word. ”In fact, I’m grateful.” I looked around the dorm once more. ”I kept thinking how thoughtful whoever arranged all this must have been. It really did make this place feel... less empty and unfamiliar.”

The girl’s eyes slowly softened, and then a small smile finally spread across her face. It wasn’t forced or polite, but simply... genuine.

”You are...” She stopped herself. Then, before she could seem to think better of it, the words slipped out anyway. ”You are so nice.”

The instant she realized what she’d said, both of her hands flew over her mouth. Her eyes widened in absolute horror as though complimenting me was something she wasn’t supposed to do.

A quiet laugh escaped me before I could stop it. ”Thank you,” I said. ”You are really nice too.”

She slowly lowered her hands, yet her eyes were still wide as if she could hardly believe what was happening. Maybe she’s just surprised that someone among the supernaturals could actually be nice to a human for once.

I stepped a little closer. ”I don’t think we have actually introduced ourselves. My name is Elara.” I smiled warmly. ”And I’d really prefer if you called me that instead of ’Princess.’”

She hesitated for only a moment before answering softly, ”I’m Myra.” Her shy smile returned. ”It’s nice to meet you Pri... Elara.”

* * *

By the time the clock on my bedside table read half past five, I had already changed into a fresh set of clothes and stood staring at my reflection for the third time that evening.

There wasn’t really anything wrong with the way I looked. My yellow colored dress and the white cardigan were simple enough, my long hair had been tied into a neat braid, and there wasn’t a wrinkle anywhere on my clothes. Yet I still found myself smoothing invisible creases from my dress, more out of nervousness than necessity.

It had been nearly a week since I arrived at Moonveil Academy, and somehow, despite everything that had happened since then, I still found it difficult to believe that the first person who had shown me even a shred of kindness on the night my entire world fell apart had been none other than Lorien Moonveil.

He had apologized for the Star Warriors. He had asked for my permission before examining the seal behind my ear when everyone else had simply done it. Even the clothes I’d been thanking Vice Headmistress Noctis for had turned out to be from him.

None of it erased the fact that he belonged to the same world as the people who had taken me away from my family, nor did it make me trust him. But it did make him... different. Different enough that I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from today’s meeting.

As I stepped out of my dorm and began following the map toward the Administration Building, my thoughts kept circling around one question. Why was the Headmaster himself personally conducting a weekly session with me?

Moonveil Academy had more professors than I could count, each one specializing in something different. Professor Elowen probably knew more about magical seals than anyone else in this place. Professor Fenrith had been assigned to guide me through Starfall’s history, my powers, and everything I’d missed during the past twenty years. So what role exactly did Lorien play in all of this?

I considered every possibility I could think of while walking through the academy grounds, but each one led back to the same conclusion. The seal. It had to be the seal. During my assessment, his magic had interacted with it differently from everyone else’s.

Leaving my dorm twenty minutes before six turned out to be one of the smartest decisions I’d made all day. Despite following the academy map, I still managed to take two wrong turns before finally locating the Administration Building.

The academy truly was enormous. Every corridor looked almost identical to the previous one, every staircase led to another impossibly long hallway, and whoever had designed this place clearly believed walking was excellent for character development.

By the time I finally reached the entrance hall, my watch told me I had barely five minutes left. My eyes widened in horror as I realized Lorien’s office wasn’t on the ground floor. Of course it wasn’t.

Muttering several very unprincess-like complaints under my breath about the complete lack of elevators in this magical world, I hurried toward the staircase and practically ran all the way up, taking two steps at a time.

By the time I reached the final landing, my lungs were burning, my legs were protesting, and I was beginning to suspect the true entrance exam for Moonveil Academy was surviving its staircases.

Finally, I spotted the polished wooden door with the elegant silver nameplate mounted beside it.

Headmaster Lorien Moonveil.

I stopped a few feet away, bent over slightly as I tried to catch my breath, and glanced down at my watch.

5:59.

Right on time.

I took two slow, deep breaths, smoothed my sweater one last time, then raised my hand and knocked gently against the door.

”Come in.” His calm voice reached me from the other side.

Wrapping my fingers around the brass handle, I slowly pushed the door open... and stepped inside.