Ten years of unsuccessful teaching

The palace observatory was quiet at this hour.

Only the soft hum of celestial mechanisms filled the air as massive star maps rotated slowly overhead, casting silver light across the chamber.

Dahlia stood near the open balcony doors with her arms crossed, dressed in dark traveling clothes instead of royal attire.

Master Cael notices " You did always hate royal attires..."

he sat at the long table near the center of the observatory, calmly pouring tea..and slid a teacup across the table toward her.

She ignored it.

"You know," he said mildly, "most students your age are excited to attend the academy."

"Most students are annoying."

"An unfortunate worldview."

"A realistic one."

Cael sighed softly into his own tea.

Dahlia remained leaning against the balcony railing.

The moonlight caught faint silver tones in her dark hair.

Brooding.

As usual.

Nyx, in his full panther form, occupied almost half the room beside her, sprawled dramatically across expensive carpet.

Cael leaned back in his chair, studying her carefully.

She had changed so much and yet somehow not at all.

Still standing like the entire world mildly irritated her. Still carrying that distant look in her eyes. Still refusing to sit normally in chairs whenever possible.

Only now she looked sharper. Colder.

"Listen carefully, Dahlia," Cael said, his tone calmer now. "The academy is not the palace. You cannot solve every inconvenience by glaring at people until they become uncomfortable enough to leave."

"I can try."

"You absolutely will try. That is precisely why I am warning you beforehand."

Dahlia looked away toward the stars.

Cael continued anyway because years of teaching her had taught him one critical truth:

silence never meant she wasn't listening.

"You are ahead of most first-year students academically. Frankly, some second-years as well. Your magical control is advanced, your combat instincts are horrifyingly efficient, and your observational skills are deeply unsettling for someone your age. However....."

He pointed at her directly.

"you possess the social abilities of an irritated raven."

"...Rude."

Nyx made a noise suspiciously similar to agreement.

Dahlia glared at him.

"Traitor."

Cael hid a smile behind his tea.

"The other students are still learning. Many have barely awakened stable abilities. Some will struggle. Some will panic. Some will pretend confidence and they can barely move an object."

"Not my problem."

"It becomes your problem when you accidentally crush their self-esteem during training exercises."

"If they're weak, they should improve."

Cael stared at her for a long moment.

"You say things that would sound villainous from literally anyone else."

"I'm efficient."

"You are emotionally concerning."

Dahlia rolled her eyes.

Cael stood and slowly walked toward the enormous star charts near the balcony.

"When I first met you," he began conversationally, "you were five years old, covered in mud, attempting to hide an injured wyvern pup beneath your cloak during astronomy lessons."

"He was bleeding."

"You bit a palace guard."

"He grabbed him wrong."

"You were five."

"He deserved it."

"And people wonder why my hair turned grey."

"Age?"

"Stress."

Nyx huffed loudly.

"Yes, you contributed too," Cael informed the panther.

Nyx looked unrepentant.

Cael turned back toward Dahlia again.

"The point is this: the academy will challenge you differently than I have. Books are predictable. Forests are honest. People are neither."

"I know how people work."

"No," Cael said gently. "You know how to avoid them."

That made her expression shift slightly.

Only slightly.

But enough.

Cael noticed because he always noticed.

His voice softened a little.

"You isolate yourself before anyone gets the opportunity to disappoint you. It is a very intelligent defense mechanism. Also an incredibly lonely one."

Dahlia crossed her arms tighter "I'm not lonely..I have plenty company"

"I meant people"

"You said company..."

Cael sighs "they both are same"

"No they are not"

Cael smiled faintly...

He moved back toward the table before picking up a small silver object.

A celestial compass etched with shifting constellations.

He held it out to her.

Dahlia stared at it curious.

"What is it?"

"A celestial anchor. Activate it and it will always point toward the palace no matter where you are."

"...That's sentimental."

"Yes."

"You're becoming soft."

"I raised you for ten years. Unfortunately, attachment occurs."

"Raised me?? More like tortured me in name of studying"

Dahlia took the object carefully.

Her fingers curled around it slowly.

Cael pretended not to notice.

Silence settled briefly.

Comfortable silence.

The kind built over years.

Finally Cael sighed dramatically and sat back down.

"Gods, I am going to miss arguing with you."

"You enjoy suffering."

"I truly do. It is the only explanation for why I became your tutor voluntarily."

"You could've quit."

"I tried once."

Dahlia blinked.

"...What?"

"The Empress doubled my salary and threatened me simultaneously. It was very frightening."

A faint laugh escaped her before she stopped it immediately.

Nyx rested his massive head beside Dahlia with a low rumbling purr.

Cael smiled softly at the sight.

"You know," he said quietly, "for all your talk about hating people... you care far too deeply for someone pretending not to."

Dahlia looked away immediately.

"...Whatever."

"You should leave soon. The Ark departs within the hour."

She nodded once.

Neither moved immediately.

Then finally

"Behave yourself," Cael said.

"No promises."

She headed toward the observatory doors before stopping.

Cael watched her expectantly.

Without turning around, she spoke flatly,

"Don't let idiots touch my books while I'm gone."

Cael's expression softened instantly.

Not goodbye.

Not I'll miss you.

Just Dahlia trying very hard not to say either.

"I'll guard them with my life," he replied solemnly."

"...Good."

Then she walked out with Nyx following silently beside her.

Dahlia's servants load her luggage onto the Nova Startrail ( a transport system that travels through star currents)

Dahlia looks round to see many parents who came to drop their ward off. Some stand chatting about their own legacies, some tearing up and some giving instructions on how to behave she sighs...her parents didn't come her mother was busy with duties and her father won't leave his wife side.

"It's still weird to picture them as rivals during school time...for someone who swore they hated each other they are nauseously together all the the time...Don't u think so Nyx.."

Nyx..purrs yes...

Dahlia chuckles I quite like seeing u like this compact, cute, and her tone takes on a teasing tone..helpless.

Nyx growls and scratches her hands

"Okay!! Okay!! Ouch.. fine definitely not helpless stop clawing me!!"

Nyx looked smug at her pained surrender.

" Don't Judge a book by its cover "

Dahlia rubs her arms where he clawed " You're such an ass ughh!! You scratched my pale, beautiful smooth milk like skin...my poor skin...ughh why should I come in Ark(the school transport rail name is Ark, each organization operated under their own trail which they get to name , the trail imitates the star current to the desired destination without overlapping each other once they enter the current and exceptionally rich people also had their own rail)

Nyx purrs " because you didn't want to come as a royal you wanted to be an ordinary student so you come in ordinary people trail and your parents want you to socialise "

"No way!! I want my own damn cabin atleast"

"Unfortunately. No...you have to share it"

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