Curse of the lady.

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"Why is Ayrton acting like a fool in front of such a slender dead body beside him?" a boy said, standing on the rooftop edge of the academy. 

Ayrton and Lydan were going toward the edifices in front of the Academy when the boy's glance fell on them from the rooftop. 

"What do you think?" The boy said to the owl's statue he was tilting, "Let's rhyme it out, dear owl."

After bidding farewell to the owl's statue, the boy jumped the sixteen-floor high edifice. 

...

"The frontal building is the dormitory of royal heirs," Ayrton said, pointing toward the edifice.

"The one on the right flank is the dorm of noble heirs," Ayrton continued, "and the one on the left side is for girls. Princess Lynorr also resides there."

Lydan wasn't paying attention to Ayrton. He was befuddled looking at the Demarrow peaks. "You appear to have a lot on your mind," Ayrton uttered.

Lydan gaped at Ayrton in confusion for a while before jerking his thoughts "It's just my first time out of the castle; that is why everything is new to me." Lydan signed.

"I see" warmly smiling Ayrton said as he reached the royal dorm's door. 

The dorm was like a small estate on a beautiful vast grassland with many saplings and shrubs around it.

"Let's head inside," Ayrton said. 

Lydan nodded and entered the dorm following behind Ayrton; a youthful boy in butler's garb was making a bow in the frontal hallway inside the dorm.

"We all royal heirs are handed a menial; the others came in first, so only Edmund left," Ayrton said.

The boy in his teens came in front of Lydan, flustered, as he made a bow again. "My name is Edmund. Your Highness, I am really happy to be of service to you," Edmund said.

Lydan fixed his hand on Edmund's shoulder and smiled warmly. Seeing Lydan's smile at Edmund, Ayrton's facial expression changed for a split second from a cheery expression to a covetousness. 

"Let's head to the dining room, we all cousins will be having our regale there daily," Ayrton said. 

"I...I want to rest and have dinner in my room" hesitatingly, Lydan signed. 

Edmund was surprised to see Lydan's sign, Ayrton noticing it shot his glare at him to make him look down. 

"If you say so, Edmund will bring you dinner in your room," Ayrton said, signaling Edmund. 

Edmund came near Lydan, bowing; he gestured toward the stairs; Lydan gave a nod to Ayrton and headed toward the stairs; he was half on the stairs when Ayrton suddenly stopped him.

"Will you be joining us for breakfast tomorrow?" Ayrton asked. 

Lydan got strained with Ayrton's abrupt gesture—without thinking much, he bobbed, making Ayrton smile.

Ayrton loosened Lydan's hand that he was clinging to too tightly, and after, he kept gaping at Lydan as he tromped over the stairs.

"I miss Ellen" Lydan's notion muttered frightfully as he was going upstairs. 

Ayrton came down the stairs and pummeled his forehead as a middle-aged gent wearing butler's garb came over to Ayrton. 

"You should have restrained yourself, what were you thinking?" Ayrton's notion muttered

"Your highness?" Sebastian called. 

"You terrified him you wisecrack" Ayrton's notion kept grunting with his forehead on his hand. 

"Prince Ayrton?" Sebastian bellowed out again. 

"Yes?" Ayrton said, looking up. "Oh Sebastian" 

"Are you all right, Your Highness?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Your highness this letter came today for you" 

"Who is the sender?" 

"The king" 

Ayrton took the letter from Sebastian's hands and placed it in his pocket. 

"Your Highness, will you take your bath now or after regale?" Sebastian said.

"I will take it now," Ayrton replied.

"I will prepare it then," bowing, Sebastian said as he left, leaving Ayrton soughing for his life. 

...

"This is your room, Your Highness," Edmund said as he opened the door.

The room was a true illustration of a canny, bed in a corner made with a fur blanket on top beside a window. 

A set of Davenport was placed beside the huge window that was showing the whole academy through it and a small dining table opposite it. 

A blind screen in a corner and a study table were beside another small window. 

"It's so different from my room," Lydan's notion muttered.

"I have beforehand prepared a bath for you, your highness," Edmund said, laughing.

Lydan smiled, glancing at him; Edmund's eyes sparkled, and he felt as if he were being praised.

"I have also arranged your luggage that came in the morning," Edmund went on. "The dinner is ready, your highness, will you take a bath now or after dinner?"

"I will take a bath first," Lydan signed.

"As you say, Your Highness," Edmund said. "I'll bring you the gown and dinner,"

Lydan gave a nod and trudged toward the blind screen as Edmund left the room. 

A bathtub with lukewarm water was behind the blind screen. Lydan took off the white shirt and black leather pants, exposing his pale skin as his eye fell on the pendant.

"Does this not work on people who have seen me before I wore this pendant?" Lydan's notion muttered

Lydan took off the pendant and placed it on the table beside his clothes and sat in the bathtub. 

"I do not like that Ayrton" Lydan's notion grunted. 

Lydan drowned his whole body in the water for many seconds before taking his head out, his long hair floating on the water as he put his head on the edge to lean on. 

Lydan was thinking about the stuff that happened today as he flashed back to last night's dream and the forest that he saw today, he felt a shiver down his spine again. 

Glancing over the pendant on the side table, Lydan's eyes went vague as he heard a whisper. 

Sh... sh... sh

The whispers were getting louder; his eyes were about to be closed entirely until the knock helped him come to cognizance.

"Your highness?" Edmund called out, "Your gown is here"

Lydan opened his eyes and stood up, jolting—he was breathing heavily. "Your highness?" Edmund called out again. "The dinner is ready to be served too."

Lydan gave a knock from the other side indicating he was coming–he was shivering as a tear rolled down his eyes. 

...

"The uniform suits you, Lydan," Ayrton said—he was the only one standing in the dining hall at his seat.

Lydan was wearing blue pants on a white shirt with his pendant tucked in, and a shoulder cape with a golden lining was giving him the grace he bore—the other shoulder was covered with many golden laces.

"It suits you too," Lydan signed. "Where are the others?"

"They left early," a smiling Ayrton said.

"This early?" Lydan's notion muttered

Lydan came forward and sat at the dining table, which was filled with different kinds of delectables. Ayrton sat on the chair, on the opposite side from where Lydan was sitting on the huge table.

Edmund was serving breakfast to Lydan, and Sebastian was serving Ayrton. Lydan started eating, but Ayrton was sitting still while she started.

"Why are not you eating?" Lydan signed as he noticed Ayrton. 

"I am," Ayrton said as he started eating. 

Lydan looked at Edmund, who was standing behind him. Edmund came forward toward Lydan.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Edmund said.

"Can I have milk tea?" Lydan signed "I don't feel like having herbal tea."

"I will be back," a smiling Edmund said as he left the dining hall.

Ayrton was shooting glares at Edmund, as covetousness was taking the best of him; he seemed as if he'd have served Lydan himself if he could—clutching his hand, he was taking tea with the other hand while doing his best to stay calm.

"Your Highness, would you like something different?" "I'm reading the room," Sebastian said.

Sebastian had his attention on Ayrton, and Ayrton was gaping at the door from which Edmund went out. Lydan was looking at his plate as he was about to take a bite when he felt something.

No one felt the presence of someone else who had just entered the dining hall through the other door until a blade came down on Lydan's neck.

"Ophni!!" Ayrton shouted as he looked in Lydan's direction.

Lydan suddenly felt something cold on his neck. "So this is the lady who has put the curse on you," Ophni said.

To be continued...