JUNE ZEILRAN knows one thing: he is destined to live a quiet life in the servant's quarters as a half-blood in a territory of fairies. When the Imperial High Queen offers him a job he cannot refuse, he is thrown into a world of secrets and murder t...
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2407 Rab 27, Reshpe
"Relius, cut that out or you'll risk splashing food into your uniform for the nth time," Skalis's annoyed voice bled in June's ears. He glanced at his friends, tearing his attention at the horde of students milling in and out of the Gammoth's Belly.
Relius had his drink tilted to a dangerous angle as he used a metal tube to sift past the solid ingredients in the cup. His tongue peeked through his lips as the banshee tinkered in concentration. "Just..." he muttered under his breath. "Need to get..." A sliver of milk spilled from the cup's rim and into his trousers. "...this."
Skalis clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "Whatever," she slammed her palm against her forehead. "Good luck dealing with Scholar Fayen's nagging."
Relius blanched. June let a small smile out. They all had Scholar Fayen's fashion and etiquette class for the last year of their second trench. Skalis and Relius had worked their asses off trying to pass all their failed Insenturasubjects in the first two years of the second trench so they could catch up and be regular students again. Of course, they couldn't afford to lose now.
June shoved his spoon into his mouth, letting the nutty goodness melt in his mouth. That's how this delicacy was eaten, not how Relius seemed to understand it. Whenever they buy this for lunch, the banshee always insists on finishing one type of nut first before moving to other types. He loved the chilled milk most of all so he made sure to have nothing in his way in enjoying it.
June had suggested that Relius should just go buy chilled milk but the banshee looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Are you kidding? The combination of the nutty flavor and the milk is what I'm here for!" the banshee had screamed.
So now, they all had to deal with Relius spilling milk into himself in his unique way of eating deispen cups.
Relius heaved a dramatic sigh and proceeded to consume his cup like a normal person. "I thought I had it," he lamented. His hair had started turning gray, pushing all the locks of blue away from his scalp and down to the ends of his locks. That's the banshee way of telling people that Relius was growing up.
Skalis, meanwhile, had lost all the fat in her cheeks. Her eyes and skin had only managed to shine brighter whenever she smiled. She stopped wearing her hair in two tails but instead opted to let it flow down her back in waves. Her uniform, now accented with blue and sported an overcoat covering her until the elbows, was as clean and kempt as ever. She had also grown taller over the years as did Relius.
In short, sometimes, June felt like they weren't children anymore.
It didn't help when he thought that in three years, he'd be out of here. What would the High Queen have him do after he graduates? Make him serve in the Seelie Court as her henchman?
Because whether June liked it or not, he wasn't ever going to get out of his servitude to the Imperial power. The High Queen had already damaged June's life in ways more than one. That started when she gave him his first assignment.
