Allan Valenrett was born into nobility.
It was a complicated concept, nobility was. The common people saw it as honor, power, wealth and superiority. The poor saw them as evil leeches who deprive them of their livelihood—not that it was wrong. The rich saw them as people to curry favor with.
Nobles themselves took their nobility for granted, and it was, in a way.
They were born into a noble family, meaning they were lucky, according to anyone who does not know the real machinations behind it.
Allan's father did not believe in keeping his children ignorant and it was exactly why he knows things like how the king and queen aren't like how they are in the stories, that this noble's son hates their family and wants to use the army in their command to kill them, that that noble's daughter is scheming to become this or that noble's wife. That this or that noble is planning a rebellion. Or that one is a spy from another kingdom.
What was supposed to be a simple, honest hierarchy was a vexing dead knit on if which you tread carefully, you would die.
As the duke's son and heir, Allan had a lot of things on his shoulder.
Sometimes, he wishes that he was a general's son instead. So that he could just focus on fighting and strategies of war instead of the intricate, delicate web of lies that was nobility.
But right now?
He was free.
The others at school still only had the mind to make the most simple schemes. Things like currying favor or pranking someone to humiliate them. He'd even made a friend there, Elroy, who would no doubt be a good connection.
Everyone was simple and honest—as much as they could be as teenagers and not as jaded and mature adults.
Then in came the light magic student, Lily Lovell.
Allan hated her.
It was the way she talked, it was as if she was reciting lines and taking amusement in the way people believed her. The way she walked, giving any cultured ladies an insult as she made a mockery of their posture. The way she looked at the princes and him and Elroy, as if she had them in her hands.
It was the way she practiced her magic, as if she was an expert when really she couldn't beat the worst student in class. The way she would smile sweetly before throwing a tantrum and spreading things about someone. Her personality, arrogant and boastful. Her looks, good but ruined with how she would scrunch her face whenever she pouted—which was a lot.
He hated her.
It was a simple, straight fact.
In fact, he was about 100% sure that everyone else hated her too. Elroy would sometimes complain about how she would stare at him unceasingly when the both of them had the same class, second prince had very obviously kept her as far away as he could, crown prince had never once deigned to look at her. Earl's daughter would bring her group either far away from her or gang up on her, but never going physical.
Unfortunately, the king wanted the student to be there and no one could refute him.
(The king was the biggest scum in Allan's eyes. Cheating on his wife, neglecting his sons, making Lily go to school when it was so very obvious no one liked her.
And the way he looked at everyone was simply infuriating.)
It was a fortunate thing that by the time Allan inherits the title of duke, crown prince should have already been made king. A very, very fortunate thing, because he was sure he wouldn't be able to stand the current king. How his father did, he had no idea.
The image he wanted to go for to set the stage of becoming duke in the future was just average and polite. The apparent suitors who chased him were very annoying because of this. Allan decided that being underestimated would be the best, so if anything bad happens, he would be overlooked.
Nobility was a complex thing. Lily wanted to marry into nobility or maybe even royalty, but she would not survive even her first year.
That was a simple, straight fact and nothing could change his mind on it.
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What is this, author? You ask. An extra about a character that has never even appeared before the next chapter?
Well, just an introspective on the opinions of the others at school on Lily. Really.
Allan is totally not going to be important or anything.
Including AN: 771 words
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