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This was all a joke. A giant divine joke played at Rudolf's expense. It had to be. It was bad enough that he'd been forced to attend the Officers' Academy for his last few months of freedom before they slapped a gilded shackle on his head and called it a coronet, but his last hope at being outed as a fraud and denied his hated birthright was a flippant man who probably wouldn't notice him even if his Crest made him light up like the noonday sun, let alone its real effect. Rudolf's saving grace was that the second class to which he'd been assigned might have a different instructor, but that came with its own set of horrors - namely that he'd be attending with the [i]Crown Princess[/i] and the psycho that murdered all House Vestra's other heirs, if rumors were to be believed. Maybe he'd get lucky and Her Highness would personally declare him unfit for vassalage, but that carried the risk of drawing her ire. Sure, she seemed nice enough, but that was at a public event. Maybe she was terrifying in private. 

He was getting ahead of himself. Surely any institution of learning would come with regular evaluation in which the professors would be forced to observe him, even if his most prominent one was lazy and uncaring. Malathice said he was a researcher of magic theory; he'd surely spot Rudolf's flaws and mercilessly tear them apart for the crime of wasting his time. The dark-haired boy had a year to return home in disgrace, he didn't need to start doomsaying so soon. Then again, he still had to embarrass himself in front of the Crown Princess, unless he was lucky enough to fly beneath her notice entirely. Or... maybe she wouldn't begrudge him for abdicating if she saw how pitiful the runt of House Bergliez was in action. 

Ugh, he was doing it again. 

The room was in motion now, giving Rudolf an excuse to focus on something else besides the perpetual downward spiral in his own head. The princess had quietly excused herself and everyone else seemed to take that as their invitation to leave. To do [i]what[/i], exactly, Rudolf wasn't certain; classes wouldn't start until the following day and they otherwise had nowhere to be. Mingle, apparently, if Professor Malathice was to be believed. Rudolf wasn't very good at that. He knew most everyone in attendance but he didn't know any of them [i]well[/i], and he had no doubt they'd find him detestably boring if all he could do was force small talk about Count Hevring's last ball (where Viscount Hrym's son embarrassed him thoroughly, no less!) and stutter out empty platitudes about the locale. No, it was better he remain in the shadows where he belonged. Besides, he still needed to unpack; who knew what the servants did with all his luggage when they tossed it in his room. Not that he had much, but... it gave him something to do.

Fortunately, Rudolf managed to sneak his way out of the classroom without anyone toppling him over - a minor feat in most crowds, even one as small as this - and made his way out into the courtyard. The other classrooms seemed to have been dismissed at much the same time, judging by the amount of unfamiliar faces he noted, and the professors seemed to have devolved into playground antics. Both far too intimidating for him to engage with; he'd made a good choice in returning to his dorm.

[i]Un[/i]fortunately, he almost trudged straight into the future Empress and the Vestra heiress discussing boys of all things, with the implication that she'd be 'prowling' for a poor sap to force into a betrothal. And Rudolf would be sitting next to her. All. Year. Long. Goddess knows his mother would jump at the idea of him marrying so well, though maybe someone that didn't stand to become a minister of the Empire themselves might be more suited- Saints, he hadn't even considered that he might be used as a tool of political marriage if he passed up his title.

He truly was doomed.

[color=b300b3]"Isn't it a bit early to be husband-hunting here?"[/color] Rudolf squawked without really considering his words. It didn't register to him that he'd just addressed the Crown Princess. It didn't register to him that he just ruined his chance to slip away. He just wanted to take himself out of the hunt before it even began. [color=b300b3]"I mean. Uh. I wasn't eavesdropping. I just... y'know. Heard you in passing. And. Um."[/color] 

His posture shrunk and his mouth opened and shut a few times without any words escaping it before he finally followed up, [color=b300b3]"I'll just... be going. Sorry."[/color] 

[hr][@Asura][@McMolly]
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