The portly apprentice tried to argue, but a harsh look from Juniper was enough to send him on his way. There was a moment of silence, which quickly subsided as the surrounding students went back to their own games. As the low hum of chatter filled the room one more, the noblewoman looked down at her prize. The boy squirmed in her grip, his golden eyes fixated on the door. "Uh, well that was a fun match, but I..."
"You said your name was Arthur, yes?" Juniper asked, ignoring his attempt at excusing himself. All boys behaved this way at first, Juniper had learned. Much easier to keep them in one place where they couldn't scurry away. The noblewoman leaned in close, as if to observe him. "You look familiar... what family are you from?"
The student met her eyes briefly. "C-Clearwater." he stammered, trying once againg to shake free of Juniper's grip. "M-my dad is the High Justicier..."
Juniper's smile faltered. "I see..." She loosened her hold on the boy slightly, eyes growing cold. She had heard the news about this one, of course- nearly everyone in the province had. She had assumed his betrothal to the surviving Feyal was simply politics, but if he had
this much potential...
Well. That would cause problems, wouldn't it?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Susie yelped as she once again crashed into somebody, barely having any time to react before she was being ushered along down the hall. "I-I'm sorry!" she squeaked, cheeks flushed. "I-"
"Lady Whitechalk is looking for me?"The girl's heart nearly stopped. "M-Mistress Whitechalk is h-here?
Now?" she stammered, looking around wildly. "I-I never got a letter or-- or..."
"What if she's mad at me? What if the headmistress told her about me copying Kana's notes? Will she stop paying for my tuition? Will I have to go home?"A chill ran down the redhead's spine, and her eyes began to water. "She- she's not upset or anything, right..?