Princess of the Silver Ocean - Chapter 16

The chauffeur stopped in front of the academy and stepped out of the car to open their doors. With a little bow, the chauffeur said, “Enjoy your day, sir and ladies.” He got back in the car and drove off. Astoria stared at the academy. There was no way that the school fees of this academy were cheap. Everything from the outside looked expensive, and she could not imagine what the inside would look like.

There were several single silver chairs placed all over the academy. Each of them had its own small square table for either a single or a small number of students. There were also large square tables with some chairs placed around them for larger groups of students. Morvin stared at her, his expression sour, and whispered to his sister.

“Is it really a good idea for her to come to the academy in this state? I mean, look at her.”

He pointed at his younger sister. Naida shrugged as she stared at Astoria’s fascinated face in mute silence. Clearly, the younger sister was taken aback by the appearance of the academy and how high-class it was.

“I don’t care what happens to her. Father gave her permission to attend the academy again, so whatever happens to her is not my business,” Naida said after a minute, arms crossed.

They both began to walk away, and Astoria followed behind them.

“Hey!” she heard Naida exclaim, bitterness evident in her voice.

She bumped into the purple-haired princess, blinking multiple times at the sudden collision.

“We’re not in the same class, so stop following us,” Naida told her, rolling her eyes.

“Oh, right. I kinda forgot.”

She smiled sheepishly, causing the princess to roll her eyes yet again.

“So, where is my class?” she asked the purple-haired princess.

“As if I care. You figure it out, Miss Silver Ocean bearer,” the princess said, walking away from them.

He cheekily winked at Astoria and rushed to his sister’s side.

Astoria clicked her tongue in irritation as she watched their figures disappear.

“I ought to slap the both of you,” she grumbled, fisting her hand at them.

She sighed, opened her bag, found her timetable, and saw that her class was Room 340. After walking around for about five minutes and asking other students who gawked at her, completely bewildered for some unknown reason. They helped her, and she eventually located her class.

“Room 340,” she read as she stared at the silver-plated number placed on the thick purple door.

Taking a deep breath and letting it out, she braced herself in case she saw creatures that would freak her out. Other students walked past her and wondered why she was just staring at the door.

‘Here goes.’

She opened the door and was almost shocked at what she had witnessed. There were humans in the classroom, but over their heads were the names of the kind of creatures they were. For example, when she looked at a brown-haired boy standing by the window, red floating letters that read ‘Gargoyle’ were on top of his head. Her eyes widened as she stared at the gargoyle student standing in the middle of the classroom, speaking to another student.

‘That’s a gargoyle?’

She was utterly amused. The class was quite lively, and there were a few empty seats at the back. Standing by the door, unsure of what to do or where to go, her gaze swept at the different students in the room. No student paid any attention to her as they were all focused on their deep conversations.

‘Where the hell is my seat? Do I just sit anywhere?’

She heard the sound of the door opening behind her, moved to the side, and saw five students enter.

‘Fairy, centaur, ghost, troll, and witch.’

She internally read the names above their heads as the students entered the class and took their seats. She continued to awkwardly stand next to the door, silently praying that the teacher would arrive so that she could feel at ease and maybe get some help with the whole sitting arrangement thing.

It was as if the Goddess had answered her prayer because the teacher arrived a minute later. The teacher was beautiful beyond words. She was a pure selkie. The teacher had white, short hair which hung over her round face. Shining green eyes, watched over the class and then landed on her.

She was dressed in a simple yet elegant purple suit. There was something rather captivating about her; perhaps it was her contagious smile. Nonetheless, the class suddenly kept quiet, and all the students rushed to take their seats.

“Princess Nexi,” she said in pure delight, a bright Colgate smile on her face.

“Follow me outside so we can have a little chat.”

She whispered the last part. Astoria followed her, entirely captivated by her appearance and the pure aura she was radiating.

“I am Mrs. Lilmai,” she said, snapping her out of her almost trance-like state.

“However, the students call me Mrs. Mai for some odd reason. Not that I’m complaining, I kinda like it.”

Mrs. Lilmai gleefully chuckled. Astoria nodded, her high ponytail lightly bouncing in the process. She smiled at the teacher and thought to herself how scarily captivating the Merfolk could be when they trap you with their beauty. This selkie was truly beautiful, and when she laughed, she radiated a bright aura. Now she understood why sailors always ended up following sirens, mermaids, and the like.

“Your father, the king, told me what happened,” the white-haired selkie said, reassuringly rubbing her hand on Astoria’s back.

“Don’t worry about a single thing. Only the teachers and the principal know of your amnesia. We decided not to tell the students as we don’t know what they might do to you with that kind of information since you know how some students can be so mischievous.”

Astoria smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She really did not want the students to know of her condition. It would make her already complicated life even more complicated.

“Your seat is at the back, the one on the right, which is next to the window. If you need anything, anything at all, don’t hesitate to let me know. Alright, Nexi dear?”

“Yes, thank you so much, Mrs. Lilmai,” she replied, feeling relieved that she had such a kind homeroom teacher.

With that, they entered the class, and she walked to her seat. The fairy she had seen earlier smiled at her. She smiled back, looked out the window, and saw some students walking to the running track in tracksuits. They were preparing to have PE.

“Hey, Nexi,” she heard a female voice to her right.

Turning her head, she saw that it was the female fairy student. She had a small, cute face with red, short hair with bangs. Her light green eyes watched Astoria, a grin on her face. This was the face of Laurelai Summermint, one of Nexi’s best friends and the princess of the Summer Faery Court.

“Hey,” Astoria greeted back.

“Hmm? What’s with the weak greeting?” the fairy responded, tilting her head.

“Ah, it’s nothing,” Astoria quickly said, frantically waving her hands in the air.

“Um, okay then. Anyway, I, Laurelai, missed you so much. Honestly, two weeks felt like an eternity without you here,” the fairy said, her hand fisted on her heart to express how much she missed her best friend.

Mrs. Lilmai cleared her throat loudly to indicate that she wanted them to be quiet. The fairy looked at the teacher, mouthing a “Sorry”. A shy smile was plastered on her face. According to the diary, this fairy was one of Nexi’s best friends. The other best friend had to transfer to another academy in another kingdom because his father was given a high-paying job there.

“I’ll now be taking attendance,” Mrs. Lilmai stated.

“Make sure I hear your beautiful voices saying “Here” when I call out your name.”