21 The class of shackles.

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Lydan's laugh was analogous to a beautiful blooming flower; all of them were too stupefied to speak anything as if his laugh had put a spell on them. Ayrton, who was so busy taking tea in all his good mores, was set in his place with spilled tea on his lap.

Ophni was as if he forgot how to hiss. Feron and Arlo couldn't take their eyes off Lydan's glowing beauty: "You should laugh like this every time" Arlo blurted out with his eyes wide opened and fixed on Lydan.

Lydan suddenly realized as he composed himself, "Did I laugh too much?" Lydan's notion muttered.

"Lady, where did you learn to laugh like that?" Ophni said as he was still in a muddle.

Lydan had a confused expression on his face, "What do you mean?" Lydan signed.

Ayrton's muddle of studies snapped as he noticed his wet lap—he rushed toward the table to snare the handkerchief, wiping the stain he stood up from his seat" Excuse me," Ayrton said as he left the room.

The door's thud sound snapped all of them from their muddle of admiration–Lydan saw Ayrton leaving the room as he realized "Where is Lynorr?" Lydan signed as he turned in the direction of Arlo.

"She has gone to her dorm?" Arlo said as he stretched his arms while yawning.

"Oh," Lydan's notion muttered.

"You're sleepy already?" Ophni said as he gave a jolt to Arlo.

"Hey!" Arlo bayed.

Lydan looked out of the window as he saw the dark sky filled with little bright stars—he felt at ease. "This isn't so bad" Lydan muttered.

"It's getting late," Feron said as he stood up after picking up his book from the table in front.

Lydan turned toward Feron, who was looking at him while smiling, "Let's have a converse again some other time," Feron said, smiling as he left the room.

"Lady, when are you going to sleep?" Ophni asked as slid his fingers from his short white hair.

Lydan didn't give any response as Ophni smirked, gaping at him. "Lydan, let's go," Arlo said in a cheerful voice.

"Where?" Lydan signed with a confused look on his face.

"What are you colluding with this time?" Ophni inquired.

"It's none of your business," Arlo said as he stood up from his seat.

"Hey!" Ophni holloed from where he was seated as Arlo left the room after dragging Lydan from his hand, outside.

...

"You're uncomfortable with Ophni, right?" Arlo said as he loosened his grip on Lydan's hand.

Lydan goggled at Arlo, who was looking at him with a serious expression on his face: "How did he?" Lydan's notion muttered.

"I know he must have done something" Arlo went on, "He'd had a bad personality since he was a child, so everything is normal for him"

"He did not do anything" Lydan hastily signed as he saw Arlo kept blurting out.

"You must have a reason to avoid him," Arlo said, gaping at Lydan.

"I do not exactly know but he does irritate me sometimes and the way he calls me" Lydan's notion muttered.

"No special reason" Lydan signed while smiling.

"Is that so?" Arlo said.

"I will head up to my room now" Lydan signed.

"Sure, it has gotten late too," Arlo said as Lydan trudged ahead after giving him a goodnight sign.

Lydan was halfway through the hallway when he stopped after harking to Arlo's words, he looked back and saw Arlo standing in front of the door of the main Hall "Let's get along well" Arlo said while smiling merrily.

Lydan gave a nod while smiling widely as he turned right from the hallway. "Even his gestures are filled with grace" Arlo murmured, staring at Lydan from behind.

"Did you forget that besides leaping from place to place and seeing through other's power, I can hear far down too?" Ophni whispered to Arlo.

Arlo jumped halfway through the hallway with a jolt as he looked back, his face getting red. "What do you think you're doing?" Arlo thundered.

"That is what I should ask," Ophni said as his eyes started to flare a red smoke.

"Hey, I did not mean any of that" Arlo said while laughing nervously.

After a short moment, one of the windows from the right side of the dorm blasted—the beautiful night was in full bloom, all of the princes formerly were in their beds forgetting all conversations they had about peril except for Ayrton, he was still awake observing the beautiful dark sky from his room's window.

...

"Why is only Lynorr allowed to bring her char with her?" Arlo complained as he looked toward Lynorr, who was seated at her study table.

"She's a lady, that is why," Ophni said sarcastically.

"If she's a lady, then she's more than welcome to bring a menial" Arlo said in a comical tone.

Both Ophni and Arlo were laughing as a book came flying and hit Arlo on his forehead—Arlo glared toward his right side at Lynorr, who was laughing and bruting his maid "Did you throw this at me?" Arlo said

"Did you just accuse a lady who wears a male uniform?" Lynorr said sarcastically.

"Can you break down your little play, I am trying to read here" Feron said in a menacing voice.

Arlo was grunting as Ophni gentled his shoulder while staring "You're enjoying it because you weren't hit, Lynorr loved her life that is why she did not target him but why it's always me?" Arlo's notion muttered.

Lydan was looking at his surroundings. "The rooftop isn't vast as it was yesterday and I can't see other students here too" Lydan muttered.

"The rooftop has been divided into numerous spaces through the fog and each group has one space girdled by fog just like ours," Ayrton said as he was gaping at the index of the opened book that was placed in front of him on the table.

"Does he read my thoughts?" Lydan's notion muttered again as he goggled at Ayrton, who was seated on another study table beside his.

They all were seated at their assigned study tables filled with piles of books—the tables were arranged in a half-lunar pattern on the rooftop, "Good morning, your highnesses" Gage heralded as he suddenly appeared from fog.

All of them looked toward Gage as he appeared from the fog, "I had a wild surmise that you all may not have brought your books with you so I arranged them for you as a teacher" Gage said sarcastically.

"Good morning" only Arlo hailed back.

Lydan tried to herald but stopped, "I found a pile of books burning in the reverse of one of the dorm's structures," Gage said as he darted his finger.

All of them stared at the pile of shackles with amazement as the fog from a corner of the partitioned rooftop space disappeared. Gage stated with a grin, "Let's start our class of shackles."

To be continued...