Winter, in the twelfth month of the year 1896. That day, my friends and I at the orphanage celebrated my birthday. Exactly today, on the 24th, it had been thirteen Years since Mother found me at the doorstep. My birthday party was held in a simple way—we had dinner together.
Everyone was filled with joy, and the head of the orphanage cooked many dishes for us. I had previously asked her not to go overboard in celebrating my birthday. I was worried that this celebration would deplete our food supplies for the winter.
In winters like this, nobles and the holy order rarely gave donations to the orphanage, so we had to be more frugal when winter came.
That night, after dinner, we all went to our rooms to sleep. Each room was shared by two people. My roommate was Wilhelm. He might not be the best in academics, but he had extraordinary physical strength. Every night, we would talk about our dreams for the future. Every night, with passionate enthusiasm and sparkling eyes, he would say he wanted to become a soldier of Eltheria so he could kill everyone from the outer lands to please the God.
Unlike him, I hadn't thought about my purpose at all. But I believed that The God had a grand plan for me and that was why I was born into this world. I remembered what my teacher once said at school: "Everyone has their own role in this world." I believed that one day I too would find my own role in this life.
That night, after Wilhelm fell asleep with a soft snore, I remained awake. I sat at the edge of the bed, gazing out the small window fogged by the cold night air. The faint moonlight illuminated the snow-covered streets of the city, making everything appear quiet and still.
I pulled my knees to my chest, letting my mind sink into the questions that had haunted me for so long. It had been about eight years since I was left here—did my parents not miss me?
Who were my parents?Why did they abandon me here?
I didn't know whether I was an unwanted child, or perhaps they were too poor to raise me. Were they still alive? Had they ever thought about me, even just for a moment?
I tried to convince myself that all of this was part of The Eternal God's plan. As taught in school, everyone had their own role, and The God had planned everything for us, His followers. If I was destined like this, then I must accept it with an open heart.
However, the more I tried to accept it, the more questions arose in my mind. I sighed, turning my gaze away from the window. My hand reached for the small table beside the bed, searching for something to calm my thoughts. I grabbed a holy book.
I sat at the edge of the bed, letting my eyes trace the pages of the holy book I had memorized by heart. My fingers slid over the words written there, the story of Lucifer, the highest angel who fell from heaven for refusing to bow to humans.
Since childhood, I had been taught that Lucifer was humanity's greatest enemy, a traitor full of pride, who sought to rival The God. However, the more I read his story, the more I felt that something was odd.
Why did he fall?
Was it because of pride?
Or because of loyalty?
If Lucifer refused to bow to humans because he only wished to submit to The God, why was he punished for his loyalty?
And more than that—if Lucifer was truly the mortal enemy of mankind, why didn't The God destroy him from the start?
That question kept disturbing me.
I knew that this was forbidden thought, something that must not be questioned. Yet, the more I tried to ignore it, the more the whisper demanded an answer.
I took a deep breath and slowly closed the holy book.
My gaze shifted back to the window, to the vast, dark night sky. The cold wind seeped through the cracks in the window, prompting me to pull the blanket closer to my body.
Perhaps some questions are not meant to be asked. Perhaps some things are better accepted without question. But somehow, the more I tried to ignore it, the more those questions took root in my mind.
Winter passed without much change. The snow that once piled up in front of the orphanage gradually melted, leaving the streets wet and muddy. I didn't even realize how quickly time passed until spring began to show its signs.
Year 1897, the 4th day of the 3rd month.
My friends and I walked to school after the winter break ended. The morning air still bit at our skin, but green buds began to appear on the tree branches, a sign that spring was near.
Along the way, my friends were busy talking about news that a transfer student would start school today. Serena Beatrice Von Aurendell, daughter of the Duke of Aurendell—that's how they spoke her name in awe. Aurendell was the largest trade city after Celesterra, famous for its gold and diamonds. It was natural that her arrival became the talk of the town, especially among the boys, who excitedly discussed how beautiful the princess was according to the circulating rumors.
I didn't really care. Instead of joining their conversation, I was more interested in watching the growing leaves, feeling how the world slowly came back to life after a long winter.
"Hey, Yohan, you don't seem excited," Wilhelm said, patting my shoulder. "Aren't you interested at all? She's a noble princess, and they say she's unbelievably beautiful!"
I sighed softly. "I think you're overreacting. Besides, we're not even in the same building as the nobles. If we're lucky, we might see her at the gate. But we might not even meet her until we graduate."
Wilhelm snorted. "You're such a pessimist."
"Not pessimist. Just realistic," I replied lightly.
However, Wilhelm didn't give up easily. He grinned mischievously before saying teasingly, "Hmm... is that so? Just you wait, what if you end up falling in love with her?"
I glared. "Haaah?! What nonsense are you spouting?"
Wilhelm laughed while running away before I could kick his butt. I chased after him in annoyance, but he ran so fast that I had to stop, exhausted.
As we neared the school, the streets began to fill with students returning from winter break, some of them chatting about Serena Beatrice. I barely paid attention to them until the sound of horse hooves echoed behind me.
A luxurious horse-drawn carriage rolled slowly, its wheels lightly screeching as it stopped right in front of the school gate.
Wilhelm and I fell silent.
From inside the carriage, a girl stepped out, her neatly worn school uniform marking her as nobility. Her long golden hair flowed beautifully, reflecting the morning sunlight. She had an elegant posture, but something in her expression seemed different from the other nobles I had seen.
When she turned to look in our direction, her eyes accidentally met mine for a brief moment. Then, a small smile formed on her lips—a smile so gentle, it felt almost like an illusion.
She then walked away, followed by her attendants.
I remained frozen in place as Wilhelm patted my shoulder excitedly. "Hey, Yohan, she just smiled at me, didn't she?"
I squinted. "Haaah?! What do you mean? It's clear she just smiled at me… maybe?"
Wilhelm laughed, while I could only let out a long sigh. Somehow, I had a feeling today was going to be more complicated than I expected.
I attended Sancta Fidelis Academy, a school directly run by the holy order. The school had two main buildings: a grand white-walled structure standing tall on the right side, where the nobles studied, separated by an iron fence from the older, faded building on the left—where we, the commoners, studied.
Although the classrooms were separated by a fence, the path to the main gate remained the same. Nobles and commoners would meet there before parting ways to their respective buildings.
Not only the buildings, but the curriculum also differed between commoners and nobles. Nobles were taught leadership arts, military strategy, diplomacy, and advanced economics. Meanwhile, we were taught basic, practical subjects: arithmetic, reading, writing, some history, general knowledge, and basic swordsmanship.
From the start, we commoners and the nobles were prepared for different purposes. The nobles were groomed to become future government leaders or war commanders, while we were prepared to become laborers or frontline soldiers in war.
In the classroom, noise filled the air from all directions. They were all talking about the same thing: the arrival of the princess from Aurendell. I kept hearing Serena Beatrice's name mentioned over and over again.
"Hey, did you see Princess Serena earlier?" said one student.
"Of course I did! She's just as beautiful as they said," replied another.
"Yeah, you're right. Her blonde hair really makes me jealous," added another.
From their conversation, I concluded that the girl I met at the gate was indeed Princess Serena. I chose not to get involved directly in the conversation and simply listened to them.
From time to time, I turned my gaze toward the window. There, I could see the beautiful white-painted building with its vast courtyard and a garden with a fountain in the center. The atmosphere across was in stark contrast to our old classroom building, which barely had any courtyard at all.
I looked toward their classroom windows. As usual, crimson curtains covered them, hiding everything inside from our view. In all my time studying at Sancta Fidelis Academy, those curtains had never once been opened.
What was really in there?
Was their classroom much larger? Were their seats more comfortable? Were their teachers wiser? Or maybe… there was nothing different except for their higher status?
I let out a quiet sigh, pushing those thoughts out of my head. And yet, something kept drawing my eyes to the noble's building. The stark contrast between the world beyond the fence and the one I stood in now was undeniable.
I wondered, what did it feel like to sit in there? Were they truly smarter, or just luckier?
And just as that question floated in my mind—
Rustle!
The curtain moved.
I blinked, making sure I wasn't hallucinating. But no—the curtain that had always remained closed slowly parted, allowing sunlight to pour into the room beyond.
My heart began to race.
In an instant, I could see the inside of their classroom. The ceiling was high, adorned with glistening golden ornaments that reflected the light beautifully. The walls weren't plain stone like in our class, but carved with elegant patterns, creating an aura of grandeur completely unlike the place where I now sat.
But before I could take in any more, someone appeared behind the window.
I froze.
Princess Serena.
Our eyes met.
For a moment, she looked surprised, as if she hadn't expected someone to be watching her from afar. But that surprise lasted only a second before she began to smile. With a graceful motion, she raised her hand and gently waved at me.
I could feel heat creeping up my face.
Damn it.
Without thinking, I immediately turned away, looking elsewhere as if I had seen nothing. But it was too late—I was sure my expression had been plain to see.
Beside me, Wilhelm raised an eyebrow at me.
"Hey, what's wrong? Your face is a little red," he said, sounding curious.
I quickly turned to him with the most neutral expression I could muster, though I knew the redness in my face hadn't fully faded.
"Hah? What are you talking about?" I scoffed softly, trying to sound casual. "Forget it."
Wilhelm stared at me for a moment, confused by my reaction, but he soon shrugged it off and went back to chatting with our other friends.
I took a deep breath, feeling relieved that Wilhelm didn't seem to notice anything strange.
Yet, in my mind, one question kept repeating:
What was that just now? She… smiled, right? She did… right?