Author's Note:
Two things that I want to address now for future chapters and to put readers at ease. The first is regarding the main details of the narrator/protagonist as well as his looks, names, backstory, etc. I can assure you that all of that will be revealed in due time, sometimes in small bits and sometimes in larger chunks. More will be revealed about him as the story progresses, I only ask for you patience of course. The second issue is in regards to Victorique's (or as seen in this chapter Victorica's) name. I always found the two differing spellings/pronunciations to be an interesting issue/debate, so this will most likely be a reoccurring theme. Kujo will most likely be referring to her as Victorica, while others such as Mr. Sable will refer to her as Victorique. Both are officially accepted spellings, but have different pronunciations. Anyone who has watched the anime knows that the characters pronounce it as Victorica/Vik-tori-ka, which is mainly attributed due to Japanese voice actors being unable to pronounce it properly. On the opposite side, Victorique/Vik-tor-rik (the -que is pronounce like the ending of critique) is the "real" version of her name due to French pronunciation/influence as well as evidence shown in canon. I just thought that this would make for an interesting plot element, and as such will come up soon.
Chapter 1: In which the Mr. Sable explores the library tower, meets his first student, and is interrupted by her friend.
"My word…" I said barely above a whisper as I gazed upon the rows and shelves of books that seemed to make up the base of the tower. I had been aware that St. Marguerite Academy had been famous for its prestigious reputation, but the library tower itself was one of the other main attractions of the Academy. Or rather it would be if the campus was open to the public, there was no doubt in my mind that the tower had some of the rarest books of all of Europe hidden within it's many shelves.
Shuffling across the checkered marble floor of the first level, I drifted along the shelves, my eyes flickering across the various titles that were neatly organized. Given the time I had spent in the past at the various public libraries in London, I expected plenty of other visitors making use of the facilities. I was wrong; as far as I could tell there wasn't a single soul in sight, the only sound being that of my footsteps upon the hard floor. I suppose that was to be expected when a majority of the student body wasn't past the age of 16, a majority of them no doubt feeling as if they had better things to do instead. A shame really, but on the bright side that did mean that I could browse undisturbed… or so I thought.
Several minutes into my curious search for any books of note, I couldn't help but feel as if I was being watched, in effect coaxing my gaze instinctively upwards at the floors above. While nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary initially, on the edge of the upper most floor I caught a momentary glimpse of gold, something which was very out of place when compared to the dark stained wood that made up most furnishings within the library along with the general subdued atmosphere of the place. Curiosity getting the better of me, along with wanting to see what the other floors might hold, I began to traverse the main staircases. Passing through the second level with no issue (as well as forgetting Monsieur Lévesque's advice for the time being), the third floor seemed to close off the tower into a sort of labyrinth or maze. There were multiple staircases at this point that lead to seemingly random floors for no reason at all, a strange sort of architecture for such an old tower.
Upon reaching the very top, and being slightly out of breath, I marveled at what appeared to be some sort of grand garden on the uppermost floor, a variety of plants thriving within an atrium. What really caught my however, was the source of that bit of gold I had managed to catch earlier. Being both beautiful and rather captivating, was a life sized doll that someone seemed to have just left sitting on the floor. Long, golden blonde tresses of luscious hair cascaded downward, pooling around it's form in a circular shape. Peaking out from the tide of hold were parts of it's fine black and grey dress, the design and style reminding me of my childhood when Queen Victoria still sat upon the throne. It's most striking feature though by far was it's pure porcelain white skin, free of any blemishes or imperfections to speak of. In front of it a series of books were stacked here and there, some opened, some closed, all together being rather peculiar sight.
"A rather strange place to leave a doll like this, just in the middle of the floor," I said to myself in English along with a small laugh as I took a step closer. Suddenly though, much to my surprise, the doll turned it's head, hard emerald eyes softening for just a moment in interested excitement before losing their shine once more.
"And you are…?" the doll asked in a feminine, but harsh voice in French that didn't seem to match it at all.
Grabbing my chest lightly and reeling backwards, I practically jumped out of my skin upon seeing the doll move. A moment later though, I managed to realize that the doll was nothing more than a young girl, no doubt one of the few students that preferred to spend her time in the library. Walking over, I placed my hands into my pockets as if to play off my momentary panic attack as nothing while I stared down into her thin, pale face. "Ah, I apologize for the intrusion, I was curious as to what laid at the top of the tower, but it seems that I have found my answer. I hope I wasn't disturbing your reading," I answered with an apologetic smile in French as well.
In an indifferent manner, she huffed lightly as she looked back down to her books, "Haaa… and here I thought you might have been different from the rest, interesting for once. I did not ask why you are here, but who you are."
For a moment I raised an eyebrow at her remark; a bit rude even from an aristocrat's child, didn't she have an idea already of who I might have been? I knew that a majority of the students at the Academy were descended from nobility or at least came from some source of money, I only hoped that they wouldn't be as prideful and haughty as I feared."An instructor here at the academy, or rather a new one that is. It would be safe to assume that you're a student, wouldn't it? If that's the case, could I have the pleasure of knowing your name? You are the very first student I've met so far after all," I replied, attempting to ignore the girl's abrasive attitude and muster the largest smile I could.
"An instructor? How boring, you'll be just like the rest soon enough, a sad fate really. Do you really find libraries enjoyable, or do you just get satisfaction out of annoying others?"
I gave her a wry grin at her cheeky comment, quite the mouth on this one, hopefully the others in my class wouldn't be nearly as bad. "I have a genuine interest, of course I wasn't intending on meeting someone such as yourself up here. The students at this academy don't seem to be too fond of reading as it seems."
"It is more due to idiotic superstition rather than a rational hatred for literature. If you have not noticed, the people of this country cling to the past stubbornly. Although I will say, I was not expecting your appearance here either, a mild surprise. My wellspring never has failed me after all," she replied, casting a side glance in my direction. Despite being rather tiny in size and young in appearance, she spoke like an old woman beyond her years. Yet at the same time it seemed a bit ridiculous for a mere child to be so… serious, even for the daughter of a noble family.
"Wellspring?" I questioned, having no idea what she was referring to.
With a small sigh, she took the time to look up from her book and look at me straight on, "Haaa… such an annoyance… My wellspring of knowledge, it allows me to- Oh look... an even greater annoyance is upon us now, I can already feel my head starting to ache," she said suddenly, a frown appearing across her small lips as I heard rapid footsteps upon the grand staircase behind me.
Several seconds later a huffing boy was on the top floor with us, his black hair and tanned yellow-ish skin being much different than our own. If I didn't know better, I would have guessed that he was a custodial worker, an immigrant from the far East perhaps, but given the uniform he had on, it was clear he was a student. Dark hair, dark eyes, he certainly didn't look like he belonged in regards to that aspect. Aside from that though there was something… different about the boy, something about his posture and the way he held himself up.
"Ha, ha, ha… Victorica, I've got… your papers!" he said in between breaths, hunched over and holding out the papers.
She squinted her eyes at him in irritation, something he said or perhaps just his presence in general striking a nerve. "Out of breath already? If I did not know better, I would have thought that you were a masochist Kujo. You are interrupting my conversation, however, do you not have something else to do?"
"Eh…?" he let out, first shooting her a look before finally catching sight of me several feet to her side. For a split moment I saw a look of disgust or even jealously cross his face, before giving me a curious look. "Good afternoon… and who are you? I haven't seen you around before," he asked, his tone shifting rather quickly from cordial to suspicious. Although not quite as snippy as the girl before me, he still seemed to have a sort of air of superiority about him.
"As I was saying before: an instructor. More specifically, I specialized in the English language along with British literature, as they are some of the greatest works in Europe after all. I'll be heading a language course mixed with literature for both practice in pronunciation as well as to stir critical thinking. And you young man?" I answered in an almost proud sort of way, given that it was just about all that I had left in my life at that point.
"English? You're an Englishman then? You sure don't seem like one at least... I'm Kazuya Kujo, third son of an Imperial Soldier," he replied while puffing his chest out. I could see the blonde haired girl roll her eyes at his introduction, obviously having heard it countless times before.
"What did you expect then? A man wearing a powdered wig along with a cup of tea gued to his hand?" I quickly replied in a joking manner before getting back to the topic at hand, "Japanese then, correct? I did a brief bit of reading about your nation while in University, among other places as well. Quite a distance from your homeland, hmm? And your name as well young Lady? If I may ask that is."
To this the boy named Kuzuya (or was it Kujo?) seemed to be offended, staring at me as if I had said something atrocious. "Didn't you hear earlier? I said her name when I was coming up the stairs, isn't that right Vic-"
Despite his protests she held up a hand, stopping him mid-sentence, "Hush yourself Kujo, I don't think that you are in any position yourself to comment, he did ask me after all. If he wishes to learn my name, then he will need to prove himself worthy of it."
"Hmph, is that anyway to treat a friend?!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up in the air and placing stack of papers on top of one of her many piles of open books, "Do whatever you want then, I got you your papers already since you're too lazy to get them yourself. If that's it, then I'll be leaving, Avril is waiting for me anyway!" For an instant I could see the girl's neutral mask crack, an injured look appearing on her face as he started to turn to leave. It was almost amusing to see the young pair bicker with one another, but it seemed that even friends could go onto so far before striking a nerve or two. Thus, the boy named Kujo (or was it Kazuya?) begin to start down the main staircase to meet his other companion, or at least he did until the metallic clang of a gate opening up along with multiple footsteps filled the air of the atrium.