Zeroes of Two Worlds
Chapter 4
Professor Colbert had been teaching in the Tristain Academy of Magic for twenty years and is considered as one of the main public figures within institute. In all his tenure, he had never seen a human being summoned as a familiar, and had never witnessed such a caustic reaction in regards to the Familiar Rune Marking. The runes marked on the chest of Miss Valliere's familiar were rare and didn't match the known list of familiar runes that are usually appeared on familiars.
This is why he had been hard at work in the library for several days now, researching various texts to gleam any information he could find in order to find possible causes. He had been cooped up in the main tower where the library is located, and he had only left for the Fire Tower during classes.
The Academy's library is tall and massive, occupying a many floor levels of the main tower, due to the huge collection of books, scrolls and treatises of various subjects, all stored in bookshelves that dominated its walls. The library is shaped like a massive shaft with mezzanine floors at each level, and ended at a vaulted ceiling where a massive sun crystal illuminated the entire library through the atrium. Each floor is also illuminated by smaller crystal lamps to supplement the light provided by the sun crystal.
He'd already exhausted the relative texts located in the public sections, and had began checking the Fenrir's Library, the forbidden section where only teachers like him have clearance to enter. He levitated himself up to one of the out-of-reach shelves and scanned the books to find what he could. His efforts are rewarded as he stumbled upon the title of the book. It is a very old manuscript which held descriptions of the familiars that had been used by the Founder Brimir.
The book is relatively thin when compared to the other books so he decided to flipped through the pages while he's up here. He opened the book as gazed upon the old pages, and began reading.
He found himself fascinated by the contents written about the familiars of the Founder, and continued reading until his attention focused on a particular paragraph. The accompanying illustration of the runes matched that of the runes on Miss Valliere's familiar, and started reading the description more closely.
His eyes widened as he read the description of the familiar.
"Ah!" He gasped in surprised and lost his concentration during that moment. He almost fell, and met a grizzly end, but he quickly recovered and re-casted levitation on himself.
He slammed the book shut, and hurriedly descended to the floor before he ran out of the library. He had to report to this the Headmaster, hopefully he would know what to do.
Once out of the library, he took one of the levitation lifts and transferred between lift sections until he reached the top section. The door slid open and stepped of the lift as he entered the foyer. He could see that it is already late in the night through the tall windows of the hall. He hurried up the staircase and opened the door to the Headmaster's Office.
"Headmaster! I have big news!"
The headmaster is startled upon the sudden opening of the door and the shouting of the Fire Professor. Various things and trinkets fell off his desk, along with some of his paperwork.
"By God, Colbert! At least knock before entering my office." Osmond chided as he waved his staff, and his things began floating back to their original places.
"I apologize, Headmaster. But this is urgent." Colbert bowed his head.
"What could be so urgent that it couldn't wait until tomorrow? Miss Longueville already left for her quarters and I'm just about to finish up my work." Osmond admonished him but he motioned for Colbert to speak.
"I was researching about the human familiars and the runes on Miss Valliere's familiar, and I stumbled upon this." Colbert handed the book he is carrying, and presented the page. "Please, take a look."
"Hmmm... The Familiars of the Founder Brimir..." Osmond hummed as he accepted book, and began reading the indicated page. He looked curious at first and his face turned grim as he read further.
"Who else knew about this?" The headmaster asked gravely.
"Only the two of us know about this." Colbert told him, noticing his reaction.
"Good thing Miss Longueville isn't here when you came." Osmond sighed in relief as he closed the book. He stared at it as he spoke. "This is terrible news, Colbert. Terrible news."
"Shouldn't this be a profound discovery? The runes makes Miss Valliere's familiar as a powerful companion." Colbert asked, uncertain of why the headmaster is worried.
"It is precisely that as to why this is terrible. His power is too powerful for this world. He and Miss Valliere will be made a target of powerful figures in Tristain and the rest of the continent." Osmond informed him.
"What should we do about this, Osmond?"
"Keep quiet about this, and we need to keep watch over the two of them." Osmond instructed him, and Colbert nodded. "I'll investigate into this matter. I'll trust that you'll be my eyes and ears?"
"Of course, Headmaster." Colbert bowed his head.
Louise began to stir in her sleep as the sunlight reached her eyes. She slowly awakened from her slumber, feeling refreshed, but felt too comfortable from the warmth of her breathing pillow.
Her mind jolted as she had just processed the warm comfort her head is on. She opened her eyes and she could see that face is close to a familiar brown shirt. She looked up to see the sleeping face of her familiar.
Her heart raced as she realized that her familiar had her in an embrace that reminded her of Cattleya. Warm, safe and loving.
Her face turned bright red when she realized that her familiar is hugging her without her leave. So she did what she believed is proper in this situation.
"PERVERT!"
Louise pushed herself away from him before she kicked him off her bed. Her familiar fell off her bed with a surprise yelp and then hit the floor with a thud. She heard her familiar groan and saw him getting off the floor with the help of a chair. Her familiar then looked at her with confused and tired eyes while she glared at him, with red still on her face.
"W-wha? Ugh... Why did you kick me, Louise?" A disheveled Jaune asked, still trying to get his bearing.
"What were you doing on my bed?!" Louise asked indignantly.
"Not so loud please. I just woke up." Jaune moaned before yawning. "You were having a nightmare so I tried to calm you down."
Louise could remember that dream he is referring to but she thought that she was hugging Wardes, not her familiar. It was embarrassing enough that he had her in his embrace, she was also hugging him back like a child.
"T-that m-maybe. But it's still indecent!" Louise stuttered out.
"Huh?" Jaune arched his eyebrows in confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"Grrr... Out! Out! Get out you, dog!" Louise jumped off her bed and started pushing Jaune towards the door. "Leave my room and think about what you've done!"
"Why?! What did I do?" Jaune cried out.
"I let my guard down once and you dare join me in bed!" Louise's face is very red at this point. "I c-can't trust you t-to d-dress me if you're like that."
Louise opened the door and shoved Jaune out of her room. She then slammed the door behind him, leaving him alone in the torch-lit hallways.
Jaune looked at the closed door before him in disbelief as his brain tried to wake him up out of his drowsiness. He groaned loudly as he processed what had just happened.
"Decency. She made me dress her while she's naked." Jaune grumbled to himself. He took out his scroll to check the time, adjusted for local, and sighed. "It's too early for this..."
The two left the dorms without talking with each other, they didn't even looked at each other. Jaune escorted Louise towards the main tower while she gave him the cold shoulder. He followed her into the dining hall, and the students started giggling at them. He pulled back the seat and Louise sat on the seat before the table, already filled with set of breakfast. He left her side and quickly made himself scarce from the dining hall.
Louise patiently waited for breakfast to start while she thought about the incident earlier. It was still embarrassing to think that she had mistaken her familiar for someone else. But she couldn't deny that it felt comfortable to have someone embracing her like that.
"My. My... Little Louise. I heard you had such an excitement this morning."
Louise felt a twitch at the side of her head as soon as she heard the irritating voice of the Germanian harlot. She growled under her breath and looked to her side where she saw the dark-skinned rival of her, looking too cheerful this early in the morning.
"What do you want, Kirche?"
"Oh, you know. I'm just here to applaud you for getting someone to bed last night." Kirche said teasingly.
"I did no such thing! Nothing happened!" Louise protested but her flushed face said otherwise. Kirche noticed this and pounced on it.
"Not from what i heard~." Kirche sang with a mischievous smirk. "Your familiar must have been very lonely after you stole him from his home." She embraced herself and placed her arms underneath her well-endowed bust.
"Nothing happened between us." Louise repeated insistently.
"I have no doubt about that." Kirche replied with slow nod. "I would have made a better bed companion if he wanted someone to sleep with. I could make him very comfortable and enjoyable." She bounced her bust by lifting it with her arms underneath.
Louise growled and fumingly shouted. "Keep your udders away from my familiar, you cow!"
Kirche laughed haughtily at Louise while her blue-haired friend remained silent through out the whole exchange, having kept reading her book.
Jaune entered the staff dining room that is located at the back of the main dining hall along with the kitchen. The staff and the maids busied themselves as they move in and out of the kitchen to serve the nobles.
"Morning, Jaune." One of the staff greeted.
"Morning." Jaune replied drowsily and yawned. He took a seat by an empty table.
"You seem pretty tuckered out, Jaune. You must have a wild night." One commented with a snicker.
"Yeah... You could say that." Jaune nodded, earning him more snickers.
"Good morning, Jaune. How was your sleep?" Siesta greeted him, carrying a tray of warm food and bread.
"It's alright. I just had a rude awakening." Jaune replied as Siesta placed the tray before him. "Thanks for the food."
"You're welcome." Siesta smiled. "I did hear that you had a bad morning call with Miss Valliere."
"Jaune must have popped his cherry inside his master." A maid remarked in a jest.
There are many things that Jaune don't know about but there are some things he had grown used to especially with her sisters getting The Talk. So he quickly caught on the jest and choked on his food. He started pounding his chest, trying to dislodge it, and is helped by Siesta. He recovered quickly and drank some water to wash down his throat. Meanwhile, Siesta glared the maid who looked sheepish and apologetic.
"We didn't do that!" Jaune cried out in embarrassment. "My mom taught me better than to bed a girl before marriage." He told them which only earned him giggles and laughter from the eavesdropping staff in the room. He blushed and pouted at their reaction.
"Awww... He's such a good boy~" The maid, from earlier, awed at him and lightheartedly patted him on the head. Jaune didn't appreciate it and gently swatted the offending hand.
"It's good to know that your mother had taught you than to play at a maiden's heart." Siesta complemented with an appreciative smile. "Though it is funny hear that from someone your age."
This earned another round of jest from the maids, while the male staff merely chuckled at the sight. Jaune sighed in resignation and returned to his breakfast. He chalked it up to girls being girls.
It turned out that there are no classes for today as Louise explained that today is the day when mages would be spending their time to bond with their new familiars. This could have a good day to enjoy with the sun bright and warm but not hot like the summer. Jaune could see some of the other students playing with their new familiars, some are showing off to their friends, and many are just taking the time to just lounge at tables already set up in the courtyard.
This is where Jaune and Louise are sitting around with a cup of tea, some biscuits, and a slice of cake. Jaune didn't have anything as a punishment set by Louise after one of the maids tried to serve him as well. Louise glared at him, her face a little red, if he would protest. He gave the maid a small smile and gestured for her to leave. He already had breakfast anyway so it isn't much an issue.
They silently sat by the table in awkward silence while Louise daintily ate her snack, leaving Jaune a little bored. He could pull out his scroll but he's saving the battery for as long as possible and record every message he could.
"So, Miss Valliere..." Jaune tentatively started and Louise regarded him with suspicion. "Is there something you wish to know about me?"
"Why should I ask anything about you? You're my familiar and that's that." Louise said sternly. "Unless you wish to explain why you were in my bed when you had your own."
"I didn't mean anything about that... It's just..." Jaune sighed, thinking how to broach the topic. "You were having a nightmare last night." He said a little quietly, so the other tables won't hear it. Louise frowned at that but motioned for him to continue. "You looked so frightened and it reminded me of my sisters when one of them is having a nightmare. A bad one at that. I learned to calm my sisters when they're having nightmares. It's the same with my Mom and Dad when ever one of us had nightmares."
Louise didn't answer immediately as she thought about his answer. She could remember bits and pieces of her dream, but she could being a child once again and that she was being brought out of the estate. It reminded her of the times when her parents were arranging marriage for her and being tutored to become a bride.
"I'll let this slide for now." Louise said and Jaune relaxed. She then gave him a stern look and a reminder. "If that ever happens again, it would be better if you wake me up. It's improper for a man to be in bed with a lady, especially if that man is a commoner. That's just asking for a scandal."
"Yeah I know." Jaune replied dejectedly, having been teased throughout breakfast. "I just did what I usually do with my sisters."
"Speaking of sisters, how many sisters did you have? Don't you have any brothers?" Louise asked, looking curious since Jaune kept referring to them when dealing with her.
"I have no brothers... Sadly." He added the last one before he continued. "I have seven sisters all in all."
Louise's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "S-s-seven?"
If he had seven sisters, then that would mean he's an eighth child. She had heard of commoner families having up to a dozen children but it is quite rare for such families to even reach that high. She already had trouble dealing with her eldest sister, Eleanor, but she could rely on her loving sister, Cattleya, for her troubles. She couldn't fathom having that many sisters.
"Yeah... Many had the same reaction back home. I'm even one of the youngest among us." Jaune responded, having expected such a reaction from her.
"You're one of the youngest?" Louise looked him over, trying to gauge his age. "You don't look any younger compared to me or the other boys here."
"Hmm? How old are you?" Jaune curiously asked.
"I'm sixteen. And you?"
"I'm only fourteen."
Louise felt her eyebrow twitched as she looked him over again. He definitely didn't look that young, her familiar even had the same physique as the pompous Guiche. In fact, he's just as tall as her.
"Y-your j-joking r-r-right?" Her voice trembled in disbelief. She slammed her hands on the table. "You can't be fourteen!"
"Why would I be joking about my own age? If you don't believe me, I can show you the picture of my birthday." Jaune looked at her in confusion.
"V-Very well." Louise acquiesced.
Louise saw her familiar pulled out a rectangular piece of glass which then glowed and showed some kind of reflection over it. Jaune began tapping the surface and manipulating the reflection.
"Is that some kind of scrivening glass? But it looked so small. How did he even got one?" Louise mentally remarked as she examined his actions more closely.
Jaune scrolled through his gallery and finally found the picture he was looking for. He sighed as he looked at the picture, reminding him of what he had lost. With a shiver, he presented his scroll to Louise who gingerly accepted it.
Louise looked at the piece of glass in her hands. It didn't feel sharp, smooth even, so she didn't need to fear for hurting her fingers. She carefully examined the frozen reflection on the glass.
He could see her familiar by the center, holding up a large cake bearing the number Fourteen in Khalian numerals. This confirmed his age for her, much to her annoyance since her familiar would be taller than her in the near future. She set those thoughts aside and examined the rest of the reflection.
His sisters are a mix of gold blondes and raven black, they all similar facial features with her familiar, and they all shared the same blue eyes of varying shades. But most of all, they are all smiling. Not just smiling, they're all brimming with joy and laughter. This made her feel jealous, it seemed even her familiar had a happier family than hers.
It was wrong of her to feel such thing, but she couldn't help it. Here in her hands is a life that she wanted. A loving family.
She is disturbed from her ruminations when glass was snatched out of her hands. She jolted out of her stupor and looked up who had disturbed her.
"Oohh... You didn't tell me that you had such cute girls with you." The voice of her fiery rival cooed as she held the glass in her hands.
"Those are my sisters, Miss Kirche." Jaune flatly told the tall buxom girl.
"Even better." Kirche cheerfully remarked as she started fiddling on the glass. It rewarded her by showing other reflections which intrigued her. "I didn't know that you had such a marvelous device, familiar."
"What are you doing here, Kirche? Are you supposed to be busy with your familiar?" Louise asked irritably for being disturbed.
"Flame is fine. He is a magnificent and majestic creature but he isn't one for conversation." Kirche said dismissively before she happily said. "So I decided to check up on you two!"
"We were doing just fine before your unwanted intrusion." Louise remarked heatedly.
"Can I have my scroll back please?" Jaune anxiously asked, and worried about his scroll.
"How did you come to own such wondrous device, familiar?" Kirche asked as she continued swiping over the glass, seeing different things on what she could surmised as a sort of gallery. "This looked like it had multiple enchantments that could be found of seering mirrors. And those are quiet expensive."
"It's bought by my parents back home. So could you please give it back?" Jaune asked, being more assertive about it.
"Hmmm..." Kirche hummed as she held his scroll close to her. "Well since you asked nicely, why don't you come and take it from my hand?" She told him with a sweet voice.
Jaune sighed and stood up from his seat. He then walked over to the tall girl, who presented his scroll in her hand. He moved to take when when he is suddenly pulled towards her as she held him close.
He stood rigid as he could feel the two large mounds on his face, having not experienced such sensation before. He could only gulp as he looked up to the Kirche's seductive face.
"W-w-wha?" Jaune stuttered.
"W-what are you doing to my familiar, you harlot?!" Louise shouted in alarm at Kirche manhandling her familiar. "Unhand him this instant."
"Oh hush, Zero. He seemed comfortable in my embrace. See?" Kirche remarked as she pressed Jaune close to her body, feeling the slight shiver from him. This reaction made her smile even more. She caressed Jaune left cheek with her slender finger, which made Jaune gulped again.
"Is this to your liking, familiar? I can make your night more... tantalizing compared to your master. You can join me in bed if you ever feel lonely in the night, I'm always open for a cute boy like you." She spoke to him sensually and provocatively, and Jaune is inexperienced with both.
Jaune gently pushed himself off her, and Kirche let him go. He then took the time to gather his wits as he took deep breaths.
"Oh poo... That hurts my feelings you know. That's the second time you've rejected my charms." Kirche pouted at him. "Does my beauty not up to your liking?" She sounded hurt by saying that, though Jaune couldn't decide if it's genuine or an act.
"I-it's not that you're n-not beautiful..." Jaune stumbled through his words as his heart continued to race from the experience. "It's j-just... This is just too much... I haven't even held a girl's hand before."
"Oh how cute. And here's I'm giving you a chance to touch more than a girl's hand." Kirche said with an enticing smile.
"Will you stop corrupting my familiar, you cow!?" Louise snapped as she stood before Kirche, with her stupid familiar behind her. "Have you no shame! You're even doing it in broad daylight."
"I'm just helping your familiar acquainted with his new home, Louise. It's not like you had anything comfortable to provide for him." Kirche remarked as she looked on Louise, specifically down at her miniscule bust.
Louise growled at her and was about to retort when they heard a loud commotion from further afield.
"How dare you sully my honor!"
Siesta delivered the batch of cakes, tea and wine to a table of students who are currently enjoying their day off from classes. They ignored her presence per usual as long as she had done her task.
She placed the empty tray on the lower shelf of the cart before she pushed the cart towards another table. She dutifully replaced their plates and refilled their cups and glasses as she had done many times.
She had seen Jaune alone with his master by a far away table, but she was too busy to greet them. Besides, one of the others had already served their table anyway so her presence is not needed.
She is called up by a young nobleman at one of the tables and gave their orders. She quietly memorized their orders before she made her way back to the kitchens with her cart. She placed her used dishes on a separate table for the dishwashers to clean. She grabbed some fresh bottles of wines, placing them in buckets of ice, and collected some cakes and snacks that are prepared on the large serving table.
With the order complete, she pushed her cart out the kitchen and made her way back to the table. She began placing their orders on the table as the young nobles chatted with each other without care for her presence.
"Have you heard of Louise having an affair with her familiar?"
"Hahaha! Who hasn't? To think that she would stoop that low. But what can be expected of Zero."
"Now now. Let's not disparage her family name." One interjected for a moment before chuckling. "Besides, she's already doing that herself."
The group of young noblemen laughed and are amused by the thought of Louise sullying herself, having a commoner as her lover even.
Siesta kept her mouth shut despite her desire to correct them. She already heard the story, along with the rest of the servants and staff, but she didn't want to earn their ire with her words. She finished filling their glasses, and started pouring fresh wine into their glasses.
"Speaking of lovers. Who's your new lover, Guiche?"
"Yeah, I heard you're going out with one of the first years."
Guiche daintily took a sip from his glass of cool sweet wine as he mulled over the question. He regarded his compatriots with a cool look before giving his answer.
"Go out? Gentlemen, I hold no one woman in such special regard. After all..." He took out his rose wand and held it between his fingers. "A rose blooms for the pleasure of many. It would be inconsiderate of me to not appreciate the roses of the field."
His friends seemed to agree but a round of teasing came about at his expense, poking fun at him. They continued talking as Siesta finished serving their table.
As she was about to leave, something fell out of Guiche's pocket and rolled a short distance away as soon as it hit the grass. It is a small bottle that is filled with some kind of purple liquid swirling inside it.
"Umm... Good sir. You seem to have dropped something." Siesta tried to call for his attention. The young noble ignored her and continued chatting with his friends. "Sir..."
Siesta sighed at his attitude but that is expected. She carefully picked the bottle off the ground and tried to give it back to him.
"Sir.. You dropped this bottle. I wish to return it to you." She said to the young noble and presented it to him.
Guiche, annoyed at the maid, pushed the bottle away with his arm. "Please leave, servant. Can't you see that you're interrupting our conversation?"
"But I am just returning this bottle that fell from your pocket." Siesta said insistently and presented the bottle to him again.
"It's not mine. So please leave." Guiche told her off with a dismissive wave.
His friends around the table took notice of their exchange, and they recognized the bottle that the maid is giving back to him. They quickly recognized what's going on and made a loud ruckus about it.
"Hey, isn't that Montmorency's perfume?"
"Yeah! Vivid color is a signature color of Montmorency's perfume that she mixes herself."
"For her to give you such a gift, does that mean you are going out with Montmorency?"
"Now. Now. Wait a moment." Guiche tried to quiet them down. "I'm going to say this for the reputation of lovely Montmorency..."
Guiche stopped when a girl stood up from a nearby table, and he paled as he recognized her chestnut brown hair along with her brown cloak. The girl quietly approached their table with tears falling from her eyes.
"L-lord Guiche..." She started crying uncontrollably.
"K-Katie... I can explain..." Guiche stood up from his chair and tried to approach her.
Katie stepped away from him and looked at him with sad and pained eyes. "I knew it. I should have listened to the others... You and Lady Montmorency are..."
"This is all a misunderstanding, Katie. Please listen to me. The only person I hold dear in my heart is you.."
The girl made her disagreement clear and slapped Guiche's face with as much strength as she could.
"Don't take me for a fool, Lord Guiche. That perfume you dropped is more than enough proof of the truth. Goodbye." Katie sobbed as she walked away.
Guiche could only look on, flabbergasted by what just happened. He rubbed his cheek where Katie had slapped him, not quite understanding how it fell apart. His troubles didn't end when another girl behind him made her presence known.
"Just as I thought. You've been making moves on that first year."
Guiche felt a shiver down his spine and cold sweat ran down his forehead. He quickly turned around and saw a girl with long blonde hair, styled into ringlets, and wearing a black cape as he did.
"Montmorency, my dear. This is a misunderstanding. All I did was accompany her on a long trip to La Rochelle." Guiche tried to explain while pretending composed.
"Don't play games with me, Guiche! Couldn't you at least try to stay loyal to me." Montmorency scolded him with fury in her eyes.
"Please, Montmorency the Fragrance. Don't twist your beautiful face in anger. It saddens me to see it."
Montmorency sighed and calmed her face, much to Guiche's elation. Guiche quickly made her move and approached her.
"Thank you, my love. Anger doesn't suit you. Just know that you're the only one in my h-" Guiche is interrupted when Montmorency slapped him at his other cheek. He collapsed to the floor and touched his cheek, marked red from the slap. "Mon-mon?"
"You liar! I don't even know why I'm putting up with you!" Montmorency shouted at him before leaving him.
Guiche could only look on in despair as he watched Montmorency disappear amongst the other students. The onlooking students laughed at his expense, much to his annoyance.
"Haha! You get what you deserved, Guiche. You already had a fiance, and now she is angry with you." Malicorne remarked and followed another bout of laughter.
Guiche hissed in anger, not only at being rejected but also at his reputation being marred by this misunderstanding. He stood up and looked around to find something to recover his reputation. He quickly found it as he saw the retreating figure of the maid that had caused him so much trouble.
"You, maid! Stop right there!" He pointed at her.
Siesta froze in fear as soon as the young noble called her out. She didn't mean to cause trouble and that's why she tried to quietly leave the area. Now, she's trapped and the other students are looking at her.
"I'm talking to you, maid."
She hesitantly turned around and started shivering as the young noble approached her with anger on his face.
"How dare you sully my honor!"
"What's going on over there?" Kirche remarked as soon as she heard the commotion.
"I don't know. But it seemed to involve Guiche." Louise told her as she looked at the students gathering.
"Oh that, pompous Gramont. All air but nothing to back his words." Kirche commented.
"I'm surprised you didn't invite him to your room, considering the partners you have invited to your bed." Louise commented.
"I may have been more open about myself, but it doesn't mean I just invite anyone. I do have standards." Kirche stated with a flick of her red hair.
"Who's he talking to?" Jaune asked as he tried to listen.
"Don't you have something to say?" The loud voice of Guiche reached them.
"I'm sorry, milord. I didn't mean anything! I was trying to return your property." He heard the voice of Siesta crying out in fear.
Jaune eyes widened in alarm and rushed towards them. "Siesta!"
"Wait! Familiar! Come back!" Louise called out to Jaune but was ignored. She puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Hmph. Stupid familiar, running away without leave."
"Come on, Louise. Let's see what your familiar is about to get himself into." Kirche said, urging her to follow behind Jaune.
"It's not like I had a choice." Louise mumbled before heading towards the gathering of students.
Siesta trembled in fear as the young noble continued to berate her for something didn't even have a hand in. The noble glared at her with fury at the perceived insult done against him.
"You should have taken the hint and leave. I've already dismissed you repeatedly. If I did lost anything, I would have searched for you at a later date." Guiche, the scion of the Gramonts, rebuked her and looked at her with contempt. "Now you caused a misunderstanding between two lovely ladies because of your actions."
"I didn't mean to cause a misunderstanding, milord. I was just returning your property." Siesta said in her defense, despite the fear in her voice.
"Were you?" Guiche challenged and his voice took an accusatory tone. "Or were you trying to cause such a scandal to sully my name and honor? Are you working for a rival family to discredit the Gramonts?"
"I'm not working for anyone! I only worked for this academy as its honest and humble servant. I am not lying."
"You dare raise your voice against your betters." Guiche rebuked her and Siesta could only shut her mouth. "So not only did you cause a scandal, you're also accusing me of being a liar. I should have you punished for that." He declared for all to hear.
"I didn't mean to give accusations against you-" Siesta tried to say but was interrupted.
"Silence!" Guiche bellowed, and Siesta bowed her head. "You've repeatedly slighted my name with your poison tongue, and continued to speak against your betters. For sullying my honor and that of two ladies, I will speak with my father and have you removed from this academy."
Siesta dropped to her knees and bowed her head to the ground.
"Forgive this lowly servant, milord. Please reconsider." Siesta begged as she cried uncontrollably. "I have a family to support back in my village. They're depending on me."
"You should have thought of that before you spoke against me." Guiche sighed, as though tired and in a forgiving mood. "I have been patient with you but you've done too much damage to my name. No amount of your groveling will change my mind."
"Please, milord! I beg of you!" Siesta cried out to him.
"Enough!" A new voice joined which surprised the both of them.
Siesta gingerly looked up to see who it is, and saw the blonde familiar of Miss Valliere. He now had a look of anger on his face, a direct contrast to his usual kind and soft demeanor. Jaune stood in between her and Gramont as he turned to face him.
"Ah, Zero's familiar. What a surprise." Guiche stated with an air of composure. "Did you come to the defense of this maid?"
"I come to the defense of the innocent." Jaune said back.
"Innocent you say?" Guiche genteelly said to him as he made his retort. "This lowborn had insulted not only my name but that of the hearts of two ladies of noble blood. It is only proper that she should be punished for her crimes against nobility."
"Proper? There's nothing proper about any of this." Jaune rebuffed his statement. "From what I heard, you were caught two-timing when you dropped something that you didn't want others to find out."
"Are you challenging my honor, familiar?" Guiche testingly asked as he frowned.
"I challenge no one's honor." Jaune quickly said with a flourish of his hand. "I am only defending the truth of the situation."
"And wasn't it truth that this servant dealt my dishonor by being neglectful of her station." Guiche arrogantly pointed to him. "I have been wronged and I demand satsifaction from this slight."
"She may have done so, but the root of this situation is that you were exposed by your own actions." Jaune emphasized to the pompous brat. "No one dishonored you. You did it to yourself."
"How dare you?" Guiche angrily yelled at him.
"I dare!" Jaune yelled back as a challenge. "You call yourself a noble, yet you have none of the virtues of being a noble. If no one stands for the defense of the innocent. Then no one will stand for righteousness." He declared with as much firmness as he could muster, and a wave of his main hand.
"You..." Guiche trembled with fury as he glared hellfire at Jaune. "You not only sully my own honor, you also question my station as a noble of this kingdom! I'll have you punished for this!"
"And you have no authority over me! Just as you have no right to make demands over this school over your own faults." Jaune retorted.
"Are... Are you challenging me, familiar?" The young noble threatened with a menacing tone.
Guiche received the response in the form of a black gloves being thrown to the ground. He looked down at it in disbelief and looked up to the fierce looking face of Zero's familiar.
"Your move." The huntsman aspirant challenged.
A/N: Have a thee... The gauntlet has been thrown and the challenge declared. Stay tuned for the fight in the upcoming chapter next week. I hope you have enjoyed this chapter. Please leave a review and share your thoughts about it.
So yeah Jaune is just fourteen in this story, so he haven't met any of the main cast. This is his adventure and coming of age story. I chose him at this point in his life for a reason. I imagined that the Jaune we saw in the first season is someone who had given up and tried to regain his dream after years of neglect.
Here, he ran away from home for reasons yet revealed but you can guess the reasons for it. Now he is given an opportunity, a chance to make his dream come true.
But this would also give an opportunity for Louise herself, to find someone who could be a true friend to her. Someone who can understand her.
So with all that aside, see you all next chapter.