𝒈𝒊𝒍𝒅𝒆𝒅 𝒅𝒆𝒄𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆 ; an open applyfic

𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒓𝒚

BEAUREINE SEMINARY is best known as a school for wealthy, aristocratic young women hailing from influential families. The seminary offers a variety of classes for its students—namely embroidery, equestrianism or horseback riding, ballet, polo, ballroom dancing, literature, music, art, and many others. Students are normally aged fourteen to eighteen—the oldest students are usually nineteen to twenty years old.

The seminary was founded in 1808 by Countess Melpomene Arcturus of Erybeide, the former governess of the then-current empress of the Erybeide Empire. The countess decided that because most nobles held her in high regard and wanted her to educate their children, she would establish her own seminary. Other governesses and teachers volunteered to handle different subjects, and soon the seminary was hailed as the best learning institute in the empire, presumably because the lavish campus helped students enjoy themselves whenever they didn't have classes. Still, the high tuition fee made the common folk raise their brows—all of this money could go to helping the poor, yet it was going to paying for some overly-gaudy schoolhouse.

It was true that the campus seemed extremely luxurious and it seemed like all of the money wasted on building it could have benefitted those living below the poverty line. But nothing was done to resolve the issue, for the nobles believed that there was a stark contrast between them and the common folk. Most nobles believed that they were above interacting with such filth, that the blood flowing in commoners' veins was dirty and would sully noble bloodlines. Nobles also believed that commoners were prone to disease and having children with them would make their offspring sickly and frail, and this seemed ridiculous. Commoners wouldn't constantly be plagued by diseases if they got to eat half of the food that most nobles had for breakfast, and if they got to live in a house that was the size of a wealthy noble's foyer. The problem lay in the constant spending of ostentatious nobles who turned a blind eye to the poor.

In 1838, a physician named Ophelia Soleil argued that if the imperial family of Erybeide stopped spending so lavishly and focused their attention on helping their subjects, the empire would flourish instead of fall. She was beheaded that same year in the capital for alleged treason.

Years later, in 1848, Grand Duchess Adalene Lune is the current headmistress of Beaureine Seminary. The school's fame has risen to drastic heights, overshadowing its sister school, Soleil Academy, which is managed by Juliette Soleil, Adalene's half-sister.

The schools are constantly at war, but when Adalene dies of tuberculosis, Juliette seizes control of the seminary and begins her reign of terror. No longer will the students of Beaureine experience special treatment—they will be treated the same way that the students of Soleil Academy are treated. No warm rosewater baths, no silken gowns—for how will their people survive if all of their money goes to jewels and dresses and cakes? For the first time, these privileged ladies will have to be on the same level as the peasants whose cries they ignore and drown out with laughter. The students of Soleil Academy, meanwhile, see it as a fitting punishment. Although some of the students at Soleil Academy are nobles, they've already been humbled. Now, it's only a matter of time before chaos ensues...

❝ What a pathetic lot you girls are. Your simplest dresses could feed a starving town. Why indulge in luxury when your people starve? Because you're incompetent, stupid little brats who have never known hardships. But I'll fix that. ❞