✧ Lovelorn ✧

XXXII ❥❥❥ Ep5-The Life of Professor De Verde

L U K A

Luka wasn't even surprised, when he saw the handful amount of students in the classroom. For a school predominantly composed of nobles, it wasn't a surprise that nobody would willingly be interested in Gardening Class. Nobles actually don't fancy digging their manicured hands in dirt and they would faint if a spot of soil so much as grazed their extravagant outfits. They have gardeners for that reason.

Plus, Gardening is an elective class, not a general or a specialized one. People could actually skip it and choose other electives.

So Gardening wasn't a popular class.

For sure he didn't expect to see a certain bluenette here of all places.

Clara Skotadi, the only daughter of the arguably most powerful Duke in the kingdom. Despite being petite, she wasn't really that hard to miss with that sparkling light blue hair of hers. It literally shines like a beacon reflecting morning light.

He wonders if that hair color is natural. . or dyed.

Anyone would literally spot her in a crowd. She literally sticks out like a sore thumb with that bright hair color of hers.

He'd seen a hologram of Duke Skotadi before in his hometown's plaza. Clara definitely got her features and colors from him. In contrast, Andrew Skotadi, whom he met during the Initiation, had ink black locks tied in a low ponytail, but the same sky blue eyes. Maybe in the capital Luka shouldn't be culture shocked at the bizarre colorings of the powerful families.

What was even more surprising was that her usual clique wasn't with her, and she was quietly reading a book in the back of the class. From the short time that he knows her, she was always surrounded by her powerful and equally influential friends. It's so rare to see her alone since Elena Margavine or Avarys Diatiro was always hovering around her.

..... Maybe he can't blame her, since she only got to meet powerful people in her lifetime. There's a fine line between the nobility in Gardenia after all. And Clara Skotadi, the future queen, stands at the pinnacle of it. The other nobles were huddling together silently, as if cautious whether to approach her or not.

"Hey Skotadi." He sat down next to her, and she looked up from her book, sky blue eyes flashing in recognition.

"Luka Noir," She smiled pleasantly. "You take this class too?"

"We're planning to expand business into wine manufacturing," His father was planning to expand to wine manufacturing, and he had to know how to be able to properly cultivate plants as the heir of their trading company. "How about you?" Then he can't help but mention her status. "I mean, you're the daughter of the most powerful Duke after all."

It's kind of shocking how he, a son of a newly minted Baron (title, like everything else, could be bought with money these days) and Clara, the future queen of Gardenia and the daughter of Duke Lidius- were sitting together. If someone told him two years ago that he'd even be in the same breathing space as her, he would've called bullshit.

"Frankly I'm not good at studying and I need more credits," She laughed lightly, like wind chimes. Clara was so sweet and mild-mannered she wonders how she was even friends with a girl like Elena Margavine. "They said this class was easy so I listed my name on the roster."

"Oh my God Luka, you know her?!" Rein suddenly slapped his shoulder. She dumped their class textbooks on his desk, while crossing her arms over her shoulder. "The student aide gave me our textbook for this class, fyi. "

"What the hell that hurts," He hissed at his sister. "Yeah, I introduced myself when I met her on the reception." It's kind of awkward to talk about Clara when she was literally right next to him. And Clara was politely looking at them with her bright blue eyes.