Destroying A Legacy

Chapter Fourteen: Lafew

Mouldy did not say what Lafew was expecting him to say. In fact, he simply stated, "Don't dawdle. You have no time to waste --- your first terms exams will have to be handed in one of those days."

"I am being your supervisor," he added. "Along with Mrs Feire."

The change Feire had gone through since the year before was upsetting, Lafew couldn't help but think. She'd gone from traumatized woman who hated the Rebellion and thought ill of anyone who'd worked on the Hortensia line, Driscoll's former line, to often pairing up with Mouldy in cases such as those.

"And Malvolio Demachy let us know unkindly that he's leaving the Noblesse to study as a lawyer," Mouldy said, fixing his cold eyes on Lafew. "So if any of you wants to opt out and choose a more mundane career, it should be the time to tell us."

"Even though I wonder," the Professor added. "What you're going to do amongst the commonfolk. It could be troublesome, stepping down your role as King and becoming just a simple orphan with no skills to be used outside there. Malvolio took a bow, when he told us. I wanted to punish him, but he's not my problem anymore."

"Don't worry, Professor," Lafew said, still a little embarrassed for the whole situation. "I plan to stay."

"Good. I don't want to see any other heartbroken students. Egeon Bouché told the whole room it was the most foolish thing he'd ever seen, and ran after Malvolio. If I were you, Merman, however, I'd start thinking about my next career. I don't see you as a lawyer or anything that requires to get your head in books and keeping it out of trouble."

Lafew became very pale.

"Professor," Tranio finally said. "You can go now. I will be joining you shortly and study in the library for my exams. I give them tomorrow, and I still need to learn a few things about Etiquette."

The extra-curricular activities didn't matter as much, but the students were given votes on those, too. Lafew himself counted on getting high grades for two of those, Horsemanship and Fencing.

When Tranio went to the library, Lafew decided to look for his friends. But not before he paid a visit there, to greet Tranio before they parted.

Fair was bent over a book, his dark curls sprawled over his face, reading something about Etiquette in the golden age of the Noblesse. The students in the library were being supervised by Feire, who was already asking them questions in a preparation oral test.

When Tranio's eyes caught Lafew's gaze, Lafew smiled at him, and waved his hand. Tranio looked startled, and his book fell to the floor with a loud clunk.

Lafew silently hoped Freire wouldn't get angry at him, but he couldn't stop grinning.

Lafew would have to give his exams the day after Tranio, and what concerned him the most was that each one of the pupils had to think of a side job in case they couldn't be official Guardians. Being a freelance Guardian paid less, and so they often worked on the side. The other jobs included the council, the hospital, the jobs of ambassadorship between the other secret societies or the commonfolk, or, like Vertés did, they could choose the arts. Star in plays, write blogs... and so on.

Lafew didn't even know himself that part of him liked being the True King until he told Peretti. He figured he'd made his peace with being a Protector, that it was what he wanted to do.

The truth was that he'd like playing Richard Lionheart's lover during Vertés' lessons, and that his visit at the hospital made him understand that it was a terribly good thing, to heal people. So, Lafew wondered whether he would have liked to be a psychologist, or an actor. But he'd already been a King, and a soldier. And once you're a soldier, you don't get to be anything else.