Aster sat on a bench under the lush dome with Ramuja standing behind him. The lanterns weren’t lit because it was still noon. When he was a child, this place was the only place he could play outside during summer. Because the dense leaves and roots covered the dome, it was very cool even during hot summer. It was even cooler than his room in fact.

            He sipped a plum juice while reading a document. The document wasn’t just a regular one, it was the academic report of student achievements in Clearwater Academy in this decade.

             There were few academies in Golden Camellia, but Clearwater Academy in Dionde city and Roagelt Insitution of Learning in Roagelt city, capital of the country, were the greatest in all over the continent.

            The academy was a staple of high-quality human resource to develop Golden Camellia, an extraordinary individual might get recruited by the royal family, or rich houses. All of them were either come from humble family but with amazing talent, or come from rich noble houses.

            However, if a noble house wanted their dimwitted heir to go inside these two academic institutions, the academic enrollment exam wouldn’t let them in, no matter how much they bribed. This strict requirement was needed to control the quality of the graduates.

            ‘Grand Duchy Stormhill is obviously the biggest donator and the main foundation of Clearwater Academy, but we haven’t recruited any new graduates for two years already.’

            Usually, it was his dad, Grand Duke Harion who recruited extraordinary talents to work under his business. But it seemed that his dad slowed down for two years.

            ‘Was this because I was imprisoned in Golden Palace for two years? Mother told me that she made painful deals as long as she could see me. Did that also include giving new talents for royal family?’

            Aster gritted his teeth. If that was true, then it was a dirty scheme against his grand duchy. Since young talents were rare and precious to develop his city. This scheme would slow down Dionde city development.

            ‘Unforgiveable!’ Aster clenched the papers in his hand.

            Knowing that his Young Lord’s mood was low, Ramuja deliberately asked his master, “Young Lord, what is ruining your mood currently? maybe this servant can help.”

            Aster turned his head and saw Ramuja’s concerned expression. His eyes softened and the golden circle dilated slightly. The grip on the paper loosened and Aster put the documents down.

            “It’s nothing, my mood is better already,” Aster smiled.

            “Eh? Y—Young Lord, what helped raising your mood instantly? This servant will bring that to cheer you!” Ramuja said.

            Aster chuckled, “Silly, it’s not a thing, it’s…” Aster stared at his servant gently, but decided to turned his gaze back to the documents before he actually said it. “Anyway, I will have to visit Clearwater Academy in a week. This is important because we have been losing two years momentum. Do you want to accompany me?”

            “T—This servant? But that is the best academy in the country! H—How could this servant…”

            “Relax, you’re just going to accompany me as my servant,” Aster chuckled again. “No need to be so tense with me.”

            Ramuja lowered his head, a slight tint of red was showing in his cheek and he replied, “Yes, Young Lord.”

            “Good, Clearwater Academy boasts many prolific academician and scientists. I’m sure I can support few people personally, so they would be working with grand duchy right after they graduate.”

            “Young Lord, may this servant ask a question?”

            “Hm?”

            Ramuja hesitated, but he asked slowly, “Why is Young Lord… not studying in that academy now? Since Young Lord is exceptional in everything except um...”

            “Except what?”

            “Except physical activities…” Ramuja mumbled.

            Aster laughed, he saw his servant hesitated when he said that he excelled in everything except physical activity, which was true since his skin condition and his weak body in general.

            “Well, back then, my skin condition was extremely severe, I didn’t even finish my primary school. Everything was taught by Sir Douglass since I was a kid,” Aster’s expression turned slightly bitter suddenly and he said, “It’s an irony though. My grand duchy basically owns the academy, but its sole heir couldn’t even enter the academy.”

            “Y—Young Lord is still better than all of them! Young Lord is still the smartest! Even if they studied to death, Young Lord will trample them with his extraordinary intelligence!” Ramuja panickily trying console his Young Lord, he felt that he just asked a very rude question. Ramuja kneeled and said “Please punish this servant for his offense!”

            Aster furrowed his brows, “What offense? I didn’t feel offended at all. What I just said is just the reality, because my condition didn’t let me to go to school like normal people. But I don’t mind it much.”

            “Young lord should still take um… test or exam there, so you can show your intelligence!” Ramuja suggested.

            “Oh? I did. When I was thirteen, my father asked me to take the hardest test for graduates before they graduated. It was general test, but it includes almost everything advanced in all studies.”

            “But Young Lord was still thirteen, that’s unfair…” Ramuja couldn’t continue his word. He was really afraid that he had hurt his master’s pride. Since when it was fair to let a thirteen year old took the most advanced test in the academy?

            “Unfair? How so? I take the test fairly. It surprised me that it was actually very easy.”

            “Easy?!”
            “Hm, yeah. I actually studied alone for the first time when I was thirteen, because I was afraid that the test would be hard, turned out, I already learned all of it when I was ten.”

            “T—Then… did Young Lord’s score…”

            “It’s one hundred,” Aster replied nonchalantly. As if what he just did was nothing amazing. Ramuja was astonished by such nonchalant attitude. When he was still a sex slave, one of his master boasted to other nobles that his son got accepted in Clearwater Academy and scored seventy on the freshman enrollment exam, which was according to those nobles, a very impressive feat.

            ‘How could someone get perfect score to the hardest test in the entire country, while people barely able to pass the enrollment test, and he was thirteen at that time…’  

            “Well, after that, the headmaster of Clearwater Academy kept sending that letter of recommendation, asking me to go study there, or at least accept the honorary title as one of the graduates,” Aster laughed low, “But that would be weird, right? I cannot study and never studied there, how could I accept a title?”

            Ramuja gazed at his master who smiled lightly and continued reading the documents. His Young Lord was really admirable, unmatched male beauty, extremely rich, a genius, and had important position in the country, but he never boasted about all that. He was always focusing on working and helping his grand duchy to develop. The more he gazed at his Young Lord, the more admiration stacked in his heart, like a pile of gold, it was shiny and heavy at the same time.

            ‘You are so amazing, Young Lord. It scares me whenever I remember how much disparity we have…’

            “Ramuja?” Aster called Ramuja who stared at him dumbly.

            “Young Lord, this servant… is scared on how hard it is to reach you. I admire you so much, so much that it blinds me… I don’t know what to do, my dear master…” Ramuja said dazedly.

            Hearing Ramuja saying such sincere words made Aster blushed instantly, “Ramuja!”

            Ramuja snapped out of his daze and responded, “Y—Yes, Young Lord! This servant s—spilled his indecent mind in front of you, please punish this servant!”

            Aster didn’t reply and turned his back to read the documents again, but his mind swirled around that words, ‘I don’t know what to do, my dear master…’

            ‘Damnit, staying around him destroys my concentration!’ Aster cursed in his heart.

            ‘You don’t know what to do? All you need to do is wait and let me do my job, so I can propose you formally!’

            ‘Wait, propose? Wait-wait-wait, Aster! What crazy things did you just said!’

            Aster cursed in his heart over and over because his mind was in chaos. Just when the atmosphere turned awkward, a maid approached him, bowed and reported, “Young Lord, the street band that you have requested has come.”

            “W—Well, let them in,” Aster ordered.

            The maid left and returned with a band consisted of three people with a man guitar, a man violin, and a girl who didn’t bring anything, but she was indeed beautiful.

            “That girl must be the singer everyone talked about in the city, what do you think?” Aster said. He wanted to ask his servant’s opinion, but his servant was stunned by the sight of this street band.

            Ramuja was scared that he forgot to breath. He was so busy with Young Lord that he forgot about the beautiful girl who promised to free him out of slavery.

            ‘Merry…’