V
After her walk with Kent, Y/N returned to her room and let out a sigh once she locked her door.
The stillness in her room contrasted with ambience of outside and she was able to get her thoughts in order.
Looking back down at the book he had given her, she felt her heart warm and a resolve started within her.
She walked to her desk and placed the book carefully down, making sure the spine wasn't bending or bending in any way.
Spotting her water bottle that sat too close for comfort, she moved it to the other side of the table.
She didn't want to risk any damage befalling Kent's gift to her.
She had a lovely time with Kent. He appeared during one of her worst moments and was able to shine down on her darkness.
Just the simple act of him wanting to spend time with her was enough for her to find something to fight for.
She felt she had someone on her side. And that was the most precious thing someone could offer.
She decided then and there that she wasn't going to just lay down and let Lennox make her life a mess.
Whatever he tried with her she would fight back.
She wasn't going to allow him to look down on her.
She could tell no one had ever challenged him like she had and she wasn't going to stop now.
Of course, the best case scenario for her was to completely avoid him and hope he would just forget about everything.
But she knew that was just wishful thinking.
She would work her absolute hardest to become the best Healer the palace had ever seen and solidify her spot here. She knew she belonged. It wasn't wrong for her to wish more for herself. And she was going to get what she wanted. And what's more, she felt she had someone worth staying for. A friend.
With this new confidence and determination in her step, she tucked herself into bed, ready to take on whatever came for her the next day.
——— ??ˋ ? ?ˊ? ———
She woke up at 6 am the next day and didn't waste a second longer in bed.
She quickly grabbed her uniform and rushed to the bathroom, taking a deep shower to clear her head.
As she waited for her hair to dry, she pulled out an empty notebook she had and a quill and began to write her goals for the day.
She was going to eat a large breakfast to give herself energy, she would be on top of her work today, and she would do absolutely everything in her power to avoid the Prince.
And at the thought of him, her quill was possessed and started writing all types of profanities about him that could probably get her executed if this was ever discovered.
Feeling a sense of relief from letting all of her anger out, she packed her notebook at the bottom of one of her drawers and headed to the washroom to style her hair. A swipe of mascara and lipstick, a spritz of perfume later, she felt all put together and threw on her shoes before heading out.
She felt the morning sun on her face as she walked through the halls towards the dining hall and she soaked up the morning quiet.
She woke up an hour earlier so the halls were still mostly empty as people were just now beginning to wake up.
This fact made her relax a little since she wouldn't have to interact with people for a little while longer.
She was the first one to arrive, and some of the last dishes were just now being finished.
She grabbed a tray and quickly began loading food onto it.
The cooks gaped at her as she grabbed enough food to feed a family of 5.
She just smiled sheepishly at them before shuffling to the table in the back corner where she had eaten the day before.
She quickly vacuumed up all of the food and chugged a large cup of hot coffee.
She knew after eating as much as she did she would likely get a food coma so she made sure to fill up on some caffeine.
The warmth from her mug warmed her cold hands and gave her a sense of comfort as she finished her meal.
It was at this point people started piling into the room and she saw the twins from afar get into line.
Mid-conversation they turned towards her and she could see them surprised that she had already finished eating, clearly wondering how early she got there.
She smiled and waved at them to which Dante waved back enthusiastically and Leon gave her a nod.
They soon joined her with their trays and Dante smiled at her. "Hey! When did you get here?"
Y/N took a sip. "Not too long ago, less than an hour for sure. I woke up a little earlier today and was hungry so I came here right as they opened."
"You must've gotten the best pieces of everything coming right as they were served. If Dante here didn't sleep like a hibernating bear we would've joined you." Leon said shaking his head at Dante.
Dante turned to him with an offended expression. "I'm a hardworking man I need my beauty sleep. If I didn't I might end up looking like you."
Leon gave him a deadpanned expression before smacking him on the back of the head and Dante yelped. These two always seemed to have enough energy in the morning to start fighting. But Y/N enjoyed their company more than she realized. Even if they were both idiots.
Dante turned back towards her. "How are you feeling now?"
Y/N realized he was referring to how he, Dante, and Healer Ellis came to check up on her yesterday and she was obviously in bad condition. She felt a little embarrassed at making them worry for her.
"I'm doing better now. I just had a lot things going on in such a short amount of time so I needed to get myself in order. But I promise I'll work hard like you two and won't be a burden!" She declared.
The two blinked at her in surprise before letting out sighs of relief. They were worried about their fellow Healer but they could see the pure determination in her eyes that gave them assurance.
"And we promise to work hard with you." They both said at the same time.
Their table went from being one of the quietest to the one with the most laughter and ruckus.
The twins caught Y/N up with what she had missed the day before which wasn't very much.
They worked together on the task Healer Ellis had designed to test their teamwork and deduction skills and they had passed.
Y/N would have a supplementary assignment that she would have to complete.
Then they did some review on the basic concepts they were taught in the academy and toured their working area.
They continued talking on their way to the Physician's Wing and even as they sat at their separate tables waiting for Healer Ellis to arrive.
A quill was mysteriously flung at Dante that Leon swore he didn't throw even though Y/N absolutely saw him do it and he held hids finger up to his lips when he turned towards her.
Meanwhile Dante was frantically turning his head trying to look for the culprit.
Healer Ellis walked in in the middle of this tomfoolery and seemed like she couldn't even be bothered to ask what was going on. She simply dropped her bag onto her desk and turned to face the three of them.
"Glad to see you're all chipper this morning. We've got a little more to do today so I won't waste your time with idle chit-chat. Dante and Leon, you two will be showing me your plant-caring skills today,
Y/N you'll have a deduction test that you'll work on by yourself and then do the same as the other two." Healer Ellis explained.
Everyone nodded their heads and quickly got to work.
The twins moved to the window sill where most of the plants were kept and Y/N pulled out her writing tools and walked to the front desk to get her test.
Today however, she didn't get that dreadful pit in her stomach like she always did before every assessment.
Perhaps it was because she had a full stomach today, or the fact she had something to prove that was able to get rid of her anxiety but she quickly began flying through it.
She wrote with such incredible speed that imaginary smoke was floating up from her quill and a fire was lit behind her.
But she held perfect concentration and before she realized it, she had completed the final question.
She looked over her answers once more to catch any mistakes before heading to hand it in.
Healer Ellis, genuinely impressed at the speed at which she finished asked her if she had double checked her work to which Y/N nodded with a proud expression.
Healer Ellis smiled before nodding her head and putting the paper in one of her drawers and leading her to one of the plants.
"I want you to show me the proper way to upkeep a Flame Lily and the best way to cultivate its petals. After that, create a salve from the plant to help calm down inflammation on the skin's surface." She directed Y/N.
Y/N nodded before rolling her sleeves up and getting to work.
——— ??ˋ ? ?ˊ? ———
Dirt and the occasional leaf clung to Y/N's sleeves as she walked down the halls to the guard's training room.
Rather than spending her lunch break eating with the twins, she found herself searching for the company of a certain green-eyed guard to indulge in conversation with.
She would be a liar if she said she wasn't also a little curious to see Kent sparring.
The door to the sparring room was left open, and Y/N stood in the doorway and felt her face heat at the sight in front of her.
Kent stood panting with both his fists raised in front of his opponent on the sparring mat.
Sweat gleamed against his bare abdomen, and the muscles in his biceps were clear as day when he swung.
Looking around the room, she realized that practically everyone was in a state of undress, and Y/N considered turning around and leaving because of how flustered she was.
But before she could move, Kent caught her eye.
Surprised to see her, he was momentarily caught off guard, and his sparring partner took advantage of his distractedness and punched him square in the jaw.
Y/N gasped in shock as Kent fell right onto his back and quickly rushed in. She looked down at him as he groaned and held a hand to the left side of his face.
"Are you alright!?" She asked with slight panic.