The Crown Prince Thinks I'm a Guy

Mares

(So sorry for the late update! It seems like I've forgotten to update here on Watty. It's because I post first on Webnovel, and I often forget to update here as well. ahahaha Forgive me!)

"It seems we are all here," the woman announced as she rapped at the board behind her. She settled her eyes on us with an almost sleepy look. "I am Professor Hypnosia. Upper years call me Professor Hippy, but I honestly don't know why. Feel free to call me whichever way you like once you pass my Defensive Spells 101 course."

The class murmured a short incoherent reply, and Professor Hypnosia nodded drowsily. "Good, good. Now, as all of you here are of Batch Pi, I will need to give a few more information about your school life. I am your first teacher, yes?"

We nodded after a moment, already caught up in her own sleepiness and in the early hour of the morning. This was our first joint class, and all of us were newly accepted students. Although it was an event that should be quite memorable, at five in the morning, most of us could hardly keep our eyes open.

"Yes, so the head professor had me tell you about our Academy's mares. Is anyone privy to this information?" she asked.

A hand went straight up. It was Kendra of House Braun, the nouveau nobility. She didn't look like she was as chained up by sleepiness as we were, and when she stood up to answer, she did so very energetically. "The lunar mares are the class system used by the Academy since its first recordings. Much like the rings on the moon, the mares act the same. The outermost ring is the largest, and us new students belong to it: Sinus Fidei. The inner rings go smaller as they go deeper, and their level of education gets harder too. From the outermost to the innermost rings, the mares consist of the Sinus Fidei, Mare Frigoris, Mare Imbrium, and finally, Mare Cognitum."

I watched as she stopped her speech to breathe. She was standing erectly to the point of militaristic poise, and her hands were tightly gripped. Although excitement glittered in her eyes, her body also hinted of her nerves. She watched the teacher's face like a prey observing her predator. Softly, the professor smiled at her sleepily.

"Excellent explanation, dear girl," she praised Kendra. "It makes me think that you've already had this lesson before. Might I know your name?"

Kendra stood motionless for a while before she broke into a jubilant smile, enough in fact to brighten up the pre-dawn hours. "This one is called Kendra of House Braun!"

"Nice to meet you, then, Lady Kendra," she said, and then gestured for her to sit. Then, she turned away from us, took out a wand from her hip, and then flicked it at the board. Suddenly, fire etched through the board, and as quickly as it had come, the flames died out to reveal a charred image on the surface. It was a picture of four circles drawn on top of each other, forming rings. The professor pointed at the outermost ring, and said, "Sinus Fidei. That is the starting point for all the students of the Academy. When a student reaches a certain threshold, he would then be tested in order to join the ranks of the Mare Frigorum. The same process goes for the entry to the Mares Imbrium and Cognitum. Although there are four mares, the Academy already deems a student ready to undergo the completion rites by the time he has joined the Mare Imbrium. Very few student choose to stay and try their like at making it to Mare Cognitum. In fact, I could count in one hand the number of students currently in its ranks during this cycle."

A few murmurs resounded around the classroom. I too had to take a moment to take it all in. I wasn't too surprised about there being rings and all, but if there was a class system involved... I wondered what the relations were like amongst the different classes. It didn't take long for me to get my answer.

"Although the Academy is impartial to her students, she is also fair. As the Academy has always valued meritocracy, the mare system is used to determine the benefits to be awarded to the students involved. As you all know by now, the Sinus Fidei receives a monthly monetary allowance, and of course, sufficient living quarters. These, however, are the bare minimum of the benefits given by the school. The ring you belong in will determine the benefits you receive every cycle."