The Inauspicious Route to my Happy Ending

Adrien woke up the next day. He slowly got ready before heading out to explore the Academy Grounds.

He took a path that led to the main lecture hall. He had briefly seen a map of this place near the building and wanted to get a good look at it.

A small breeze swept through, gently tousling his hair. Flower petals drifted through the air, carrying a sweet scent. The Academy really was a picturesque place straight of a manhwa or novel.

Students walked by, some at a leisurely pace as they conversed with friends while others hurried by in a rush to grab any essentials they may need for the start of the term.

There was a person with vibrant green hair swinging on a canopy made from vines that grew out of one of the trees. Flowers adorned the girl's hair and Adrien wondered if she possessed the Earth Element.

He arrived at his destination where he easily found the map he had been looking for. It appeared that other than the main lecture hall and the two dormitories, there was also a music hall located on the left side of the grounds, and a training hall on the right side of the grounds. In the rear grounds was a pond and a forest area. Not far from the forest were the faculty buildings and the stables.

Adrien went back the way he came, but instead of going to the boys' dormitory, he continued on. The pond soon came into view and the towering buildings that housed the teachers and the servants loomed behind it.

After walking for ten minutes, he came upon the stables. "Will I be able to get a ride into the city?" He asked one of the workers.

"Of course. Any place you're wanting to go?" The middle-aged man asked him.

"I'd like to find a bookstore and possibly a good place to eat on the same street."

"Livingston and Lorion both have excellent bookstores. Though, if you're wanting the underground books, I suggest Lorion," the man said with an exagerated wink.

Underground books referred to those that featured same-sex couples, those with a mature rating, and loosely liberal books. They weren't banned and were actually legal, they were just placed out of view so as to not bring down the store's reputation.

"That sounds good. How much do I owe you?"

"Carriage rides into the capital and the surrounding cities are free of charge," the man explained. "Let me get a carriage ready and I'll take you there."

As Adrien waited for the carriage, he formulated a list of books that he wanted to buy, though they were more of a general idea than an actual list of titles. There were a few books that he knew the titles to that he wanted to read. He had a vague idea of them from some of the Original's blurry memories. Even though the Original Adrien had read them, Adrien wanted to read them for himself.

Asrien boarded the carriage once the carriage was ready, and it didn't take long until the city came into view. They soon came upon Lorion Street where the carriage driver pulled over to let Adrien out.

"What time do you want me to come pick you up?"

"Around one should be good." After Adrien agreed to meet the man back at this spot in four hours, the carriage pulled off.

Adrien walked down the street, taking in the shops and the people around him. Before long, he came to a stop in front of a sign that read Royally Good Reads. It was a two story building that was painted yellow with white steps and banisters. He walked into the store and immediately felt his spirits soar at the smell of dried ink and paper.

He found the Magical Theory section and picked out two books that looked like they might be useful. He then went to the second floor where all the fictional books were housed.

Various tables and seats were scattered throughout the floor. He also noticed a few rooms with beaded curtains hanging in front of them.

Taking a gander, Adrien headed for one of the curtained rooms. Inside, he found various books with scandalous, ordinary, or overly flowery covers on them. He picked up a book at random and read the back of it.

"The Duke and His Stable Boy."

[The young Duke of Williams had no interest in High Society, preferring to keep to his lands. This made him the center of much gossip. Growing interested in the man who was the highlight of many conversations, the illegitimate son of a Baron goes to the Williams Duchy and disguises himself as a commoner on the search for a job. Sparks ignite like a wildfire between the two as an unexpected romance blossoms.]

Adrien placed the book on top of the other two, already anticipating the steamy romance that the cover hinted at.

But wait, isn't the Queen Consort's maiden name Willaims? Someone was audacious enough to write a book about the second prince? And they got away with it?!

* * * *

Sarina was sitting down at a tea table with Paulina in the glass-enclosed garden that her husband had built for her. Beautiful flowers with a subtle scent lined the walkways, giving the garden a pure and innocent feel that calmed one's spirit.

The doors to the glasshouse were opened by the knights stationed there. Strutting in while dressed in an impeccable white suit with red and gold accents was Paulina's son. His blonde hair shimmered like gold as the sun hit it and his vibrant red eyes sparkled like gems.

Sarina felt herself sigh at how handsome of a man Mikyle was growing into. The boy had gotten the best genes from both Asher and Paulina. He was the only one out of their three children who had taken after Asher the most.

"Greetings, your Majesties," Mikyle greeted them with a slight bow. Sarina and Paulina both frowned.

"Mikyle, dear, I've told you to drop those stuffy greetings," Sarina scolded him.

Mikyle came up to them and kissed each of them on the cheek. "I only wish to show the respect that you lovely ladies deserve."

"What has brought you by, today?" Paulina, his birth mother, asked. She had brushed off his greeting, having grown used to his flowery words and the teasing light in his eyes.

"I'm heading out into the city to pick up a new book that has been released today. I've come to see if you wanted anything while I was out."

Sarina sighed at her handsome, non-biological son. He stubbornly insisted on retrieving anything he wanted himself. She believed he was doing it on purpose to paint him in a vacuous and facetious light; someone who was not hardworking and only sought out a laid-back, frivolous life.

"I don't need anything," Paulina stated with a shake of her head, her gentle blonde curls swaying with the motion.

"A son-in-law," Sarina teased him, though she was being completely serious. Mikyle was too handsome to let his looks go to waste by not snagging himself a boyfriend.

Out of all of their sons, Mikyle was the only one who was not engaged. Nor was he seeing anyone romantically. He was also the only one who wasn't interested in the opposite sex, which limited his options since he was a person with the most noblest of bloodlines.

"Sarina!" Paulina gasped, her crystal-blue eyes widening in surprise.

Sarina laughed good-naturedly, her eyelids briefly covering up her golden eyes.

Mikyle's lips lifted up into a smirk. "I'll try, but that may be a difficult task to accomplish."

"Don't listen to her," Paulina said, taking her hand and gently smacking Sarina on the arm.

Sarina lifted a manicured hand up and brushed a piece of her red hair behind her ear. "He should listen to me. He is wasting his good looks."

The three of them bantered back and forth for a few more minutes before Mikyle left.