AlAvaloria Academy had 300 years of rules.
Luna broke three before breakfast.
---
The car door slammed behind them. Both girls in normal clothes. Move-in day, not photo day.
"You packed _three_ suitcases," Luna said, dragging her own case out of the boot. Navy, leather-trimmed, monogrammed _L.M.P._ — Rachel's doing. Luna wore jeans and her dad's old Harrington crew jumper. Wool, navy, frayed at the cuffs. Had a tiny hole in the elbow. Smelled like pipe tobacco and rain. "For school. It's not a coronation."
"I play piano," Meribel hissed back, adjusting her gloves. She wore a cream dress Rachel picked, pearls, heels she could barely walk in. "I have concert gowns. And you look like you robbed a gardener. Did you forget this is Avaloria?"
Luna popped the latch on her case. The thing was huge — Rachel packed it, so it had to fit a season. Inside: folded casual clothes, three pairs of shoes, two leather satchels, toiletries in a silk bag, her full skincare routine because Rachel insisted, hair ribbons Dad bought her, her favorite chipped mug, four paperbacks she stole from the library, a stack of histories from Harrington's shelves, a set of silk bedsheets because Rachel doesn't trust "school-issue linen," and tucked on top — three sets of Avaloria uniform. Blazers, skirts, ties. Issued three weeks ago. Not worn. Yet.
Each blazer had a strip sewn above the pocket: _PERCIVAL — HOUSE EMERALD — YR 12_. Avaloria did that. No hiding. No nicknames. Name, house, year. Always.
"I didn't forget," Luna said, grinning. "I just didn't pack the kitchen sink. A lady travels light."
Dad hugged Luna tight, then Meribel. "Be good. Or at least be smart. Your brother's already hiding at university so he doesn't have to claim you."
He got back in the car. Rachel didn't look up from her itinerary. "Meribel, shoulders back. Luna, _don't_ embarrass us before we've even unpacked."
The car pulled away. Gravel and Rachel's sigh. That was it.
---
*Check-in. Great Hall. Avaloria Academy.*
A junior staff member in grey checked a list longer than Luna's detention record.
"Percival, Meribel." She consulted a chart. "House Diamond. East Wing. Room 302. Your roommate is Westmere, Catherine. Luggage is being delivered."
Meribel's perfect posture stiffened. "Roommate?"
"All Avaloria students share quarters," the staff member said, already moving on. "Builds diplomatic bonds. Next."
Catherine Westmere appeared at Meribel's elbow like she'd been waiting. Blonde, poised, smile that didn't reach her eyes. She wore a designer day dress. "Meribel. Mother said we'd be together. How _fortunate_."
Meribel nodded. Barely. "Westmere."
The staff member's pen moved down. "Percival, Luna. House Emerald. Blue Wing. Room 217. Shared. Your roommate is Russell, Adele."
Luna hefted her case. It was heavy — clothes, shoes, books, bedsheets, the works. "Got it. I'll carry mine."
The staff member blinked. "Miss Percival, porters can—"
Luna shrugged. "I've got it. Thanks though."
She walked off, case wheels clicking on marble, jumper sleeve riding up to show an ink stain on her wrist.
Meribel watched her go, flanked by two porters and Catherine Westmere.
---
*House Emerald, Blue Wing, Room 217.*
The junior staff member opened the door and stepped aside. "Here you are, Miss Percival. Room 217."
Luna stepped in, rolling her case.
One side was already set up. Books arranged by color, a vanity with silver brushes, and a silk robe folded on the bed. House Emerald crest embroidered on the pocket. A uniform hung in the wardrobe — blazer, skirt, tie. Pressed. Unworn. _RUSSELL — HOUSE EMERALD — YR 12_ stitched above the pocket.
The other side was bare. Empty bed. Empty wardrobe. Empty vanity. Waiting.
A girl sat on the first side, adjusting the silk robe on her bed. Chestnut hair, straight back, the kind of posture Rachel would frame. She wore House Emerald dorm wear — silk pajama set, emerald green, robe untied.
She turned when Luna's case wheels clicked on the floor.
Luna dropped her case at the foot of the empty bed and stuck out her hand. "Hey. Luna Percival. Guess we're roommates."
The girl blinked, then smiled — actual, human smile. She took Luna's hand. "Adele Russell. Nice to meet you. My father's Prime Minister Russell."
No "Lady." No curtsy expected. Luna clocked it instantly.
"No way," Luna said, genuinely impressed. She pushed her sleeves up, revealing a plain t-shirt under the jumper. "Your dad was the one who pushed for free healthcare for kids under five. That's admirable."
Adele laughed, tying her robe. "He'll like that. And you're…" Her eyes flicked to Luna's monogrammed case, the Harrington crest on the tag, then back to Luna's ink-stained wrist. "Percival. Duke Percival's daughter. From the investiture."
Luna nodded, unzipping her case. "Yeah. That's us. New house, new title, new—"
She pulled out her uniform. Held it up. Still had the plastic on it from the courier. _PERCIVAL — HOUSE EMERALD — YR 12_.
"Wait," Adele cut in, smile still there but tilting. She tightened the belt on her robe. "Duke Percival. He's… new to the _dukedom_, isn't he? Last month?"
Luna's grin slipped. She dropped the uniform on the bed. "Yeah. King Aldermere elevated my dad. My dad was Count of Harrington before. Still is, technically."
"Right." Adele let go of her hand. Turned back to the mirror. Her voice went flat, polite. "_First_ Duke Percival. Mother mentioned. Fast climb."
She picked up a fountain pen from her vanity. Didn't look at Luna again. "Try not to splash me, Percival. Some of us have to earn our positions. We can't all be handed one."
The whiplash hit like lake water.
_Earn?_ Her dad runs the country and he's not even a "Sir." My dad held Harrington for 40 years before the crown bumped him up.
That wasn't about nobility. That was about Adele losing her spot as #1 commoner.
Luna opened her mouth, but the door opened first.
This time it wasn't junior staff.
Lady Grace Fairweather, Hostel Mistress of House Emerald, had Rachel's posture and a warden's eyes. Grey hair in a knot sharp enough to cut glass. She didn't enter Room 217. She stood in the doorway and projected like she was addressing a battalion.
"House Emerald, Blue Wing. Assemble in the common room. Five minutes. Dorm wear."
She was gone before anyone could curtsy.
Adele exhaled, relieved. "Dorm wear. Thank god. I wasn't putting the blazer on until I had to."
Luna looked down at her jeans. At Dad's jumper. She hadn't changed. Too lazy. Figured she had time.
"Uh," Luna said.
Adele's eyes went wide. "You didn't— Percival, she said _dorm wear_."
Luna glanced at her open case. Nothing unpacked.
Too late now.
---
*Common Room, House Emerald, Blue Wing. 5:00pm sharp.*
Girls from Year 9 to Year 13. All in dorm wear — silk sets, robes, slippers. House Emerald crest on every pocket. Uniforms hanging in wardrobes across the wing. Issued weeks ago. Worn for check-in photos with parents, then discarded the second doors shut.
Three girls sat apart by the window. Their dorm sets were identical to everyone else's — same silk, same House Emerald crest, same cut. The difference wasn't the clothes. It was the space around them. Nobody sat near. Nobody spoke to them. _Scholarship_. Avaloria gave them the same uniform. The noble students gave them nothing.
Adele stood near the front, robe tied perfect. Luna stood at the back in jeans and Dad's Harrington crew jumper, sneakers clean but scuffed from Harrington's halls.
Lady Grace Fairweather took the center like it was a throne.
"Rules," she said without preamble. "Uniforms mandatory from 7am tomorrow, inspection at 7:15. Lights out at 10. No boys past the parlor. No lake access after dark. Demerits for: tardiness, impropriety, unsanctioned contact with royalty. Demerits apply to all students. Title or no title. Scholarship or birthright."
Her gaze swept the room and landed on Luna. On the jumper.
"Percival," Lady Grace said. "Dorm wear was specified. You are not in dorm wear."
Luna blinked. She actually looked down at her jeans, like she'd forgotten. "Wait, really? I was gonna change— I thought we had—"
"Three demerits," Lady Grace said, already moving on. "For dress code violation. Welcome to House Emerald. I expect that jumper folded before morning inspection."
She was gone before Luna could finish her sentence.
Luna stood there, mouth half open. Not angry. Just… surprised. She'd figured "five minutes" meant _to get to the common room_, not _be changed already_. Her fault. Lazy.
No "Miss." No "Lady." Just "Percival." Staff don't use titles. Students are all the same to her: problems to manage. Scholarship, Prime Minister's daughter, Duke's daughter — three demerits is three demerits.
Adele didn't smile. But she didn't not-smile either.
Luna tugged at her jumper. "Right. Noted."
---
*Next morning. 7:55am. History of the Realm, Room 4B.*
Avaloria ran on whispers. Luna heard them before she hit the main hall, uniform on for the first time since check-in photos. Blazer buttoned, tie already crooked. _PERCIVAL — HOUSE EMERALD — YR 12_ stitched clean above the pocket. Jumper folded in her wardrobe. Lesson learned.
"Did you see? Aldermere's back from the King's diplomatic tour."
"He topped Year 11 with 98%. Even Professor Albright's scared of him."
"He never speaks to anyone. Especially not _charities_. Or _upstarts_."
_Charities_. Luna caught the word. Said low, between two Year 13s. They glanced at the scholarship girls walking past and smirked. Same blazers. Same crest. Same Avaloria. Different treatment.
Luna froze by her locker. "Aldermere? Which one?"
A Year 12 boy from House Sapphire glanced up from his phone, eyes wide with actual reverence. "Not Cassian. He's Year 13. Crown prince. He's gonna be king. I mean _Sterling_. Second son. Year 12. Seventeen. Brilliant. Ruthless. They say he runs half the King's intelligence already."
Seventeen. Sterling's grade. Normal for Year 12.
Luna's sixteen. She skipped Year 11. Tested up after the national exams. Rachel had a fit. My dad just said, "If she can pass it, she can do it."
She's a year younger than everyone. And still planning to beat them.
The study. The ink.
Oh god.
---
*Room 4B. 7:58am. Before the bell.*
Luna slid into a desk at the back. Adele was three rows up, arranging her pens in a straight line. Uniform immaculate. _RUSSELL — HOUSE EMERALD — YR 12_ on her blazer. Preparing.
Two desks over sat one of the scholarship girls from the common room. Short, dark curls, eyes down. Her blazer was identical to Luna's. Same wool, same crest, same Avaloria tailoring. Issued by the school. _ELLIS — HOUSE EMERALD — YR 12_ stitched above her pocket. Her tie was knotted perfect. Her skirt pressed. No infractions. No "tells." She wouldn't give Grace a reason.
Her textbook was already open on the desk. _History of the Realm: Year 12 Edition_. She'd underlined a passage in pen — not pencil. Confident. The page was open to Chapter 3: _The Vellmont Accords and the Third Border War_.
Luna's pen rolled off her desk and clattered to the floor. It stopped by the girl's shoe.
The girl picked it up. Hesitated. Then held it out without looking up. "Yours."
Luna took it. Her eyes flicked to the open textbook. The underlined passage. The margin notes in tight, neat handwriting. "Thanks. I'm Luna. Percival."
The girl's eyes flicked up. Startled. Like nobody had said her name all morning. "Mara. Ellis."
"Ellis," Luna repeated. She nodded at the book. "Vellmont Accords. You're reading ahead?"
Mara blinked. "Yeah. I— finished the chapter last week. Trying to get the dates straight. The Third Border War's succession line is tricky."
Luna grinned. She tapped her own textbook. Already dog-eared. Notes in the margins. "Then you're the right person to ask. I'm planning to top Year 12."
Mara's mouth twitched. Almost a smile. She ducked her head again before Adele could see.
A whisper from the desk behind: "That's the _charity_. From the national exam. Won't be caught dead talking to one."
Luna heard it. Looked at Mara. Same blazer as hers. Same crest. The school didn't mark her. The students did.
_Charity_. Scholarship.
Luna looked back at the whisperer. Girl from House Diamond. "You got a problem, say it louder."
The girl shut up.
Luna turned back to Mara. "Ignore them. Have lunch with me today. Then we study after classes. Dorm common room. That's legal. You bring the Treaty dates, I'll bring the battle strategies. We'll quiz each other. Deal?"
Mara stared. "You… want to study with me?"
"Yeah," Luna said. "Unless you're secretly evil. Are you secretly evil?"
A real smile this time. Small. "No."
"Great," Luna said. "And I don't cheat, Ellis. I win." Then she paused. "By the way — which house?"
Mara nodded. "House Emerald. Why?"
Luna's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding. I'm Emerald too. Room 217."
Mara went still. Then, quiet: "Room 219."
Two doors down.
Luna barked a laugh. "Grace is gonna love us. Two problems, same hall."
Mara's eyes were wary. Like she was waiting for Luna to realize.
Luna already had. And didn't care. Three demerits already. She wasn't risking more. Common room's allowed after classes. Library's for silent study, not food. She knows the rulebook now.
The door opened.
It was him.
Dark hair, sharp jaw, seventeen and sharpened into a blade. School blazer, but he wore it like armor. _ALDERMERE — HOUSE SAPPHIRE — YR 12_ stitched in silver thread above the pocket. He didn't walk in. He _assessed_ the room.
The boys straightened. "Aldermere." "Welcome back."
The girls forgot how to breathe. One dropped her pen and didn't pick it up. One whispered "He's even prettier in person."
Sterling ignored them all. Walked past the front row, past Adele's careful, political glance, past Mara who made herself small, and sat in the empty desk two down from Luna. Opened a leather-bound book. Didn't look up.
"You."
One word. Quiet. The whole room went silent.
Sterling wasn't looking at his book. He was looking at Luna.
Her blood turned to ice water.
Sterling closed his book. Slow. Deliberate. "You were the maid. Last month. Highmere."
Adele whipped around. Mara risked a glance, then went very still.
Luna stared. _The maid?_ Then it hit her — Highmere Palace. The tour. The study. Jeans and a hoodie. The argument.
He lives at Highmere. He's a prince. Of course it was his study.
And she looked like staff. No noble girl wanders a palace in a hoodie. He assumed.
"You," Luna said, blinking. Recognition dawning. "You were in the study."
Someone gasped. Adele made a sound like she'd swallowed her fountain pen.
Luna's heart was in her throat. She could lie. She could bow her head. Rachel would.
Luna stood up. Her chair scraped.
"I didn't know it was your study," she shot back. "There was no sign. The door was open."
The name clicked. _Aldermere_. The whispers. The tour. Second son.
Sterling stood too. He was taller than she remembered. He crossed the two desks between them. The class leaned in.
Sterling stopped at her desk. His eyes dropped to her blazer. To the name strip.
He leaned down, voice low so only she could hear. "You had no right to be in there."
He still didn't know who she was. Not really. He knew the name now. Not the girl.
Heat shot up Luna's neck. Not fear. Fury.
She didn't step back. She didn't bow her head.
"You were very rude," Luna whispered back. "Remember that, Aldermere."
Using his surname. No "Sterling." No "Your Highness." That's war.
His eyes narrowed.
Luna went louder. For the class. For Adele. For Mara. For Lady Grace and Rachel and 300 years of rules.
"Also? I'm taking your spot. Best in Year 12. Start studying, Sterling."
Now she uses his first name. That's the challenge. Equals don't use surnames.
The silence was total.
Then Sterling smiled.
It was the same smile from the study. Mean. Sharp. _Interested_.
"Try it, Percival," he said.
He sat down. Opened his book again. Like she hadn't spoken. Like she wasn't a threat.
The bell rang.
Professor Albright walked in, opened his ledger, and started class without looking up. "The Vellmont Accords. Page thirty-seven."
No introductions. No "welcome back." At Avaloria, royalty isn't announced. They're expected.
Adele turned fully in her seat, eyes wide. "You just declared war on House Aldermere," she hissed.
Luna picked up her pen. It wasn't monogrammed. It was chewed on the end. Dad's.
"No," Luna said. "I just declared war on _him_."
When she glanced right, Mara was staring at her. Not at Sterling. At _her_. Eyes wide, but not scared. Impressed.
Mara mouthed one word: _Thanks_.
For what, Luna wasn't sure yet. For talking to her. For not caring about _charity_. For headbutting a prince. For being in the same hall.
Didn't matter.
House Diamond got Meribel _and_ Westmere.
House Emerald got the problem.
Two problems, actually. Rooms 217 and 219.
Year 12 had a best student.
And now it had a sixteen-year-old in a jumper who planned to take the title.
Not for long.