Inside the carriage, the family of Drakthorne sat in silence, and awkward silence hung in the air. They had immediately started their journey to the academy after they completed their lunch; it was only about an hour journey from their estate to the academy in a carriage.
Half an hour had gone by with no one talking other than Alex, reading a book that he held tightly in his hand, and would go into deep thinking every moment after reading some lines. The book was called 'Trying to decipher the mysteries of the world', it was a gimmick type of book that only held questions rather than correct answers. It was about someone asking the question and then answering it with assumptions and thinking.
Alex was reading this book to broaden his mind for the open-ended question that would be asked in the written exam. He had read this book yesterday with the help of the Princess, but found that he needed to read it once again.
Ariana would occasionally take a glance at the book and its content, only to turn back to the window because of its sheer difficulty, which she was unable to understand.
One question was whether the god who created the world existed before the world, or whether the world existed before the gods, and whether the gods were like humans who were born first and were gifted with more powers. If so, then what existed before god, who was there to witness its origin? Does it even have an origin? If so, what began it, and how will it end? There was no answer; the writer only skimmed over people's beliefs about whether God came first or created the universe. He did not give any answers himself, but explained other, more traditional and new contemporary views.
Alex finally finished the last page, and his eyes shone brightly. He never read something like this; he had read all the library books in his home, but this was different; it was trying to open him to possibilities that he never even considered before. According to the princess, this book was banned, and only a few people had a copy; most burned it. But the princess, being from an imperial family, had kept a copy of the book. Drakethorne has also burned their copy. So, he never got to read it until yesterday, when the princess brought it to help him broaden his mind for the written exam.
He looked outside the window and promised himself to thank her once again for giving him such a great book.
Shane, who had been silent until now, asked, "Son, did you enjoy the book?"
Alex turned towards his parents, and Ariana, who had been looking out the window, turned towards her brother to find out why he was so immersed in the book.
"Yes, Father, I enjoyed it, and it is quite refreshing to read it. It almost tore apart most of my old way of thinking. Though it doesn't give any concrete answer, it makes me want to question more and more." Alex answered, his eyes shone brightly with admiration for the writer.
Shane nodded his head, "Yes, that book is quite open to read. But don't take things inside the book so seriously. This book is banned for a reason."
Alex wanted to ask more about why the book was banned, but the carriage suddenly halted. Looking outside, he saw a huge wall before them, and rows of carriages lined up side by side, many adorned with ornaments, with knights surrounding most of them.
The carriage door was opened by Knight Commander Lucy, and Ariana was the first to leap out with such energy that Alex was left speechless. She had been silent until now, but as if she had received a treat, she jumped out enthusiastically.
Shane stepped out, followed by Sera, who issued a warning: "Daughter, don't run around or leave this area unless you want to get lost in this crowd."
Alex was the last to exit, letting his mother go ahead quickly because she was worried Ariana might run away and get lost in the crowd.
As Alex stepped outside the carriage, a chill air passed by his cheeks, and he was bombarded by the crowd's murmur; the noise was so loud that it was hurting his ears. He put both his hands on his ears; he had never heard so many voices talking at the same time.
Sera looked at him with a worried gaze, her eyes tense. She tightly held Ariana with one hand. "Son, how about you put some earplugs in your ears?" she said, handing him a pair. Alex accepted them, and only then did he manage to calm himself down.
Finally, Alex could look around and see examinees of all sorts, some had cat-like ears and tails, while some had pointed ears, some were in groups, some were alone, and most were with their parents. Their attire varied; some wore expensive ones, and others wore very simple ones.
Shane looked at his son's excited face and thought to himself, "I hope you will never lose this smile from your face, son." He made a few gestures with his hand, implying that they will slowly enter the academy and only unplug his earplugs when he feels comfortable.
Alex nodded. Sera took his hand in her free one, but Ariana immediately darted away from her and ran to Shane, grabbing his hand instead.
Shane and Sera exchanged smiles at their daughter's antics. Ariana was grumpy because Sera had scolded her, and she pouted, looking sideways, not meeting her mother's gaze.
Thankfully, no one approached them, and they went by making a wide turn, so there was not much tension about Ariana getting lost.
Suddenly, a carriage pulled up beside them, adorned with golden embroidery that matched the standards of their own carriage.
- - -
Hello, author here. If you are enjoying the story and want to read what happens next, then please join my Patreon. There, you can find multiple tiers and choose the one that best suits you. I need your support to keep on writing.
On Patreon, you can read upto 10 Chapters ahead of here.
Patreon link: https://www.patreon.com/imissmysun
Discord link: https://discord.gg/WrsCjgR7z7