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A/N: An aesthetic of Francesca’s office in the image above.
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The sound of the clock ticking echoed solemnly in the dark carpeted hallway. The five boys were a mess as they sat there with their clothes soiled and dripping with all kinds of food. Their faces were smeared with pastries and their hair filled with all sorts of meat.
They had been sitting quietly in the solemn silence for close to five hours with no visitors whatsoever.
Charles’ mother was the first to arrive. She strode in with her anger barely concealed.
‘Mum, I-,’ Charles began but she cut him off sharply.
‘Save it.’
She levelled him with a furious glare. ‘I had to drop everything and fly here from Morocco where I had been entertaining the Sultan of Brunei. What would your father say when he hears about it?’
Charles bowed his head, not saying another word.
Paul’s mother was the next to arrive. Her Royal Highness, the Lady Sylvia strode in with an expressionless face. She fixed her son with an unreadable gaze but kept her silence. The only sign of her displeasure was the slight downturn of her lips.
Paul met his mother’s gaze for a while before turning away. He could feel her disappointment in waves.
Victoria Mills followed soon after with her usual grace and elegance. She cast one look around the odd gathering before resting her gaze on her son.
‘What could you possibly have done that was urgent enough for me to fly from Egypt?’
Her voice did not betray her emotions. Jayden shrugged and turned his attention away. She continued to stare at him with an indiscernible expression before finally turning away.
The last to arrive was Samuel’s mother, who rushed in asking, ‘I’m not late, am I?’
She appeared to have been in the middle of surgery when the call came because she still donned her surgical coat and her hair was tousled from wearing a surgery cap.
She sighed in relief when she saw that she wasn’t and moved to sit by her son. ‘Sammy, are you alright? What did you do this time, and what is in your hair?’
She licked her hands and began cleaning his face which caused Samuel to shift away.
‘Mum,’ he mumbled embarrassedly. ‘Stop it, you’re embarrassing me.’
She huffed and continued to clean him up, ignoring his weak struggle and sounds of protest.
A moment later, a secretary appeared and cleared her throat. ‘The headmistress is ready to see you now.’
They stood and made their way into the large stately office. The office was grandiose with plush carpeting that sunk the feet to the ankle. A grand fireplace stood in the corner and standing along the walls, were suits of armour emblazoned with the school crest.
Portraits of past headmasters and headmistresses lined the walls and hanging pride of place directly opposite the room was a larger, far grander portrait of the current headmistress.
Francesca Fontaine sat beneath her likeness and gestured to them to take a seat. She waited patiently until they had taken their seats around, the large oak desk and the secretary closed the door softly before she began.
She peered down her glasses at Samuel’s mother. ‘I had hoped that after your graduation, I wouldn’t see you in my office again Sandra. Apparently, this apple has not fallen far from the tree.’
Samuel’s mother smiled sheepishly and glanced down.
The headmistress turned to the rest of them and folded her palms on the desk.
‘The last parent couldn’t join us so I shall begin. I understand that you are all extremely busy people but the event that transpired this afternoon necessitated that I request for your presence.’
‘A food fight erupted in the school cafeteria. A fight which, by all accounts, was incited by your children.’
She fixed each one of the boys with a stern gaze.
‘Now, a food fight might seem like harmless fun but, disregarding the unnecessary extra work they have caused to the cleaning staff and the sheer wastefulness of such an act, several damages were inflicted to school property. I also have some students in the hospital wing with minor injuries.’
She paused.
‘This kind of wanton behaviour is not only unbecoming for a student of Lumière, it is also indecorous to your respective identities.’
She fixed her gaze on Paul. ‘You are a prince and not just any prince but the Crown Prince of a proud kingdom and your behaviour today has discredited not only yourself and the royal family but also your entire people. Considering the special circumstances of the Ashanti royal line of succession, I would have expected that you would know better than to involve yourself in such unsavoury acts.’
Paul bowed his head in shame and she turned her gaze to Charles and Jayden.
‘You are both the sole heirs of your families. Ancient and noble families that are highly respected members of the Noble 52. Your actions today not only brought a cloud of shame upon them, but also casts a dark shadow of doubt on your eligibility and ability to take over.’
Her gaze moved to Samuel. ‘Your family is also a member of the Noble 52 and a highly respected family in the international world. Your brothers were upstanding and outstanding students with perfect records and you have, in the space of an afternoon, sullied their entire legacy and the legacy of your family in this school. You have a lot of work on your hands if you are to make up for that and live up to their legacy and I am expecting much from you.’
Samuel nodded and looked down, shuffling his feet in embarrassment.
‘And you,’ her gaze finally rested on Noel. ‘Should I remind you of your tenuous position in this school? Unlike the others, you do not have the comfort of a wealthy family and the protection of their name. You are here on a scholarship in order to prove and better yourself and the scholarship was subject to good behaviour. As easily as you were awarded the scholarship, the same way can it be taken away from you. Consider this as a warning.’
She swept her gaze across the room. ‘All of you.’
Noel bit his lip and stared fixedly at his feet. The headmistress had not raised her tone or placed emotion in her voice but she had still managed to make not only the children but the parents as well feel severely chastened.
She unfolded her palms and glanced down at the papers on her desk. ‘An appropriate punishment needs to be meted out to you. The school and its students did suffer some damages and injuries.’
‘The royal family is willing to bear that cost Headmistress,’ spoke Lady Sylvia.
The headmistress looked down at her over her half-moon spectacles. ‘The school is more than wealthy enough to bear its own costs Your Highness. I don’t need you, to bear the costs I need you, all of you to discipline and control your children.’
The parents nodded silently and she turned back to the papers on her desk. ‘The school hangars are filled with machinery that needs to be cleaned and arranged. I was going to ask the cleaning staff to do it but I think that’s an appropriate enough punishment.’
‘But that’s going to take forever and it is beneath a member of the Noble 52.’ Charles sputtered in protest.
The headmistress levelled him with a cool gaze. ‘You should have thought of that before you flouted school rules. There are ten hangars in the school but only four need cleaning. It’s not going to take forever but it is going to take a while so I suggest you get a head start.’
‘Headmistress,’ Charles’ mother stepped in. ‘I agree they need to be punished but maybe another punishment more suited to their class. Surely we could-‘
‘That will be all. You may leave.’
They stood up slowly to leave, but her voice rang out once more.
‘Mister Mills, if you would kindly remain. I would like a word.’
Jayden had risen midway in his seat. He paused and glanced unsurely at his mother. She gave him a small nod and he sunk slowly back in his seat.
Samuel and Noel were the last to leave. They glanced at him worriedly before leaving the office, closing the door behind them with a soft click.
He turned back to the Headmistress who was studying him closely over her thin half-moon spectacles. This continued in silence for a while, causing him to shift uncomfortably under her penetrating gaze.
She sighed and took off her glasses. ‘Your mother is right, you know.’
Jayden blinked in confusion. ‘What?’
‘You have to hide your sexuality in this school because not even I can guarantee your safety once it is out.’
A dark expression settled on Jayden’s features. ‘She told you.’
‘Yes,’ she replied simply. ‘She informed me of your peculiar situation before you first arrived. She wanted to ensure that you would be protected here.’
Jayden scoffed. ‘She wanted to spy on me. Keep me in check so I won’t ‘disgrace’ the family.’
The headmistress fixed him with a cool gaze. ‘Do I look like one of your mother’s spies?’
Jayden paused before shaking his head slowly. It was true, Francesca Fontaine was not the type to spy on or for someone much less do another’s bidding.
She leaned back in her chair. ‘No matter what you might think of her, your mother loves you very much. She is only seeking your best interest. Coming to me was the only way to ensure that you could be protected as she could no longer continue to do so as she had at home.’
Despite the headmistress’s words, Jayden still did not believe her. He knew his mother better than most and the only time Victoria Mills did something, it was to benefit three people; she, herself and her.
He frowned suspiciously at her. ‘Why did you agree to help her?’
‘I am the headmistress. The safety of my students is paramount above all else.’
She could see that he wasn’t fully convinced.
‘You don’t trust me.’
It wasn’t a question.
‘If I didn’t want to help don’t you think you would have already been expelled for bribing a member of my staff to move your friend from his house to yours?’
Jayden started. He stared at her in shock.
‘Yes, I am aware of that. The same way I am aware of your midnight adventures.’
Jayden’s jaw dropped open. ‘How do you know about that? There’s no possible way you could have found out.’
‘I am aware of everything that goes on in my school Mister Mills. I just choose to ignore most of it unless they require my immediate attention. I only decided to turn a blind eye to your bribery because one, the poor boy was innocent and deserved to be free and two, I wanted to see how it would play out.’
Jayden kept quiet and just stared at her.
The headmistress sighed and placed her elbows on her desk. ‘Your mother and I want what’s best for you. If you need to talk you can come and see me anytime, my door is always open.’
That signalled the end of the conversation. Jayden stood up and nodded before making his way out.
Francesca Fontaine stared after his retreating figure, sighing as the door closed behind him. She closed her eyes and hoped that the poor boy who was constantly accompanied by a cloud of sadness will finally find happiness within the halls of Lumière International High School.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’M BACK BABY!
Yeah you got that right. I’ve gotten my flow back! WHOOO!
What did you think of the chapter? Damn, I wouldn’t want to be called to the Francesca’s office.*shivers* That woman is intimidating.
Have you been called to your principal’s office before? If yes, why?
Lemme know in the comments and don’t forget to vote if you liked the chapter.
Till next time!
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