The morning of his university class, Lukas found himself sitting on the sofa. He had lived here for the past few days, and it had become a comfort to him. Save for the times when both Nikola and Dina would argue with each other from the other room.

He found a small room in the corner and took a bath. His clothes were the same frumpy wear he had when he came into this world, but he had yet to find a seamstress or the money for clothing. He would try to find something later, after he had found ways to earn money in the city.’

As he left the house, a carriage waited for him. Mikhail had ordered it, telling him he would have many things he would have to do in return as a result of the exchange afterward. Lukas would ponder what that meant, hoping he hadn’t fallen into a trap. Either way, he slumped against the window, watching the city go by. The various shops, and then the woman with the cart appeared. The Carriage came upon a river which seemed to spread through the city diagonally. The carriage clambered across a rough, stony bridge, the bumps reverberating through the walls. Lukas held onto a metal handle to the side, grimacing.

A clocktower came into view before the rest of the university appeared. Lukas took in the marble architecture which seemed to vaguely resemble the palace.

One day, I will attend this university in full. He likely needed the money for it, but a longing he’d suppressed back in his native realm resurfaced. What if he reexplored dreams he had thought were dead?

The last of the sunrise faded in the eastern sky, and the bright morning sunlight glinted off a patch of grass, the small beads of dew shimmering. Nearby, two stray dogs of a medium size wandered through the city. Their black, scruffy coats and wiry fur would make them slightly intimidating. Lukas inched his way around them, never taking his eyes off of them until he had amassed enough distance.

Lukas made his way up the steps to the main hall at the university. He had a small map in one hand, with the hall painted in a quick sketch. Meanwhile, red ink would point to a room on the other side of the long hall, tucked one room away. Footsteps echoing across, Lukas noted the paintings on the walls. Although he couldn’t yet read the alphabet, he could deduce that this was the language department at his school.

He found the room, but only after going to a dark lecture hall first and realizing the door had been locked. After turning to another room, and opening the door, he was greeted by a woman sitting behind a desk. She wore a deep blue veil with golden flower patterns across. It. In waving to Lukas, she would hand him a piece of paper in his language, giving him details about the class.

According to the paper, he would share a dorm with one other person, the university class would last a month, and he was not to practice his native language with the students. Lukas narrowed his eyes, before he turned and nodded at the woman. She gestured to the bottom of the page, where he was supposed to sign. Lukas grabbed the quill built into the woman’s desk, and then he would give his signature. The woman nodded, then she would pull out a large stack of papers, tapping on them.

Lukas would read university pamphlet, with bold letters across the top saying he had been accepted. At the bottom of the first page, there was the small fine print stating that this didn’t necessarily guarantee admission to the rest of the university. After reading a few pages, Lukas would place the pamphlet neatly into his travel satchel, although he worried he might not have enough information yet for this one.

Upon going outside, he noted that a young woman had held her hands out to the stray dogs. The two animals wagged their tail as she fed them some scraps of bread. Lukas only wished he had understood the language enough to ask her questions about the dogs. Instead, he glanced back, seeing the palace off in the distance. In finding a bench, the cold metal would be unpleasant for a few moments. But the Spring air, and the time before he would need to be at the university dormitories, left him with the longing for a moment of silence.

In pulling out his sketchbook, he would draw the palace once more, this time with the rest of the city in the vague background. As he worked, a bird sat nearby, giving a repetitive, lilting song. Lukas would see the bird, and then he would sketch it on the other page in his book. As he waited for the ink to dry, he noticed how more university students approached the dogs. The dogs still seemed friendly, appreciating the pets, and the attention. Some of the younger students cooed at the dog. Lukas smiled, almost tempted to join them. But before long, the bell tolled, indicating he had fifteen minutes to be at his dorm.

He would race across campus, his heart pounding. What if he was late, all because he had taken a moment to himself? But as he rounded on what appeared to be the university dorms, the bell tolled again. Picking up the pace, he made it to one of the offices. In handing the man the paper, the man scowled at him.

“Five minutes late is not on time, dear sir,” he said. “It would be a shame if I had to write you up on the first day of university, would it not? But since you are new to this realm, I will show some mercy. But don’t let it happen again to any of the official housing meetings. Are we clear?”

“Yes, sir,” Lukas said.

“You’re lucky this program hasn’t seen too many participants in recent years. Lord Isidor wants you to take this class for a reason, eh?” The man said. “He sent us an urgent letter this morning, detailing ho he wishes to learn more about your world, and the political workings of such a world.”

That wasn’t disconcerting at all. Lukas tried to tell himself it was for research purposes only, but he couldn’t convince himself of such a fact. After all, why did he and Lord Alik have such a rivalry with one another? Was it for petty reasons, or was there something else he would find hard to overlook? He shook the thoughts as best he could.

For some reason, his thoughts of Lord Alik did not dissipate. Even though he hadn’t communicated much with the man, he still found himself thinking of the man. It wasn’t with the mindset of a rival, as Lord Isidor had hoped it would be. Rather, he found himself wishing he could get to know the mysterious man better.

Lukas set that thought aside, trying to pretend it had never happened. He did not want to seem too interested in the man, especially with Irvin at home. Although, at this point, his guilt had settled over not contacting his boyfriend. It could be that he was merely curious about the culture of this world, but even he knew it was a lie. There was another reason for his curiosity toward the mysterious nobleman. After all, Alik had been kind to him.

I have officially found my footing–even if it’s temporary–at the university. Although my thoughts are elsewhere right now, on the man I am supposed to be rivals with. Even still, even though I know he hasn’t been good for me, I am beginning to miss Irvin as well. Not the most recent version of Irvin, but the one I knew before he had decided to become controlling of me.