Chapter 57: the search

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: the search

Monday morning settled gently over St. Albion University.

The excitement surrounding the recent events had finally begun to fade.

In its place...

The rhythm of university life quietly returned.

Lecture halls filled once more.

Students hurried between buildings carrying stacks of books beneath their arms.

Some spoke anxiously about the preliminary examinations waiting only a week away.

Others...

Spoke of nothing except the Founders’ Ball.

Fragments of conversation drifted through the walkways as students crossed the sprawling campus.

"...Have you found an escort yet?"

"My gown still needs one final fitting."

"I heard the orchestra from last year is returning."

"The Ball is the Monday after preliminaries, isn’t it?"

"Yes."

"Monday evening."

The anticipation was unmistakable.

Even professors occasionally smiled as students whispered excitedly before class began.

For many...

The Founders’ Ball marked the beginning of their busiest season.

For Vivienne...

It represented something else entirely.

A promise.

The other day...

She had decided she would stop waiting for fate to move the story forward.

If she wanted something to change...

She had to take the first step herself.

Which meant...

She needed to speak with Anthony.

The realization sounded wonderfully simple.

Finding him...

Was not.

--

Economics ended earlier than expected.

Their Professor closed his notebook with an apologetic smile.

"I believe that’s enough for today."

"You’ve all earned an extra fifteen minutes."

A few relieved cheers echoed through the classroom.

Claire stretched happily.

"I’ll never complain about an early dismissal."

Amelia laughed.

"Careful. He might hear you."

Students began gathering their books.

Claire slung her bag over one shoulder.

"Reading and Composition next."

"We should go before Professor Harrington decides punctuality is today’s lesson."

"Okay." Eleanor agreed.

Then Claire looked toward Vivienne.

"What about you?"

Vivienne smiled naturally.

"I just remembered something."

"I’ll meet you there."

Claire tilted her head.

"What is it?"

"Nothing important."

Claire studied her for another second before a familiar smile spread across her face.

"I see."

Vivienne immediately recognized that expression.

"...You don’t."

Claire only laughed.

"We’ll save you a seat."

The three girls headed toward Reading and Composition.

Vivienne waited until they disappeared into the stream of students before quietly turning in another direction.

Where should I start?

She paused beneath the shade of an old maple tree.

Then the answer came almost immediately.

Millward Hall.

The Political Governance Department.

According to the novel...

Anthony spent much of his time there.

Most of his major classes were held inside the building.

Faculty consultations.

Department meetings.

Student Council discussions with professors.

If she had to begin somewhere...

Millward Hall was the most logical choice.

She quickened her pace.

The corridors buzzed with students changing classrooms.

Vivienne walked calmly, pretending to study the department notice boards while discreetly glancing through every open classroom she passed.

Not there.

She checked the student commons.

Nothing.

A seminar room.

Empty.

She continued upstairs just as another lecture ended.

Students poured into the hallway.

Third-years.

Fourth-years.

Several professors.

Vivienne instinctively searched every face.

No Anthony.

"...Too late."

Perhaps he’d already gone to his next lecture.

Or perhaps a professor had stopped him afterward.

There were any number of possibilities.

The warning bell rang across the campus.

Vivienne looked at the clock.

"...Already?"

Reading and Composition.

She smiled helplessly to herself.

"I suppose that’ll have to wait."

With one last glance down the corridor...

She hurried back.

--

The rest of the morning passed quietly.

Professor Harrington’s lecture on rhetoric was as engaging as ever.

Vivienne answered when called upon.

Took careful notes.

Participated in discussions.

Yet every so often...

Her thoughts drifted back to Millward Hall.

Maybe during lunch.

Lunch would give her nearly two hours.

Surely she’d have better luck then.

--

The dining hall was unusually lively.

Conversations about the Founders’ Ball seemed to float from every table.

Claire set down her tray with a satisfied smile.

"I refuse to let anyone spend lunch talking about preliminaries."

"You’ll be the first one to bring them up tomorrow," Amelia teased.

"I absolutely will."

"But not today."

The girls laughed together.

Vivienne smiled as she listened.

She finished eating a little faster than usual.

Claire noticed immediately.

"In a hurry?"

"A little."

"I remembered something I wanted to check."

Claire narrowed her eyes.

"...Again?"

Vivienne laughed softly.

"I’ll be back."

Before Claire could ask another question...

She slipped quietly out of the dining hall.

This time...

She headed toward the library.

If she remembered correctly...

Anthony occasionally spent part of his lunch break there.

Not because he particularly enjoyed the library itself...

But because several Political Governance journals could only be consulted in the reference section.

It wasn’t a certainty.

Just another memory from the novel.

Still...

It was worth trying.

The library greeted her with its familiar silence.

Sunlight streamed through tall windows.

Students sat quietly beneath towering shelves.

Vivienne walked through the reading rooms at an unhurried pace.

She glanced toward the tables beside the Political Governance collection.

Empty.

She checked another room.

Nothing.

Another glance at the clock.

"...Not here either."

She smiled to herself.

"So much for relying on the novel."

The place had been right.

Only...

Not the day.

She hurried back before Philosophy began.

--

The afternoon slipped by much like the morning.

Philosophy.

Discussion.

More notes.

Then came History. 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

Students settled into their seats.

Five minutes passed.

Then ten.

Then fifteen.

Finally, the class representative stood.

"It seems our Professor has been called away unexpectedly."

A ripple of excitement spread through the room.

"We’ve been given a free period."

Claire quietly pumped a fist.

"A free cut!"

"I was starting to think those were myths."

Laughter filled the classroom as students packed their things.

Some immediately headed toward cafés.

Others formed study groups.

Vivienne picked up her bag.

One last try.

If she remembered anything else from the novel...

It was that Anthony often passed through Millward Hall late in the afternoon before attending Student Council matters.

It wasn’t much.

Just a passing sentence she’d barely remembered.

But it was enough.

--

She returned once more to Millward Hall.

Unlike earlier that morning...

The building had grown noticeably quieter.

Most afternoon lectures were still in session.

The corridors that had once been crowded were now nearly empty, interrupted only by the occasional professor or student hurrying quietly from one room to another.

Vivienne slowed her pace.

This was actually better.

With fewer people in the hallways...

She could search more carefully.

She walked along the first corridor, pausing briefly at each classroom.

Some doors were open just enough for her to glance inside.

Others had narrow windows through which she could discreetly look.

A lecture on constitutional law.

Another on international relations.

Third-year seminar.

Fourth-year policy workshop.

She searched each room as naturally as she could.

No Anthony.

She continued upstairs.

Another corridor.

Another row of classrooms.

Another quick glance through each window.

Students listened attentively while professors lectured at the front of the room.

Every familiar face...

Except the one she was looking for.

"...Still not here."

She frowned thoughtfully.

Did his class change rooms?

Or perhaps...

Was he called away again?

The novel had always mentioned where Anthony tended to spend his time.

Millward Hall.

The library.

Student Council.

Those memories had led her to the right places.

Just...

Never at the right time.

Eventually, she wandered out into the quiet courtyard connecting the department buildings.

The afternoon sun cast warm light across the stone paths.

For the first time that day...

She simply stopped walking.

She let out a long, tired sigh.

"...My feet hurt."

A small laugh escaped her lips.

"I’ve been walking around all day..."

She rubbed the back of her neck.

"This really is harder than it sounded."

She looked once more toward the entrance to Millward Hall.

Nothing.

No familiar figure.

No blond haired heir of House Ashford.

Maybe...

Tomorrow.

Just as she was about to turn away—

"Good afternoon, Lady Beaumont."

Vivienne froze.

That voice—

Slowly...

She turned around.

"...Damian?"

He stood only a few steps away.

One hand tucked casually into his pocket.

The faintest trace of amusement lingered at the corners of his lips.

Vivienne stared at him.

Then...

A terrible realization slowly dawned on her.

...Wait.

Did he...

Did he catch me wandering around looking for Anthony?

She looked at Damian again.

He still hadn’t said a word.

That tiny smile...

It looked suspiciously like he knew exactly what she’d been doing.

...He did.

"Oh no..."

Before she could stop herself...

Both hands flew up to cover her face.

"...Not again."

Her voice came out as nothing more than a thoroughly embarrassed groan.

Why...

Why was it always Damian who caught her at the most embarrassing moments?

She wished, very sincerely...

That the stone courtyard beneath her feet would kindly open up and swallow her whole.

From behind her hands...

She heard it.

A quiet chuckle.