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Roaming the hallowed grounds of Garreg Mach was an experience that surpassed even the highest of Auberon's expectations; every corridor and room seemed alive with the Goddess' presence, and his heart beat ever faster in religious ecstasy as the day's events progressed and increasingly important members of the Church hierarchy were presented to him. To stand in the cathedral itself, in the presence of the Archbishop, no less, was to feel unworthy. It was if the gaze of the Goddess Herself was boring down upon on him there, and Auberon found it a challenge to even raise his head completely as Ioannis welcomed this year's class.

The classroom itself held less distraction for the boy. Without statues of the saints watching his every move, Auberon could almost pretend he was in any other mundane room in the world. Besides, he was in attendance for a reason and it wouldn't do to disrespect the monastery and Church itself by not committing his full attention to the curriculum he'd been graciously allowed to partake in. Michail seemed friendly and personable, and his status as a Knight of Seiros assuaged any doubt of his competency, even if he may not be responsible for their entire education at the academy.

Still, Auberon was stupefied for the first few moments after Michail had finished his announcement. Surely he'd misheard - the professor must've said Auberon of House [i]Gautier[/i]. Or... Aubrey of House Galatea. Okay, he didn't think there was even an Aubrey in his family, but still. No, the board definitely had him listed there at the top. The Goddess truly was an inscrutable mistress; classes had yet to even begin and She had already blessed him with a once-in-a-lifetime duty to help shape the future leaders of Faerghus. Auberon quietly placed his hands together in prayer and reverently lowered his head.

[color=ffd700]"[i]I am honored by this opportunity, my Lady. I will not fail You or this nation,[/i]"[/color] he murmured almost imperceptibly under his breath. After paying the proper respects to the Most High, Auberon stood and made his way up to the front of the class, trying to catch everyone's attention before anyone left to spend their free time elsewhere. [color=ffd700]"Excuse me,"[/color] Auberon addressed the room with neither imperiousness nor timidity, toeing the line between fellow student and uplifted authority as best he could, [color=ffd700]"Evidently I'm to be the House leader of the Blue Lions this year, so I felt I should probably introduce myself."[/color]

He waited until he'd captured at least some of the students' attention before continuing, [color=ffd700]"I am Auberon Casimir Galatea, heir presumptive to the Countship and bearer of the Crest of Daphnel. I'm a bit surprised at this appointment, in all honesty, but I hope that I can live up to your and Professor Kalonic's expectations of me nevertheless."[/color] Auberon brought his fist down on an open palm for emphasis, [color=ffd700]"If any of you ever need anything from me or have concerns you'd like to share, please don't hesitate to seek me out; it's our collective duty to help better each other and ensure, Goddess willing, that the Kingdom's future is in good hands. Thank you."[/color]

Of course, Auberon had no idea what the duties of House leader actually were, and judging by the glimpses he'd caught of Michail being confronted outside, he probably wouldn't have a good opportunity to ask until later in the day. He had the utmost faith in his ability to meet the challenges put before him - the Goddess would not have chosen him otherwise - but convincing the other Blue Lions of this was a different matter. He was the son of relatively unimportant nobility in possession of only a Minor Crest; the blond could tell just from a cursory look at the names on the board that nobles of higher status than him were in attendance, and he [i]sincerely[/i] doubted that none of them possessed a Crest. It was possible someone would feel slighted by not being named House leader, though it wasn't as if Auberon had volunteered - their quarrel would be with Lysander. Assuming rational heads prevailed, anyway.

Rather than dwell on it, he turned his attention back to his name on the board, or more specifically, the other names grouped with his. The name Kellen Fraldarius was recognizable enough; he was certainly not the heiress to the Duchy - Auberon swore her name started with an R or something - but the family name alone told Auberon enough about the boy's status. Orhneaht was far more puzzling - it wasn't a family Auberon had ever heard of, though it wasn't like he memorized the name of every upstart merchant household that might have the wealth to send their child to Garreg Mach. Suffice to say, he didn't have high hopes for this Lienna's early performance given what he knew about commoner education.

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