Sure, he might have refused to stay in the dormitory, preferring the freedom of his own home and the company of Claire and Nora, but the academy had long considered him one of their most promising elite students.
A student like him could never be allowed to appear reckless or indifferent to the standards imposed upon their rank.
This was also why some of the other elite students were quietly enraged when they discovered he had chosen to live in the village instead of the dormitory.
In their eyes, an elite residing among commoners was a stain on the prestigious badge of the academy—a symbol of carelessness and improper behavior.
It would have been less offensive if he lived in the city, blending with other high-ranking elites or aristocrats, but here in the village, amidst ordinary folk, his presence challenged their rigid definitions of status.
Damien, however, didn't care for their petty opinions. With steady steps, he approached the chariot.
