After the second lecture, news of Hildr, the Cursed Princess, being in the Legendary realm shook the academy. Everyone had already known that she was in the Legendary realm, but this was all from information that was thousands of years old. Most people believed that this information had just been an exaggeration from Eterna. After all, this organization needed to be recognized by other forces on the continent, and thus they had needed to give a good reason for kidnapping Hildr and sealing her.
Some people thought that this organization claimed that Hildr was in the Legendary realm so as to highlight the threat she posed to the world. The more dangerous they made Hildr sound, the more people would be on their side.
Since this was the case, most people had doubted most of the information Eterna had released about Hildr.
For it to be confirmed that she was indeed in the Legendary realm made some people gain increased trust in Eterna, and this also meant that their fear of Hildr grew even higher.
The entire academy was discussing this matter, but Hildr did not seem to care. She did not come out to defend herself, and she did not even deny what Eterna had claimed about her.
When lunch time came around, Hildr went to the dining hall. The dining hall was, of course, a feast for the eyes. After all, it was meant to serve princes and princesses.
Hildr arrived late, and the entire place was already filled with students from all over the campus. The moment she entered the hall, all eyes were on her as the hall grew silent. She said nothing and simply sat down at a table in a corner. There was no one next to this place, and those that still felt that they were too near quickly scattered like rats. Hildr was left all alone, but she did not mind. In fact, she preferred the loneliness. She had been alone inside a sarcophagus for thousands of years.
She had at first dreaded the loneliness, but as the centuries came and went, she grew to cherish the purity contained within the solitude.
She waited a few minutes before someone came to serve her.
"What would you like for today's lunch?" the young woman asked.
She was dressed in a black and red serving outfit that showed off her great body and enhanced her beauty.
She spoke with a smile, and yet Hildr could see her legs shaking from fear.
Hildr smiled back at the young woman.
This place had everything and anything that one would want to eat.
They simply had to name it, and the chefs would make it to perfection. After experiencing this, one did not need to wonder why the tuition for this place was enough to bankrupt minor nobles.
Commoners could only get in through scholarships or after truly striking it rich.
"Get me a cold glass of O-negative blood," Hildr said after thinking for a few seconds.
The young woman bowed slightly before retreating as fast as she could. This was not because Hildr had ordered blood. It was because of what the young woman had heard about Hildr.
As for ordering blood, this was not out of the ordinary among the Otherkind. In fact, it was no different from ordering a glass of milk. In the dining hall, there were already tens of people drinking their blood, same as usual.
Hildr was a Draugr, a vampiric creature, and drinking blood was to be expected. Even if she were to order fresh human flesh, this would still be acceptable. In fact, the people seated at the table closest to Hildr were enjoying a serving of human flesh.
To most of the Otherkind, humans were just a little above animals, and this was because the humans had souls, but this was not enough to stop the Otherkind from feasting on humans.
Even though their society had evolved over the many millennia, eating humans was still nothing unusual. After all, humans and the Otherkind were not even the same species. The Otherkind treated humans as a kind of delicacy, and this had been going on for as long as anyone could remember.
The young woman brought the tall glass of red blood, and after that, she disappeared like the wind. Hildr began sipping on the glass of blood as she thought about how she would survive and prosper in this place that seemed to reject everything she was.
At this moment, Amelia entered the hall with the other girls.
"It seems that my roommates have formed a group without me," thought Hildr.
This fact stung a little, but she showed nothing of this pain on her face.
Amelia saw Hildr seated in the corner, and she just snorted.
Luna waved at Hildr, and Hildr waved back.
Shet and Nara did not bother with Hildr.
The group looked all over the hall, but all the tables were taken. The only remaining table was next to that being used by Hildr.
In the end, the girls had no choice but to sit next to Hildr.
Luna smiled at Hildr, but all the others remained cold.
Hildr understood why Amelia loathed her, but she did not understand why Shet and Nara hated her.
The girls ordered their food, and soon, their table was filled with food from all over the world.
It was mostly food from the human world.
"The others must be doing this to allow Amelia to be at ease."
Hildr just continued drinking her blood in silence. At this moment, the hall was suddenly filled with sharp screams and an insanity that Hildr had not seen in a long time.
When she looked towards the door, she was surprised to find that all that noise was because Adrian, Amelia's friend, had arrived.
All the girls were screaming as though some kind of celebrity had just arrived.
Adrian smiled widely as he walked towards Amelia.
Hildr just shook her head at this.
Adrian had only joined this academy for a short time, but he had a charisma and handsomeness that had already made him famous among some of the females.
When he reached the table, Adrian was surprised to see Hildr at the next table. It was as though he had not expected her to have the need to eat. Adrian's face rapidly became white, with his eyes becoming wide. Fear could be seen all over his face.
Amelia pulled him to sit down, and he did not resist.
The group ate in silence, and so did Hildr.
By now, the hall had calmed down, and all the students had returned to their own conversations.
"Why did you come here?" Amelia asked while looking at Hildr.
Hildr put down her glass and looked at the young woman. She smiled as though they were friends.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
Amelia rolled her eyes at this.
"You already got what you wanted from me. There is nothing more for you to take," she said.
Hildr remained calm, but the other girls watched on with interest. They wanted to understand why Hildr and Amelia hated each other with such a passion. They forgot to remember that Hildr had not shown any kind of hatred for Amelia. It was always Amelia who attacked Hildr both physically and verbally.
Still, they naturally believed that Amelia was in the right and Hildr had done something to earn this anger.
This was all based on the information they had on Hildr and the Draugr.
This was the reputation that followed all Draugr and Hildr around. This was not to say that they did not deserve this kind of treatment, but Hildr felt that they were going too far. After all, they did not have any actual firsthand information on her.
"What if I tell you that I came here to kill you," when Hildr said this, she released some of her killing intent, and the entire hall went silent for a second. The other students did not know what was going on, but they all remained perfectly still for that second.
This included Amelia and her friend.
Adrian poured a glass of juice on himself when he heard these words. He could not stop himself from relieving the nightmares that had haunted his nights since what happened on Lemuria.
"I am joking. I came here to study, same as you," Hildr continued.
No one who heard her words thought that she had been joking, and this made the entire event even more scary.
Amelia quickly chased away this fear and stood up as though ready to attack Hildr once more. At this moment, she suddenly felt pain move through her body. This pain was like nothing she had ever felt in her life.
Her legs lost all power, and she collapsed in Adrian's hands.
Amelia began shaking with blood coming out of her eyes, mouth, and nose.
She looked to be on the verge of death.
Luna cried out, and soon, a circle was formed around Amelia.
"I guess even the gods want you dead," said Hildr.
Nara glared at her, but this was not the time. Adrian carried Amelia and rushed out of the hall. He moved faster than he ever had in his life. Considering that he was a Strigoi, this speed was something else.
Hildr just returned to her drink while hoping for Amelia's swift death.