“Nothing terrible will happen if you are checked upon your return. If you are dark, the darkness will not go anywhere from you in two days,” he joked. I smiled tightly. We sat across from each other, the morning sun shining quite nicely on his pretty face and expensive but not ostentatious attire. I looked down at his hands folded in his lap. And how did I not notice this huge ring before? It catches the eye even at a fleeting glance. Roland caught my eye and awkwardly covered the ring with his other hand.

“I put it on only when I get out of the academy, the rector is...