Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Lavine had cautiously cupped her hand to her mouth to contain her whisper, but as her voice rose an octave, the precaution was rendered moot.

“You all said that hanging around a filthy commoner would injure your status by association! Why are you pinning the blame on me?”

“Lavine speaks the truth. Remember Lady Rosé’s advice? She’s the golden lady of high society, not to mention a respected alumna of this school, and she said that His Grace dumped her because of that girl—” The girl who had been talking immediately covered her mouth. “Oops. The dumping part was supposed to be a secret…”

You’re all idiots, aren’t you? I started to feel bad for them.

“Did you say Lady Rosé?” I asked.

They all turned around and gasped.

“I could hear everything you were saying, so…”

Lavine’s face was now as bright red as a tomato. “Y-you weren’t supposed to hear!” she shrieked. “In any case, your name came up recently at a ball. Someone whose identity I can’t reveal claimed you manipulated the duke into breaking a woman’s heart. She said you were a terribly wicked girl.”

“Someone whose identity I can’t reveal,” my foot. It’s obviously Lady Rosé, the woman who said she would sell me to a circus. I felt a soreness in my chest.

That’s truly pathetic for an adult… When I imagined her badmouthing me in front of other children, I felt sorry for her. She wasn’t sly enough to play the villain.

“She also graduated from this school,” Lavine added. “We have a certain loyalty to our alumni, so we’ll need a little more time to discuss your situation.” She walked back to the other students, and they dove back into another lengthy whispering session.

I scoffed and stared out the window in the meantime. Given our social status differences, I doubt I’ll be able to befriend them. Did Dad really believe I’d adjust well to this school? Is a high-quality education even provided here? I mean, do they even hold classes?

“Ahem!” Lavine cleared her throat to summon my attention.

She’s trying to act like an adult again, isn’t she? I looked up, waiting for her to speak.

“We’ve decided what to do with you,” she said.

I stared at her steadily.

She lifted her chin haughtily. “As you know, you’re merely the duke’s adopted daughter, and your desire to associate with us is frankly an insult. After all, we come from very different backgrounds.”

Ouch. That one stung. I’m well aware that I’ll never be Kallen’s real daughter.

“But if you do well, we might invite you to join our circle.”

“Do well?” My eyebrows knit together at Lavine’s words.

“You’re barred from attending our regular gatherings for a month,” another girl said. Her tone seemed to mimic that of Lavine. “We have a get-together every week, you see. This Saturday, there will be a meeting for pet owners at the Central Park Greenhouse. Do you have a pet?”

“No, I don’t,” I said.

I do have the teddy bear Dad bought for me, but I guess that doesn’t count as a pet.

“Then I guess you can’t come,” Lavine said. “But even if you did have one, I’d have no intention of inviting you to participate, so don’t get your hopes up.”

The girls began to giggle. Only Angela, the one with brown hair, maintained a straight face. I clenched my jaw in frustration at their irritating antics.

“There’s also the ball rehearsal next week, followed by the opera lesson the week after…” Lavine folded her fingers down one at a time as she spoke. “But you won’t be able to attend any of these gatherings until we acknowledge you as one of us.”

She looked me up and down, then crossed her arms and smirked. “No need to be so disappointed. You only need to perform well in the meantime, then we may include you in our group beginning next month. Now listen carefully. For starters, you must be the first person to arrive at class and the last to depart. You must also treat each of us with kindness. If we all grow to like you, wonderful things will happen.”

Lavine proceeded to lay out all of the rules. They were strange instructions—write a heartfelt letter and give a gift to each student, and never refuse their requests.

“I’m failing to see what’s so wonderful about all that.” I wondered.

I noticed Angela give me a cautious glance.

“What isn’t wonderful?” Lavine replied. “Social circles are even more important for an adopted daughter like you. You’ll be able to move up the social ladder.”

The social ladder? Maybe she’s not a complete idiot, after all. But what’s the point of being so wrapped up in adult matters here? Also, aren’t these girls only a few years older than me? Where did they learn to be so vile?

“In other words, you’ll let me hang out with you depending on whether I do what you say?” I asked.

“Exactly. We’re being very generous with our proposal, so you should be grateful,” Lavine said. She smiled, as if she were being merciful.

Stay calm, I thought. Don’t be rude.

But it was too late.

“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass. If I want to play pretend soldiers, I can do so at home with my brother. It’s more fun that way.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m here to be your friend, not your subordinate.”

Oops. Now I’ve gone and done it. All the children’s faces flushed.

“I take back what I said about you being kind!” Lavine growled. “But what else should I have expected from a peasant like you? Your arrogance astounds me!” She bit down on her lip and glowered. “You’ll pay for this!”

I’ve made a mess, haven’t I? I held back a sigh. It appeared that becoming friends the way children normally do was no longer possible.

* * *

“Lady Leticia, His Grace is here to retrieve you.”

Because Kallen was the first to arrive, I was the first to leave school. The other students became excited when they learned that the duke had personally come to pick me up.

“It’s His Grace!” they yelled.

Before ascending into the carriage, I cast one last glance at the classroom window. The kids were all clustered around, staring.

They’re curious, eh? I guess House Lewelton really is exceptional. I sighed before taking a seat next to the duke.

“Thank you for picking me up, Dad.”

“How was your first day, Leticia?” asked Kallen warmly.

I forced myself to smile. “It was fun,” I said.

“Did you attend class?”

“No, I just looked around the school.”

“And? Anything else?”

“I drank tea with my classmates.”

“Was that fun?”

“Yes. We chatted a lot, even though we had only met today.”

I think I’m only beginning to partly resemble Kallen. I’m more like him when I lose my temper, but I still can’t lie. He’s too skilled at lying.

“Is that right?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Then why do you look like you’re on the verge of tears?”

My body stiffened. I could only shake my head. I was afraid that if I said another word, I would cry.

What would I even say? My classmates, who come from a completely different world than I do, all picked on me. Instead of asserting my dignity as the duke’s adopted daughter, I made enemies. What if Kallen hears this and thinks, “I sent you to school for one day, and you’ve already ruined everything?”

“I’m all right…” I said.

“Darling.” Kallen leaned forward. “Be honest with me. What happened?” He smiled sharply, and I hiccuped in surprise. He gently patted my back. “Be a good girl and tell your father what happened,” he said.

“Well, you see…” I gulped, staring up at Kallen nervously. “My classmates apparently meet to socialize outside of class, but they told me I couldn’t go to their Saturday gathering.”

Kallen’s face immediately darkened.

“But there’s a reason,” I rushed to add. “I believe they’re all bringing their pets to the meeting.”

“Their pets?”

“Yes. You know, like dogs and cats. They plan to take their pets for walks in the park and drink tea in the greenhouse. But I don’t have a pet, nor do I want to raise one just yet. That’s why I’m not sad about not being able to attend. Besides, I want to spend time with my family on Saturdays.”

I peeked over at Kallen.

“Will you be busy, Dad? Even on Saturday?”

“No, I won’t,” he said softly. “But can’t you simply do both?”

I tilted my head. “Both?”

“Yes. You can see your friends and spend time with your family. There are many hours in the day, are there not?”

I looked down, not sure what to say.

“Oh, and Leticia…” Kallen whispered, removing his scarf and wrapping it around my neck. “I haven’t mentioned it, but there actually is a pet that I’ve been raising.”

Really?

“I don’t recall seeing a pet around the manor,” I said.

“Ah, that’s because it lives in the forest.”

The forest? That’s one of the areas Sion told me was completely off-limits. It’s a small, dark forest behind the manor that’s connected to the outskirts of the capital.

“You can borrow my pet. That way, you can attend the gathering on Saturday. And don’t worry. It is never considered rude for a Lewelton to show up to an event uninvited.”

I stared at the duke.

“Everyone wants to make our acquaintance, and they will fight for the chance to simply brush against us. Some people even cry because they are moved by our presence.”

Seriously? In what circumstances are they crying, exactly?

“That’s how this kingdom operates. Trust me. If you go, the other children will be thankful.”

That applies to you or Jade, not me! I tried to ignore the ominous feeling that crept up upon me.

“It is a proper animal you’re raising, right? One that walks on four legs?”

“Of course. It’s quite adorable. You’ll see.”

Everything should be fine, right? He’s not going to go catch a wild beast for this, is he? I forced a deep sigh, but my anxiety refused to leave on the exhale.