Chapter 40

Chapter 40

* * *

“Dad!”

Kallen was reading a newspaper in front of the fireplace, where I always did my homework. He looked up and smiled as he watched my quick approach.

“I assume you had fun at the gathering for pet owners,” he said.

“I did! I didn’t recognize it at first, but Pepper is absolutely adorable.”

“Feel free to attend again. It would be nice to let Pepper explore once in a while.”

I shook my head. “No, thank you. I’m content with having gone once.”

If I take Pepper again, someone might actually faint.

“Even so, you should intimidate your classmates from time to time,” Kallen suggested. “Then they will come to respect you.”

What are we, the mafia? I resisted the urge to say this thought aloud.

“So, did the other children apologize?”

Apologize? They were too busy crying.

Noticing my silence, Kallen turned his attention to Jade. Jade then shrugged and said, “At the very least, they will be more careful from now on.”

“Is that so? In that case, I suppose I shall only have one or two expelled as a precaution.” Kallen smiled at me.

“Tell me their names, my dear,” he said. His voice was ever so gentle, but his words were not.

“There’s no need to expel anyone. Honest,” I said, eagerly shaking my head. “Also, about school...” I stared down at my hands. To be frank, I wasn’t looking forward to attending school again. Kallen had told me I could skip classes whenever I wanted, but I didn’t want to go to a school where we merely drank tea and chatted.

“In this world, darling, you must taste bitterness at least three times before it may taste sweet.” Kallen spoke softly while stroking my hair. “Bear with it three times, and if you still don’t want to go, then don’t. And if something truly tastes awful, you can simply spit it out. Life is too short to live solely for what is sweet, though, isn’t it?”

I nodded quietly.

“You sent Leticia to a school with princesses on purpose, didn’t you, Father?” Jade sat in the chair across from us and rang a bell. When Sion arrived, Jade motioned for him to bring us tea.

Wait, did he say it was on purpose? I whipped my head toward Kallen.

“High society members tend to be territorial,” he began. “I thought it would be best if you experienced such things at school as a preventative measure. Because you nearly humiliated the children of the kingdom’s highest-ranking families, your reputation will live on. By the time you debut in high society, no one will dare to disrespect you.”

“I see what you were trying to accomplish now, and I agree that it was the correct course of action,” Jade said with a chuckle. “Now, going back to what you said before… If a couple of those arrogant brats were to happen to get into some kind of accident—”

“No! It’s really fine!” I interrupted Jade and waved my hands desperately. Only then did I understand the hidden meaning behind Kallen’s actions. “I’ll go to school next week, Dad. I promise.”

All right, fine. Let’s see how well I can tolerate it.

* * *

I returned to school two days later, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about it.

This school teaches you how to become a noble, I see. There were many unusual classes, such as tasting ten different types of cheese and distinguishing between wine flavors. Later, we were even going to learn history through studying famous paintings.

But is it really important to learn such things? I wondered. This wasn’t what I expected school to be like. When break time arrived, the classroom went silent.

I guess the tiger incident had quite an impact. Everyone snuck glances at me, and even Lavine, who appeared to be masking her fear, kept her eyes on the window.

Talk about negative vibes. The entire room was steeped in dread. But amid the bleak waves, one of the students decided to approach me.

“Hi,” she said. It was Angela. Her name I could recall.

“Hi,” I replied with a small smile.

“I heard about what happened at the park.”

Oh, right. Angela wasn’t there that day.

“Yeah, I suppose sometimes things like that can’t be helped.”

She beamed. “You must be wondering why everyone has been quiet, right? It’s because the imperial family learned about the greenhouse incident, and they each received a harsh scolding from the adults.”

I blinked.

“So try to be understanding of the ones who can’t sincerely apologize. They’re still immature because they were coddled as children and taught that they are the most precious things in the universe.” Angela spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, and the other students flinched at her words.

I think I like her. She’s taking my side, right?

“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” I said, looking up at her intently. “But you also look like you were coddled. Am I wrong?”

“But I’ve matured. Being precious is a different matter.” Angela smiled gently, but then her gaze turned serious. “I’m sorry,” she said, “for not stopping the other kids from being mean to you. I wanted to apologize on your first day, but…”

I nodded. “Thank you for saying so.”

Angela then offered me a faint smile. “I’m Angela, daughter of Count Collean. You can just call me by my given name.”

“Okay. You can also call me Leticia.”

“Your hair color is quite similar to mine, though I wish mine also had a strawberry tint to it.”

I blushed as I stroked my hair, which the maids had braided into two pigtails this morning. It was my first time having such a conversation with another girl my age.

“Your hair is pretty too,” I said.

Angela nodded slightly before glancing around the room. “Boring, isn’t it? We’re usually much more lively than this. We go outside to play ball, too.”

“Is it always a bit tense?”

“Only when we have an argument. After a while, everything returns to normal. It’s not your fault, so don’t worry.”

“You really are like a grown-up, Angela.”

That was the best compliment one could be paid at our age, and I was being honest. Angela’s eyes seemed to light up as I spoke. I made eye contact with some of the other kids who were peeking at us. They seemed to be eavesdropping on our conversation.

Seems like it’s up to me to do something about this atmosphere. I pursed my lips in thought, then darted a quick glance at Angela. I rose and walked over to Lavine.

“Wh-what do you want?” she said, shooting up from her seat immediately. She raised her arms as if to defend herself.

“Should we let everything be water under the bridge and just play some games?” I asked, grinning.

This was how children made friends, after all.

* * *

Our last class of the day focused on famous paintings. The school had borrowed expensive artworks from the museum, and we were to observe and learn about them.

“This marks the end of today’s lesson,” the teacher eventually said. “If you wish to take supplementary classes, please wait in the room next door.”

“Supplementary classes?” I wondered, turning to face Angela.

“Yes. If you enjoyed today’s class, you can stay behind and ask the teacher additional questions,” she explained.

Everyone else seemed to be preparing to go home, but I felt differently. If there was an opportunity to ask questions, I wanted to seize it. I needed to learn while I could. I snatched up my belongings and walked over to the classroom next door. I pulled out a chair to sit, but someone else had the same idea.

I flinched and turned my head. The person who had unexpectedly grabbed my hand… was a male student.

A boy…? He stared, as if in shock, and held my gaze for quite a while.

Who is he? He had platinum blond hair. The color was brilliant, as if each strand had been woven with silver thread. He gazed back at me with eyes a mysterious shade of purple.

Wow. I’ve never seen eyes this color before. In my past life, I had read a gem encyclopedia and come across a purple jewel called amethyst. His eyes reminded me of that jewel.

He’s really pretty. Aside from Jade, I’ve never seen another boy this handsome. I soon jolted back to reality and jerked my hand away in surprise.

“Isn’t this an all-girls school?” I asked.

“Yes, it is,” he said. “And isn’t this the room for art class?”

“Yes, but…” I hesitated.

The boy finally drew his hand back. “I apologize. My name is Cedric. I’ve come from the partner school to attend an exchange class.”

“I see…”

Partner school? Is it an all-boys school, then?

“Pardon me for surprising you. Because so few students stay behind for supplementary classes, I expected to be the only one here.” The boy smiled.

I only stared, having never seen anyone under the age of fifteen shine as brightly as Jade did. He had a beautiful, elegant face. I soon found myself lost in thought.

He must be only two or three years older than me, and he’s definitely of noble descent. He looks quite strange, though. He resembles an angel, but something about his features makes him look more mature.

I took a seat in the chair as Cedric stepped away. But then I heard him pull out the chair beside mine.

Why is he sitting next to me, of all places?