The first day of classes.
It drizzled. Students with umbrellas gathered one by one at the general assembly area and passed the ti with chatter.
[Now, now, everyone focus!]
The professor who’d tested the mic drew the students’ attention in a loud voice.
[There will soon be an important announcent so please be ready to listen!]
An important announcent on the first day of sester two? There wasn’t going to be many students who could predict what it might be about.
It was strange that they were holding an assembly at the start of the sester in the first place. What kind of university would assemble the students on the first day and make an announcent? This wasn’t high school.
It was better for your ntal health to just let sothing annoying like this go in one ear and out the other. And it suited my temper, too.
However, I had an idea why we were having this assembly so I couldn’t just doze off.
After the long ass sermon-like speech by the dean, one girl stepped up on the podium where thread-like rain was falling.
The girl was wearing an ill-fitting Academy uniform. She was a little bigger than Freyr.
She had characteristic indigo hair that fell straight. Her round forehead and chubby cheeks that made you want to pull on them were also attractive features.
The girl bowed in greeting.
[Hello, students of the prestigious Tilette Academy. I am Rosemary, the daughter of the Blanton family, a Grand Duke of the Empire. I have unexpectedly been called upon to attend classes with you all by His Majesty the Emperor. If you see around on campus, please don’t hesitate to say hi.]
How strange. I didn’t know why this was important enough to announce at the assembly.
When I looked around, it didn’t seem like there were too many who thought this way. Or they were just not saying anything.
I could see Chairman Robespierre behind Rosemary as she bowed out. He held an umbrella for her and went down the stage together. I saw him bite down on his lower lip very briefly.
I see. Had they orchestrated sothing while I hadn’t been looking?
... Rosemary Blanton, she said?
The na Rosemary itself was sothing I’d heard a few tis from Verl. Her identity was the Beast who’d been secretly monitoring us from the palace.
I had been trying not to stand out because of her but the situation took a turn for the worse. Because the fact that she was here ant that she had suspected sothing was taking action.
[... This concludes the opening assembly. Please head to the classrooms and attend your respective lectures.]
With the clang of the bell, the crowd of students that had been gathered in the field dispersed.
As I was walking down the corridor thinking about how to proceed with my plans going forward, Rosemary scurried towards with an umbrella.
“What a coincidence, sis. I heard from the chairman that we’re in the sa class.”
Despite having run over from that far distance, Rosemary spoke in a calm tone as she breathed normally. I almost huffed a laugh at the way she was lacking detail in pretending to be a human.
No one else happened to be around, so I should feel her out a bit.
“Why did you lie about being a transfer student last ti?”
“I said I was sothing like it, not that I was exactly.”
“Playing dumb, are you.”
“Humm, sis. Do you not like ?”
Her eyes beca narrow. She had a cute face for a Cataclysm.
“I guess you don’t.”
Rosemary stuck out her lips and huffed.
“What’s this, suddenly?”
“Because you’ve been nothing but indifferent since we t last ti. I took you sowhere good and your only response was an ‘it’s alright’. Co to think of it, I was a little hurt by that at the ti.”
“It sounds to like you want to cough up money for the dessert....”
“No, you don’t have to worry about paying . You heard it, too, no? I’m the daughter of a Grand Duke, so my finances are quite solid.”
Well, I wasn’t so sure. Not every Duke seed to be well-off considering how Hasfeldt had nagged at about saving money for research.
“So what I an to say is.... You understand, right?”
“... Co with . Our class is this way.”
“Huhu, thanks, sis.”
I entered the classroom after nearly three months. When I opened the front door and went inside, the classmates who were here first looked this way in unison.
“Hello.”
Everyone bowed in response to Rosemary’s surprise greeting. Even Lotte who was already here greeted her in the Imperial way in a display of etiquette.
“I didn’t know that Duke Blanton had such a lovely daughter.”
“How adorable....”
“But why did you co with Aether? Do you know each other?”
Everyone spoke formally to Rosemary. It was proof that these classmates didn’t think of Rosemary as an official mber of Tilette.
The students would be wondering why Rosemary was taking classes with them for this sester. But they were unable to voice it because of her status as the Duke’s daughter.
There probably wasn’t anyone in the class who could provoke Rosemary.
“Hey! Who are you?”
...... Except one person.
Freyr adjusted her wide-brimd hat and popped in front of the desk. Circling Rosemary like a fox watching its prey, the brat continued speaking.
“Weird. It’s weird no matter how much I think about it!”
“... What is?”
“You’re not a transfer student or a one-ti visitor who ca to observe. Why do you have to take classes with us for a sester?”
Freyr’s words were enough to hit the nail on the head. Rosemary could only give a basic answer.
“Because it’s His Majesty’s orders. I suppose it’s his will to have study in advance in order to lead the country in the future. I will be officially taking the exams and enrolling here next year, anyway.”
“Exactly! You can just enter next year and take classes then! Isn’t this unfair to us?”
“It’s only a difference of a sester. What is so unfair about it?”
Freyr fud even more and lashed out. Why was she so aggressive today?
“This is place where those who are intelligent and good at magic gather regardless of being a noble or commoner. So of us are paying expensive tuition to learn even after being recognized, so why are you sitting here shalessly instead of declining just because the Emperor said so? It’s unfair!”
“If you want to talk about fairness, you can go to Kaurelia. This is the Empire.”
“They said there wasn’t discrimination of status within Tilette!”
At Freyr’s protests, Rosemary kept sighing as if troubled. She seed to be flustered since she expected to infiltrate easily using her status but then was caught by this pure kid.
“Then aren’t you a little strange as well?”
“What about !”
“Who brought a preschooler here?”
Ah, she touched a sore spot.
“Hey, you punk! I’m older than you!”
“Huu, soone please take this bratty kid away.”
“Kid? Kiiiid?! The hell did you just say!!”
I had no choice but to ask Lotte to drag Freyr away. If these two kept going, it would only make things difficult for Vel and .
... But I couldn’t see Verl, wherever he went.
“And not paying tuition? Do you know how much my father donated to this school? They were able to build the central library because the Blanton family funded it. Will you take that as my tuition for the sester?”
“Pfft.”
Tsking, Freyr, who went to the back, took out a book the size of her arm and began reading. It was fortunate that it ended here.
She approached that first day of exams and now picked a fight with Rosemary. I wondered if the Youko had an unconscious ability to distinguish Golden-Eyeds.
“... Although, it isn’t as much as what the Imperial court has donated.”
Rosemary’s eyes were now on Prince Klion who was sitting at the back corner by the windows looking in the distance. She had changed her target.
“Isn’t it so, Prince Klion?
“.......”
Klion’s head turned stiffly. For so reason, his expression seed even more panicked than when he had been about to take my calipers to the head.
“Y-yes. You do know your place quite well, don’t you, girl. I should comnd you for it.”
What was with him all of a sudden?
“Prince Klion.”
“W-what is it?”
“I was just saying it.”
Rosemary went over to Klion and waved. The elegant fan decorated with black feathers moved back and forth gently. Klion’s bangs danced uneasily in response.
“Prince Klion?”
“What is it now...!”
“You look even worse than when I saw you at the palace. Are you having trouble adjusting since it’s the beginning of the sester?”
“Cough, cough...!”
Klion kept coughing like soone about to die. While he cald his breathing with a hand over his mouth, Rosemary called out ‘sis’ and dragged into it.
“Co to think of it, His Highness would occasionally tell stories about you, saying all proudly how he’d get his hands on you one day.”
I side-eyed Rosemary with a scowl. The Prince’s face also changed into one of distaste.
“Did you not? Crown Prince Klion.”
“I-I did. How about it, Golden-Eyed wench. Hasn’t it been difficult to live as a commoner because of inflation lately? I’ll give you another chance so how about you co to the palace as a handmaid.......”
“I won’t.”
“Temperantal as usual.”
“Huhu, you’re so ruthless, sis. Still, you shouldn’t speak so casually to the one who will soon be head of the state. It may be fine now, but it could beco a bad habit later.”
With a wicked smirk, Rosemary went on.
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