CH 44

She picked up the ribbon and looked at Felix’s back. Before she knew it, he was staring at the blackboard with his chin in one hand.

Forgetting the fact that she had to organize the books, Lucy couldn’t take her eyes off the bored-looking back.

A person who seemed uninterested in anyone but himself; a person who seemed bored with everything.

But if there were someone in trouble, he would be the first one to notice and help.

She couldn’t tell if he was really arrogant or kind. Like seven years ago, it was still difficult to figure out what he was thinking.

Lucy took the ribbon and put it in her pocket. Then she placed the books on the bookshelf according to how Felix had arranged them.

She finished arranging the books and quietly left the classroom. No one paid her any mind, not even Felix.

[TN: Hello readers of FUL. I only posted half of chapter 44 here. Read the complete version here. Sorry for the trouble. I’m just doing a little experiment.

I guess you helped me for no reason.

As she looked at his sullen face, Lucy closed the door feeling somewhat disappointed, as if her guess was true.

* * *

Streams of warm light poured down on the earth, and new life began to sprout on the moist and fragrant ground. The fresh breeze blew around the campus. It seemed like spring had finally come to the Academy.

A month had already passed.

Lucy took off a layer of her freshman tee and became quite relaxed.

She never got lost in the large campus and the complex academy building. No one was suddenly calling her name from behind in a classroom full of unfamiliar and awkward students. There was no reason to be shy.

Of course, being in a new environment is not without a crisis. One day, homesickness came to her.

For quite some time, the feeling of emptiness filled her heart. There were days when she couldn’t fall asleep easily at night; she kept tossing and turning until she barely fell asleep.

When she opened her eyes, she felt like she could see her grandmother’s face at any moment and could hear her mother nagging her for not getting up yet.

However, every time she woke up early in the morning, she was in a dormitory room filled with high-quality furniture that was still foreign to her.

She was swept in a wave of anxiety. “Maybe I’ll never be able to adapt to this place?”

But it was only for a while.

Lucy got herself together at one point.

It was the moment she realized that she needed to keep her top spot.

The scholarship she received from the Academy was only tuition for the first semester. If she couldn’t maintain being the top student, the scholarship for the next semester would go to someone else.

The tuition fee wasn’t her only concern; there were also problems with the dormitory and living expenses. The dormitory fees at prestigious imperial academies were surprisingly high compared to ordinary schools, and the living cost in the capital was much higher than in the province. It was quite a burden.

All these expenses—too much for Lucy’s family—were sponsored by Baron Connor.

Lucy’s grandmother said, “I have an idea,” which turned out to be the baron’s patronage. But Lucy knew very well that Baron Connor didn’t have much wealth.

Brom, a remote countryside, was a place where most of the young people lived on their own and farmed for a living. Therefore, unlike the nobles of the capital, Baron Conor could not collect as many taxes.

Sending Colin to Xenomium Academy also requires a big budget. In such a situation, sponsoring Lucy’s dormitory and living expenses might’ve been an added burden to the baron.

She made up her mind to keep the top position, for herself and those who were willing to believe in her. She never wanted to add any more financial problems to the baron and his family.

Since then, she was glued to her desk. She often studied late into the night. Colin was so concerned when he saw her tired face that he asked her to do it in moderation.

After spending most of the day studying, Lucy didn’t have many chances to make friends.

Furthermore, because she is a commoner, not many students approached her first. Nobody was being mean to her, and there didn’t seem to be anyone with whom she could have a deep and serious friendship.

So even after entering school, Lucy spent most of her time with Colin. With Colin next to her, she didn’t feel desperate to make friends. She wasn’t even enthusiastic about making any.

However, she made new friends because of the book club.

There were two girls, Jemima and Rita, who joined the club at the same time as her. They were the only students who greeted her and talked to her whenever they saw her.