Chapter 3: The Beauty Who Attracts Attention (3/302)

Chapter 3: The Beauty Who Attracts Attention

April 11, 2023

The opening ceremony was conducted in a solemn atmosphere.

120 years ago, the noblewoman Katerina led the empire's nobility in inviting knowledgeable individuals to teach them. The place where they gathered then evolved into the current Katte. Traces of the emperors of old can still be found throughout the city, and the saints left accounts of miraculous sightings. Now, all nobles of the rank of baron and above must educate their children from the age of 12 to 19 at the academy.

Formally, it was voluntary learning, but in reality, it was the forced summoning of hostages. This rule applied even to the royal family. The person standing on the podium to conduct the opening ceremony was the 17-year-old crown prince, with student council members standing on either side of him.

The crown prince's navy blue eyes had a unique reflective glow, as if emitting light on their own, leaving a deep impression even on the child standing at the back. These were the gemstone eyes that symbolized the most precious lineage in the empire, the Visto family.

Among the descendants of the ancient three heroes, at least one member of each generation was born with such distinctive eyes. Perhaps it was because of this special quality that Visto was made emperor, while the other two heroes chose to be his subjects.

In this generation of the royal family, the crown prince's sister, Princess Kamil, also had the same eyes, a matter worthy of respect.

Crown Prince Abelus scanned the new students with a gaze that seemed to pierce through them.

"How could the three heroes, who defeated the dragon Kian, achieve such feats in human form?"

Most students looked at each other in confusion at Abelus's sudden question, but a few had sparkling eyes. Abelus took note of them. Whether they had the skills or not, those who tried to answer could be useful to the royal family.

"It was because they used magic!"

A girl shouted out. Abelus paid attention to her.

"In school, you must follow the rules. Raise your hand and wait to be called before answering."

The girl closed her mouth, looking embarrassed. Abelus was satisfied to see other children raising their hands.

Abelus, who was being groomed as the next emperor, had been learning from a very young age how to make people follow the rules. Publicly embarrassing someone was a good way to make them keep quiet.

"Miss Megara, answer."

Among this year's new students, the one who stood out the most was undoubtedly Megara Likanandros. Abelus, who already knew this beauty and the pride of the Likanandros marquis, called her name without hesitation.

The well-mannered Megara, who was not even engaged, was slightly surprised that the crown prince called her name so familiarly in a formal setting.

Even her surprised expression was beautiful enough to attract the attention of the boys around her.

"I think it was because they had courage."

It was an answer that praised Visto, the brave hero and ancestor of the royal family. Of course, if asked directly, she would have said, "The three heroes fought the dragon because they were all brave." She was a clever child. Abelus smiled in satisfaction. Beautiful and clever. This child would cause a great stir in society when she grew up.

"You are not wrong, but that is not the answer I was looking for."

Abelus scanned the entire hall, taking note of the children who were lowering their hands. Some had already raised their hands but quickly put them down.

They were not bad either. If they grew up well, they could be useful.

At that moment, a small girl in a corner caught his eye.

The child with platinum blonde hair tied in a neat ponytail stood with the children of the lowest rank, but her demeanor was strangely different from the others. Her straight posture and shoulders pulled back were something even the most strictly educated girls would find hard to achieve at her age. However, her clothes were too shabby and she wore no jewelry, which made it hard to believe she came from a high-ranking family.

Most strangely, she was looking down.

Her expression was stiff and cold, showing complete indifference.

Among the other children who were trying to catch the crown prince's attention, she alone seemed to be in a different world.

She's quite pretty.

Abelus concluded that she was not from a family worth paying attention to and evaluated her as such.

Megara's lustrous honey blonde hair was captivating, but in terms of nobility, platinum blonde was rarer in the aristocratic society.

Her small face and delicate, straight nose suggested that she could become even more beautiful than Megara if she grew up well.

However, her beauty would not shine if her expression remained so dark.

Soon, no one in the hall showed any desire to answer. The crown prince looked at them with satisfaction and spoke slowly.

"I will give you the answer. It is a lesson that all students of this school must engrave in their hearts. The three heroes were able to defeat the dragon, and the empire of Vista became strong, all because of ambition. Ambition is the driving force that continuously advances human culture, and ambition is what makes humans more valuable than others. It is because of unceasing ambition that the descendants of the brave Visto are treated as masters!"

The students' eyes sparkled, impressed by the correct answer.

Abelus smiled. He had a talent for inciting others.

Despite not being as cautious as his sister or as skilled in intrigue as his older sister, he was chosen as the successor among the three children because of this talent.

"From the moment you enter this school, you must follow the rules of the student council. We take seriously the laziness that was tolerated in your families. Any behavior that violates the rules will be disciplined according to the school regulations, and efforts to learn will be fully supported."

Suddenly, Abelus felt a sharp gaze on his face and turned to find its source. His eyes briefly landed on the pretty girl from earlier.

It was strange. The platinum blonde girl was still not looking at him. Yet, why did it feel as if she had been glaring at him just a moment ago?

A hunch told Abelus that he might need to think about it more. However, he was not one to rely on intuition.

Therefore, Abelus decided not to waste time on the poorly dressed child and addressed the entire group of students.

"The opening ceremony is now over. Those who want to see the school rules, come to the student council room, and the rest go to the main hall. The prefects will guide you."

Katte had dormitories of different standards based on what each student could afford. There were countless names for the various halls, but the ones where the student council needed to pay attention were similar.

Abelus slowly observed the students as they gathered and left the hall.

***

Neris held Diane's hand and headed for the main hall. Diane had no problem walking on flat ground, but she said she would fall on slopes if she didn't hold onto someone. The passing children were already staring at Diane.

"Do people always stare like that?"

Neris recognized all the other children passing by. How could she forget the contemptuous looks and indifferent violence they had shown her?

They were still children, but these 'children' could be just as cruel as adults. Every time someone glanced at Diane and Neris, Neris's mood plummeted.

"It's only when they see us for the first time."

Diane answered maturely. Neris did not voice her complaints but entered the main hall silently.

The main hall, with its alternating black and white rhombus marble tiles, was filled with chattering new students, their attendants, and teachers. Neris scanned the teachers with a cold eye.

Two high-ranking teachers and dormitory prefects were guiding the high-ranking young nobles first. The relatively low-ranking and timid children were looking around nervously.

To the young Neris, the teachers had seemed like scary, high-ranking adults. But to the Neris who had even been the crown princess, they were nothing.

Neris glared at the most noticeable girl in the main hall. The honey blonde hair she could never forget, the doll-like appearance.

It was Megara.

Next to Megara was Mrs. Hoffman, the highest-ranking teacher.

Neris had seen her face during the opening ceremony, but seeing the girl with her chin held high up close made her bow her head out of long-ingrained habit.

Megara was the crown prince's mistress, and Neris was the official wife, but in any situation, Neris had to act as if she didn't exist.

The crown prince's favor was clearly directed at Megara, and Neris had always felt intimidated by her since their school days.

Every child in this place was an enemy to Neris. They might look innocent now, but soon they would find the weakest person and make them their plaything.

And the one who would 'designate' the weakest person was Megara, from the highest-ranking family among this year's new students. Neris knew this well.

Suddenly, Megara seemed to feel the gaze and turned to look.

Her lavender eyes had been endlessly praised in the social circles after graduation. Even at this young age, her eyes were beautifully sparkling.

"Being in the same space as you is an insult. I don't understand. Why do you live? Who likes you?"

"You smell. No matter how much you wash, you still smell. Did you think you wouldn't smell after living with commoners?"

Neris remembered the words spoken by those lavender eyes when she was a bit older, looking directly at her.

The vividness of the memory made her flinch, and she lowered her eyes. Cold sweat trickled down her back, and her grip tightened. Diane whispered, concerned.

"Why are you like this?"

"It's nothing."

Neris shook her head. What could she do even if she told the truth? Diane was kind now, but her attitude would change over time, just like everyone else.

The two girls waited patiently. Finally, the popular teacher, who was the head of the language department and known for being kind to students, finished her guidance, and Neris approached her.

"Mrs. Alex."

"Ah."

Mrs. Alex was surprised by the title Neris used and even more surprised when she saw her eyes.

"You? Me?"

"I heard the introduction you just gave."

Neris had not been listening to the guidance Mrs. Alex gave to the students but pretended she had. Mrs. Alex smiled kindly.

She remembered the attitude Neris showed during the opening ceremony. Despite her shabby clothes, her confident demeanor was something only a person of noble blood could have.

Indeed, how could it be otherwise?

"You are a fine young lady. Your pronunciation is also accurate."

The pronunciation Neris was using was something only those who had private tutors from a young age in the capital could achieve. Diane, unaware of this, looked at Neris in admiration.

However, Neris did not particularly want praise from Mrs. Alex. It was the result of several times more effort than others after being adopted and the strict etiquette standards of the Elanndria duchess.

It should be accurate, thought Neris.

"My name is Neris Trude, and this is Diane McKinnon. Could you tell us which dormitory we will be staying in?"

Neris already knew where she would stay but asked formally.

Mrs. Alex, as Neris had guessed, read out the names of the old group dormitory, which was a bit away from the campus, and the beautiful dormitory by the lake, which was also a bit away from the campus.

From now on, their paths would be different. Diane, looking disappointed, left with her maid to find her dormitory, and Neris set out to find her own, indifferent.

Katte, bathed in sunlight, was in full bloom, with lush green branches climbing over brick walls.

It was a familiar and tiresome path. Neris knew a shortcut, so she walked through a quiet alley without encountering other new students.

Once the school term started, children would take over this path and torment her, but for now, she was free.

And this time, she planned to make those who had tormented her pay dearly.