Chapter 51

Francesca Delacour held her head in her hands.

Why did it come to this?

In the same seat were Lady Emma of the Stuart family, Lady Catherine and Lady Kaitlyn of the Simmons family, and Lady Marion of the Bell family, all taking the same class together.

Since the incident at the royal castle, the Delacour family had found themselves in a difficult position. They were receiving harsh treatment from both the supporters of the first prince and the second prince, as well as the neutral faction. Her father, who worked at the royal castle, was on the verge of losing his position. Francesca herself had almost secured an engagement, but it was now back to square one, and the invitations to tea parties that used to arrive by the dozens no longer came at all.

Just a few weeks ago, she had been the best friend in Lady Lyla's group, but now no one would even make eye contact with her. It felt like a lie that she had once enjoyed her school life so naturally in that glittering group.

But now, she didn't want to go back. There was no value in hurting others to regain that position.

She was good at dancing and had always taken advanced classes, but this year, no noble sons wanted to be her partner. Out of necessity, she chose embroidery, a subject she had never taken before, but she didn't expect to end up in the same class as Lady Lyla.

Moreover, there was no way she could join Lady Lyla's group. Since that day, she had been treated as if she didn't exist.

She arrived at school early to avoid being rejected when entering the classroom and sat in a corner. Even as students began to gather, no one sat next to her.

"Hey, there's an empty seat over there, right?"

A group of young ladies approached.

"Wait a moment, that's Lady Francesca?"

"Hey, if we split into two and three, we can all sit there, right?"

As expected, the young ladies from the second prince's faction wouldn't even consider it. Even the young ladies from the first prince's faction, who used to compete for the seat next to her, now wouldn't even speak to her, let alone sit next to her.

This was a punishment. A punishment for the baptism she had performed.

She couldn't even raise her head from the corner of the classroom and endured the start of the lesson with her head down.

After graduation, she would enter a convent and live quietly without causing trouble for anyone. She sat alone, thinking in circles, and felt herself being pushed further into the darkness.

"Excuse me, may I sit next to you... Lady Francesca?"

She looked up to see Lady Emma of the Stuart family speaking to her.

"Lady Emma!? Why?"

Emma was smiling at her without a care in the world.

If she sat with someone like me, Lady Emma would be ostracized too... She should have refused immediately, but the kind smile she hadn't seen in a long time made her freeze.

"I just arrived in the capital, so I only have Lady Francesca as a friend. If it's not a bother, may I sit with you?"

Before she could answer, Emma sat down next to her.

Could she really become friends with me? A small hope rose, but another part of her warned against getting too excited.

Emma spoke to her casually, and a small hope was born again.

Was she able to respond properly?

Before she knew it, the empty seats around her were filling up.

The twins from the Simmons family, who had just enrolled this year, were rumored to have royal blood from a foreign country and had a rare brown complexion.

The Simmons territory, surrounded by the sea, was known for its thriving trade and the largest port in the kingdom, making it a popular tourist destination.

And then there was Lady Marion, the envy of all the young ladies.

Despite being a woman, she chose practical courses in chivalry and hunting and excelled in physical abilities, rivaling the boys.

The Bell family, known for leading the knights for generations, was one of the most prestigious families, and both of her brothers were top students in the chivalry class.

Both the Simmons and Bell families maintained a neutral stance and were highly sought after by both the first and second prince's factions.

Emma, however, invited the young ladies from both families to sit with her as if it were nothing.

Normally, one would be cautious or slightly submissive, but Emma treated the twins, Lady Marion, and even the fallen young lady, Francesca, with the same gentle smile. ...Was she an angel?

"Everyone! Do you understand the method? Please take out your materials and start working. If you have any questions, raise your hand!"

The slightly plump teacher encouraged them with a clear voice.

Startled by the voice, she focused on the lesson and followed the teacher's instructions.

She opened her bag to take out her sewing tools and the cufflink base she had purchased in advance.

At that moment, she remembered that she had been curious about the contents of Emma's large bag and glanced sideways.

From the large bag, similar sewing tools and cufflink bases came out, but the quantity was odd.

"Lady Emma... How many did you bring?"

The sound of many cufflink bases being taken out was not just 10 or 20. Furthermore, colorful embroidery threads kept coming out of the bag.

"I brought 100 as it said in the list of items to bring for the two-hour class..."

Is that too few? she asked.

Even the twins and Lady Marion, who were professional embroiderers, were wide-eyed.

"100 is... a lot, I think."

"100 is too many!"

Lady Marion and the twins pointed out, and Emma responded, "I guess it's enough..."

Without any design or sketch, she set up a white cloth in the embroidery hoop and started stitching.

*Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch*

"!!!!"

The embroidery was completed at an incredible speed.

"Fast!"

At this speed, 100... might be possible.

They exchanged glances, amazed at what they had just seen.

"Ha!"

They burst out laughing uncontrollably.

"Lady Emma, you're amazing!"

"I've never seen anyone stitch so fast, Kaitlyn."

"I've never seen anyone finish embroidery so quickly, Catherine."

"I'll call you Master Emma when it comes to embroidery."

Before they knew it, they were surrounding Emma, chatting as if they had been friends for a long time. It had been a while since she felt this happy.

"Now, everyone, stop talking and start working. The teacher is glaring at us."

Startled by Emma's words, they looked at each other and giggled.

Following her advice, they started working while occasionally glancing at Emma's progress.

"Is it a cat?"

"Cat!"

"Cat."

The four voices, excluding Emma, overlapped.

The first cufflink was completed at an incredible speed.

"It's the cat we keep at home."

Emma placed the tricolor cat embroidery on Francesca's hand to show it better. After admiring it, she passed it to Catherine, who was waiting with her hand out. It was then passed to Kaitlyn and then to Marion in perfect harmony.

"Lady Emma's embroidery... to create such a detailed cat in an instant..."

"Upon closer inspection, there are words embroidered too."

"Komei...?"

"It's the name of our cat."

*Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch*

"!!!!"

Emma was already working on the second one, and her speed was even faster than before.

"This is Ryu."

*Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch*

"This is Kan."

*Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch*

"This one is Cho."

The tricolor, black, and white cat embroideries were completed at an incredible speed.

"Lady Emma! I really like the black cat."

"Lady Emma! I like the white cat."

Catherine and Kaitlyn gazed at the completed cufflinks with admiration.

"Would you like to exchange your cufflinks with mine?"

"Sure?"

The twins answered in unison, delighted.

"If we're exchanging with these lovely cats, we need to put in some effort, Kaitlyn."

"If we're exchanging with these lovely cats, I'll put in some effort, Catherine."

The twins started stitching their embroidery seriously.

"Lady Emma, I'd like to exchange too. Is that okay?"

"Of course, Lady Marion. Lady Francesca, would you like to exchange as well?"

Exchanging works among friends was common in the embroidery class, but exchanging with Emma's embroidery required serious effort. She couldn't give her something embarrassing.

After a brief moment of playful chatter, everyone focused on their embroidery.

--- Before they knew it, two hours had passed.

Emma had really made 100 cufflinks, and not only the four of them but also the teacher and the class were amazed.

"I've been making a lot since I was little..."

Suddenly in the spotlight, Emma blushed slightly.

...It was a good thing it was an embroidery class. If there were male students, they would have surely fainted from the cuteness.

"Lady Francesca and Lady Marion, please choose the ones you like."

Emma carefully took the cufflinks they had made and showed them the collection to choose from.

From the collection of cats and, for some reason, insects, she chose one.

"Oh! Lady Francesca, that's Violet. It's a spider we keep at home, and it has a beautiful purple color."

The spider and web design on the embroidery, which resembled Emma's scars, was made with beautiful purple thread and shimmered in the light.

"I'll take this one."

Lady Marion chose a fluffy rabbit design.

"Lady Marion, that's a unicorn rabbit. It's a monster, but it's fluffy and cute."

Surprisingly, Lady Marion seemed to like cute things.

"Everyone! Don't be late for the next class."

The teacher reminded the students, who were busy exchanging embroidery, and left the classroom.

The enjoyable embroidery class was over, and she would be alone again.

The next class Francesca was scheduled to take was not one that ordinary young ladies would choose.

"Everyone, what class are you taking next? If you're going in the same direction, let's go together."

While putting away their materials, Lady Marion suggested.

Francesca was hesitant, worried about being seen as strange for taking that class, but the twins answered enthusiastically.

"Next is monster studies, right, Kaitlyn?"

"Next is monster studies, right, Catherine!"

Everyone was surprised by the twins' words. Ordinary young ladies wouldn't choose monster studies.

"I'm surprised! I'm taking monster studies too. I chose it last year for the beginner's hunting practical, but I thought I needed to know about monsters for the intermediate level."

"Our Simmons territory is surrounded by the sea, so there are no monsters, but I'm interested in them."

By some coincidence, Francesca was also taking monster studies next. She hadn't chosen it for the same enthusiastic reasons as the twins.

She glanced at Lady Emma, who was rumored to have been injured by a monster, and hesitated to speak. She was worried about bringing up painful memories and was anxious about the conversation between Lady Marion and the twins.

"I heard there are few girls in monster studies, but it seems that's not the case. I'm taking monster studies next too."

Emma joined the conversation in a tone that suggested no need for concern.

"Lady Emma too!?"

She couldn't help but ask.

"Really... So, Lady Francesca is taking monster studies too?"

To their surprise, all the members of the group were taking monster studies, a class that most young ladies didn't take.

"Amazing, isn't it, Kaitlyn?"

"Amazing, it must be fate, Catherine!"

The twins were excited.

"I'm from a border region, so monster studies are essential."

Emma touched her scars and answered, and Francesca asked why.

"Well, I... to support my brother..."

The most common reason for a young lady to take monster studies was to support a sibling.

Those who would inherit the territory had to study monster studies, but unfortunately, Francesca's brother was not good at academics. With no possibility of an engagement, Francesca was forced to take monster studies to support her brother. She had complained, but it was to no avail.

"Hehe, all the older brothers are the same."

Emma's empathetic words made Francesca smile.

"Monster studies are said to be difficult with a lot to memorize. Let's work together to pass the exam!"

"Let's study together!"

Even before the class had started, Lady Marion and the twins agreed to study for the test.

"My brother's head is a mess, but my younger brother can be helpful. Besides, girls are generally better at memorization, so let's all pass the first-year exam and surprise everyone!"

Emma was also enthusiastic. The pass rate for the first-year monster studies exam was less than 10%, and it took an average of four years to pass. It was the most difficult subject in the school.

If these five girls passed in their first year, it would be unprecedented and cause a big stir.

That... sounds fun.

She could also show up her overbearing brother.

"I'll do my best!"

This year, five young ladies were scheduled to take monster studies, slightly more than usual.

Francesca, Emma, Marion, Catherine, and Kaitlyn, who coincidentally ended up in the same embroidery class, were the five.