Chapter 55

Thank you for reporting any typos.

"Milady Emma, this cafeteria has a beautifully designed courtyard. Would you like to go there for a break?"

Joshua suggested to Emma, who was holding her full stomach and looking satisfied.

It seems that this large building, which was originally a noble's mansion, has a splendid courtyard to match.

"If Joshua recommends it, it must be amazing. Let's go!"

Emma's trust in Joshua, who knows her preferences, is deep.

They left the cafeteria and headed for the courtyard.

"What a lovely courtyard, Kate."

"What a lovely courtyard, Catherine."

The twins' eyes sparkled with interest.

The twins are the same age as Emma, 13, and started school this year.

Francesca and Marion are 17 and in their fourth year at the academy.

Arthur is 18 and in his fifth year.

According to Arthur, it is rare for students to choose monster studies from their first year.

"Because it's the hardest subject, most students take it in their second or third year when they are more accustomed to the academy."

Hunting practicals, which also involve physical training, are mandatory every year, but for monster studies, it is sufficient to pass the class that matches your territory by graduation.

"I didn't know that..."

Georg alone was shocked.

"Mother said that it's questionable whether you can pass, so you should aim for the number of attempts."

"初级魔物学我希望一年内通过……"

Emma and William pressed Georg further.

William, being the second son, only needs to pass the basic level, and Emma doesn't even need to take it.

"Why was I born as the eldest son..."

"That's tough..."

Arthur consoled the lamenting Georg. The Bell territory is close to the capital, so passing the basic level is enough, but he has failed for two consecutive years and is determined to pass this year.

"Maybe it would have been better if I had been born a boy before my brother?"

Thinking of the wall that stands before her study-averse brother, Emma sympathized... but.

"Are you trying to ruin the Stewart family?"

"Sister... the palace will collapse!"

They were harshly criticized by their two brothers.

"We've arrived."

Joshua pointed to the door to the courtyard as the conversation came to a pause.

A servant was waiting at the door and smoothly opened it for Emma and the others.

A pleasant breeze accompanied the expansive greenery that spread before their eyes.

Under the trees, which evoked a tropical atmosphere, were rattan-like tables and sofas.

"It's like... Bali!"

Emma recalled the resort of her past life.

The sofas were adorned with many cushions, standing out in a colorful way amidst the subdued colors of the courtyard.

"Oh, so you know about Bali, Kate."

"Oh, so you know about Bali, Catherine."

The twins began to talk excitedly.

"Bali is an island nation far from the kingdom, Kate."

"Bali is an island nation, so it doesn't suffer from monster attacks, Catherine."

"Really... there are countries without monsters?"

Francesca was surprised.

"Monsters don't appear in the sea, so island nations are safe, Kate."

"But island nations are small, so they often reject immigrants, Catherine."

It seems that in this world, there is a country called Bali, similar to the real Bali.

Emma and the others sat on the sofas in the courtyard and listened to the twins' stories about foreign lands. Having grown up in the Simmons territory with a large port, they were well-versed in foreign countries.

The conversation settled down when the servant brought tea.

It seems that tea service is provided for courtyard users, and Emma, who had just eaten her fill, lamented the lack of sweets.

"From tomorrow, I'll bring snacks."

Joshua promised Emma.

"Right, Joshua, here..."

Remembering Joshua's promise, Emma searched her bag and took out the cufflinks she had made during embroidery class.

She gave Joshua the most intricate and time-consuming pair from what she made today.

"Thank you! I'll treasure them, Milady Emma!"

Joshua happily attached the cufflinks to his sleeve.

Arthur, peeking at the cufflinks, exclaimed in surprise.

"What is this embroidery! It's so detailed! Too detailed!"

The cufflinks were embroidered with the Rothschild family crest.

"Lions, unicorns... and arrows?"

Arthur examined the embroidery closely.

"Our family crest is packed with auspicious symbols and merchant spirit."

Joshua chuckled and stroked the cufflinks.

"I got the cufflink bases at a discount from Joshua, so I made these as a thank you with the family crest."

Joshua had prepared 100 cufflink bases for her at a bargain price, and in return, she promised to give him one as a gift.

"We don't do embroidery on cufflinks in our family."

Georg showed his plain sleeve, indicating that the Stewart family's everyday wear had almost no decorations.

Their poverty had made them so accustomed to it that they rarely made decorative items, except for the tapestries to cover wall stains, tablecloths to hide table scratches, and the clothes they made for themselves and the servants. They rarely made decorative items until sewing Rose's dress.

"Oh, I made some for your brother and William too."

Since she had made them, she was grateful to have them used and took more cufflinks out of her bag.

She gave Georg a design featuring a black cat from the four cats in the Stewart family crest.

To William, she gave a design featuring a calico cat from the same crest.

"... You're good at embroidery, Emma. Did you make all these in two hours?"

Arthur was impressed by the intricate and difficult designs on the cufflinks for Joshua, Georg, and William.

In embroidery class, the basic choices were to use them yourself, exchange with friends, or give them to your son. Arthur, being tall and good-looking from a ducal family, had received cufflinks from various young ladies every year.

None of them could match Emma's work. It was hard to believe it was made by a 13-year-old girl.

He had assumed she wasn't good at typically feminine activities, but her skills were excellent.

"It's not that! I like designing patterns, but my brother and William are faster and better at embroidery."

Emma modestly replied. In the Stewart family, Emma designed the patterns, and everyone worked on them together, so in terms of sewing skills alone, Georg and William were better.

Why? Why do the sons of an earl do embroidery?

Not only Arthur, but the twins, Marion, and Francesca also looked at Georg and William curiously.

"No, no... my skills are nothing compared to Father's lace-making."

"The best seamstress in our family is Father."

Embarrassed by the sudden attention, Georg and William modestly replied, just like Emma.

Their modesty only added to the mystery.

—Why? Why does the Earl of Stewart make lace?

The longer they were poor, the better their skills became.

"If you'd like, would you like some, Arthur?"

Emma took another cufflink out of her bag.

The design, featuring clovers and ladybugs, looked cute but was detailed and realistic enough for a man to wear without feeling out of place.

"Sure! But, Emma, how many did you make?"

Arthur happily accepted the cufflink, but the mystery deepened.

As Emma chuckled, familiar young men approached.

"Emma, how are you feeling?"

Everyone looked at Emma with concern.

These were the young men who had tried to protect Emma after the monster studies class ended.

"Oh, Chris, Glen... What happened to all of you? I'm fine."

Thinking her stomach had settled, Emma replied, but she didn't understand the intent behind their questions.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help when Robert bothered you."

He had wanted to help but was intimidated by the black-haired prince he had never seen before, and Robert's hair was also close to black, so he was too scared to step in immediately.

Although the academy was said to be informal, it was hard to defy a ducal family...

The monster studies classroom was large, and Robert had bothered Emma right after they entered, so these young men hadn't realized they were in the same class.

"It's not your fault, Emma. It was wrong of you to start a fight."

"Robert is best avoided if possible."

William and Georg insisted that they had no reason to apologize.

If they had protected her and drawn Robert's attention, it would have been a complete accident. That would have been unfair.

"Besides, I told Robert about the scars."

The young man confessed, almost on the verge of tears.

He must have thought he had given Robert a reason to do something terrible to Emma.

"Are you talking about the scars from your youthful indiscretion, Kate?"

"Are you talking about the scars from your youthful indiscretion, Catherine?"

The twins, the only ones in the academy who had asked Emma about her scars, pressed for more details.

"According to rumors, you were attacked by a monster while with the prince?"

Francesca timidly spoke up.

"What? I heard you protected the prince and got injured?"

Marion also mentioned the rumor she had heard.

"... No, it wasn't like that at all..."

Emma explained the truth, slightly embarrassed.

She was surprised to hear that rumors about her had spread without her knowledge.

"I was playing with Princess Yadvi, the prince, and Rose when we accidentally found a localized hazard... After getting the prince and the others to safety, I... was looking at the monster that came out and got attacked."

She tried to say it cutely, but the content was not cute at all.

Being attacked by a monster in the capital was unthinkable, and the size of the scars told the story of the damage. The room fell silent for a moment, and Emma, feeling uncomfortable, tried to show her other scars to prove she was fine, but William stopped her.

"Sister... you can't take your clothes off!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Just think about it for a second."

"Oh... right, you can't take your clothes off outside?"

... That's not what I meant!

Despite the others' attempts to correct her, Emma remained cheerful.

"It's not like I was keeping the scars a secret. It's fine."

She reassured the young men, who looked apologetic.

She didn't understand why they were so worried.

"I also told Robert that the monster that attacked you was a slime."

The slime they had learned about in class today was vicious and caused horrific damage. The class had been traumatic for Emma.

Although she looked calm and well now, she had looked very distressed when leaving the classroom.

She must have been unable to eat and was resting in the courtyard with sofas.

"It's okay. There's nothing to worry about."

Hearing her kind words, the young men reaffirmed their belief that Emma was an angel.

"How... how kind..."

"To smile and care for others even when you're in so much pain..."

"An angel..."

"Really an angel..."

They were moved in a way that Emma couldn't understand, as usual.

Arthur, Marion, and Francesca were also surprised. Emma, who had been severely injured by the vicious and terrifying slime, had devoured lunch like a starved person after the class.

"Here... Emma, if you'd like, please have some of this."

The young men handed Emma one after another cute bags.

Inside were cookies, chocolates, and other sweets from famous stores in the capital.

They had run at full speed to the stores after Robert left, hoping that if she couldn't eat lunch, at least her favorite sweets would go down.

No one thought Emma had actually finished her lunch set.

"How delicious!"

She chose a chocolate and put it in her mouth.

It tasted different from the sweets she usually ate at the Stewart household.

It was a high-end flavor she had only tasted in Joshua's souvenirs.

"Delicious!! It's so good!"

Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed, looking adorably cute.

Joshua was shocked, thinking he was the only one who could see this face.

The young men sighed in relief, seeing Emma enjoy the sweets they had given her.

"Right! Everyone, as a thank you, please take the cufflinks I made in today's embroidery class!"

She quickly took out the number of cufflinks from her bag and handed them to each person.

The young men, ecstatic to receive gifts from an angel, left in high spirits.

After the attentive servant refilled their tea, Emma, with a full smile, reached for a cookie.

"Today is such a good day with dessert! Everyone, let's eat together."

Francesca and Marion still couldn't understand where Emma, with her slim figure, found room for dessert.

"Let's have some, Kate."

"Let's have some, Catherine."

The twins were happily choosing cookies.

Georg and William looked at the direction the young men had left, as if they were watching something pitiful.

Joshua resolved to find even more delicious sweets.

"By the way, Emma..."

Arthur asked his second question of the day.

"How many did you make?"

...

Sweets are a different stomach, right.