Chapter 5

"A... Cecilia... it is..."

With a trembling voice, Cecilia managed to utter those few words.

It was a poor attempt at a lady's greeting, but for Cecilia, who was trembling with shock, it was almost a miracle that she could speak at all.

Elvis, who might have heard about Cecilia being a failure of the royal family, did not frown at her rudeness and maintained his smile.

"There are no student classrooms beyond here. Is there something you need?"

"N... No... I got lost..."

In response to Elvis's gentle inquiry, Cecilia, feeling unsteady on her feet, mumbled her answer.

"By the way, Your Highness is a new student, aren't you? If you'd like, I can guide you to the first-year classroom."

"E...?"

It was an unexpected offer, but Cecilia was so stunned that she couldn't nod or refuse. Elvis started guiding her without waiting for a response.

Cecilia hurried to follow Elvis, who adjusted his pace to match hers, so she didn't have to rush to catch up.

The people who had been following Elvis walked a short distance behind them without a word.

Actually, there were many things she wanted to ask and talk about.

But, unsure of what to say, Cecilia couldn't bring herself to speak.

Glancing at Elvis, she noticed that his height, which had only reached Adeline's chest in her previous life, had grown so much that she had to look up at him.

His sharp, well-defined features had lost all traces of youth, and though he still bore a resemblance to his former self, Cecilia felt a stirring in her heart, recognizing him as a grown man.

Elvis, who was ten years younger than Adeline, was now ten years older than Cecilia.

She felt a sense of disorientation, as if her adorable step-brother had suddenly become a stranger. But to Cecilia, this was the first time they were meeting face-to-face, and he was essentially a complete stranger.

Moreover, Adeline's memories were from seventeen years ago.

Cecilia's mind was a jumble of both her own and Adeline's memories and feelings.

"Here we are. This should be the classroom for Your Highness. I'll take my leave now."

In the end, they reached the classroom without Cecilia saying a word.

Elvis was polite, but he also remained silent, and Cecilia sensed a cold wall between them.

She felt a pang of discomfort, realizing that to him, she was the daughter of his step-sister's enemy.

It was remarkable that he could even maintain a polite demeanor on the surface.

"A... Thank you."

As Elvis was about to leave, Cecilia hurriedly thanked him.

Their eyes met as Elvis gave a formal response, and for a moment, a look of surprise appeared in his usually emotionless blue eyes. It reminded Cecilia of the emotional flicker in the eyes of the young Elvis she once knew, evoking a sense of nostalgia.

But the next moment, the ripples of emotion had calmed, and it seemed as if she had imagined it.

While Cecilia was still dazed, trying to understand what had just happened, Elvis turned and walked away.

Cecilia stood there, watching until his figure disappeared from view.

"A... Miss Cecilia...?"

A voice called out, snapping Cecilia back to reality.

Turning around, she saw that several female students were already in the classroom, and they were all looking at her. One of them, perhaps speaking on behalf of the group, called out to her hesitantly.

"Yes... What is it?"

Feeling nervous, Cecilia faced the girl who had called out.

Since regaining her memories from her past life, she had thought she could interact with others normally, but now, she felt a bit hesitant. Her personality hadn't completely changed.

However, in the past, she might not have been able to respond at all, so there was definitely some change.

The girl who had called out seemed familiar, as if they had seen each other in class before, but Cecilia didn't have a strong impression of her.

She didn't remember her name, but as a classmate, she must be a noble's daughter.

"Was that the Duke of Roseblade just now...? What was his business here?"

"No... I'm not sure. I was lost in the school building, and he happened to guide me to the classroom..."

When asked, Cecilia honestly recounted what had happened.

She wondered why Elvis had been in the school building. He was twenty-five and should have graduated long ago. This building was for female students, so even if he had been a student, it wouldn't have been his building.

However, there were male teachers, so perhaps he was there in a teaching capacity.

"Oh, I see. He has made significant donations to the academy, so it might be related to that. By the way, Miss Cecilia, are you close to the Duke of Roseblade?"

"…No, I've only heard a little about him. I don't know him well. If you know him, could you tell me more about him?"

Cecilia asked, curious about how her former step-brother was perceived by others.

The girl smiled, looking pleased, and nodded.

"The Roseblade family fell out of favor due to the young lady's incident and the succession dispute, but the current Duke turned things around. He is excellent, handsome, and still unmarried, so he is a topic of conversation among the young ladies, who wonder who will win his heart."

"Recently, marriages between people of different social standings have become more accepted, so many young ladies are pursuing him. However, I haven't heard of any young lady being particularly close to him."

"There are also rumors that he became afraid of women after the incident with his sister. He is said to have a bad temper and was quite harsh... perhaps he was bullied."

As the girl spoke, other female students, who had been listening from a distance, joined the conversation.

While Cecilia welcomed the additional information, she was taken aback by some of the content. She knew that Adeline was portrayed negatively to enhance the reputation of the royal couple, but the treatment was quite different from the truth.

"But there are also rumors that his sister was actually different from what was said. The royal family..."

"Good afternoon."

Cecilia had been listening intently to the girls' conversation, but it was abruptly interrupted by a domineering voice.

Feeling frustrated that the interesting conversation had been cut short, Cecilia turned to see the source of the voice.

There were two familiar female students standing there.

Cecilia remembered that they had approached her on her first day, offering to be her friends. They were both daughters of high-ranking nobles.

"We were worried about you since you were absent yesterday, and here you are, being friendly with someone else instead of us, your friends... That's a terrible betrayal."

The tone was sad, but the underlying mockery was unmistakable.