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chapter 20
It was a bit too blunt, but even just by observing yesterday, it was clear that Mei had no talent for studying.
Still, seeing her speak like that, she seemed strong when it came to practical matters.
That was a relief.
Wouldn’t it be miserable if someone was bad at both theory and practice?
“Shall we start the second period right away?”
“Yes. I heard there’s a basic magic ritual lecture in twenty minutes.”
Mei answered with a sullen expression.
“What should I do? I don’t know anything about magic rituals.”
“If you don’t know, just guess number three.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind, it’s nothing.”
I unconsciously recalled the “34455 rule” from the math mock exam and quickly shook off the thought.
“You can at least do multiplication tables, right? Just do simple arithmetic.”
“What’s a multiplication table?”
Is it something to eat? Somehow, I felt I could guess the rest of what she was thinking without her saying it.
Looking at Mei’s innocent, shining blue eyes, I laughed softly.
‘Should I make some kind of study sheet for her…?’
That’s a bit serious.
‘No, no. Considering her environment, this is actually not too bad.’
Mei had grown up outside the interests of the duke, without a single adult to look after her, as a maid. Being able to read at all was already remarkable.
I sighed and patted Mei on the shoulder.
“You’ll have lunch with your friends, right?”
“Uh…”
Mei glanced at the three students sitting slightly apart.
Then, as if she had made up her mind, she clenched her fists tightly.
“No! I’ll have lunch with you, sister!”
“Why?”
No, really, why?
Isn’t one outsider in our household enough?
“If you weren’t here, I wouldn’t have known such a wonderful world exists.”
Mei gave me a smile so beautiful it made my earlier thoughts feel awkward. She gently held my hand.
Unlike soft, smooth Canis hands, Mei’s hands were rough from hard work.
“So today, I want to be with you, sister.”
Thump.
…Thump? Why am I suddenly feeling my heart beat faster?
‘Am I… weak to words like this?’
In the 25 years I lived as Chae Jiwoo, I had never received such an honest expression of gratitude.
Maybe that’s why I felt this strange ticklish sensation.
“Do as you like. I’ll go ahead.”
“Ah, sister!”
Embarrassed for no reason, I let go of Mei’s hand and quickly disappeared.
Mei shouted after me.
“You dropped your book!”
“Just take it!”
I’m not studying anyway!
I called back loudly and teleported outside the building.
“Just take it!”
Canis disappeared like a streak of light, leaving Mei alone with a fourth-year advanced textbook.
Students flocked to the first lecture.
“Damn, this is an advanced magic formula textbook. I heard fourth-years cry over this.”
“Wow, she really doesn’t study…”
“Lucky. I wish I could live that freely too~”
“Wait, Mei? Are you okay? Mei?”
Claire, the most outgoing among them, waved her hands in front of Mei.
“I’m fine, so no need.”
Mei took her hand down. Even though it could have been slightly awkward, Claire smiled kindly.
“Good to know!”
Then Luna, who had been looking toward Canis, tilted her head.
“She disappeared?”
“Who are you talking about? Mei’s sister?”
“She vanished like she teleported. One moment she’s there, then—poof—gone.”
“No way, must have been a mistake. The first daughter of the Escliff family is famous for not being able to use magic.”
“Yeah, probably.”
Swept up in the crowd, the students just concluded they must have been mistaken.
After all, there weren’t many wizards in the Empire who could teleport. Even the top student, Crown Prince Daen Grace, couldn’t perform such magic.
There was no way Canis Escliff could do it.
“Anyway, let’s move to the classroom quickly! We’ll be late!”
“Let’s go together!”
Thinking nothing more, she ran after her friends.
“Daen, did you hear about it?”
“What story?”
Daen Grace, crown prince of the Crocus Empire and a fourth-year at the academy, looked at his friend with his usual indifferent expression.
Felix whispered, his dog-like purple eyes sparkling.
“They say Canis Escliff completely embarrassed Professor Bernoua, who everyone finds obnoxious!”
“Canis Escliff?”
Daen tilted his head.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know who she was. Not just because she was the only daughter of the Escliff duke. Everyone at this academy would know that name, especially those in the same department.
“That troublemaker? Surprising that you’d take interest in her.”
He was merely surprised that Felix brought it up first.
His childhood friend Felix rarely spoke of others, and this was the first time he had shown interest in a girl.
“She’s worth being interested in! I saw her yesterday in the library…”
Felix paused mid-sentence, then shook his head and changed the topic.
“Never mind that. The academy’s buzzing, so of course I’m curious.”
“What on earth happened? Did she run out of class again?”
Daen asked, though he wasn’t entirely convinced.
Skipping class or truancy was definitely a problem, but Escliff princesses always attracted dramatic rumors. For her, it probably wasn’t even unusual.
“No, it’s not like that…”
Hearing this, Felix pressed his lips together in thought.
“Escliff fell asleep in class.”
“That’s like her.”
“Professor Bernoua got angry, threw chalk at her head, and gave her the problems, asking if she could even understand them.”
“Sounds like Bernoua.”
“Escliff glanced at the problems and recited all the answers in just one second.”
“As expected of the Escliff princess… what?”
Daen, answering mechanically, raised his head.
Felix, who hadn’t seen this, counted on his fingers and delivered the final blow.
“And when Bernoua asked if she could do the calculations in her head, the professor couldn’t say a word.”
“Wait, wait. Hold on.”
Daen, dumbfounded, waved his hand and asked again.
“Canis Escliff did what?”
“She solved mentally a problem so difficult it left Bernoua speechless.”
“That… is this story really reliable?”
Daen adjusted his crooked glasses and looked at Felix skeptically.
Even if their schedules differed, advanced magic formulas were a subject he also took. The level of difficulty made countless seniors cry.
No matter how he thought about it, he couldn’t imagine Canis Escliff pulling that off.
‘Even before entering the academy, she never seemed that exceptional.’
Daen recalled the young Canis, who came to the imperial palace with the duke.
“Your Imperial Star, I am… Ca-Canis Escliff.”
The little girl stumbled mid-bow. The duke beside her frowned.
Later, Daen happened to witness what followed from a distance.
“Can’t even greet properly? Foolish girl.”
“I-I’m sorry, Father…! My head hurts so much today, that’s why…”
“Shut up. You’ll be scolded when we return home. …Tch, Claude wouldn’t have made such a mistake.”
‘She was timid and couldn’t even stretch out properly.’
After that day, he didn’t interact closely with her, but first impressions always leave the strongest mark.
Moreover, seeing her for four years at the academy, it was hard to believe she silenced Bernoua with her skill.
“Must be a rumor.”
“No, it’s true.”
“Let’s stop wasting time arguing.”
He closed the book he was reading and stood up.
Watching Daen stride away, Felix frowned.
“Ugh, that bastard. He never believes anything.”
Then he thought of Canis from yesterday and smiled mischievously.
“Well, I really think this one’s true.”
