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Chapter 17
What excuse should I make? After a moment of hesitation, I lifted my flushed face.
“Teacher.”
“Yes, young lady?”
“I… I need to go to the bathroom.”
“Ah.”
Only then did the teachers relax, understanding why I had suddenly stood up. Their stiff faces softened into gentle smiles.
“Go ahead. Shall I call a maid for you?”
“No.”
Embarrassed, I waved my hand vaguely. Chandler and Jason, trying not to laugh in front of the teachers, turned their heads away.
“Pfft.”
“Idiot.”
And Liriana—
“What about Miss Olga?”
—had no interest in me whatsoever.
“Ah, Miss Olga will be arriving in about two days.”
“Why is she late?”
“For personal reasons.”
“I heard she’s supposed to be smart. That’s pretty irresponsible.”
Liriana shrugged and leaned back in her chair, and the count’s maids hurried to hand her a glass of water.
The teachers, flustered by her behavior, coughed awkwardly, while I quietly slipped out of the classroom.
And right then—
“Young Lady.”
It seemed someone had been standing guard by the door the entire time; Hale approached me hastily.
“Hale, why are you here?”
“Pardon?”
“Go rest in the lounge. How could you know when I’d come out?”
“You might come out in the middle of class, like now.”
Lately, Arina and Lindsay had been unusually friendly, always talking about my uncle and his wife, Chandler, even my eldest brother—repeating like a mantra how much they all thought of me, cherished me, loved me. I’d grown so tired of it that I’d brought Hale along instead.
“You must be tired.”
“I’m fine.”
She shook her head, her kind eyes quietly studying me.
Why hadn’t I ever seen Hale in my past life?
There wasn’t a single trace of her in my memories.
Could I take her to Onéro with me?
I wasn’t naïve enough to trust people so easily.
I should watch her a little longer.
As I looked up at her, thinking that, she tilted her head slightly.
“Did you come out because you weren’t feeling well?”
“Ah!”
At her gentle question, I smiled brightly and nodded.
“I just needed to use the bathroom.”
“I’ll escort you.”
“Okay!”
After I returned, the first class was philosophy.
“The most important thing in banking is trust and credit. For this first class, I want to know what you all think. Please listen carefully today, and write one page tonight explaining the difference between trust and credit.”
“Ugh.”
“I’m sure you, as direct heirs, will be able to handle it.”
At the teacher Kiet’s words, Chandler’s face twisted in dismay.
Writing an essay on a subject was the ultimate display of one’s intellect.
Your handwriting had to be refined, your phrasing elegant—and most importantly, you actually had to know something to write it.
So his reaction, given that his lack of ability was already obvious to everyone, was perfectly natural.
“If anyone asks another person to write it for them or copies someone else’s work, it will be considered cheating.”
With a bright smile, Kiet essentially said, Do it with your own brains.
Jason’s mouth fell open.
He’d clearly been planning to have someone else write it for him.
Pathetic.
I turned away in disgust, feeling a wave of secondhand embarrassment that in my previous life, I’d even tried to befriend these fools.
When I did, Kiet was looking straight at me, the corners of his mouth lifted.
His expression was hard to read—neither hostility like Sylvia’s before, nor any sort of warmth.
It was more like… watching a prey animal tossed into a lion’s den, curious to see how it would move.
Not exactly a pleasant gaze.
But by the time I met his eyes again, he’d already looked away.
“There’s no right or wrong answer. Please write freely.”
He paced slowly between the desks. I could feel his gaze on me even as he walked away, but I didn’t turn to look.
“Yes, sir.”
Even if he was hostile toward me—
Unlike Sylvia or the other teachers before, he was still giving me a chance.
“Let’s begin the lesson.”
Then, letters appeared floating on the wall before us.
Ancient script.
“Lady Leticia, please read this.”
That settled it—
This man was testing me.
“Don’t forget your homework.”
After a long, draining class, I trudged toward the door, only for Kiet to call out behind me.
I turned sharply, irritated, and he flashed me another one of those cheerful smiles.
He’d spent the entire class grinning like that while cornering me with question after question.
Seriously, why?
We’d only just met, hadn’t we?
Was this my aunt’s doing again?
No—that couldn’t be it.
If that were true, he’d be giving Chandler or Jason special treatment. But he hadn’t shown the slightest interest in them.
Besides, Grandfather had specifically ordered Bennet to select every new instructor himself, so there was no way my aunt’s influence had reached this far.
Then what?
Why had he singled me out, asking question after question—pushing me, as if to say, Let’s see how far you can go—like a man possessed?
I shuddered, remembering his smiling face and relentless tone.
And Kiet, oblivious to my inner turmoil, just waved brightly.
“See you tomorrow.”
Ha.
If you only looked at him like that, he almost seemed friendly.
So why did he seem so desperate to torment me?
Reading and interpreting a philosopher’s ancient text, then presenting my own opinion—
I mean, I’m six years old! Should I have said that?
But when I saw that glint in his eyes—You can’t possibly do this, can you?—I got annoyed and answered every single one.
Maybe he thought I’d challenged his authority as a teacher.
Or maybe… he was like one of those eagle mothers—
You know, the kind that tosses their chicks off a cliff to see if they’ll survive the fall.
If that’s the case—
He’s insane.
I shook my head.
I should stop trying to get on his good side altogether.
Ignoring him, I quickly left the classroom.
Anyway, why is Olga late?
As I skipped down the stairs, I thought about her again.
Honestly, I’d been so curious about who Olga was that I hadn’t been sleeping well.
The moment Grandfather learned I had an ability, he’d summoned her. Bennet had even said she possessed extraordinary intuition.
Someone who could identify an ability I didn’t even know I had.
How could I not be excited?
Besides, I’d surely have much to learn from her.
The thought of learning something new—of being able to show my talent—made me hum without realizing it.
Honestly, once the initial shock had worn off, every moment before going to Onéro felt like a gift.
The conversations with Grandfather, which I’d once found awkward, now felt precious. And I had this strong feeling that I’d get along well with Father too, once I met him.
If I just act the same way I do with Grandfather, maybe Father will also open up and show affection for me.
These days, that thought made my chest tingle pleasantly.
The hope of Icia—the orphan I once was—blended with Leticia’s own emotions, making it even stronger.
From Icia’s perspective, there had been so much in this world that was incomprehensible—
Parental love, familial warmth…
Even now, I couldn’t fully define those things.
In my past life, neither Father nor Grandfather had ever shown me direct affection.
Only later, when I thought back rationally, had I realized that their actions had been love—that was the most they knew how to give.
That’s why, even now, when Grandfather smiled proudly or praised me, I found myself overthinking how to respond.
But this time around, after everything I’d experienced, I knew they loved me.
Eventually, my reactions wouldn’t have to be forced or thought-out. They’d just come naturally.
If I keep trying, it’ll come.
Clenching my small fist, I gave a little downward pump—You can do it!—and bounced lightly down the stairs.
The good mood made me feel like I could fly.
It was strange—though my mind held adult reasoning, the emotions of this young body hadn’t vanished. Bad feelings never lingered long.
I can’t wait to lie on my bed and read!
Just thinking about it lifted my spirits. I skipped across the hall toward the door, but as I reached it, I noticed Liriana waiting by the carriage outside.
She turned her head and looked at me.
“……”
Her expression was blank, but I saw a faint crack in it—some small disturbance behind the mask.
Not wanting to provoke her, I hurried past.
“Hey.”
It was the first time Liriana had ever addressed me like that—
With a blunt, “Hey.”
