Chapter 74
The children changed quickly, each in their own hurried way, and gathered again in the training yard.
Daphne, who had thrown on her uniform any-old-how and bolted downstairs, finally had a moment to really look at them.
The only face she recognized was Mark Brown—the same boy who had once picked a fight with her at the Finch marquisate and ended up on the receiving end of her fists.
Even Mark flinched the moment he saw Daphne and looked away.
‘Scared shitless over one little beating.’
Tsk tsk.
Daphne clicked her tongue and swept her eyes over the group again.
Thirty young children.
‘I thought they were between five and twelve years old.’
Bunny, whom she’d met on the carriage, and the others were all considerably taller than Daphne.
They looked at least ten years old.
‘There is no one my age.’
Of course there wasn’t. Anyone as young as Daphne had been automatically disqualified from the exam.
Still, ten wasn’t grown-up. Ten was still a child—soft-cheeked, peach-fuzzed, breakable.
‘I’d better look after them properly.’
Daphne thought, looking at the fluffy children.
“Quiet.”
Nike stepped onto the platform and brought the voice amplifier to his lips. Behind him stood Kenrick, Fiona, and Rache .
Finally meeting Lache’s gaze, Daphne’s eyes widened. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’
“I am First-Class Guardian Kenrick. Swordsmanship instructor.”
“Second-Class Guardian Fiona. Tactics.”
“You already know me. First-Class Guardian Nike. Hand-to-hand combat.”
“Apprentice Guardian and assistant instructor, Rache.”
Come to think of it, the person who’d handed out uniforms earlier had looked suspiciously like Rache. So it really was him.
Daphne stared at Rache, feeling a bit curious, and Rache blushed slightly and avoided her gaze.
“We repeat physical training, swordsmanship, strategy, and martial arts classes every day. Also, each subject has a test every Friday. The higher your score on the test, the higher your final graduation score.”
“Understood!”
“Physical tests begin at dawn every morning. Is that clear?”
“Understood!”
Nike twisted his lips, looking down at the children, who had already become disciplined.
“Let me hear it again. What are you?”
“N…nothing, sir!”
“That’s right. You are nothing. So what must you do?”
“Obey the instructors!”
“Good.”
He also added that since this was deep in the mountains, we had to be careful of wild animals and monsters.
In other words: do not leave the grounds.
Daphne let it all go in one ear and out the other. She was still staring at Rache.
Unable to bear it any longer, Rache finally met her eyes and mouthed something.
“Home, middle, do it.”
Daphne tilted her head.
‘you love me?’
Out of nowhere, in the middle of all this—a confession?
As expected, the guy was head over heels for this body.
Daphne grinned, pleased.
“Home, middle, do it.” Ha. Ha. Ho.
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. You love me. How embarrassingly cute.”
She smirked wider. Rache’s face crumpled even more.
‘What is wrong with her?’
***
Nike’s explanation didn’t end until dinnertime.
“Today is rest after dinner. We’ll train properly starting tomorrow, so consider today your last rest.”
“Understood!”
Nike turned and descended the platform. And the assistant Rache led the children toward the dormitory’s first-floor dining hall.
“They’re feeding us—sweet deal. Back home I barely got scraps.”
“Can we have two bowls?”
“Thirds?”
“Man, my mouth’s watering already.”
The children filed in, chattering.
“Still, for all the scare tactics, it ended pretty quick, right?”
“Yeah. Probably just getting the discipline in early before the real hell starts.”
“I think they were worried the nobles would start a power struggle.”
Exactly.
Unexpectedly, eight aristocratic children of considerable stature enrolled at the academy, so there could be no question of discrimination or contempt among them.
That was the only way to ensure proper training.
People are surprisingly simple. When you take the same exam, spend a short time together, and wear the same clothes, you feel a strange sense of belonging.
It might be faint on the first day, but the longer the instructors grind them down, the stronger the bond would grow.
“Fuck this! Who the hell is supposed to eat this garbage?!”
Of course, there are always exceptions.
Teffi from the imperial count family, was startled and flipped the plate over.
“What is this slop? Dog food? My dogs at home eat better than this! You dare serve this to me…!”
Teffi always ate only sophisticated and luxurious food, following in the footsteps of his father, the Earl of Empire, but this kind of meal was unacceptable.
“I’m not eating this! I refuse! Bring my family’s chef right now—!”
Teffi was acting like a childish brat, and the children were watching, wondering if they should call the instructor.
That’s when…
“Then don’t fucking eat it.”
Clack.
Daphne set her plate down opposite him and sat.
“But if you don’t eat even this, you’ll collapse tomorrow and disgrace yourself in training. Is that okay?”
“Ugh, ugh… But!”
“If your dad forgives you even if the test is a mess, then so be it. But from what I’ve seen, I don’t think so.”
“……”
Teffi opened and closed his mouth repeatedly.
It wasn’t him, it was always Daphne who did the worst things. Why on earth does this villain keep nagging him?
A surge of anger welled up in him.
“You—you can eat this?!”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“It tastes like shit!”
Daphne looked at him as if he were the stupidest creature on earth.
“You foolish, ignorant child.”
She tapped his forehead with her spoon.
“There are people who cannot even afford this rubbish porridge. It is truly shameful not to eat it in front of them just because it doesn’t taste good.”
“What, what…”
Teffi’s face turned red.
She wasn’t wrong. He knew all this. He’d been taught the same lessons.
But still—!
You’re the last person who should be saying that!
You’re worse than me!
He glared as Daphne calmly shoveled the slop into her mouth.
“Quit pretending to be good…”
“Tephi Imperial.”
At that moment, a hand gripped Teffi’s shoulder tightly. He turned his head and saw a boy with black hair standing. Ht was Maurice Stone, a twelve-year-old boy who barely made it into the juvenile class.
“Lady Daphne is right.”
“B-brother…?”
“If you’re noble, act like it. Stop embarrassing yourself.”
Morris had a naturally intimidating face. Teffi shrank without meaning to, then burned hotter when he realized it. His whole body shook.
“Aaaargh!”
He stomped his feet.
“You all hate it too! You all hate this food—why am I the only one getting scolded?!”
He pointed at the noble children one by one, and shouted.
“….”
But no one answered.
The smart ones had already figured out that compliance was the only way through this place.
Seeing their silence, Teffi felt the blood drain from his body.
You bastards… really…
“I hate you! I hate all of you!”
In the end, he stormed out of the dining hall.
Morris sighed, watched Teffi’s retreating back for a moment, then turned to Daphne, who was peacefully eating.
“Lady Daphne, give it a rest. There’s no point pretending to be virtuous here.
”
A warning, in his own way.
Don’t keep looking down on the noble children.
Daphne slowly raised her gaze from her tray. Her light-green eyes—bright as new leaves—met Morris’s weathered skin.
“Hey.”
Gulp.
Morris swallowed without thinking.
But what came out of her mouth was completely unexpected.
“If you’re not gonna eat those cherry tomatoes, give ’em here.”
“……”
They were the dessert he’d been saving for last.
Morris scowled, shoved the tomatoes across the table, and brushed past her.
‘Damn it, I was going to save them for last…’
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