23 - Another Grueling Day for the Aristocratic Kindergarten Teacher
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And so, today began like this.
Early in the morning, the road to the kindergarten was noisier than usual. Normally, the carriage would only carry the children, but today, the parents were accompanying them as well.
“Everyone, please be careful when getting off. You there, ma'am! Don’t push the front carriage!”
“Please let the children get off first!”
“Daughter! Don’t forget your bag, daughter!”
The entrance to the kindergarten was bustling with activity.
One mother spoke to her son with a determined expression.
“You have to be the one, Philit. It must be you.”
Another father hugged his daughter tightly with a desperate look on his face.
“Heliana, if you become our Heliana, I will have no wishes left. I even skipped the noble meeting today just to see this... Huh?”
The man, murmuring while holding his daughter, suddenly widened his eyes.
What? Did I see that wrong? Why is he here? What about the noble meeting?
“Your Majesty!”
Why is the Emperor, the center of the noble meeting, here at the kindergarten?
However, North, who had canceled the noble meeting, merely spoke to Maxion with an arrogant expression.
“It’s yours. No exceptions.”
Yohan, sitting next to him, smiled brightly at Maylin.
“I hope Maylin gets to do what she wants, brother.”
Kaiden, sitting at the end, was busy wiping Banteid's nose.
“Banteid. Don’t eat your boogers.”
To an outsider, it would have been a shocking scene.
The Emperor, the captain of the royal guard, and the Grand Duke all gathered in one place. When would one ever witness such a sight again in their lifetime?
Yet, the parents present all nodded in agreement internally.
‘If it’s like this, it’s worth coming. Yes.’
It was the same every year. A formal yet warm smile graced Ephna’s lips.
“We will now begin the selection of roles for the first semester’s art festival play.”
“Wow!”
Clap clap clap! The children, sitting on their kindergarten chairs, clapped joyfully with bright smiles.
Their expressions filled with anticipation were adorable and lovely. Even though they didn’t quite understand what the ‘art festival’ was, they clapped just because their teacher said so, and that cuteness was undeniable.
In contrast, look at our parents.
‘The main character must be my daughter.’
‘The main character must be my son.’
They sat with solemn, serious, and stern faces.
‘Absolutely.’
Their determination was almost frightening.
The temperature difference between the children and the parents was stark. If this side was sunshine, that side resembled a battlefield with icy winds.
‘It is indeed a battlefield.’
Every year, the role selection for the Loendel Kindergarten art festival was akin to war.
Ephna smiled gently once more. Everyone’s attention was focused on her.
“As you parents know, our kindergarten has a somewhat unique way of assigning roles. The children will choose a theme and take turns presenting, and each will vote for their favorite presentation. The child with the most votes will become the main character.”
In short, it was a vote. Ephna’s soft voice flowed smoothly.
“Now, I will announce the theme for the role selection.”
“Gulp.”
The sound of swallowing was clear. This was the moment every guardian had been waiting for.
“The theme for this role selection is…”
Tap tap. The letters were written on the blackboard with precision and strength.
Finally, a period was placed at the end of the sentence, and simultaneously, a clear voice emerged from Ephna.
“‘My Favorite Thing.’ We will have a presentation on ‘My Favorite Thing’ in five days.”
As soon as those words ended, the guardians, who had been holding their breath, sprang to their feet. A lady elegantly wearing a wide-brimmed white hat covered her mouth and cheered softly.
“Oh my! This is the topic that was in the expected answers from the mom salon, right? This is why I need to join the mom salon. How could it be….”
“Lady Festuna, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that the mom salon can predict such things?”
“Oh, Sir Bertz. You’ve come. Yes, that’s right.”
“How can one join? I want to join too!”
Sir Bertz shouted with a desperate expression.
The Duke of Bertz. What is his nickname? Isn’t he the infamous black eagle known for being ruthless and merciless in diplomatic affairs?
It wasn’t just the Duke of Bertz. Most of the parents present were leaders who would be second to none outside.
“Do we just need to participate in the salon events morning and evening? Is there perhaps a recommendation system as well?”
How desperate they were, stuttering their words. It was indeed true.
Lady Festuna covered her mouth with a sympathetic expression.
“Oh dear, Sir Bertz. I’m sorry, but the mom salon is a gathering for ladies.”
“Ah….”
Sir Bertz crumbled with a crinkling sound. It was like a scene from a comedy.
“I’ll ask if there are plans to establish a papa salon.”
“Is that really true? I would greatly appreciate it!”
There was a reason for their eagerness.
The child who took on the role of the main character in the Loendel Kindergarten art festival play would inevitably become the student council president after entering the academy. Every time.
What a strange coincidence. However, among the parents, it seemed to have become some sort of unspoken rule.
If you want to be the student council president, you must secure the role of the main character in the Loendel Kindergarten play.
‘At first, the parents were very resistant. They said nobles shouldn’t dance and sing like clowns. Yet now, they are even hiring acting teachers to make their children the main characters…’
She calmed the noisy classroom.
“That concludes the announcement of the role selection theme. I kindly ask the parents to exit through the back door.”
Waiting for 30 minutes. Listening to the theme announcement took 3 minutes. It ended so quickly that it felt almost empty compared to the waiting time.
However, no guardian voiced any complaints. It was more efficient to ponder what presentation to give than to complain.
“I need to ask the child’s nanny right away. What is the child’s favorite stuffed animal?”
“Oh my, ma’am. There’s no need to exert yourself too much. After all, the main character will be our Melis.”
“Don’t start trouble. I’m busy.”
The parents flowed out like a receding tide, except for the three men who sat comfortably as if in their own living room.
‘This scene is so familiar that it’s no longer surprising.’
Ephna approached the three troublemakers who were disrupting the class with a formal smile. The first voice she heard was that of Duke Hildebon Kaiden.
“Why don’t you want to do it?”
“I-I’m scared of being the main character…”
Banteid shook his head with a blank expression. Duke Hildebon’s eyebrows twitched upward.
“Even if I offer you ten chocolate snacks?”
“Chocolate…! But I’m still scared…”
“Twenty.”
“Tw-twenty…!”
Luring a child with chocolate snacks. He had even issued a snack ban before.
Ephna turned her gaze away with a slightly sour expression. There was Yohan, smiling sweetly while stroking Maylin’s hair.
“If Maylin becomes the main character, she will surely be like a princess. But if she doesn’t want to, there’s no need to force her.”
“Captain of the royal guard, you should speak plainly. Your sister cannot be a princess since she is not of royal blood. She could be a princess consort, though.”
Though directed at Maylin, the response was heavy.
Yohan shot back without changing his expression at the Emperor’s arrogant remark.
“If she were such a talent, she should definitely become a princess consort. But then, you wouldn’t get to see your beloved sister often, would you, Your Majesty?”
Why are they picking fights and arguing again? This isn’t a counseling room; it’s a classroom, and the children are watching.
At this rate, we won’t even be able to proceed with the lesson. There’s more than one topic to cover today.
“Ahem.”
Ephna cleared her throat softly. The gazes of the three men turned to her all at once.
A smooth smile graced her lips, followed by a rather firm voice.
“I’m sorry, but could you please leave as you are disrupting the class?”
“Excuse me?”
Please leave.
“I said I’m asking you to leave, brother. And you two as well.”
Leave, please.
“Yes, teacher…”
“I’m sorry about this.”
“You said twenty chocolates.”
One by one, Yohan, North, and Kaiden stood up.
Kaiden, until the end, held up two fingers and shouted “chocolate.”
They were chased out without a word. The three most noble men in the empire.
Only then did Ephna wipe her forehead with a refreshing look, as if relieved, and smiled brightly at the children.
“Alright, kids. Shall we open our number notebooks?”
