Chapter 26
First Official Day
Today is Nia's first official day of Academy.
From dawn, the members were busy with Nia's Kindergarten Uniform, breakfast, and preparing the carriage early.
Gilli and Vernon, perhaps wanting to cover up yesterday's chaos, were striving for perfection, not missing a single detail.
"……Haaam."
However, unlike them, Heath yawned with a tired face and eventually collapsed onto the sofa, staggering.
Perhaps because of his white hair, the sight of him lying down like faded paper was enough to evoke sympathy in anyone.
Lucia, still in her pajamas, grabbed Heath's face and effortlessly lifted him up.
Then, with a rather worried expression, she turned the boy's head from side to side, assessing his condition.
"Your complexion isn't good."
"……Bwlaming."
Heath, pressed by her strength and resembling a goldfish, couldn't even open his eyes as he replied.
"Is it because of that after all?"
The 'that' Lucia was referring to was the Control Stone.
Heath nodded, his face still squished.
"It's okay. Even if it takes a little longer."
Admittedly, showing the child in front of people without the Control Stone was a bit unsettling, but since she was still on leave, she figured she could just lurk around the Academy if necessary.
But seeing Heath pushing himself like this despite that, Lucia felt newly apologetic for asking him.
Heath, having been released and now lying back on the sofa, rummaged through his pockets.
"I finished it. But……"
In Heath's outstretched hand, a black gem the size of a pinky nail glittered and rolled around.
"Oh, it got that small?"
Lucia clearly remembered that the Control Stone she had stolen from the Temple of the Goddess Ashir was a rock the size of an ostrich egg.
She vaguely knew that the Control Stone was a special mineral that could seal magical spells, and the more powerful the spell, the larger the stone needed to be.
So, when she stole it, she thoughtlessly chose the biggest one, but then realized she had to carry it around, so she asked for it to be cut, considering the size.
However, Lucia didn't know that no one in the past century had succeeded in cutting a Control Stone containing a magical spell.
Heath had created a national treasure-level gem with just her words, but he didn't bother to mention that fact.
"……Nowhere to put it."
He had managed to complete it with difficulty, but Heath asked since he couldn't just have her carry the gem around.
"That's true."
"……Should I put it here?"
This time, Heath rummaged around his neck and pulled out a silver necklace.
Whether it was a coincidence or not, the pendant of the necklace had a groove that seemed to fit the Control Stone perfectly.
It was a plausible suggestion, but Lucia, knowing the story behind the necklace, shook her head.
"No."
"……I don't mind. I."
"No. I'll try to find something after today's done."
Heath, seemingly satisfied with her firmness, smiled faintly and nodded.
Even though he was such a great genius, he was still a boy with a childish side who wanted to be validated.
"Captain, we don't have time. Did you change your clothes? Vernon!!! Look here! The Captain hasn't changed her clothes yet!!"
Lucia subtly got up at Gillianna's frantic shouting.
It was clear that if he came, the nagging would be severe.
But Vernon, who had already come down, looked down at those in the living room and shouted confidently.
"Okay, everyone, focus! Little Captain?"
Then, from the second floor, a yellow chick, looking as if its downy feathers would fly away with just a breeze, carefully came down.
"Wow!! Little Captain! Oh my gosh! So cute!!"
Like Gillianna's fuss and Vernon's high pride, the child's Kindergarten Uniform suited her much better than expected.
The yellow, uniform-like dress with fluffy white lace and gold thread embroidery harmonized with Nia's Golden eyes, making them sparkle even more.
It was clearly the same space as when they first brought her, but the completely different appearance made her look like a small, plump dandelion born with bright sunlight.
But unlike that appearance, her face, full of dejection, looked uncomfortable, like a child being dragged somewhere against her will.
Could it be because of the incident at the entrance ceremony?
Lucia crouched down in front of the child and made eye contact.
"Pretty."
"……Yesh. Thank you."
Although she said thank you, the child avoided eye contact without any energy.
It was hard to see her as the child who said she wanted to go to Academy.
Did the words of that bratty little kid bother her that much?
"Nia, you don't have to get along with every child. If you don't like them, you don't have to play with them."
"……Reawwy?"
"Yes. It's hard enough to get along with kids you click with."
Lucia thought that since she had drooled in her sleep on the day she played with Ivanne, she might faint if another similar child latched onto her.
At her words, Nia perked up her ears like a rabbit and finally made eye contact.
And, looking around cautiously,
"If I'm only fwiends with Ivanne, ……are you Nia's mommy?"
Not knowing the meaning of the question, Lucia nodded.
Then, a flower bloomed on the child's face.
It was a sparkling gaze that seemed to be unable to hide her joy, as if she would stomp her feet at any moment.
Certainly, the child hadn't slept properly last night because of the incident with Gedarin.
She had tried to be brave and get along well throughout the entrance ceremony, but she had failed.
But what was more scary and frightening than going to Academy was Lucia being disappointed because she couldn't get along with the other children.
But the child, having received a clear answer to her worries, now felt relieved and at ease.
"Oh, what are you talking about. It's better if everyone gets along well. Here, Little Captain. This is a gift."
Vernon took something out of his pocket and showed it before pinning it in her hair.
It was an adorable hairpin with a yellow flower design.
"Wow, pwetty. Th, thank you……!"
Nia, still awkward at receiving something, shyly spoke as she fiddled with the hairpin with her small hands, causing Vernon and Gillianna to clutch their chests at the sight.
But that didn't last long either, as they glared at Lucia's pajamas.
"Captain! Do you think you have time to be looking at this cute child right now?"
"……."
As Lucia quickly went upstairs at his harsh words, Heath, who had been getting up, lay back down on the sofa.
"Heath, please pack Nia's bag too. How long are you going to lie there and sleep?"
"……."
Heath was the most dedicated to the child here, but the boy, unable to reveal that fact, rubbed his sleepy eyes and packed the bag in a daze.
Finally, the mother and daughter, whose departure time had arrived, hurriedly headed to the carriage waiting outside.
Like yesterday, the sky was a cloudless blue, and the birds flying by were leisurely.
"Ah, right. My gift! Ah, well, is it really a gift? Eat this with Ivanne. Little Captain."
Gillianna held out a warm bag in her hand.
As the carriage departed and the bag was opened, it contained chocolate muffins that Ivanne and Nia both loved.
The child didn't say anything when she saw it, but she made eye contact with Lucia with the happiest face.
A pretty yellow Kindergarten Uniform and hairpin, chocolate muffins.
The items and feelings that were uniquely Nia's in this house were gradually increasing.
Today was the start of an exciting day that would be remembered as the happiest day for Nia, enough to make her not regret being brave.
*
Eldarion Academy Attached Academy, Parent Conference Room.
Lucia dropped Nia off at the entrance of the Sparrow Class and arrived at the parent conference room she was guided to.
There were still many people sitting around the luxurious table, but looking around at the smaller scale than the entrance ceremony, it seemed that only the mothers were coming from today.
But there was a sense of tension among the young noblewomen.
Was it not just a simple gathering of parents?
Looking around to see if she had missed something again today, her eyes went to the large window outside the conference room that was clearly visible.
In the middle of the distant plaza, a group of people in white from head to toe was flickering.
The unusual attire was somewhat familiar, and as she tried to get a closer look by approaching the window,
"Lucia, over here! Over here!"
"……?"
Turning around at the sound of someone calling her, she saw the two ladies she had talked to at the entrance ceremony, Julie, and Marien, all at one table.
And they were pointing to the remaining empty seat at the table.
They seemed to have become friends at some point, and they were chatting as they occupied the table together.
Lucia confirmed that the white group she had seen far away by the window had disappeared and went to sit in the empty seat.
'……I thought they were priests. Did I see wrong.'
From head to toe, and even the white mask.
As far as Lucia knew, people in that attire were priests of the Temple of the Goddess Asir.
But they had disappeared after a short while, so she didn't know if she had seen them properly, and since it was the first day and the class would end quickly, she would pick her up together and decided not to think about it anymore.
Finishing her thoughts and lifting her head, she was startled by the eyes that had turned into flounders.
"Lucia."
"Yes?"
"We all know."
"......?"
The four married women became agitated at Lucia's blank expression, which truly seemed to indicate she didn't know.
"Leon escorted you in that chaos that day! We all saw it!"
"Exactly. Just tell us a little bit. What's the relationship?"
"That's right, Lucia. You can remarry at a young age! If it's with Leon, that's a real jackpot?!"
"That's right, hohoho!"
Lucia was surprised to hear their words and looked at Julie, who was nonchalantly bringing up remarriage, and Marien, whose cheekbones were reaching for the sky.
Remarriage?
It was one thing for two women she had only met once to misunderstand, but shouldn't they be careful about saying such things here?
It wasn't like they were unaware of the situation.
That's right. Here was another person who wanted her to have an active love life.
Julie Berna.
She knew that Gilli was hiding her status for the sake of her child, and that Cezar had even been mobilized to connect the two of them to her friend Marien.
Julie, on the contrary, was encouraging the atmosphere even more with a heart of support because she knew the situation well.
Lucia was sending signals with her eyes, but Julie completely ignored them and laughed heartily.
Like Marien, she seemed to want Leon's innocent crush to come true... or maybe she just found it fun.
Lucia then gave up on everything.
If only those foolish members hadn't come, there would have been no reason to allow him to escort her, but as a result, she was indebted to Leon.
Lucia hadn't expected such a scandalous rumor to spread about him, and she eventually became uncomfortable and decided to correct this rumor.
"It's not like that."
"Then? Then, why? Why did you go together?"
But what should she say? Should she say there was something going on with the royal guard?
Then the average mother would ask what business a royal guard had with her. Then the problem would be back to square one.
Should she say she went with him to borrow money from the Marquess family? No. Nia would look too pathetic.
"......That's..."
She had denied it in a moment of haste, but she couldn't think of a proper reason.
It was then that the sound of a microphone being turned on echoed from the platform.
As everyone focused on the platform at the sound, Marquess Norzia, the Director, stood there with a stiff expression.
"First of all, on this exciting day, I would like to address the unfortunate incident that occurred at the entrance ceremony."
"The Eldarion Academy's attached kindergarten has a system where children can enter through donations, and we have received information that the parents of a child who met the criteria illegally raised the donation money. We have taken expulsion measures accordingly, and we apologize for the confusion that occurred yesterday."
As she politely apologized, applause echoed loudly in the conference room.
The reason people were so moved was probably because the Marquess, a powerful figure in the Empire, had bowed her head politely.
A Marquess of her status didn't have to apologize for such a thing, but she was indeed as upright and humble as she had appeared in the interview.
Seeing that, Lucia felt guilty again.
Even though he was the son who had constantly warned and threatened Lucia, he was using the gift well as a result and even helping her, so she was concerned that rumors about her might cause problems.
Lucia became even more uncomfortable with the gazes of the noblewomen who were glaring at her.
"Now, then. Let's decide on the parent representatives for each class as scheduled."
'Parent representatives?'
Hearing those words, Lucia finally understood the tense atmosphere.
They were clapping their hands in admiration just a moment ago, but now all the mothers were shining with eager faces.
"Our Eldarion Academy's attached kindergarten receives considerable support from the Imperial Family, so the tasks you will be responsible for may not be significant, but we still need help when events are held, so please actively support us."
There was a stir, and one or two people from each table stood up and stated their family names.
"Dove Class, the Literin family supports."
"Duck Class, the Popin family supports."
Two people from Lucia's table volunteered.
She hadn't noticed at the entrance ceremony because there was no opportunity, but now that she thought about it, the Literin and Popin families were somewhat familiar names.
'Mera Literin, Serdin Popin...'
"And I recommend this person."
Mera and Serdin winked at her.
Lucia's pupils shook violently as she watched them quietly.
