Huff. I took a deep breath and knocked on the large executive council room door with its gold embossed relief.
– Knock knock.
As if it were a door enchanted with magic, it opened smoothly from inside without a sound. Tensely fastening my uniform cape properly, I slowly walked inside.
Inside were several professors whose faces I knew, and there were also several elderly people with intimidating impressions, including Cedric.
Most of the professors and executives at the Imperial Academy were retired high-ranking nobles or imperial family members, so they were quite old and gave off a strong feeling of being masters with deep experience.
If I were to compare them to South Korea, should I say they had strong presence like top-tier instructors? They said you had to select people with such strong impressions for the young noble children who weren’t even dry behind the ears to listen well.
“Mr. Mellans.”
“Yes.”
Lady Kitty, who taught culture and etiquette, called me intimidatingly.
“How did I teach you to always treat ladies?”
Ah. Jaina Fellox. Damn. I immediately got a sense of why they called me.
“…Well.”
I just rolled my eyes around before answering, and then I heard a big sigh, “Haah.”
“No, not just ‘well’ but ‘very well’…?”
I heard sighs not just from Lady Kitty but from others too. An old man with a goat beard solemnly asked from over there.
“Mr. Mellans. Is it true that you tore up Freshman Jaina Fellox’s birthday party invitation in a public place where everyone could see?”
Damn it.
“Yes. I… seem to have done… that.”
I answered while strangling mini-Cesare’s neck and swinging him around in my head. Mini-Cesare sobbed, going “waaah waaah.”
My heart softened again and while I was sucking away the crying guy’s tears to comfort him and even covering him with a down comforter, the people seriously whispered among themselves.
“There are many witnesses, so it seems to be true.”
“If Mr. Mellans were a noble, this would have been a serious matter that could lead to a duel between families.”
“So we have decided to discipline you.”
At the word discipline, I stopped patting and pressed mini-Cesare down with the down comforter. Die from the heat in that steamer, you bastard.
Wait. If it’s discipline, does that mean expulsion? If I get expelled, I can escape from Cesare, right? Thinking it might be a breakthrough, I looked at the old men with sparkling eyes.
“However, since this is the Imperial Academy that values learning, we won’t give a harsh punishment because we hope Mr. Mellans will reflect.”
You look so scary but you’re too kind!
Isn’t this the kind of place where an expulsion decision should be made and serious conflict should arise in a trashy romance fantasy? While I was dumbfounded by this, one stern-looking old man said:
“As punishment, we prohibit Mr. Mellans from participating in the homecoming dance party.”
Phew. Still, this much is okay. I don’t need to go to some dance party anyway. I opened up mini-Cesare’s airways again.
“And while looking at Mr. Mellans’ records, we discovered that your guardian has never once visited the academy.”
I’m anxious.
“So we plan to summon Mr. Mellans’ guardian during this homecoming to have a separate meeting about your future attitude.”
Kyaaaaa!
Only then, with fire dropping on my feet, did I quickly start begging the people pathetically.
“I-I’m… really sorry. I’ll make absolutely sure nothing like that happens again from now on, so please, please just retract that…!”
“No. You should have thought before doing such a thing. All actions have consequences, Mr. Mellans.”
It wasn’t even something I did!
“I’d rather do community service cleaning classrooms! I can help out at the chapel too, and I can join the choir! I’m really, really good at singing. Please, just not the guardian…!”
Pfft. At the sound of someone bursting into laughter, I whipped my head around to see Cedric holding back laughter. Is my pain funny to you? When I glared at him with a tearful face, he hurriedly turned his gaze away with a slightly flustered expression.
“Additionally, sincerely apologize to Miss Jaina Fellox and transcribe this 15 times about what etiquette and attitude you should show toward ladies.”
It was a pink booklet thrown down with a thud. It was a book with embarrassingly childish male-female etiquette titled <Lady, Shall I Pull Out Your Chair?>.
It so blatantly said “For Ages 5.”
“Now return to class.”
“Ye-es……”
The book’s childish illustrations of one round steamed bun wearing pants and one round steamed bun wearing a skirt going “haha hoho” while pulling out a chair were so absurd and frustrating I could barely breathe.
As if being called an Inseu wasn’t enough, I had to do this too.
Since it’s so infuriating, I’m determined to hear the words “cute Rye” from Cesare’s mouth at least five times today.
* * *
When I offered the most expensive lobster croquette lunch box to Rossi wearing round glasses, he shyly accepted it.
“Um, Lionel…. Thanks. I’ll eat well.”
“No. I’m the one who’s grateful. Who else would I show this kind of thing to?”
I also picked up a lobster croquette, put it in my mouth, and let out a deep sigh. In front of me was the etiquette book for 5-year-olds.
The amount was too overwhelming to transcribe 15 times alone, so I tried to ask for help but there weren’t any suitable guys.
Honestly, if it were just an etiquette book, I would have asked Cain or William to do it together, but it was obvious what they’d tease me with after seeing this book for 5-year-olds.
In the end, while looking for a suitable sucker, I spotted Rossi. Afraid that Cain might barge in at any moment if I did it in my room, I was using lunch time to transcribe the etiquette book in Rossi’s room.
“Rossi. I’m really wronged.”
“But I’m not Rossi….”
“I really can’t even remember if I tore up the invitation because my mind went slightly crazy then?!”
“I see….”
“Even the homecoming dance party attendance ban is fine. But summoning my guardian, isn’t that too much? I feel like they’re looking down on me because I’m a commoner!”
“But Countess Cicero isn’t a commoner….”
This guy is surprisingly sharp? As expected, he’s not a bookworm for nothing, I thought while awkwardly fumbling with my words.
“Anyway, we’re of commoner origin.”
I felt self-loathing while writing the sentence ‘A gentleman must not carelessly grab a lady’s hand first!’
Aunt Belitia thinks I’m studying hard at the academy, but if she finds out I tore up a lady’s letter, how shocked would that gentle person be?
Actually, the worry wasn’t about getting scolded but concern for my aunt’s health. Aunt Belitia was a person of such a gentle nature.
‘Her health isn’t good either….’
Surely that gentle woman would be quite shocked by my attitude.
“Done writing? I’m turning the page.”
“Yeah.”
The next sentence was ‘Oh my, it’s already mealtime.’
“Can I come write in the evening too?”
“But I’m a bit busy this evening….”
“Why?”
Rossi adjusted his glasses while mumbling.
“I have chess club business. We have a friendly match with Roswell Academy next week….”
Roswell Academy? Wait, isn’t that where the female lead was? My eyes suddenly opened wide. The friendly chess match was content with a bit of a happening in the story too.
The female lead, who suddenly came to the Imperial Academy, had also been in the chess club at Roswell, and in the friendly match she specially joined the Roswell side to play the chess finals against Cedric.
The result was the female lead’s victory. It was an incident where Cedric, who liked smart people, fell so hard he became the female lead’s doormat.
‘I should definitely check whether the female lead is there or not?’
Addiction aside, I needed to be certain whether this was going according to the original or not. First of all, because the female lead and Cedric knew the location of the holy artifact.
‘They said the female lead was also in Roswell’s chess club, so I just need to look through those kids.’
I glanced sideways at Rossi.
“Then you’ll go to Roswell next week?”
“Yeah. The entire chess club leaves Friday afternoon. Actually, I don’t really want to go. It’s tiring.”
“Rossi. I really want to see you play. Can I come cheer you on?!”
Rossi blushed and adjusted his glasses.
“Sorry. I don’t play. I’m in charge of game analysis. The players are separate.”
Game analysis? What’s game analysis? Anyway, he’s saying he doesn’t play, right?
I quickly glanced at Rossi. Wheat-colored blonde hair, about the same height as me. With shaggy bangs….
Ugh. I really didn’t want to wear those glasses ever again.
“Rossi. I’m so happy we’re friends.”
“Th-thanks. But I’m not Rossi….”
“Friend! I have one more request of a lifetime! Do you need more allowance money by any chance?!”
I grasped Rossi’s hands with a beaming smile.
