1

On the day of Steen University’s graduation ceremony, right after the ceremony ended.

Connie Clarence, who was crossing the lawn plaza where the graduation ceremony had been held, inadvertently grabbed Ethan Schwab’s sleeve as he was about to pass by her.

“Connie…… Clarence?”

Ethan Schwab, whose eyes seemed to widen slightly after having his sleeve suddenly grabbed, asked as if confirming Connie’s name. Connie felt goosebumps from her chin to her ears, and her heart seemed to race.

Just the fact that he knew her name felt like a reward for her three years of unrequited love.

“Connie Clarence, right?”

Ethan confirmed once more if he remembered her name correctly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Did you have something to tell me?”

Ethan asked, glancing down at his sleeve still held in Connie’s hand.

“Oh! Sorry.”

Connie was startled, suddenly realizing she had been holding onto his clothes all this time, and let go.

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about, but why did you grab me?”

Ethan smiled with what seemed like a soft light emanating from him.

“Ah…… well……”

Today was graduation day, so she wouldn’t have a chance to see him again. Grabbing him without any plan was probably because of that. Because today was the last day she could see him.

Anyway, Ethan Schwab belonged to a different world from Connie’s. They had only the smallest connection of being classmates at Steen University, but in their future lives, they would never have even a chance to cross paths.

Still, grabbing him so abruptly like this, as if she were about to confess…

What? Confess? That’s ridiculous, a confession?

“Connie?”

Ethan called out to Connie—who had startled at her own train of thought—affectionately by just her ‘name,’ as if calling an old friend. As if he would kindly listen to whatever she had to say. As if anything she said would be okay.

Should she confess? Would that be all right?

Yes! She wouldn’t see him again after today anyway. It wasn’t like she was asking him to date her, it was just a confession. Wouldn’t it be okay to reveal the feelings she had kept hidden for three years just once?

Was it because his cheerful face and eyes with their slightly downturned outer corners looked like permission to confess?

“Ethan Schwab, actually I……”

Connie’s mouth was already opening as unexpected courage welled up inside her.

“Ah, sorry!”

But Ethan, who had been looking down at Connie with relaxed, affectionate eyes and kindly waiting for her words, suddenly interrupted.

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry, but could we talk again later? I think I need to go urgently right now.”

“Oh…… s-sure……”

No sooner had Connie’s reluctant answer fallen than Ethan ran past her, and at his destination stood a woman Connie knew well. That woman, Hazel Gracious, who had been Ethan’s official girlfriend for the past two years but was rumored to have unilaterally broken up with him a few days before graduation.

Looking at the scene now, it seemed one fact should be added to that rumor. Even though Hazel Gracious had broken up with Ethan, he still only had eyes for that woman. To Connie, who had secretly watched Ethan for three years, his emotions seemed completely transparent.

‘What was I about to do?’

Watching Ethan desperately following Hazel Gracious as she turned away with a cold expression, the fact that she had almost grabbed him and confessed felt so terrifying that she was breaking into a cold sweat.

How bewildered would that man, who still only loved that beautiful woman, have been if he had received a confession from someone whose name he barely remembered?

Fortunately, Hazel Gracious had entered Ethan’s field of vision at that moment. Otherwise, she might have wanted to bury even her precious memories of unrequited love beneath the campus lawn, turning them into memories she’d want to forget.

“Ethan Schwab, I liked you.”

Connie murmured, looking at Ethan.

Though her solitary confession was heartbreaking, she also thought it was for the best. Since no one had heard it, there would be no words of rejection, no embarrassment to face—a perfectly clean and beautiful confession.

“Goodbye, take care.”

After saying farewell as if putting a period on her three years of unrequited love, she was about to head toward the dormitory when she paused.

She remembered that she needed to return her cap and graduation gown to the student union building.

She turned to go right where the student union was located, but immediately stopped in her tracks.

There was something large behind the tree on her right. No, not something…… but ‘someone’!

Connie froze at the sudden discovery of the figure. Then the ‘someone’ who had been behind the tree stepped sideways to stand in front of her.

As Connie tilted her head slightly, wondering who it was……

‘Oh my……’

She covered her mouth with one hand. Why was he……

The man standing behind the tree trunk was the prince. Prince Ryan Stanton, the sole heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Greet. As a Steen University graduate, he had attended the graduation ceremony to give a congratulatory speech for his juniors, and Connie, who had been sitting in the front row, had seen his face up close. Now meeting him like this, she could recognize him as the prince at a glance.

He’s definitely the prince, but why was the prince here……

“Ah……”

After momentarily wondering about the prince’s sudden appearance, Connie couldn’t help but let out a sigh as she belatedly realized something.

If the prince had been standing there all this time, he would have heard her confession to herself.

‘No……’

“I seem to have startled you. I apologize.”

Maybe he hadn’t heard?

“I didn’t mean to listen, but I missed the timing to go another way.”

He heard……! He didn’t mean to listen, but in the end, he heard everything.

Her perfectly clean and beautiful confession had instantly become an embarrassing and awkward one. She could feel her face burning.

“No. It’s fine. Your Highness, I…… I should be going now. It was an honor to meet you.”

Although it wasn’t his fault that he had heard her confession, Connie wanted to disappear from in front of this prince as quickly as possible.

“Ah, just a moment, Miss Connie Clarence.”

Connie’s legs froze.

‘Miss Connie Clarence?’

Ah! He must have heard and remembered her name when Ethan was confirming it?

Sigh, oh no! So this prince knows that Steen University graduate ‘Connie Clarence’ made a love confession to ‘Ethan Schwab.’

But the prince was even less likely to see her again than Ethan, and he only remembered her name because he had just heard it—by tomorrow he wouldn’t even remember her name. No, in a few days, he would forget that a woman named ‘Connie Clarence’ even existed in this world.

So she just needed to endure this brief embarrassment.

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Connie turned toward the prince, trying to regain her reason and composure.

“Congratulations on your graduation.”

“……?”

“I wanted to say that to you.”

“……Thank you?”

His words were so unexpected that the end of her response unintentionally rose in pitch.

Because he was a university senior? Or was it a congratulation from the prince of this country to a citizen who had graduated from university? Or was it because she was a woman of unrequited love who had just confessed and had been witnessed by a third party?

It seemed a bit strange that someone she had just met, especially the prince of this country, would congratulate her on her graduation as if they had known each other for a long time, but Connie eventually bowed her head to him before heading toward the dormitory as if escaping. Only when she reached the dormitory building did she realize she had forgotten to return her cap and gown.

⁕⁕⁕

“Connie Clarence.”

Ryan murmured her name as he watched Connie running quickly with her graduation cap in one hand and her diploma in the other, her graduation gown fluttering.

Today was the first time he had seen her. But her name was already so familiar to him. Connie Clarence was the first reader to send him a fan letter. Of course, Connie would never know that the author she had sent a fan letter to was the prince of this country.

In fact, he had accepted the university president’s request to give a congratulatory speech at the graduation ceremony because of Connie. In her most recent letter, she had mentioned that she was graduating from university today. She hadn’t said which university, but Steen University was the only one holding a graduation ceremony today.

Since writing was his secret, he hadn’t necessarily thought about meeting Connie Clarence when he came to the graduation ceremony. He simply thought it was worth giving a graduation speech just knowing that among the graduates sitting in the ceremony hall was Connie, who had liked his writing before anyone else.

He knew how hard she had studied with her not-so-good brain to graduate from university.

That’s why he was so surprised when the name ‘Connie Clarence’ was called as the top academic achiever, and he saw that small, delicate woman with attention-grabbing hair that was either pink or silver walking up to the podium.

To think that she had studied so hard not just to safely graduate, but to be the top student at Steen University of all places.

The honor of being Steen University’s top graduate was something even he hadn’t achieved. He had lost to that genius-like guy, Eric.

In fact, wasn’t Connie Clarence the first woman to achieve this?

Anyway, contrary to his plans, since he had seen her face, he had intended to return straight to the palace after the graduation ceremony. But somehow he felt a bit regretful. If possible, he wanted to at least personally congratulate her on her graduation.

He swore, unlike what Connie had imagined, it wasn’t because she was surprisingly cute and pretty. No, absolutely not! It was because she was, in the small sense, his most precious reader as an author, and in the larger sense, a citizen of his kingdom.

That’s why he deliberately watched her leave the graduation hall and waited. Even if he couldn’t tell her ‘I am the author you like,’ he at least wanted to say that she had worked hard studying for four years.

However, just as he was about to approach Connie, she grabbed the graduation gown sleeve of a man who happened to be passing by. Her face was flushed red, her gaze trembling.

Anyone could see it was the expression and look directed at someone she liked. Her emotions were so obvious it was almost uncomfortable to watch.

But fortunately, the man left without hearing her confession.

‘……?!’

Ryan frowned as he recalled that moment and realized that he had actually ‘felt relieved.’

It wasn’t ‘relief’ but ‘pity.’

Yes, thinking about it again, his emotion was definitely ‘pity.’

It was natural to feel sorry for the woman who had expressed such active affection for his writing, saying ‘Author, I love your writing,’ but couldn’t even confess to the man she had a crush on.

His eyes moved toward the man who had left without even hearing the confession. That man named ‘Ethan Schwab’ was talking to some woman.

Even his name is unremarkable. What could she possibly see in him?

Miss Connie Clarence, you seem to have poor taste in men. And yet you lie so well.

[Author, I don’t think I’m very smart. It seems like I need to study for three hours for what others can learn in two. That’s probably why I’m always busy. I’m worried because I need to do well on my exams.]

That’s what she wrote in her letter.

And that wasn’t the only lie she had told.

[I’m skinny and small with an appearance that doesn’t stand out much, so I can attend school quietly, almost unnoticed. For someone like me who doesn’t even have enough time to study, this ordinary appearance is an advantage in its own way.]

She probably told such lies thinking I would never see her face.

Still, Miss Connie Clarence, wasn’t that too much of a lie?

Ryan shook his head as he recalled Connie’s face.

Well, since we’ll never meet again, what does her appearance matter anyway?

Ryan started walking back to the palace with a faint smile at his own meaningless thoughts. However, after just a few steps, he stopped and looked in the direction where Connie had disappeared.

A lie, huh……

His pen name was ‘Leonie,’ a name commonly used for women. He had deliberately chosen a female name to hide his identity as a prince……

Hmm…… Maybe I should have just used a common male name.

For the first time, he regretted choosing the wrong pen name.

⁕⁕⁕

[Connie Clarence.

I’m glad to hear you’re going straight to the Steen Foundation School where the staff residence is located. You didn’t have to spend any money while at university since you received scholarships and lived in the dormitory, but you must not forget that you, originally a commoner, were able to enter Steen University thanks to the noble name of Clarence.

And one more thing. You must not forget the kindness I showed by feeding and raising you from age twelve to seventeen after your commoner father died and I adopted you.

Even though you are my only deceased sister’s blood relative, and considering the affection I developed while raising you, I have waited without asking for anything until now, but now that you have a job, shouldn’t you repay that kindness?

When you receive your salary, send 100 grans home every month. We’ll gradually increase the amount as your salary increases.

From your father, Francis Clarence.]

Connie frowned as she reread the letter from Viscount Francis Clarence.

She was scheduled to teach children at Steen Elementary School starting next month.

But if a new teacher’s salary was 110 grans, and he was asking her to send 100 grans, how was she supposed to live?

Moreover, to say she entered university thanks to a noble name……

The Steen Foundation owned everything from elementary school to university and was the largest private educational foundation in the Kingdom of Greet. Established by the Steen marquis family, which had accumulated great wealth since the early days of the kingdom’s founding, it was a prestigious private institution where royal and noble children who entered the elementary school continued all the way through university.

Especially in the case of Steen University, through the Steen family’s continuous investment, they had consistently recruited excellent Teachers, making it recognized as a prestigious university not only within the Kingdom of Greet but also attracting international students from neighboring countries.

As a result, even students from Steen High School were given only slight priority and couldn’t automatically advance; they needed excellent grades to be admitted.

Of course, as with anywhere, there were exceptions, and some students were admitted regardless of grades by making large donations.

The letter’s claim that she was able to enter because of her uncle’s noble name, ‘Clarence’, must have been referring to such cases, but this was truly an absurd assertion.

Just as there were students who entered through donations, there were also a very small number of poor students who entered with scholarships due to their outstanding grades, and Connie was one of those scholarship students. Unlike her cousin Elaina, who was the same age and the biological daughter of her uncle.

Elaina had truly entered through a donation. Connie didn’t know how her uncle, who always claimed to be short on money, could afford such a donation.

Connie had never missed a single scholarship from admission to graduation for four years, and she had maintained top grades to the extent that even her dormitory was provided free of charge.

This was the result of studying while saving not only sleep time but even eating time, for someone who had neither tuition money nor a place to live.

The university had urged her to stay and continue her studies, but Connie couldn’t make that choice.

Even if she didn’t have to pay tuition, dormitory accommodations were not provided to non-undergraduate students.

Of course, the bigger reason was her uncle, who had been waiting only for her university graduation. He demanded that she earn money as soon as possible to repay the money he had spent raising her and the debt her father had left behind.

She had worked as a maid every single day until she escaped from that house, yet there was still debt……

Despite her disbelief, she sighed.

It was all too easy to imagine what kind of abuse her uncle would inflict if she said she couldn’t send that much.

Anyway, in a situation where she had to send at least some money to meet her uncle’s demands, even if difficult, as soon as she graduated, it was impossible to pay rent as well. In her circumstances, a teaching position at the Steen Foundation was the best option. The Steen Foundation provided quite high compensation to secure excellent teachers, and also offered free staff housing if the teacher wanted it.

Moreover, thanks to the Steen University president’s introduction to the foundation’s chairman, she was hired on the condition that she would be converted to a regular teacher after just a one-year probation period. The Steen Foundation was famous for its long probationary process, taking up to five years before hiring as a regular teacher. But she was offered special conditions because she was the top graduate of Steen University, the most prestigious university.

Anyway, she was now entering a new phase different from before. She was stepping into society not as a student but as a working adult, and becoming a teacher fully responsible for an entire class, not just one or two students. Fortunately, teaching children wasn’t completely unfamiliar to her. Although she didn’t need to pay tuition or dormitory fees, she still needed living expenses, so she had worked as a tutor throughout her university life, and had completed teaching courses to meet the employment conditions.

‘Connie Clarence! You can do it!’

She cheered herself on repeatedly in her mind. By earning money, someday she would be able to repay all her debts to her uncle and completely sever ties with that house. Until now, she had lived without forming relationships, focusing only on studying and tutoring to maintain her scholarship, but from now on, she might be able to meet new people and live a new life.

Her heart swelled with excitement about new encounters as much as with tension about the future.

‘Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t sent a letter to the author for too long.’

Suddenly, she realized that she hadn’t been able to send a letter to Author Leonie, to whom she had been regularly writing, because she had been busy preparing for graduation and employment.

I should also let her know about my employment……

Yes, even though it’s urgent, I should do that first!

Although she had just moved into the staff residence yesterday and hadn’t completely finished cleaning her room, let alone preparing for her first day of work, Connie decided to send a greeting letter to the author first and began writing, pressing her pen firmly against the paper.

⁕⁕⁕

[Author Leonie, it’s been a while since I’ve greeted you.

Are you staying healthy?

It’s still hot during the day, but perhaps autumn is approaching as cool breezes blow in the mornings and evenings. So if you happen to go out for a walk in the evening while writing, I recommend taking at least a thin sweater with you. It would be unfair to catch a cold in this weather. They say colds come when you let your guard down.

Ah, have I given too presumptuous advice? I’m sorry. But whenever I think of you, for some reason I keep thinking of the mother I’ve never seen.]

“Connie. This woman is at it again.”

Ryan frowned as he read the letter he had been waiting for from Connie Clarence.

This was the first contact after a very long time since Connie Clarence’s previous letter, and this woman’s misunderstanding, which hadn’t bothered him much before and had even seemed amusing, now suddenly felt unpleasant.

No, to be more precise, this misunderstanding had started to bother him since he met her directly at the Steen University graduation ceremony.

Connie Clarence seemed convinced that he was a middle-aged woman from the very first day she sent a letter.

It made sense that she thought he was a woman since ‘Leonie’ is a female name. But it was incomprehensible why she thought he was middle-aged or older. In fact, the pen name ‘Leonie’ was taken from the name of a truly small and pretty little girl who wasn’t even ten years old!

[I’m sorry for contacting you after such a long time. Actually, I’ve just gotten a job and have been a bit busy. I wanted to let you know that I’ll be starting my first day of work in a few days, so I’m writing this letter.

Ah…… you’re asking what job I got? Ta-da! I’ve become a teacher. I got a job as a teacher at a school in the capital. I wrote in a previous letter that I was taking teaching courses, but I’m not sure if you remember. I had been preparing to be a teacher for a while, and I was really fortunate to get a job right after graduation.

The new semester starts in September. So I have only a few days left before I stand at the podium.

Oh, I seem to be talking too much about myself today. I think I’m a bit excited about becoming a working adult for the first time, not a student. Last night I was so nervous that I couldn’t sleep well. It could also be because I just moved yesterday and the bed was unfamiliar.

Anyway, so I took out your book and read it again, and my goodness! I planned to read just a little before sleeping, but I ended up reading it all the way through. After finishing, my neck was even a bit stiff. As you probably already guessed, I’m not yet at an age where my neck joints should be strained.]

It’s not a guess, I’ve already seen you. I’ve seen your neck too, so thin it looked like it might break if lightly tapped.

[I really can’t help but love your writing. I’m still curious about what kind of person you are, who writes such newly entertaining and beautiful writing every time I read it. So actually, when I meet a beautiful lady on the street, I imagine if she might be you.

Ah! The ‘beauty’ I’m thinking of doesn’t necessarily mean appearance. When I see a mother smiling warmly at a cute baby in a stroller, or middle-aged women showing kindness to poor people, I think they are beautiful.

I’m sorry for imagining you on my own, but I can’t help but imagine that someone who writes such beautiful writing must have such a beautiful smile and character.

I heard from the bookstore that your new work will be out soon. I’m so excited and looking forward to it. I wonder what precious and valuable book will come out this time. Do you know that my expectations for your new work are as high as my expectations for my new life as a working adult?

From Connie Clarence, who can’t help but love you because I love your writing so much, in a small staff residence room attached to an elementary school.

P.S. Author, always take care of your eye health. Eyesight management is really essential for authors.]

“Ha! This woman, really.”

Baby’s mother? Middle-aged woman? Eye health, eyesight management?

It was absurd. Connie Clarence seemed to think he was not just a middle-aged woman, but now possibly a baby’s mother or, deep down, maybe even an elderly lady.

Even so, a baby’s mother was too much, Connie Clarence.

The fact that he was an author was a secret known to no one except a single person, Eric, who worked as his aide. That’s why he had included the P.O. box number set up by Eric in the author introduction, but he had never sent a reply and had always intended not to. If he needed to hide his identity, there was a high possibility that lies would inevitably be included in the reply. He didn’t want to write a dishonest reply to his most precious reader.

That had been the case, but……

Ryan tapped Connie’s letter spread out on the desk with his index finger.

It seemed the time had come to change his no-reply policy.

Ryan called his aide, Eric.

“Eric, are there many schools with staff residences for teachers? Elementary schools, I mean.”

“Staff residences? Hmm…… well, if we survey the entire kingdom, there might be a few, but I don’t think there are many. But why are you asking about this?”

Eric tended to ask a lot of pointed questions.

“Really? Not many?”

Ryan pretended not to hear Eric’s question and continued asking what he was curious about.

“Yes, as far as I know, there’s probably only one even in Barfal. That’s the school you and I graduated from, Your Highness. Only the Steen Foundation, which has money to burn and aggressively scouts good talent, would provide staff residences. It’s actually quite rare.”

“Steen School?”

“Don’t you remember? When Your Highness and I were fighting in front of the teachers’ residence behind the school building……”

Ryan and Eric were schoolmates who first met at the age of seven when they entered school and attended Steen Foundation schools together for five years of elementary school, two years of middle school, four years of high school, and even university.

Ryan, who became a prince and aide, and Eric, the second son of a duke’s family, had become so close that they would occasionally return to being friends, shedding their status and position, but during elementary school, they were so at odds that they would fight at the mere meeting of eyes.

“Ah! I remember. That’s the day you got beaten by me.”

“No, as I recall, Your Highness was the one who……”

“I hit you ten times, you hit me seven times, so you got beaten by me.”

“As I recall……”

“Your memory has always been poor, which is why you never studied as well as I did. That’s not the issue—so there was a staff residence at Steen Elementary School.”

“No, Your Highness, what absurd……”

“Shh, be quiet.”

Ryan forcibly silenced the indignant Eric and tapped his forehead with his index finger.

A few seconds later, Ryan gave instructions to Eric, whose mouth was hanging open.

“Eric, find out if there are any newly appointed teachers at the Steen Foundation’s elementary school this year.”

⁕⁕⁕

Two hours after ordering the investigation, Eric entered Ryan’s office with a confident stride.

“Did you find out?”

“Yes, there’s only one newly hired teacher at the Steen Foundation schools this year. A female teacher has been hired at Steen Elementary School.”

“The teacher’s name?”

“Your Highness, why did you suddenly order me to look into this? Please just do the work that you, as a prince, should be doing. It’s already overtime work for me to assist with your secret writing, and now this……”

Eric’s work processing ability was flawless to the point of being beyond reproach. However, due to his fastidious and prickly personality that couldn’t tolerate anything unless it was handled neatly, he never let anything pass without comment.

Especially since Ryan had begun writing in secret, he had entrusted Eric with handling publishing-related matters, which might be why his nagging had increased and become more brazen. He was capable but nonetheless a noisy and demanding fellow.

“Sir Eric Gosling, just report.”

At times like this, suppressing him with princely authority was the quickest method of control.

“Hmph! The name is Connie Clarence, 22 years old, born in October.”

So it really was Steen School. She was right nearby.

Confirming the exact school name made me feel strangely at ease. I was also satisfied that she hadn’t left the capital for somewhere else. Well, it’s not like I would ever meet her again anyway.

“But Your Highness. Connie Clarence, did you already know about her when you ordered me to investigate?”

Eric asked with a face full of discontent.

Since Connie Clarence’s name had come up, it was inevitable that he would ask that question. This name that emerged during the investigation was one Eric knew as well. All too well.

Being Ryan’s first and most devoted fan, it was a name Eric couldn’t possibly be unfamiliar with, especially as someone who helped with publication dates.

“Sir Gosling, just faithfully report what you investigated. Keep your superior’s thoughts to yourself.”

I shut him down firmly, anticipating his questioning attitude, and sure enough, Eric’s dagger-like eyes stabbed into my forehead.

Whatever.

Ignoring him and waiting, Eric finally returned his gaze to his report.

“She’s the daughter of Viscount Clarence and graduated from Steen University this year. She set a rare record of entering with top honors and graduating with top honors, and seems to have been specially recruited by the Steen Foundation. Well, as Your Highness knows, reflecting on my experience as a senior top graduate of Steen University, she must have maintained the highest grades throughout her university years.”

This is why I have no choice but to keep Eric by my side, nagging me like a wife I’ve lived with for 18 years. His competence in bringing back ten pieces of information when asked for one. It was truly an ability that seemed to proclaim, ‘I am this country’s advisor.’

Eric paused his report and looked at Ryan with half-closed, arrogant eyes, as if to say, ‘How’s my skill?’

To think I’d have to see that smug face for 18 years. I really had no idea back then that I’d be stuck with this insufferable guy for that long, from our first year at Steen Elementary School until now.

So Connie Clarence was top of her class from her admission? This woman is truly an incredible liar. There’s nothing wrong with her intelligence.

“Aren’t you going to continue the report?”

“Height 163cm, weight 43kg, hair is pinkish silver, eyes are blue, face shape……”

What? Did this guy actually go see Connie in person?

“That’s enough.”

Somehow, as Eric started describing Connie’s appearance, I suddenly felt extremely unpleasant.

I already know her appearance.

She’s pretty. Cute too. Completely my type…… Wait, what am I saying?

“Your taste is strange, Your Highness.”

Eric looked at Ryan with eyes that seemed half-raised.

“What?”

Ryan’s voice shook slightly as he reflexively questioned Eric’s comment. He wondered if he had spoken his inner thoughts aloud.

“I mean, why did you order an investigation on an elementary school teacher? And it seems you already knew she was Connie Clarence. Is giving me extra work Your Highness’s new hobby?”

“Ah……”

I thought he meant something else.

“Your Highness, don’t tell me that your insistence on giving the graduation speech at Steen University last time was also because of this Connie Clarence……”

“I understand, now leave.”

Ryan cut off Eric’s sharp speculation.

Connie Clarence.

A teacher at Steen Elementary School……

So that’s it.

Hmm…… Come to think of it, didn’t Daniella almost enroll in Steen Elementary School?

Ryan suddenly remembered that he had an adorable and precious little sister eighteen years his junior.

Of course, he also remembered that his parents, who had been debating whether to enroll the frail Daniella or hire a private tutor, ultimately decided on a private tutor, but……

It’s a school everyone attends at that age.

It’s not like Daniella has a chronic illness or anything.

Actually, rather than raising her like a flower in a greenhouse, wouldn’t it be better for her to enter an educational institution to build both immunity and social skills? There’s a term ‘school age’ for a reason. It means it’s time to go to school.

Whether Connie Clarence was a teacher at Steen Elementary School or not, this was a judgment unrelated to that.

It was simply the optimal decision for his sister’s development and growth.

By the way, how are homeroom teachers assigned at Steen Elementary School?

Tap, tap, tap.

After tapping on his desk for a few minutes, Ryan rose from his seat and headed straight for his mother, the Queen’s, chambers.

It was time to play the role of an exemplary brother.

⁕⁕⁕

On the day of the first-grade entrance ceremony.

Connie was trying to calm herself as she waited for the children of Class 1-3, which she had been assigned, to arrive.

‘I can do this! I can do this!’

She needed to give herself a pep talk because she was nervous not only because it was her first day as a teacher, but also because she had been assigned to be a first-grade homeroom teacher.

And to add one more thing, because there was a princess in her class.

Usually, first-grade homeroom teachers are experienced educators, but this year there were no volunteers among the existing teachers, so breaking the long-standing practice, Connie was assigned.

〈Why aren’t there any teachers volunteering to be the homeroom teacher for Class 1-3 this year?〉

When the principal informed her of her grade and class assignment and explained the circumstances, Connie asked cautiously.

She was genuinely curious. Why was everyone specifically avoiding Class 1-3?

〈The princess suddenly decided to enroll in that class. The other classes are at full capacity, and since Class 3 is the last class with one fewer student, she was assigned there.〉

As soon as she heard the principal’s explanation, she understood.

〈As you might guess, not everyone wants to take charge of the princess. Well, our school has traditionally been the first choice for the royal family, so everyone does their best to teach if assigned, but in truth, Princess Daniella Stanton is such a precious person. Everyone finds it burdensome. I do feel somewhat sorry for you, Teacher Clarence, but according to our personnel regulations, existing teachers are given priority in choosing grades and classes.〉

A princess…… She was worried if she, as a new teacher, could handle someone even experienced teachers found burdensome.

But since the personnel regulations gave the last choice to newcomers, it couldn’t be helped.

But wait, do teachers get to choose their classes too?

She thought they might choose grades, but not classes……

It was strange, but since the principal himself said it was the school’s regulation, it wasn’t something to question.

Could it be that her embarrassing encounter with the prince at the graduation ceremony, someone she thought she’d never see again in her life, was a precursor to meeting his sister as a student?

〈The royal family was debating whether to enroll the princess or hire a private tutor, and they decided on her enrollment at the last moment.〉

The principal’s continued explanation made the situation even clearer.

The princess was the precious daughter miraculously born to Her Majesty the Queen. After giving birth to her first son, Prince Ryan Stanton, and being unable to have a second child for a long time, the Queen had given up on further childbearing when suddenly she had a daughter. Despite the Queen’s late pregnancy, the princess was born healthy, and the kingdom celebrated for days, showing how cherished she was.

However, perhaps not entirely free from the effects of the late pregnancy, the princess was prone to minor illnesses. That’s why they considered breaking the royal tradition of school enrollment and contemplated hiring a private tutor.

But ultimately, they decided on enrolling.

Nothing to be done about it! Now that it’s come to this, all I can do is accept reality and do my best!

It wasn’t just the princess’s presence that was burdensome. As a private school where most students were either nobility or from the economic upper class, the other children sitting here were also from very prominent families, she was told.

In fact, what made the princess particularly burdensome wasn’t just her status. It was more like the chain of associations that followed like linked sausages—the prince who came to mind with the princess, the scene where he overheard her confession, these memories that followed.

But well, what occasion would there be to meet a student’s brother?

Connie tried to think positively about the situation.

Just then, murmuring sounds began to come from the corridor.

It seemed the children had started arriving.

Now was the time to forget all these distracting thoughts and focus on getting through the day safely.

⁕⁕⁕

Connie guided all the children, including the princess who came holding the Queen’s hand, to find their seats. But even after all the guidance was complete, one seat remained empty.

Even though the school start time had passed by five minutes, the owner of that seat had not appeared.

The children, who had been alternating between staring at their teacher and looking back at their parents standing behind them, began to make increasingly louder noises and eventually started to get up from their seats.

So this is the limit of first-graders’ concentration.

It seemed she couldn’t wait for the late student any longer.

“Hello everyone? I’m Teacher Connie Clarence. Welcome to Class 1-3 of Steen Elementary School!”

Finally standing in front of the podium, Connie tensed her stomach to calm the nervousness-induced churning and gave her welcome greeting.

“I hate it!”

Suddenly, a child’s loud cry came from the front door, and……

“I hate it too, no, I hate it more. So be quiet!”

A grown man’s grumbling was heard.

And almost simultaneously, a man too young to be a father entered the classroom, holding the arm of a boy who looked similar to him. So what was that similarity? Was it because they both had red hair? They looked like beasts with fire on their heads. A very large beast and a very small beast.

“We’re a bit late, where should he sit?”

The very large beast asked Connie.

Finally, the owner of the empty seat had arrived.

“This is Callian Brightling.”

The man pointed to the struggling child with a nod.

Brightling? That Brightling?

While she might not know other nobles, Brightling was a name impossible not to know. They were known as the wealthiest family in the Kingdom of Greet, said to own so much real estate that one steps on Brightling land every two hours within the kingdom.

So the late child was their son……

“Over there, you can sit in that empty seat.”

Connie pointed to the seat next to the princess that had been empty until now.

“I hate it, I hate that place, I hate that seat. I hate school, and I hate you too, Uncle!”

Ah, so it’s his uncle, not his father.

The appearance that couldn’t possibly be seen as the child’s father was immediately explained.

As Callian struggled, his uncle simply tucked the child under his arm and strode purposefully to the seat Connie had indicated. The child’s flailing made him look like a puppet, such was the man’s unhindered movement.

Is that okay? Isn’t he handling him too roughly?

But since he was the child’s guardian, it was awkward to intervene, and truthfully, Callian was causing such a commotion that it seemed like he couldn’t be subdued any other way.

“I said I hate it…… I hate it, I hate…… Huh?”

But strangely, Callian, who had been forced into his seat, continued shouting but suddenly closed his mouth tightly, and as if under some spell, sat quietly in his place.

What’s going on?

While Callian’s sudden change in attitude was curious, the commotion had at least been settled for now. After Callian took his seat, his uncle looked around the classroom, moved to the back where the parents were standing, greeted the Queen, and stood beside her. He seemed to already be acquainted with the Queen.

The Queen’s expression didn’t look particularly bright as she received the greeting, but……

By the way, why did Callian’s attitude suddenly change?

Connie, who had been looking at the Queen and Callian’s uncle, now turned her gaze to Callian. The red-haired boy who had been causing a scene saying he hated everything was now sitting straighter than anyone else, looking at Princess Daniella, who was sitting properly with her back straight, looking only at her teacher, Connie. No, to be precise, he was only looking at the princess’s face.

Hmm…… Is it really okay?

Although she intuitively felt a bit uneasy, Connie eventually began the activities she had prepared.

The first-grade children were looking at her with bright, attentive eyes.

⁕⁕⁕

After the welcome greeting, calling the names of the twelve children, showing them their seats and lockers, and telling them to go home with their parents and meet again tomorrow, an hour had quickly passed. The entrance ceremony day only had that one hour of class, but Connie felt exhausted from just that time.

But far from rest, more intensive classes would start tomorrow, so she had to spend her time busily preparing not only for lessons but also for all the things that needed to be prepared at the beginning of the school year.

“Teacher Clarence, we have a meeting to attend.”

Teacher Anna, the homeroom teacher of the neighboring class, came to find Connie, who was busy attaching name tags to the children’s lockers.

It seemed the faculty meeting time had arrived.

A new vice principal was supposed to arrive today. According to Teacher Anna’s explanation, the new vice principal was the only son of the Steen family and had come as vice principal to gain experience before inheriting the Steen Foundation, so he was a young person with no teaching experience.

‘Even if he’s the foundation’s heir, can someone young and inexperienced fulfill the role of vice principal?’ There was some doubt, but it was just a private thought. Perhaps the heir to the foundation was inherently different from the start.

Since he’s the heir to the Steen Foundation, his surname must be Steen……

While thinking this, Connie’s eyes widened dramatically when she saw the young man entering with the principal.

Why, why is Ethan here?

The man who entered with the principal was Ethan Schwab. The very Ethan Schwab she had last seen on graduation day and thought she would never see again.

“Teachers, you’ve all worked hard today. Thank you for your efforts. First, let me introduce our new vice principal, Teacher Ethan Schwab.”

What, Vice Principal Ethan Schwab? In the midst of the confusion as the principal introduced Ethan, Connie’s eyes met with his. His eyes widened. It seemed Ethan also didn’t know that Connie had become a teacher at this school.

But Ethan, you weren’t as surprised as I am. Heir to the Steen Foundation? Why Ethan Schwab, not Ethan Steen?

Ethan gave Connie a barely perceptible smile before moving a few steps to the center and introducing himself. He said that he had just graduated from Steen University and had no experience, but would learn and work hard to help the teachers.

After Ethan’s introduction, during the principal’s and several teachers’ speeches, Connie tried not to look at Ethan and regained her composure as much as possible.

“Teacher Anna, how is Ethan Schwab…… Vice Principal Schwab is the heir to the Steen Foundation? His surname is different.”

While returning to the classroom after the meeting, Connie discreetly asked Teacher Anna.

“Oh! You didn’t know. It’s a famous story, why wouldn’t you know? Teacher Clarence, you really must have only studied and never looked at news or magazines.”

“……”

“The current chairperson is the daughter of the previous Marquis Steen. Since he had no son, the foundation was passed to his daughter. The chairperson married Count Schwab, so the son born between the chairperson and Count Schwab is set to inherit the foundation.”

“Ah……”

How could she have known all the succession news of noble families? For the past four years, she had been interested in nothing but studying and tutoring.

Even at Steen University, she knew she was attending school with people from famous noble families, but Connie neither had interest in them nor the luxury to care. After all, the world they lived in and the world she lived in were different.

Still, it was funny that she didn’t even know this about the man she had passionately loved for three years.

Come to think of it, not directly confessing to him that day was heaven-sent. Now that we’ve met again, what would have happened if I had confessed then? He still likes the woman he broke up with, and as the heir to the Steen Foundation, he could even be considered my employer.

I thought I was unlucky when the prince overheard my confession of unrequited love that day, but seeing how things turned out, it was fortunate that it was the prince who overheard. Of course, his little sister has now become a student in my class, but the chances of running into a student’s brother must be a thousand times less than running into a workplace superior, right?

“Teacher Connie Clarence!”

A man’s voice flew into the back of Connie’s head as she was trying to calm herself.

She could tell who it was just by the voice.

Anna, who turned around with her, raised her eyebrows slightly as if asking, ‘Why is the vice principal calling Teacher Connie?’ Connie shook her head as if she didn’t know.

“I’ll go to the classroom first. Come after you’ve finished talking.”

Anna shrugged her shoulders once and headed toward the classroom, and by then, Ethan had come right in front of Connie.

“Hello?”

Connie deliberately greeted him without adding a title because she wasn’t sure how to address him.

“Hello, Clarence.”

“Umm, yes.”

She felt like she should speak formally since he was the vice principal, but when Ethan spoke casually, it felt awkward to be formal alone, so she gave a strange response.

“There’s no one else around, so feel free to speak comfortably, okay?”

“Umm, but why did you call me?”

“Just wanted to say hello because I was glad to see you. I never imagined you would become a teacher at this school.”

Whatever he might have become, he probably never imagined anything about her. So he must mean that someone so young had been hired as a teacher at Steen School.

“I’m working as a first-grade homeroom teacher starting today. I was hired before graduation.”

“I see. I thought you would definitely continue studying at the university. Teachers don’t usually let go of students with grades as excellent as yours.”

“Ah……”

It was true that Connie had been either first or second in her class throughout her four years. But would Ethan Schwab have known that? Was he saying this after seeing her receive the top graduate award at the graduation ceremony?

“You…… don’t seem to know how famous a student you were.”

Ethan said with a grin.

“What? Famous? Me? Why?”

What on earth was he talking about?

“Connie Clarence. The ‘Study……’ who doesn’t interact with anyone, locked away in the deep mountains of academia, living only on dew…… Anyway, you were famous.”

“Study…… what?”

“You always went around alone. So everyone was curious about you. Because you didn’t give them a chance……”

Though she couldn’t understand what Ethan was saying, she could clearly see that his face, reflecting the afternoon sunlight, was dazzlingly beautiful. Connie forgot she needed to respond to his words and just stared at his refreshing face.

“Ah! Sorry, I’m talking about things only I know. Actually, I followed you because there’s something I wanted to ask.”

“What?”

“Weren’t you going to tell me something on graduation day? You said we’d talk again when we met next time. I was disappointed we didn’t have a chance to meet again, but here we are meeting again.”

Connie gulped. He remembered that. Just forget it. Why is Ethan Schwab so kind, friendly, thoughtful, and even has such a good memory? This is why I like you. No…… liked you……

That verb had to be firmly in the past tense now.

“It was nothing special. I was just going to congratulate you on graduating.”

“……Really?”

Ethan narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to one side. As if the answer wasn’t quite satisfactory. Connie slightly averted her gaze, her feet tingling under his gaze.

“That day, it was the first time in four years of university that you spoke to me first, and it was to congratulate me on graduating?”

“Yes.”

“I see. I thought……”

‘I thought’? Did he have some other expectation from me?

“Then…… see you next time. I need to prepare for tomorrow’s class.”

Though she was a bit curious about what was going on in Ethan’s mind, she deliberately suppressed it. After all, he had another woman in his heart, and he was the heir to the Steen Foundation that employed her.

“Okay, oh! You said first grade, right? Which class?”

“Class 3.”

“First grade, Class 3…… I should remember that.”

Why?

But she swallowed this question too. As the vice principal, it would naturally be something he should remember.

“Alright, I’ll go then.”

Connie nodded slightly and turned around. Somehow, it felt like Ethan Schwab was watching her from behind, but that was just her expectation. Soon after, she heard the sound of his heels moving away.

As always, it was an unhindered and brisk footstep sound.

⁕⁕⁕

From the first day of school, the children came with their guardians for five days. On the first day, the guardians stayed with them for an hour and then went home. The next day, they stayed together for an hour, then the guardians went to receive parent education, and the children stayed in the classroom for another hour before leaving. For the next three days, the guardians only brought the children to the front of the classroom and left immediately.

On the first day, it was impossible to tell who was whose guardian, but by the fifth day, it finally became clear whether the person bringing the child was a parent, an uncle, or a nanny.

Including Her Majesty the Queen, most were brought by the child’s mother, but Callian Brightling was consistently brought by his uncle from the first day when he was late. William Wayne, who was six years old and had entered school a year early from the legal elementary school entrance age of seven in the Kingdom of Greet, came with his father. A girl named Sana Lancelot, who was eight years old after delaying a year, strangely came alone without a guardian.

Although all children would have to come from the school gate to the classroom alone starting next week, it was puzzling why Sana came alone even during the first week.

“I’m sorry.”

When Connie called Sana as she was leaving school and asked why, Sana bowed her head and answered.

“Huh? For what?”

“For my parents not coming with me. I’m sorry for making you worry about me.”

“……”

Connie was momentarily speechless. Even though she was a year older, Sana was still only eight years old, yet her manner of speaking was too polite and mature. It wasn’t just her way of speaking. The content of her words was even stranger. To the point where her chest felt chilled by the old memories that came rushing in.

“My parents are busy. They have a lot to worry about because of me. They drop me off at the school gate in the morning, so I can find my way to the classroom well. So you don’t need to worry about me.”

“It’s natural for a teacher to worry about you, so there’s no reason for you to feel sorry toward your teacher. But Sana, did your parents come on the first day of school?”

On that day, there were some families where both parents came specially, so the number of children and guardians didn’t match exactly. Since she hadn’t checked the attendance of parents, she couldn’t know for sure if Sana’s parents had come.

“That day, I came with the madam, no, my mother.”

Madam?

Though she immediately corrected herself, she definitely seemed to have said ‘madam’ first.

Madam…… A word she hadn’t heard in a long time, but one she never wanted to hear again. The chill in Connie’s heart now felt like frost had settled.

The children at Steen Elementary School, where tuition was comparable to university fees, were from wealthy families. Most were children of noble families, and even those who weren’t nobles were children of the highest-level asset holders among the gentry class. Because of this, the children who lived scattered throughout the city all commuted to and from school in their own family carriages.

As a result, when it was time to leave school, carriages coming to pick up the children lined up in front of the school. Although there was a slight time difference for each grade’s dismissal time, with more than thirty students in just one grade, the carriages couldn’t stay for too long.

Soon the second-grade children would also be leaving, so she couldn’t hold Sana and ask more questions.

“Okay, Sana. I understand. You can go now.”

“Yes, goodbye then.”

“No! No, let’s go out together.”

Connie stood up as she saw Sana bowing politely. She wanted to personally escort her to the carriage to see who had come to pick her up. She also wanted to accompany her home since she was a child who always came alone.

There were three carriages left in front of the school gate.

“Which carriage is your family’s?”

“Well…… It seems the carriage left first.”

“……What?”

They were a bit late coming out because they were talking, but it was only about five minutes, a short time. It didn’t make sense that they wouldn’t wait and just leave.

“Where do you live?”

“Sonak. Sonak 8th Avenue.”

That’s not even close.

“Then how will you get home? I’d like to take you, but I can’t leave work yet.”

“I can walk by myself.”

An eight-year-old child says she’ll walk alone? It was clearly a distance that would take more than an hour on foot, though it might take twenty minutes by carriage.

“Ma…… Mother told me to remember the way home well, so I’ve already memorized it all. Teacher, goodbye.”

Sana quickly turned around and started walking away rapidly, as if afraid Connie might try to stop her.

It seems like she was about to say ‘madam’ again…… Why does she keep saying ‘madam’?

Connie stood watching as Sana walked away. For some reason, her chest felt constricted.

〈’Mother,’ you say. Just because we adopted you, do you think you’ve really become a noble’s daughter? How dare you, a lowly commoner! Call me ‘madam.’ Don’t bother me, go and do your work.〉

The words she had heard from her aunt when she first met her at twelve years old seemed to echo in her ears, and her aunt’s words kept overlapping with Sana’s.

That can’t be right…… If she were in the same situation as me, Sana wouldn’t be attending Steen Elementary School in the first place. My aunt thought the tuition for me was too expensive and didn’t want to send me to even a much cheaper public school, let alone a private noble elementary school like this.

Connie tried hard to shake off the ominous feeling. But her footsteps were already quickening as she returned to the classroom. Even to people who hadn’t looked closely at Connie herself, she sometimes appeared to be a child who had changed from a commoner to a noble thanks to her noble uncle and his wife adopting her.

There might be something in the student’s home environment survey that could tell whether Sana was a truly cherished daughter of a noble family or an abused child who was only nominally a noble, like Connie herself.

Her steps grew faster and faster until she finally ran so hard she was out of breath, but she stopped abruptly as she was about to enter the classroom.

“William?”

William and his father were coming out of the classroom. It seemed they had returned to the classroom while Connie was at the school gate with Sana.

“Hello, teacher.”

William’s father greeted her respectfully.

“Yes, Father, hello. Did William leave something behind?”

“Yes, he said he left the book he was reading during break time in his drawer.”

“Ah, I see.”

Now that she looked, William had a storybook in his hand. She remembered that William had been reading books during every break time.

“You like books, don’t you, William.”

When Connie stroked William’s head, William nodded and smiled.

Oh, how pretty. Like a baby angel.

William’s smile was so lovely that Connie unconsciously almost stroked his cheek too. But feeling the Duke’s gaze on her, she quickly came to her senses and lowered her hand.

Even though he was a student in her class, she felt concerned that she had touched the child too unconsciously.

“William, Dad has something to talk about with the teacher briefly, would you like to go to the carriage first and read your book?”

Fortunately, the Duke didn’t seem displeased.

At his father’s words, William nodded and immediately left the classroom.

“Would you like to sit down?”

Connie asked William’s father, offering him a seat.

“No, I can’t keep William waiting for long, so I should speak briefly and go.”

“Yes, Father.”

William was on the quiet side, but he tended to say what he wanted to say. Although he was six years old, having entered school a year early, he seemed even more intelligent than the other children. His classroom attitude was good, and his manners were polished, like seeing the bud of a model student.

“Actually, William lost his mother three months ago. I didn’t think it would be good for a child to spend a lot of time in a house without a mother, so I decided to send him to school a year early.”

“Ah…… yes.”

“I thought it would be better for you to know this when guiding William. Of course, you would know from the student records, but you might not know yet, so I’m telling you this in person while I have the chance.”

“I see.”

I had been wondering why William came to school with only his father every day and had imagined various reasons, but it turned out to be the most heartbreaking one……

Although the home environment survey is very helpful in understanding children, to the point where she first thought of it due to her anxiety about Sana, Connie had deliberately not looked at those documents for a week.

She thought the children’s environments would be similar anyway, and she didn’t want to have unnecessary prejudices by looking at the child’s home environment first.

She had thought she could look it up when necessary.

But it seemed that with cases like Sana’s and William’s, there might be a need to look at them in advance to some extent.

“He may appear to have no problems on the surface, but if he ever shows any unusual behavior at school, I would be grateful if you would let me know.”

“Yes, I will. Thank you for telling me this first. It will be much more helpful when I guide William.”

“I’m more grateful for your response. Then I’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

But Wayne, who had bowed his head in greeting, turned back to look at Connie as he was about to leave the classroom.

“……”

Connie opened her eyes wide as if asking if he had more to say, but he simply bowed his head once more and left.

“Teacher Connie.”

Anna approached Connie, who was tilting her head in puzzlement at Wayne’s behavior. She had suggested they call each other by their first names rather than surnames from the day they first met.

“That person who just left, isn’t he Duke Wayne?”

Duke Wayne? William Wayne…… Ah…… So he was a Duke.

“Yes, it seems so.”

Duke Wayne…… I feel like I’ve heard of this Duke somewhere before, but when was it?

“He’s truly not human. How can a child’s father be so handsome, like a walking sculpture? My goodness, it seems that misfortune comes even to someone who has everything—status, wealth, and looks. Seeing how quickly he lost his wife. Well, as a result, he’s become the most attractive widower in the kingdom.”

It seemed that Duke Wayne’s loss of his wife was a well-known fact, though Connie hadn’t known.

A walking sculpture…… Ah! That’s it.

Suddenly, a memory of Duke Wayne came to mind.

〈Duke Wayne is getting married. I want to marry a rich man who’s like a beautiful art sculpture too. Ah…… if only I had been born a little earlier, I could have married the Duke.〉

Elaina, her uncle’s biological daughter and Connie’s cousin, had said something like this while looking at someone’s marriage article. At the time, she didn’t know who they were talking about and let it pass, but that person who was said to be getting married was Duke Wayne. Was that about seven years ago?

Since then, William was born, and he also lost his wife. But was Duke Wayne really that handsome?

Both Elaina and Teacher Anna praised the Duke’s appearance so highly.

Connie tried to recall the Duke’s appearance she had just seen.

Come to think of it, he did seem handsome.

He seemed to be as tall as Ethan, with thinner eyes than Ethan and perhaps a whiter face. But overall, didn’t he give off a rather cold and sensitive impression? Well, it’s difficult to be as handsome as Ethan, who looks warm and affectionate.

“……!”

Why am I comparing the Duke’s appearance to Ethan?

Connie found it ridiculous that she was thinking about Ethan again.

“This school is certainly famous for having children from extraordinary families, but this year, your class is particularly intense. There’s the princess, the young master of Brightling, and even the young duke of the Wayne family…… It’s truly a collection of precious children. Oh my, it must be difficult for you.”

Aren’t all the children similar? Would children from extraordinary families be more difficult to handle?

Though she couldn’t dismiss the words of the experienced Teacher Anna, Connie tilted her head slightly.

“Ah! That’s right! Why is Count Brightling bringing his nephew when he’s not even his own child? I’ve heard he goes around beating people, but with the rumors I’ve heard about him, you’d think he’s not the kind to bring his nephew to school. How strange.”

It seemed to be about Callian Brightling’s uncle. Callian’s father was a Marquis, but his younger brother, the uncle, was known to have inherited the title of count that the family owned.

“Callian’s uncle beats people?”

“Hahaha, Teacher Connie, you really know nothing about these things. You should learn a bit now. After all, the children attending Steen School are all from noble families, so knowing this kind of gossip can be helpful sometimes. That Count Brightling is famous for having a terrible personality. Despite having a face as beautiful as an angel, his actions are no different from a beast. He does clean everything up with money, but it’s difficult to completely clean up rumors. Women issues, violence…… I think there was some commotion recently too.”

“Terri…… But you say his face is like an angel?”

Surprised by Teacher Anna’s harsh expression, Connie was about to repeat her words exactly but quickly changed them, thinking, ‘He’s still a parent of our class.’

Teacher Anna opened her eyes wide as she looked at Connie.

“You don’t remember his face? How is that possible? It seemed like there was a halo behind that Marquis and his face was glowing. How strange. Are all the guardians in that class famous handsome men in the kingdom? Anyway, it seems like Class 3 this year has gathered extraordinary people in every way.”

“……”

Was Brightling’s uncle that handsome too?

Connie didn’t know what to say. She had certainly thought that there were many children who were as pretty as angels, but she had never thought about the appearance of the parents, nor did she have the luxury to do so.

“Anyway, congratulations on safely getting through the first week. I’ll go now.”

As always, Teacher Anna abruptly cut off the conversation and headed toward her classroom. As an experienced and competent teacher, she had a tendency to suddenly stop chatting and return to work, which was a very welcome trait for Connie.

Since Connie was still inexperienced in everything and took longer, she always had work piling up.

She was just grateful that Teacher Anna cut things off at an appropriate point.

“Yes, go ahead.”

Watching Teacher Anna’s back, Connie belatedly remembered that she had wanted to find out about ‘Sana.’

Connie began searching for the home environment survey.

⁕⁕⁕

When Graham Wayne returned to the carriage, William was engrossed in reading the book he had found at school.

“Will, put that away now. Reading in a moving carriage could harm your eyesight, so it would be better to read again when we get home.”

“Yes.”

William immediately closed the book and looked out the window. Graham’s mood sank at his obedient attitude, which seemed almost too compliant.

He felt both proud and worried about his son who had recovered his daily routine so quickly after his mother’s death. He had been that kind of child since he was a newborn. Quiet and not crying much. Until now, it hadn’t been worrying because his wife was there, but he wondered if he could properly understand and comfort this well-mannered child if he kept suppressing his emotional wounds.

Even though she lacked experience, the homeroom teacher’s impression was good, which put his mind at ease. But still……

“Will, do you really think the teacher resembles Mom?”

William had suddenly said that last night before falling asleep. That the homeroom teacher resembled his mom.

It was the first time the child had mentioned his mother since she died.

“Yes, she does.”

“……Really?”

As he was leaving the classroom after consulting with the teacher, he suddenly remembered William’s words from last night and took another careful look at her.

But they didn’t resemble each other at all.

Laina was a tall woman with a mature beauty. As the eldest daughter of a marquis family, their marriage had been arranged between their families, so he would have had to marry her even if he didn’t like her, but he fell in love with her the moment he first saw her. She was a woman without a single flaw, not only in appearance but also in personality and family background. The only flaw she had was leaving him and William behind so early.

But William’s young homeroom teacher was too small and thin, with such a youthful appearance that she looked more like a girl than a woman. Even considering her young age, she looked too young, to the point where he couldn’t understand what part of her resembled Laina.

“She’s pretty.”

William, who had been quiet for a while, muttered. Graham didn’t understand what William was saying at first, but realized after a few seconds. That the similarity between his mother and the teacher was their ‘prettiness.’

Graham didn’t respond and was recalling the teacher again.

Pretty? That woman? Hmm……

⁕⁕⁕

[Name: Sana Lancelot

Age: 8 (1 year delayed)

Family Information: Count Kenneth Lancelot (father), Helena Lancelot (mother), Scott Lancelot (younger brother, seven years old)

Siblings attending the school: Scott Lancelot (1-2)

Parents’ Occupation: Father – High Court Judge of the Kingdom

Address: 13 Sonak 8th Avenue, Barfal

Hobbies, Special Skills: None

Special Notes: She occasionally tells lies, so please pay special attention.

Please guide her strictly. In particular, she may bully her younger brother, who is one year younger, out of jealousy.]

This was the content written in Sana’s document.

So her younger brother is in Teacher Anna’s class, but why did they enroll them together? She tells lies? Sana?

Somehow, the special notes seemed to contain only negative content about Sana.

Connie, who was lost in thought while looking at the document, headed to Teacher Anna’s classroom, whom she had just parted with.

“Scott Lancelot? Right, I was wondering why his sister was in Class 3 after delaying a year. Scott was born in March. His sister, Sana, was it? What month was she born in?”

As expected, the competent Teacher Anna had already figured out the sibling’s relationship.

“August…… hmm?”

How could there be only seven months between the two children’s birthdays?

It seemed strange once she said it.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk, and he’s a High Court Judge…… I feel embarrassed for him.”

“What do you mean?”

“The child named Sana is the child of his deceased first wife, and Scott in our class is the son born to his second wife.”

“Ah……”

Connie’s face was about to crumple. So did Sana’s father have an affair before his wife died?

〈Madam.〉

For some reason, the word that Sana had swallowed flashed through her mind like lightning, and at the same time, goosebumps rose on both her arms. Could the person Sana was calling ‘madam’ be her stepmother?

“Um…… What kind of person is the new Countess of the Lancelot family?”

“Teacher Connie, this is a bit of a secret. This isn’t officially published in the Noble Channel, because the Noble Channel only publishes facts that nobles won’t sue over. Besides, Count Lancelot is a judge. He’s even rumored to be quite fair and clear in his judgments. Though his lower half seems infinitely frivolous.”

“……”

What was the Noble Channel, and what was the secret?

“There’s a rumor that the new Countess was actually the maid of the former Countess. It seems the Count had already been having that kind of relationship with the maid for quite a long time while the former Countess was still alive. She had a pretty face. It seems they kept the existence of Scott Lancelot, born to the maid, hushed up while the former wife was alive, but after the former wife’s death, Scott became a formal son when he remarried? The former wife had a weak body and couldn’t get pregnant after giving birth to her first daughter, but the maid had already given birth to the Count’s son, so…… Of course, don’t forget that this isn’t officially confirmed. We really need to be careful with these things.”

“……”

“It’s a bit awkward for a maid to become a countess, isn’t it? So there’s also a rumor that the Count bought a new identity for the maid. Anyway, the Lancelot family is also wealthy. But why did the daughter of his first wife only enroll now? That’s strange……”

The more she heard, the stranger it seemed. A father who had an affair even before his first wife died, Sana who kept saying ‘madam’ whenever she talked about her mother. Even the carriage that didn’t wait and left despite being only 10 minutes late.

Ah, so did the carriage earlier return with only Scott Lancelot, Sana’s brother?

“Is it possible that in that Count’s family……”

“What is it?”

“For several days, Sana came without a guardian, and today when dismissal was a bit delayed, I took Sana out with me. But the carriage was already gone.”

Connie was about to say that Sana might be having difficulties in the family but only stated the objective facts. For now, it was just circumstances and speculation. There was a need to observe a bit more.

“Hmm…… I see. The Countess came to our classroom regularly. The carriage left first…… It’s really strange, but let’s observe a bit more for now. It’s not something we should hastily intervene in.”

Teacher Anna seemed to have similar thoughts to Connie. There were many unsettling things, but they couldn’t hastily jump to conclusions.

Besides, Sana’s guardians were the Count and Countess. Parents had absolute rights over their children. Others, even teachers, could do almost nothing against the will of parents who had the power of life and death over their children.

In fact, Connie knew this reality better than anyone. It was precisely because of that absolute inviolable right of parents that she had to endure abuse from her uncle and his wife who had adopted her for many years.

“How do you know so much information, Teacher Anna? The ‘Noble Channel’ you mentioned earlier? What is that?”

Connie changed the subject and asked what she had been curious about.

“It’s a magazine that provides news about nobles not only from the Kingdom of Greet but also from other kingdoms. It sells so well. Ordinary people have an aspiration for the status and wealth they don’t have. They peek into their lives through such magazines. Actually, it’s not only entertaining, but also necessary to some extent for people like us who deal with them. It can reduce mistakes when dealing with parents and help understand the special circumstances of children. Since there are so many sensitive parents, we can’t ask directly, but you see as much as you know. You should subscribe too, Teacher Connie. It comes out monthly.”

“Do you subscribe regularly?”

“You can subscribe regularly or buy individual issues each month, but they give a discount if you subscribe. I didn’t read it for the first few years either, but since the people we deal with are those kinds of people, it eventually seemed better to subscribe.”

“I see……”

To think there’s such a magazine…… Ah! Was that the magazine Elaina was reading?

Should I really subscribe to something like that? In Connie’s class, ten out of twelve children were from noble families. Even in Sana’s case, the student information document only showed the names of her parents, so without the information provided by Teacher Anna, she wouldn’t have known that Sana’s mother was her stepmother. And it would have been even more difficult to grasp the overall situation.

“It’s nice that the weekend is here. Let’s finish up our work.”

Teacher Anna indirectly issued an order to leave. It was a signal that she was now busy with work and if Connie had finished what she wanted to say, she should go back.

“Yes, thank you, teacher.”

“And keep an eye on that child from the Lancelot family, and if there’s anything you want to discuss, feel free to tell me anytime.”

“Yes, I will. Take care.”

Connie decided to subscribe to the ‘Noble Channel’ as she returned to her classroom. Although she wanted to save money, this seemed like a necessary expense rather than a matter of choice.

But when she returned to the classroom, there was an unexpected person.

“Ethan Schwab?”

“Hello, Teacher Connie Clarence?”

“Uh…… What brings you…… What’s the occasion?”

Her heart raced helplessly at his smile, and Connie stammered.

“Just checking if you had a good first week.”

Ethan held out something.

“And I have a congratulatory gift for you.”

“Ah……”

What Ethan held out was the new novel by Leonie. She had heard the news that a new work had been released and wanted to rush out and buy it, but she hadn’t been able to yet because she wasn’t sure about her living expenses……

Wait a minute! So did Ethan remember the conversation they had back then?

About three years ago.

As she was coming out of a bookstore near the university entrance after buying a novel by author ‘Leonie,’ it suddenly started pouring rain.

She didn’t mind getting wet in the rain. It was part of her daily life. But she was worried about the book getting wet, which she had bought with her tutoring money saved bit by bit. She had to exchange it for a new book after contaminating a library book. She wanted to wait for the rain to stop at the bookstore, but she had to go to a tutoring session an hour later. With no other choice, she held the book tightly against her chest. All she could do was curl up her body as much as possible and run.

But just as she was preparing to dash out from under the awning, she felt a sudden presence above her head. When she looked up, an unfamiliar man was holding an umbrella over her. It was Ethan Schwab. Of course, at that time, she didn’t know he was Ethan Schwab.

〈You’re going to run in this rain without an umbrella?〉

〈……Yes. But who are you? Do you know me?〉

Connie looked up at the man who suddenly spoke casually to her with eyes full of wariness.

〈Aren’t you a sophomore? We’re the same age……〉

〈Ah…… Yes. I see.〉

How does he know me?

〈Want to borrow my umbrella?〉

Why?

〈No, I don’t mind getting wet in the rain.〉

At that time, Connie found even forming relationships with others burdensome. Because each day was a fierce struggle for survival, making friends was a luxury, and she had no time or emotional capacity to give to others. To receive full support for tuition and dormitory fees at Steen University, which gathered only the top talents, she barely had enough time even studying intensely. There were times when she only ate one meal a day, and even for that one meal, she had to tutor to earn the money.

Since she couldn’t return the kindness others showed her, she didn’t give them a chance to approach her in the first place, but occasionally, there were people who approached her like this.

And each time, Connie firmly rejected their approaches. It was better to wear armor of indifference and coldness from the start than to suffer later from the debt of heart she couldn’t repay.

〈Not just you, but Leonie’s book will get wet too.〉

Ethan’s eyes turned to the book held against her chest.

〈Ah……〉

You know Leonie?

That was the moment when a slight crack appeared in Connie’s solid armor.

Leonie was a new writer whom almost no one knew. Connie had become a fan after reading her first work by chance in the library, but even the bookstore owner she had just bought the book from didn’t know the author, so to think he knew such an author……

Without realizing it, as Connie’s high wall against the stranger began to crumble a bit, he nodded slightly. As if telling her to look outside the umbrella once.

The rain had already intensified into a downpour. It didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon.

What should I do……

Without realizing it, she pulled the book closer to her chest, when suddenly, Ethan leaned his head right next to Connie’s face and whispered in her ear.

〈When it rains, you should use an umbrella. So the rain can’t soak you.〉

〈……〉

For a moment, Connie’s eyes, which had grown as large as coins, turned toward Ethan’s face.

Could this man also like Leonie’s books? Is that why he was quoting that phrase?

It wasn’t exactly the same, but it was the phrase she liked most from Leonie’s book. She had come to like her books precisely because of this phrase.

It felt as if her deceased Dad was offering words of comfort to her through Leonie’s writing.

Her father often used to say, “Connie Pleasure, Dad is your umbrella. Dad will protect you so that no rain can ever soak you.”

After her father passed away, she came to live with her uncle, with whom she had no previous relationship. Because her uncle adopted her, her surname changed from Pleasure, her commoner father’s surname, to Clarence, her uncle’s noble surname, which was also her mother’s maiden name. She had never wanted to become her uncle’s child or a noble.

In reality, from the day her uncle adopted her, he called her “the unlucky child who devoured her mother,” “food parasite,” “meal bug,” “dirty mongrel with commoner blood,” and treated her accordingly. She couldn’t understand why he had adopted her if he hated her so much.

As a result, Connie had to become her uncle’s child and fall under his absolute authority, which only brought her a hellish life.

She was able to endure six years in her uncle’s house, which was like an endless swamp of suffering with groundless accusations, beatings at any time, all kinds of verbal abuse, and unreasonable demands, thanks to the memories of her father.

Her father’s devoted love, who would carry her in his arms when it rained to ensure that not a single drop of rainwater touched not only her head but even her shoes. The memory of her father, who had given her all the love he could, including the share of her mother who had passed away giving birth to her, became a stronger and more reliable umbrella for her than anything else.

Leonie had written a comforting sentence for her, and Ethan Schwab was now directly whispering it in her ear. For the first time since her father had passed away.

Connie looked at Ethan with a distant feeling. The stranger who had appeared blurry somehow now seemed familiar and clear.

Ethan’s hair was light brown, and the hair that naturally fell below his forehead curled up slightly, as if it were curly. Somehow, that hair reminded her of a cute puppy. His eyes, with their corners drooping on both sides as he smiled at Connie, looked affectionate, and his broad shoulders, looking down at her from a height at least a head taller than her, seemed dependable.

He’s a handsome man……

Not only had she never looked at a man’s appearance in such detail, but it was also the first time she had ever had such thoughts.

〈So take the umbrella.〉

Connie, who had been feeling strange emotions while looking at Ethan, came to her senses at his words and looked down at the umbrella.

〈Then what about you?〉

〈I don’t need it. You don’t have to take it, but you can return it the next time we meet……〉

Saying this, Ethan gestured with his eyes toward a carriage standing on the roadside. It seemed to be his carriage.

〈But still……〉

〈Goodbye.〉

He placed the umbrella in her hand and then ran to the carriage, covering his head with both hands to shield himself from the rain.

It was from that day on. Ethan entered Connie’s eyes, which had never been interested in anyone, and she gradually began to follow him. Perhaps it was because she always had the umbrella she needed to return to him in her bag. But actually returning it wasn’t easy. Ethan was always surrounded by friends, and she didn’t feel like approaching him through all those people. Moreover, among those many people was Elaina, her uncle’s daughter who had tormented her for six years in her uncle’s house.

At first, she had postponed it, thinking she could return the umbrella when the opportunity arose, but as time passed, it became more difficult to approach him just to return “merely” an umbrella. For her, living an impoverished and harsh life, his umbrella was a “debt,” but for him, full of leisure and abundance, his umbrella would be just an “insignificance” that he wouldn’t even remember.

About a year after carrying the umbrella around like that, Connie saw a woman next to Ethan. It was Hazel Gracious, who was so exceptionally beautiful that she was called the goddess of Steen University. Although Connie wasn’t interested in rumors circulating around the school, she couldn’t help but know that Ethan and Hazel, who had been always together since some point, had become lovers.

Finally, Connie realized that she would never be able to return the umbrella to him.

Was it because she continued to keep his umbrella? Connie, who had previously found comfort in Leonie’s sentences, was now finding comfort in the umbrella he had given her.

⁕⁕⁕

“Aren’t you going to take it?”

Connie, who had been lost in memories from three years ago, looked at Ethan, who was waving the book in front of her, and snapped back to the present.

“I didn’t think you would remember that day. It was so long ago……”

“……You actually remembered it too?”

Ethan asked with a slight frown.

“Remember what?”

Is he talking about that day? Ah…… could it be?

If he remembered Leonie’s book, he might be pointing out that she hadn’t returned the umbrella.

“Never mind, what was I expecting.”

Ethan smiled brightly. So it wasn’t about the umbrella?

She couldn’t understand what he was saying. What did he expect? As if he had expected something from her……

“Take it. When it rains, you should use an umbrella, and on weekends, you should read books.”

He really remembered everything. Even what he had said to her. But why would Ethan remember all of that?

“Thank you. What should I do? I haven’t prepared anything.”

Come to think of it, Ethan, like her, had also spent his first week as an employee. It didn’t seem right to just receive……

“Then how about you buy me dinner after work today?”

“Uh…… dinner?”

She couldn’t help but ask again. She hadn’t even received her first paycheck yet…… she only had enough money to barely make it until she received her first paycheck.

“Never mind. I’ll go.”

Her surprised expression must have been too obvious. Ethan patted her shoulder and left.

It was bitter, but realistically, she really had no money. The distance between Ethan Schwab, standing in leisure and abundance, and where she stood, in reality, was always far.

‘No, it’s not exactly the same as before. I now receive a salary.’

Connie thought that when she received her salary, she would buy Ethan a meal at least once. It wasn’t that she was thinking of doing anything with him. She already knew that Ethan still had Hazel Gracious in his heart, and anyway, he and she didn’t match.

Just that, since she had received a book as a gift, it would be right to give something in return.

⁕⁕⁕

Ethan, whose mood had somehow sunk, was drinking with Osteum, his university classmate.

“I heard Hazel is still frequenting the Wayne ducal house.”

Osteum shared news that he already knew.

Ethan filled his empty glass with alcohol again, reacting as if he hadn’t heard anything.

“Ah, you, what was her name…… Have you heard about the ‘Study Fairy’?”

When Ethan showed no reaction to the news about Hazel, Osteum shrugged and unexpectedly mentioned someone else. Osteum had been famous as a news source and amplifier who carried all kinds of news since university, but perhaps because it was the name of the person who had just rejected his dinner invitation, Ethan’s face automatically frowned.

“Connie Clarence.”

Ethan said the name of ‘Study Fairy’ Connie.

“Right, Connie Clarence. That woman doesn’t seem to have stayed at the university. Where on earth did she go? Is she really a fairy? No one seems to know what she’s doing after graduation.”

Ethan inwardly chuckled. He knew. Because she was working as a teacher at the same school as him.

“Do we need to know? If we don’t know, we don’t know.”

Unexpectedly, Connie Clarence flashed through his mind, but the words coming out of his mouth were the same as always.

“If you don’t know, then forget it.”

Osteum shrugged his shoulders, giving the same answer as always.

⁕⁕⁕

The first weekend after becoming an employee.

Connie shut herself in her room in the staff residence and began reading the new novel by Leonie that she had received as a gift from Ethan.

“Good.”

That was the impression that came out of her mouth after reading the novel all the way through without moving from her seat. It was certain that this novel would soon become a bestseller.

Leonie’s first novel came out three years ago. At first, it didn’t receive much attention, but about six months after publication, her name began to become known.

She still preferred the author’s debut novel, her first book, but this new novel had a much more elaborate and meticulous plot, and since the author was now well-known, it would quickly spread by word of mouth.

Come to think of it, she realized she hadn’t sent a letter to the author for nearly two weeks.

The author had never replied even once, so she couldn’t know if she even read her fan letters. Still, Connie had been sending letters to the author regularly, but recently, the frequency had decreased due to her being busy with graduation and job hunting.

In fact, writing letters to the author was practically her only hobby, as she had no friends. If her deceased Dad had a mailbox in heaven, she would have sent them there, but since there was no such thing…

[Dear Author Leonie, hello……]

Connie began writing her greeting, immersed in the happiness of writing a letter.