✩ Chapter 9 ✩
“When Noah gets angry, he loses his reason. Because of that, dozens of teachers have already been replaced. I expected something like this would happen sooner or later. But none of them could handle Noah. It seems you managed to calm him down without hurting him.”
“It is true that Noah was in the wrong.”
Rachel spoke firmly. Somehow, she felt that she could have a proper conversation with Crown Prince Lucas.
“But there was clearly a reason why Noah became angry. Of course, that doesn’t mean he can do whatever he wants. Noah is simply still learning how to control his anger.”
Rachel believed in the power of education. She believed that anyone could grow into a good person if they were taught properly.
That belief had led her to become a teacher.
“I intend to teach Noah properly. I want him to grow into someone who doesn’t let his emotions control him, and who knows how to solve problems through conversation.”
He was still a child who couldn’t control his emotions.
That was exactly why he needed even more care and guidance.
“So, you have no intention of expelling Noah.”
“Of course not.”
He’s also my source of income.
She hid the rest of her thoughts behind an awkward smile.
Lucas brushed his hair back.
His mind was probably full of complicated thoughts.
“Your Highness.”
“Do you know what education shared between teachers and parents is?”
“Education shared between teachers and parents?”
Rachel had read many books while learning how to communicate well with parents.
She calmly met Lucas’s eyes.
“It means that the education at school continues at home, and the education at home continues at school.”
“The two cannot be separated.”
“That is why both teachers and parents have the responsibility to educate the child in their own roles.”
“So… you’re saying you need my help?”
“Yes.”
“I sincerely need Your Highness’s support and involvement.”
“Of course, I will also do my very best at the academy.”
Lucas quietly looked at Rachel.
Then a faint smile appeared on his face.
“I’m curious what I should do.”
“You said you would visit the academy from time to time.”
“I did.”
“Please come more often.”
“Spend time with the children and build a relationship with them.”
“And please read every letter I send you.”
Every day, Rachel organized notes about each student’s progress and sent them to their parents in the form of letters.
She wrote about the positive changes they had shown…
And the difficulties they were facing.
The Imperial Princes would not receive any special treatment.
“If you would like…”
“You may write back as well.”
Of course, even when she said that, very few parents actually replied.
But for some reason…
She had a feeling Crown Prince Lucas would.
“Letters…”
Lucas slowly rested his chin on one hand.
Then his gaze settled on Rachel.
It felt as though he could see straight through her.
A brief silence filled the carriage.
“Very well. I shall look forward to your letters.”
For some reason,
Rachel felt tension run down her spine.
That night…
Noah sat on his bed, staring blankly at the wall.
Rachel, the headmaster, had given him time to organize his thoughts after causing trouble.
But honestly…
He had no desire to reflect on what he had done.
He started it first.
The only reason Noah had obeyed Rachel earlier was because he wanted to leave that place as quickly as possible.
He had only pretended to be clumsy.
Pretended to be sorry.
So annoying.
Noah hated this school.
He had lived in the Imperial Palace, where he could have anything he wanted.
Now he was trapped in this small mansion.
It felt suffocating.
The servants in the Imperial Palace would obey every word he said.
Some would even act as if they would die for him.
But the adults here were different.
They were stubborn.
It was almost as if they didn’t even know who he was.
I want to go to Grandfather’s house.
His grandfather’s estate, far away from the capital, was Noah’s real home.
He had lived there from before he was even one hundred days old until only recently.
No one there constantly scolded him.
No one forced him to learn manners.
For Theo and Noah…
It was a place where almost anything was allowed.
There was only one lesson Noah had learned while growing up there.
“You are a noble member of the Imperial Family.”
His grandfather had been overjoyed that his family had produced an Empress.
He constantly reminded his grandsons of the greatness of their bloodline.
Even when he wasn’t saying it directly,
his pride could be felt in everything he did.
“Only commoners do things like that.”
“That’s the behavior of commoners.”
Because of those words,
young Noah grew up believing that commoners were insignificant.
Noah’s grandfather had been a knight.
Not just any knight,
but one who had risen to a very high rank.
He had always wanted sons who could become knights like him.
But that dream was shattered.
He had only one child—
A daughter.
His marriage had never been happy.
He constantly looked down on his wife and treated her badly.
Whenever he had the chance,
he scolded her for failing to give him even a single son,
while other families had several.
When their only daughter became the Empress,
he seemed to calm down for a while.
But it didn’t last.
He began blaming his wife again,
this time because there was no son to serve and protect the Empress as a knight.
They stayed together only because they had to.
Their conversations consisted of nothing but shouting and sarcasm.
Then,
those two people,
who seemed to have nothing in common,
were given one shared responsibility.
After their only daughter died giving birth to Noah,
a prophecy led them to raise both Theo and Noah together.
Their grandfather truly did his best to raise them.
But he never changed the habit of looking down on and mistreating his wife.
Without even realizing it,
he often shouted at her in front of the children.
He never understood how much that affected two children who could barely speak.
People often say adults should be careful about what children see.
Theo and Noah grew up between two guardians whose relationship was filled with tension.
Each child went down a different path.
Theo became like his grandfather’s sarcasm.
Noah became like his grandfather’s violence.
Little by little,
the two boys absorbed their grandfather’s worst qualities.
They never had the chance to play with children their own age.
They grew up like frogs trapped in a well…
Or flowers raised inside a greenhouse.
Time continued to pass.
Theo turned eleven.
Noah turned ten.
Perhaps the Emperor believed they had grown enough.
He summoned the two princes back to the Imperial Palace.
“I don’t want to go!”
Noah tightly held his grandfather’s hand.
For the first time in his life,
he was about to be separated from him.
His grandfather had been his entire world.
He didn’t want to leave him.
But they could not disobey the Emperor’s command.
“Go, live well there, and I’ll come visit you. Don’t worry too much.”
His grandfather accepted reality.
As always,
he warmly embraced Theo and Noah.
None of the three of them knew…
That it would be their final hug.
When Noah first entered the Imperial Palace,
he wished he could turn back time.
Because as soon as he arrived,
he received news that his grandfather had died.
His grandfather,
who had always been healthy,
had suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed.
He passed away shortly afterward.
The shock nearly cost his grandmother her life as well.
“It’s all my fault.”
“Grandfather became sick because I left and came to the Imperial Palace.”
Noah blamed himself for everything.
That was why he became even more aggressive.
He hated the world.
Every day,
he lived with anger.
Never realizing that both the Emperor and Crown Prince Lucas were genuinely worried about him.
“Two days from now, you will begin attending school.”
One day,
his eldest brother,
Crown Prince Lucas,
simply announced that Noah would be going to school.
Noah couldn’t believe it.
A school?
Why should I?
He immediately resisted.
Unless someone gave him a logical reason,
he had no intention of taking even a single step.
As if Lucas had read his thoughts,
he didn’t bother arguing.
He simply brought Noah to the Knight Academy.
Since Noah had never wanted to come,
there was no way he could be happy.
I’m trapped in this place.
This is ridiculous.
Do they even know who I am?
I’m an Imperial Prince.
Someone with the blood of the Imperial Family.
And yet I’m expected to live in the same place as commoners?
Disgust filled his entire body.
Noah tightly gripped his blanket and made a promise to himself.
No matter what it took… he would escape this miserable place.
