LLTEEFM 94

#094. I’m Really Looking Forward to It

My voice, clear and sharp enough for everyone to understand, made my opponent’s face flush red.

The girl fumbled with her lips for a moment, then, noticing the gathering stares around us, raised her voice again.

“Y-you’re acting like this because you’re relying on His Grace, the Grand Duke, aren’t you?!”

Relying on him? As if. His Highness isn’t even here with me. Without smoothing the frown from my face, I shot back.

“You’re the one acting bold because you have something to rely on. What is it—your grade? Your status? Your wealth? What exactly are you clinging to?”

I didn’t need her answer to guess. Obviously, it was her noble status.

If it had been grades or money, she wouldn’t have bothered to pick a fight with someone like me, who lived quietly, almost invisible.

Unable to admit openly that she was leaning on her title, she only opened and closed her mouth soundlessly. Instead, the girl standing at her right snapped at me on her behalf.

“Hey, enough. Medret is the heir of Count Heormitch.”

If you’re going to brag, at least give me something worth hearing.

Not every count’s family is impressive. If the household itself is insignificant, being its heir means very little. Compared to a second child from a powerful family, an heir from a weak one has far less influence.

“So what? If you’re going to try and crush me with status, then you picked the wrong target. I’m royalty.”

Because in this Empire, quasi-royalty is ranked above most nobles, people often forget: even if my country is weak and no one cares about it, by etiquette alone, my standing is still higher than an Imperial noble’s.

The fact that I hadn’t even mentioned being the Grand Duke’s playmate seemed to catch them off guard. They blinked, stunned.

Ha. Kids. Honestly, if they’re just going to freeze up in shock every time I retort, it’d be better not to start fights in the first place.

Back in my previous life, the ones who picked fights with me at least knew how to keep a sharp exchange going.

I was already weary of such a low-level squabble when Medret, having regained some confidence, took a step closer.

Because I was seated, she loomed above me, and I had to tilt my head far back just to look at her, which made my neck ache.

“Hah. You must’ve been pampered too much in the palace to have no grasp of reality.”

Oh, please. If we’re talking about reality, not even the professors in this entire Academy know it better than I do.

That was what I thought—but this time, I didn’t bother saying it aloud. Somehow, I had the feeling this conversation was about to end soon anyway.

“I’ll show you exactly what happens when you ignore me. Without the Grand Duke here, let’s see how long you last.”

Amazing. Just a moment ago she could barely speak, and now she was spouting threats smoothly. What did she spend her three years at this Academy doing, I wonder.

But in the end, she was still just a child. I already knew what her “bullying” would amount to.

“Well then, I really look forward to seeing what kind of ‘reality’ you’ll show me.”

When I returned victorious from war, I’d faced petitions demanding my immediate execution because people were convinced I must be plotting rebellion. I’d swallowed poison meant to kill me.

Compared to all that, what could she possibly do that would be impressive or new?

In that sense, I was genuinely curious. Yet, from the twitch on her face, it seemed my expression hadn’t conveyed that at all.

“Just you wait,” she spat viciously, then hawked up saliva and spat directly into my lunch tray before turning on her heel with arrogant grace.

…So, had she already eaten, or did she just skip her meal because it would be awkward to line up for food now?

I wondered about such trivial nonsense, then picked up my tray and dumped its contents straight into the waste bin.

Kids these days really have no idea how precious food is.

Clicking my tongue, I turned and made my way toward the school store. I’d known it existed but never had a reason to go. Well, now seemed as good a time as any.

“Blanche! I heard an upperclassman picked a fight with you!”

Word that the Heormitch girl had caused a scene yesterday must have spread fast. On my way to breakfast, I ran into Lady Wellington, granddaughter of Count Sherazade, the Academy’s headmaster.

She was the one who had arranged things so I could enroll here alone. She also knew that His Highness had originally intended to accompany me.

“…And who exactly told you that?”

“The whole Academy is buzzing. Lady Heormitch has a wide network here, after all.”

So she plays the faction game. Strange that such a thing would work even among kids who usually care for nothing but their studies.

Or maybe it’s precisely because of those kinds of kids that someone like her can stir things up. From what I saw yesterday, though, she wasn’t particularly politically gifted.

“Meaning she’s the one spreading the rumors herself?”

Lady Wellington averted her eyes, clearly uneasy.

Ah, so that’s it. She’s basically telling everyone: ‘I don’t like Blanche. If you hang around her, you’ll be on my bad side.’

Isn’t that the kind of thing only the local playground bully does? The immaturity of it made me want to laugh out loud.

I managed to suppress it, though, since bursting out laughing in Lady Wellington’s worried face felt inappropriate. Still, my expression must have twisted oddly in the effort.

“Um, Blanche, Your Highness. Should I try to mediate? Lady Heormitch would find it hard to ignore me…”

That much was true. No matter how arrogant she was, it would be difficult to brush off the headmaster’s granddaughter.

But what she was really suggesting was for me to bow my head. To apologize, to humble myself, to give the other side satisfaction.

“No, it’s fine. This is something I can handle myself.”

After all, the only person who has ever managed to break me is His Highness.

Why would I tremble before a child’s petty tantrums when I’ve already been through the fires of life and death?

“But still…”

Her anxious face made me want to ease her mind. So I softened my tone on purpose.

“If it really becomes too much, I’ll come to you for help.”

Of course, that day would never come.

Even so, seeing her expression lighten just a little made the white lie worth it.

“Well then, classes are about to start, so I’ll get going.”

“Ah, but the cafeteria’s the other way. Weren’t you going to eat?”

Ha. With my opponent gnashing her teeth, waiting to mess with me, do you really think I’d risk the crowded cafeteria?

Considering she spat in my tray yesterday, it was more than likely she’d try something again today.

Instead of answering honestly, I simply smiled gently.

“The weather’s nice. I thought I’d eat outdoors and get some sun.”

Lady Wellington hesitated, then let go of my arm, having caught my meaning. Good thing I hadn’t arranged to eat with anyone; that spared me a long explanation.

I quickened my steps toward the school store, musing to myself.

“What is this?! Just what kind of school life is that kid even living?!”

Medret slammed the desk with all her fury, making Alice and Cheshia rush to calm her down.

“Medret! What if you hurt your hand? Here, don’t hit things—take it out on this cushion instead.”

Alice coaxed her onto the sofa, while Cheshia handed her a soft cushion. Medret tore at it furiously, gnashing her lips as well.

“So she doesn’t show up at the cafeteria, takes her classes alone, and locks herself in her room during free time? Then why is she even attending school?!”

Medret was skilled at cornering kids she didn’t like.

Here in the enclosed world of the Academy, if you blocked them from eating properly in the cafeteria, isolated them in class, and ruined their leisure hours, most would crumble quickly.

But this Blanche girl—none of it worked.

Opportunities to harass her barely presented themselves, and even when they did, nothing landed.

She ignored gossip like she was deaf, somehow obtained school information even while isolated, and when they knocked on her door to drag her out, she never answered.

Once, Medret even ordered a junior to bang on Blanche’s door for thirty minutes straight, making a scene. Blanche, clearly inside, didn’t so much as flinch. In the end, it was another student who reported the noise, and Medret had to back off.

“She’s nothing but a spoiled child from the palace—so why is she like this?!”

Even her locker, when she tried to ransack it, was already empty.

It was as if Blanche had taken a seminar on how to resist school bullying.

“Medret, why not just ignore her? If she always stays alone, everyone will just assume she’s keeping her distance because they’re afraid of you anyway.”

At Cheshia’s careful suggestion, Medret shook her head violently.

“I don’t care what others think! I need to see that perfect face of hers twisted in despair.”

Usually, when Medret bullied others, she did it partly as a warning to the rest: ‘This is what happens if you cross me.’

But with Blanche, it was different.

It had started as a bid to show even the Grand Duke’s playmate would bow before her. But the memory of Blanche’s calm face, answering her in blunt speech from the very first word, still made her insides churn with rage.

“I’ll make her cry and beg for forgiveness. I swear I will.”

Medret’s thin lips curled into a cruel smile.