Chapter Nine: New School Year
SUMMER break and our time abroad ended, and our sophomore year began. Once again, my friends and I were all in the same class. Since the academy divided us into classes based on exam scores, most of our fellow students remained the same. While this lacked novelty, I felt an invisible sense of solidarity between us, as we’d all experienced the ordeal with Lady Celette together.
The young lady who’d apologized to me after the rooftop incident was in our class as well. She’d made new friends, and the other students didn’t appear to be ostracizing her, which relieved me. The other young lady from the rooftop incident had quit school and moved back to her family’s domain. I would probably never see her again.
My friends and I sat together, just like we had during our first year. Before long, the classroom door opened, and our homeroom teacher walked in… along with Embert.
“Oh?” I asked. “What’s going on? Wasn’t he only going to be our assistant teacher for one year?”
As the girls squealed with delight, my friends and I stared at Embert dumbfoundedly, unable to accept reality. After glancing in our direction, Embert flashed a charming smile and spoke.
“Originally, I only planned to work here for a year,” he said. “However, I’ve received requests to continue teaching dance, swordsmanship, and so forth. As such, I decided to continue helping with several classes. I look forward to spending another year with you all.”
My friends and I heaved a deep sigh at Embert’s dazzling smile.
“Why do I suddenly have a bad feeling about this?” I muttered under my breath.
“What a coincidence,” Lauris said from beside me. “I had the exact same feeling.”
Rosario—who sat in front of Lauris—nodded. “Me too.”
Cia smirked, seeming to have her own suspicions.
Seriously, why is Em pretending to be a teacher for another year?
The reason would become apparent all too soon.
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🦊 🦊 🦊
AFTER class introductions had ended, we headed to the cafeteria as usual. Beside me, Lauris cut his steak with a grave expression.
“There must be a reason for this,” he said without preamble.
Immediately, we all knew he was talking about Embert.
On my other side, Cia’s expression lit up with anticipation. “I think so, too,” she agreed.
Next to Cia, Rosario was eating a rice omelet and Hamburg steak with an unperturbed expression. “It must have something to do with Ally,” he said.
What’s with his meal? I quipped internally. That’s exactly what children ate for lunch back in Japan.
Across from me, Oreste—whose brain was slowly transforming into pure muscle—gobbled down a steak twice the size of Lauris’s. “This year seems like it’s gonna be a blast,” he said. “More importantly, can you teach me that flying kick, Ally?”
“Are you okay, Ally?” Cita and Julietta asked simultaneously.
Poor little me, I wept internally. Of all my friends, they’re the only two who are actually concerned about me.
As I cut into my Hamburg steak drenched in sauce, someone called out, “Ally!” from the cafeteria entrance.
I recognized the cheerful voice at once. “Severin?” I asked, and after turning around to face him, I froze in place.
What’s going on? Am I seeing things?
Severin walked towards us with two men on either side of him. While the girls in the cafeteria squealed with delight, everyone at my table—excluding me—stirred excitedly.
“Oh, give me a break!” Julietta huffed.
So cute.
“It’s been a little while, hasn’t it?” Severin greeted me in his usual tone. “I actually wanted to ask you about something, Ally. It’s related to the device that rains down hot water while you’re in the bathtu—”
I clapped my hand over Severin’s mouth. “Hold up, hold up, hold up. I need you to wait for my brain to catch up with the situation.”
Severin continued mumbling something incoherent behind my hand, but I ignored him.
“Why?” I asked, finally removing my hand from Severin’s mouth and looking between the men on either side of him. “What’s going on here?”
Severin wasn’t the one to reply.
“It’s been too long,” Giusto said, taking my hand as if it were the most natural thing in the world and kissing it gracefully. “Truth be told, I wanted to experience the wonders of Gandolfin for myself. As such, I’ll be studying here for the next year. I hope we can continue to be friends, as we were during the summer.”
“And I came here to win your affection,” Prince Fred spoke up from Severin’s opposite side. “I’m hoping you’ll break off your engagement with Prince Embert and return to the Kingdom of Sard with me.”
His straightforward declaration hit me like a ton of bricks. Most girls would have fallen for his charm instantly, so why did I have a pounding headache? As I massaged my temples, frustrated, Severin’s carefree voice cut through my thoughts.
“We’re all going to be in the same class,” he said. “Sounds like fun, right?”
Fun? Maybe for you and Cia, but not for anyone else.
Julietta’s face fell. “Sorry about this, Ally. I forbade Giusto from coming, but…”
Her dejected expression was so adorable that my headache vanished. In any case, I vowed to stay as far away from Giusto and Fred as possible.
✦ ✦ ✦
🦊 🦊 🦊
HOW had things come to this despite my vow? The next day, as I looked at the young men lined up in front of me, my pounding headache struck again. Dance lessons started immediately at the beginning of our sophomore year. With our debutante approaching, we would spend much more time in this class. Furthermore, we were having joint lessons with Severin and the other fourth-year students. After all, it would help to practice with experienced dancers who’d already debuted in high society.
“Everyone is free to choose their own dance partners,” the teacher said. “Upperclassmen, please look around carefully to ensure that no sophomores are left by themselves.”
At the teacher’s words, everyone moved at the same time. Giusto, Fred, and—for some reason—Severin came to stand in front of me. As the three of them held out their hands, I sighed.
“Didn’t the teacher just instruct the upperclassmen to make sure all the sophomores have partners?” I asked.
Severin burst out laughing. “I only followed them because it seemed like a laugh. Sorry about that. I’ll find another partner.”
While Severin moved behind me to ask Julietta to dance, Giusto and Fred didn’t budge.
“I believe I can provide excellent instruction,” Giusto said.
“So can I,” Fred countered. “I’ll lead you perfectly.”
Choosing either of them would create hard feelings. As I groaned in frustration, the two men looked behind me and clucked their tongues.
“Unfortunately for you two, I will be serving as Ally’s dance partner,” Embert’s voice echoed from above.
While Fred looked unamused, Giusto’s smile stiffened. Embert swiftly led me away from the two young men, glaring at them from the corner of his eye. Soon after, the music started, and we moved in time with the rhythm.
“Honestly,” Embert grumbled. “I can’t let my guard down for a moment around them.”
I laughed. “Yeah, what’s up with those guys?”
“No matter how many times they cross swords with me, they stand no chance of winning. Perhaps I really should have taken over Bragioga, though for different reasons than you assumed.”
I laughed at Embert’s crabby expression. Somehow or another, he appeared to be enjoying the situation as well. It’s probably because he trusts me, I thought while breaking into a smile.
“What’s got you grinning from ear to ear?” Embert grumbled.
Despite his sullen expression, his dance form remained perfect.
“It makes me happy to know how much you trust me,” I responded with a laugh.
Embert tightened his grip around my waist, having understood my meaning from those few words. “Of course I trust you. Though I do get jealous, I know you would never fall for another man. What worries me is never knowing what you’ll do next.”
“Sorry about that.”
My body tended to move of its own accord. I had no control over this single aspect of myself. When I looked down, Embert kissed me on the head and tightened his grip around my waist even more.
“It’s fine,” he said. “I like this version of myself who worries about you. In fact, I feel like my truest self whenever I’m with you.”
I laughed softly. “In that case, we’ll have to stay together forever.”
As Embert and I smiled at each other, the music stopped. At that moment, Giusto and Fred approached us again.
“May I have the next dance?” Giusto asked.
“No, I’ll have the next dance,” Fred declared.
Clucking his tongue in annoyance, Embert hid me behind his back. While Giusto and Fred raised complaints, Severin and my friends laughed at our antics. Surely, yet another eventful year awaited us.
“This sure is peaceful,” I muttered from behind Embert’s back.