Chapter 78
‘When I first received a letter, I was really shaken.’
The moment I read the first page, my hands trembled so much.
It was about Estelle getting into an argument at the academy, and I ran straight to the Genofessia estate without looking back.
‘After that incident, it was a relief that only ordinary letters came.’
Letters about lessons Estelle attended, friendships she had, or simple academy news.
But the letter in my hand now felt different.
It carried the same unsettling aura as the very first letter I had received…
“What kind of letter is it?”
“I want to see!”
The children, led by Mina who had brought the letter, chattered excitedly in front of me.
Perhaps because they had recently started learning to write and had tried sending letters to their parents, they were curious about the one I held.
Besides, it was made of high-quality paper with gold-foil patterns—something rare to see.
It was only natural that the children, who loved pretty things, were interested.
‘On any other day, I might have opened it a little and shown them…’
After all, they were still too young to fully read.
Showing them the letter wouldn’t have caused any harm.
But somehow, today, I couldn’t.
I had no idea what was written in this letter with its ominous aura.
It was better to wait until the children had left and I was alone.
“I’m curious about the letter too, but I can’t look at it right now.”
“Whyyy?”
“It’s time for our friends to go home now.”
“Wow!”
“We’re going home? Going home!”
At the mention of going home, the children raised both hands high in the air.
Then they began running and bouncing around the room.
‘Phew. Thank goodness.’
It was fortunate that children’s interests change so quickly.
A single word could easily shift their attention.
If only Marco or Den’s age group were here—they would have made this impossible.
“Mina, Mom’s here. Let’s go home now.”
“Where’s our little master? Dad’s here.”
“Mom!”
“Dad!”
Just in time, the children’s guardians started arriving one by one.
The children, running around, immediately ran to their parents upon seeing them.
“Oh my!”
“Did you have fun?”
“Yes!”
The parents accepted the children rushing into their arms without hesitation, and the children giggled happily.
Both adults and children wore joyful smiles.
‘I used to envy that scene.’
A being that gives unconditional love, always present from birth, one’s only ally.
And the strong, unbreakable bond with that being.
Of course, I hadn’t been completely deprived of that.
When I fell into this world, the Morris couple took care of me without lacking anything.
But perhaps because I retained memories of my previous life, I unconsciously kept my distance.
‘I regret that deeply now.’
Still, things were fine now.
Even if there’s no solid roof above me yet, I am the roof shielding those who need it.
Thinking of their fresh pink hair, I approached them.
“You’re here?”
“Oh my, teacher.”
The parents, smiling brightly while holding their children, all looked at me.
Feeling embarrassed under their gaze, I fiddled with the back of my hair and spoke.
“You’ve known me since I was little, yet you call me ‘teacher’.”
“That’s one thing, but this is another. You were the town’s darling back then, but now you’re taking care of my child.”
“You’re too kind…”
I had just done it because I liked the children.
Hearing such words made me feel proud and a warm tickle in my chest, making me smile.
Of course, the children were confused, not understanding what we were talking about.
“Thank you for taking care of our child today as well.”
“Our child too. Thanks to you, we can work without worry.”
“I’m the one who should be thanking you for trusting me.”
Happy smiles appeared on the adults’ faces.
Each parent adjusted the way they held their child and spoke.
“It’s time for us to leave. Shall we say goodbye to the teacher?”
“Goodbye, teacher!”
“Bye-bye!”
“Take care! See you tomorrow!”
With greetings exchanged, the children and their parents left one by one.
Soon, everyone had gone, leaving me alone.
“Phew.”
I exhaled, placing my hands on my waist.
Seeing their happy faces made me glad, but throughout the greetings, one thought kept resurfacing in my mind.
I turned toward the table where the letter had been placed and carefully picked it up.
“Shall we see what’s inside now?”
I opened the envelope and checked the contents.
And immediately…
“Ugh! Why on earth!”
I screamed at the top of my lungs.
“Estelle!”
“Cial!”
A sunny afternoon at the academy.
After finishing class and stepping outside, Cial stopped Estelle.
“How can you go alone? What if you collapse again like last time?”
“I won’t do that anymore.”
At Cial’s worried voice, Estelle shrugged.
Cial, however, felt frustrated with Estelle.
He had been worried when his friend collapsed, yet she seemed completely unconcerned.
Moreover, he felt he was the only one worrying about future problems while she remained indifferent, which irritated him.
“Do you know how shocked I was? You suddenly collapsed, Aris appeared out of nowhere, carried you to the infirmary, and even after I went to the infirmary after class, you had gone home. And you didn’t return for several days.”
Perhaps out of frustration, Cial poured out his words at Estelle.
“Ah…”
Then suddenly, Cial stopped talking.
He seemed to realize he might have been too harsh.
“I really was worried…”
He glanced at Estelle and muttered in a soft voice.
Estelle looked at him and smiled faintly.
She was touched that he cared for her, though not as much as Reina did.
Anyway, she didn’t mind his concern.
In fact, she appreciated it.
So she spoke in a deliberately bright tone.
“My body is really fine now. There won’t be any more sudden collapses. A skilled doctor said so, so you can trust me.”
Well, the Genofessia family physician was more than just skilled.
Estelle swallowed the thought and shrugged.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“You promise?”
“Yes. Promise.”
Cial stared at her, as if trying to verify the truth.
Was she really seen by a doctor?
Seeing her confident eyes, he seemed convinced.
After staring at her for a while, he suddenly extended his hand.
All fingers except the pinky were curled in, like the finger promise children make, seeking her vow not to collapse again.
Estelle couldn’t help but laugh at his cute gesture.
But quickly, she composed herself, not wanting him to feel mocked.
She linked her pinky with his and shook it up and down, smiling.
Then—
Clatter—!
“Those lowly people!”
A loud crash and a haughty laugh reached them.
It was Lady Marinef and her group.
Who were they bothering now?
At Marinef’s sharp voice, Estelle instinctively turned her head.
“I’ve said it before, not just anyone should be allowed into the academy!”
“Exactly! Exactly!”
“Of course!”
Three of them were surrounding someone, hurling abusive words.
As Estelle expected, they were bullying an ordinary commoner.
And they were smiling as if enjoying themselves.
Estelle frowned at the sight.
“Ugh, they’re at it again.”
A sigh came from Cial beside her.
“It’s gotten worse recently.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Since… oh, I remember. It seems to have gotten worse after the day you collapsed. Why they do this, I have no idea…”
