– Chapter 57………….
I fell silent for a moment, unable to follow the flow of the conversation at his question, but Lennox was more persistent than I expected.
“Please, be honest.”
Prompted by him, I looked at Alfeo, who was lounging in the hammock reading a novel.
Hmm… if you asked whether Alfeo was handsome…
“Objectively speaking, yes.”
“Then he must be special too.”
“Hmm…”
I thought I’d heard a slightly harsh tone, but I dismissed it as a misunderstanding.
In truth, Alfeo was more peculiar than special.
‘In my life, I’ve never met anyone who likes romance novels this much.’
In my previous life, I prided myself on liking romance novels quite a bit, but not to the extent of Alfeo.
Before I realized it, Lennox was staring silently in the direction of Alfeo.
Just as I was about to ask him why he asked such a thing…
“Professor, it’s mealtime.”
A young priest, apparently an apprentice, approached and informed us of the meal.
Looking up, I saw that the sun was already setting.
During the evening meal, the children gathered among themselves, while the adults continued their own conversations over dinner.
‘Finally, some relief.’
Even being separated from the children during mealtime felt like a breath of fresh air.
At the table, there were only three of us: Daniel, Grand Duke Andreas, and me.
‘This is still somewhat daunting…’
But considering where we were, I couldn’t complain.
“You really startled me earlier.”
Daniel was the first to speak, and from his words, I could easily guess what he meant.
“Ah, are you referring to the first time I met the Grand Duke?”
“You remembered that? As expected, you’re sharp.”
Daniel chuckled, pleased with himself.
‘It’s impossible not to remember.’
At that moment, Daniel looked as if he had seen a ghost, utterly shocked.
“Actually, it’s the first time I’ve seen you remember people’s faces.”
“Is that so…?”
The tone of his voice was odd.
It sounded as if he normally couldn’t remember faces.
Seeing Julian’s flustered expression, I opened my mouth to speak but stopped. I had a feeling I shouldn’t say anything.
The atmosphere had become quite awkward, and Daniel exaggeratedly covered his mouth to apologize.
“Oh! I misspoke. My apologies, Professor.”
“It’s alright. The truth is, I can’t really distinguish faces well.”
Julian said with a bitter smile.
‘Prosopagnosia?’
I had never known Grand Duke Andreas had such a condition.
This meant it was likely unknown to the public—but was it really okay to hear it like this?
“If only I could distinguish faces…”
He muttered with a bitter expression.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he smiled brightly and said,
“I’m sorry for making the mood awkward. Let’s eat.”
However, I caught the words he muttered under his breath at the end:
‘If only I could distinguish faces… I might have been able to find that child.’
Who on earth had he lost? I continued eating, holding onto that small question.
“Your Excellency, Count Bentley is here to see you.”
The middle-aged man with blue hair pretended not to hear as he sipped his tea.
But the duke, who seemed slightly displeased, spoke to the man seated across from him.
“Do you really intend to go through with breaking the engagement?”
The man before him was much younger but exuded a similar overall aura.
“Soon, news of Lady Ruspina’s expulsion will spread across society.”
Dominic smiled faintly.
It was hard to believe that he had just broken off a ten-year engagement.
He seemed almost delighted.
The truth was, the fiancée had never truly suited his tastes.
“Expulsion?”
The duke raised an eyebrow.
Principal Albrecht rarely resorted to expulsion over minor matters.
Dominic briefly explained the events that had occurred at the academy. After hearing this, Duke Penelope furrowed his brow.
“If my daughter is expelled, the Ruspina family will also be permanently banned from the academy.”
“Yes.”
Duke Penelope’s face hardened. The turn of events disrupted his plans.
‘Things are going awry.’
Recently, Duke Penelope had been trying to establish an adult education institute.
The institute could receive imperial support under the guise of tuition and was convenient for reducing operational taxes.
With the duke’s approval, it would only admit nobles, solidifying the loyalty of royalist nobles—a perfect stepping stone.
The power of the one who fully controlled that stepping stone would be immense.
The problem was the establishment requirements.
All major officials of the academy had to consent.
But the duke’s influence within the academy was relatively weak.
He had hoped to rely on the full support of Marquess Ruspina.
“Wait, what was the name of the professor who discovered this?”
“Clemens Jaclyn. The student who was bullied is Melin Jaclyn, her sister.”
Dominic answered easily. He usually didn’t remember names well, but he remembered theirs for one reason: they were obstacles to the family’s grand plans, quietly removed from his way.
“Clemens Jaclyn again…”
Duke Penelope’s face twisted.
He remembered how Count Bentley had also tried to target Clemens Jaclyn and ended up attacked in return.
Lately, the story of Duke Denero defending her had become widely known among the nobility.
‘I can’t just sit back now.’
Yet he couldn’t act rashly.
The duke groaned and fiddled with three orbs in his hand.
The radiant light of the orbs began to dim as if screaming in response to his movements.
The next day, 6 a.m.
Having spent the night in the main hall, we gathered in the prayer room for morning prayers.
Since it was an hour earlier than the academy’s usual wake-up time, the students’ faces still looked drowsy.
‘I’m tired too.’
If I had come alone, it would be fine. I would just have to resist sleep.
But now, I was the supervising teacher.
“Hey… doesn’t that priest look like an octopus?”
“Shh. Quiet.”
Watching over children who were itching to gossip was exhausting.
“You all seem tired. To help wake you up, shall I briefly explain the history of our temple?”
Daniel, the deputy priest, spoke with a warm smile.
I internally braced myself.
‘No, stop this.’
A history lecture at 6 a.m.?
It was essentially giving sleeping pills to already-drowsy children.
But before I could stop him, Daniel had already begun.
“In the beginning, before this world was created, there was the Absolute God, Luniel. She had two knights and four guardians.”
‘Even telling the most famous story…’
I stifled a sigh.
The creation myth was well-known: in the beginning, there was the Absolute God Luniel, with four guardian beasts—White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Azure Dragon, and Black Tortoise.
However, to govern the human world, she needed human advisors, so she created two original knights.
Following the goddess’s orders, the guardians and knights descended to the mortal world to maintain peace and balance.
Somewhere, they continued assisting the goddess.
‘Turning the creation myth into temple history… brazen.’
“It is said that when Luniel withdrew from governing humans, the two knights disappeared, and chaos came to the human world. The one who corrected this was—”
“I know! The guardian dragon here!” a student raised their hand.
“Correct!”
Daniel gave a thumbs-up to the student who answered correctly.
“The guardian dragon performed a great feat!”
Then, a student raised their hand.
“Um, can we see the guardian dragon too?”
Daniel’s face hardened coldly.
