EPISODE 6
Time passed swiftly, and Leticia was now thirteen years old.
By now, she heard “pretty” more often than “cute,” had fully mastered table etiquette, and could naturally address her brothers as “elder brother” rather than just “brother.”
Her brothers still flinched every time they heard that formal address, but she had become shameless enough to ignore such things altogether.
“Haah…”
But at the moment, Leticia’s mind was so tangled that she could scream.
She was facing something that most nobles experienced at her age—the entrance exam for the Royal Philispe Academy.
The Royal Philippe Academy was the empire’s largest educational institution, where nearly every noble in the capital enrolled.
Even royalty attended, and its seven departments had produced a dazzling list of graduates:
emperors, chancellors, knight commanders, chief justices, world-famous artists and merchants, and countless figures of high society.
It was so long a list that one could hardly name them all.
Thus, nobles could not afford to skip the academy, since it was where the most valuable academic connections were formed.
“The problem is—which department should I apply for?”
‘If I remember right, Arietta also attended the academy in the original story….’
As a child, Arietta had been bullied by her private tutor, and ever since, she’d carried a deep trauma toward tutors.
Still, as the daughter of a duke, she couldn’t avoid education entirely, so she decided to attend the capital’s academy—where her brothers were already enrolled.
Her father, the duke, had tried to stop her, unwilling to be separated from his beloved daughter. But her brothers, who hadn’t seen her for so long because they lived in the capital, welcomed the idea with open arms.
Eventually, the duke allowed it on one condition: she had to return to the duchy during vacations. Not only that, he even moved into the ducal townhouse in the capital to make sure Arietta stayed home on weekends.
“The question is—which department did Arietta enter?”
Leticia knew which departments her own brothers attended. Alexander, as heir to the ducal family, was in the Department of Politics, while Achill, aspiring to knighthood, belonged to the Department of Chivalry.
That left Economics, Administration, Fine Arts, Law, and Liberal Arts.
‘Arietta started a business after graduating, right? Then it must have been Economics!’
Leticia was lost in thought, piecing clues together, when her brothers entered the library—all of whom were studying in the Department of Economics.
“Wait… if that’s the case, that’s dangerous!”
Lennart, as heir to the Sharon Count family, had entered the Economics Department to prepare for running the family business. Kenneth hadn’t yet decided his future but planned to help with the business, so he enrolled in the same department.
Even Marianne had joined the Economics Department to study product design.
If Arietta were to enter Economics, she’d inevitably be tangled up with Leticia’s family.
“Ren, Ken—elder brothers!”
Leticia called out quickly, and Lennart, who had been reaching for a book, turned toward her. His face twitched slightly at the word “elder brother.”
“What’s the matter? Why are you calling like that?”
“Elder brothers, do you ever run into first-year students? Like, at a welcome party or something?”
“Of course we do. Especially in Economics. The academy hosts tons of events to help students network.”
Kenneth’s casual answer made Leticia’s face crumble in despair, confusing him completely.
“Why do you look like that, Letty? Something wrong with the new students?”
“No… it’s just that life feels kind of unfair sometimes. Like there’s a limit to how much effort can actually change things….”
Kenneth tilted his head at the sudden remark.
“Unfair? You mean because of your entrance exam?”
“Well… kind of. It’s more about my future.”
Technically, it was about the heroine’s future in the original novel, but she couldn’t exactly say that aloud.
Thankfully, her brothers took “future” to mean “career,” their expressions softening with concern.
“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of changing departments? You’re not exactly into studying, and you’re not good enough at art to make a living off it. Everything you do is just… average. What could you possibly do in another department?”
“Hey, that’s harsh…” Kenneth tried to intervene, but the damage was already done.
It wasn’t just the brutal honesty—it was the calm, matter-of-fact way he said it that really stung.
“Sure, sure. But for the record, I’m better at dancing and horseback riding. Do you want to race again, brother?”
“That’s dangerous. Mother told us not to after what happened last time. You have no idea how much she scolded me.”
“I don’t care. It’s always the elder brother’s responsibility if the younger one makes mistakes.”
“Then it’s my right to scold you for those mistakes. Shall I exercise that right?”
Brother and sister bickered back and forth—so typically familial that Kenneth could only sigh and step in.
“Well, I’m just worried you’d have a hard time in another department,” Kenneth said gently. “Besides, in our family, you’re the only one who could really shine in society. Honestly, I’d prefer you joined the Liberal Arts Department.”
Leticia knew better than anyone that he meant it sincerely.
When she had first mentioned wanting to join Liberal Arts, her family had literally celebrated.
The adults applauded, and her cousins cheered like they were at a festival.
“Good job, Leti! Never change your mind—ever!”
“I was even considering marrying Lennart to a famous socialite to get us into high society, but now that you’re doing it yourself, we’re saved!”
“…Thank you, Leti. You’ve solved my marriage problem.”
All because she happened to be the extrovert in an introverted household—she’d become the family’s savior overnight.
In romance novels, everyone usually wants to debut in high society. Her family was clearly an exception.
“And if you plan to debut socially, you have to attend Philippe. Otherwise, you’ll face brutal snobbery.”
“I know. That’s exactly why Mother told me to join Liberal Arts.”
“Then why were you even hesitating?”
Lennart looked genuinely puzzled. Leticia sighed dramatically.
“There are things… you wouldn’t understand, brother.”
“Did you hit puberty or something? Some kids start writing weird poetry around now. Just don’t get caught—one of them had to read it aloud in class.”
“You know I hate poetry. That’ll never happen.”
After giving her brother an annoyed look, Leticia went back to her thoughts.
Alexander would have graduated by the time she entered, but Achill, being Kenneth’s age, would still be there for two more years.
“An academy life shared with an overprotective brother… no thanks.”
There were hardships in life, and that was not the kind she wanted to endure—there wasn’t even the satisfaction of nostalgia to make it worthwhile.
“…But the original story barely covered the academy years anyway. Just a few mentions of how the duke threw a festival because Arietta got good grades…”
She had tried recalling every detail she’d written in her notes, but the academy portion was almost nonexistent.
Apparently, being a “doting-father novel,” the focus had been entirely on Arietta’s childhood, not her school life.
“And you’ll probably get picked on at the academy,” Lennart warned suddenly, frowning as if recalling something unpleasant. “Don’t take every fight head-on—handle it smartly.”
“Picked on? By who?”
“Some of the old noble families or neutral ones. Especially in the Liberal Arts Department—Mother said there’s a lot of scheming there.”
“If Mother said it, it must be true. Ugh, how annoying.”
Leticia pressed her temples, already tired at the thought.
Within the empire, nobles could be divided into three main factions:
The Old Nobility, who prided themselves on their ancient lineage and traditions.
The New Nobility, who had received titles from the late Emperor, the wise and celebrated Michael the Great.
And the Neutral Faction, formed by old houses that had intermarried with new ones.
Though social mobility had existed for centuries, Emperor Michael had especially favored the commoners, granting them titles and using them to check the power of the old nobles.
Thanks to that policy, the Sharon family, once jewel merchants, had been elevated to the rank of counts.
Her father, Patrick, had married Camilla, the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Wade, one of the highest-ranking old nobles—thus making the Sharons the foremost among new noble houses.
Although the family focused purely on business and avoided politics, their influence in both the social and economic circles was immense.
Still, they faced no small amount of scrutiny.
As a child, Leticia hadn’t realized it, but the Sharon family had quite the intricate backstory.
