Volume 2 - CH 2.2

Translator: Blushy

Editor: delishnoodles

I put my pen down as soon as the bell rang, confident of my success.

It was perfect. I was even confident that I had gotten the perfect score.

I looked outside the glass window on the side wall and saw that it was already dusk. My shoulders were stiff from taking this exam since it had continued without break from morning until now. Surprisingly, the exam system is unforgiving, even to nobles.

I slid the bag on my shoulder and stretched once before standing up. It felt good to stretch my stiff shoulders and back.

――― Now, I have to meet up with Rille-nee as soon as possible.

It would be unpleasant for her to wait alone in the midst of all the nobles.

But I stumbled when I stood up, probably because I was hungry.

“I’ve got you.”

A hand on my back prevented me from falling.

Well, there is a chair behind me, so I would have just sat back down again instead of falling.

“Are you alright?”

The person behind me kindly asked how I was feeling.

I thought he had just reached out to me reflectively, but he must be a good person judging by how concerned he sounded.

The cold gazes that had been directed at me since I entered the school made me believe that everyone here didn’t want to associate with me, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Maybe there might be a lot of nobles who are kind like Fabio-sensei and Chancellor Leonard.

“I’m alright. Thanks.”

I turned around and faced the boy properly.

I was surprised.

Because he had such a beautiful face.

I know it was rude to stare at people, but I was drawn to his sapphire-blue eyes, and soft golden hair.

Blondes have thin hair so much so that the German zoologist, Spemann, used it to split salamander embryos. He pulled out his baby boy’s [1] hair for this experiment. I wonder if his baby went bald. I also heard that Asian people’s black hair is the thickest.

Ah, I got distracted. I was a little shaken by how beautiful he was.

His slightly large eyes and straight, thin bridged nose gave him a slightly feminine impression, but he had a firm jawline, so he is a boy. His face had the golden ratio and didn’t have a single flaw. This was the kind of sculpture that would be good to have.

His beautiful blonde hair, blue eyes and stylish appearance made him seem like a…

No, this prince-like person can’t be a prince no matter how you twist it. A Prince wouldn’t come here to the exam hall to take the exam in the first place.

“What’s wrong?”

He must have wondered why I had suddenly fallen silent. He bent over and gave me a worried look. He was about a head taller than me.

“You must be feeling unwell.”

“… No, I’m okay.”

I was simply admiring him, but it seems that I’ve made him worry. I apologise.

But his expression didn’t change even when I tried to gloss it over with a smile.

“It’s natural to be tired after such a long exam. I believe there’s an infirmary here. Why don’t you take a rest there?”

“Thank you for your concern, but the person who I’m meeting must already be here.”

“Then I’ll take you there. It would be horrible if you fainted on the way.”

“Huh?”

He smoothly took my right hand while I was lost.

Then, he walked out from the space between the desks and stood next to me. What’s with this position?

“Yo…?!”

Another boy who was standing next to the blonde boy suddenly became agitated and started to say something, but the blonde boy immediately silenced him with a wave of his hand… Yo?

“Your bag.”

The boy held out the left hand he was waving in front of me. You want to carry my bag for me?

“You don’t have to.”

“It’s alright. Don’t push yourself when you’re feeling unwell.”

What a gentleman.

He must know I’m not a noble from my clothes, but he still treats me as if I’m the daughter of a noble.

For a moment, I wondered if he had an ulterior motive, but then quickly reconsidered since he had probably just finished boarding school and is 15, and I’m 12, so it’s unlikely that he has an ulterior motive.

He must be a good person.

The boy reluctantly gave up when I politely refused three times, then his open left hand naturally came to rest on my waist.

He was probably supporting me in case I fell down… but it was embarrassing since I wasn’t used to it.

Then, he started walking towards the door. The boy, who had tried to say something earlier, followed us. What is he? An attendant?

“Hmm, I really don’t mind if you leave me to go by myself.”

I said as we were walking to the exit. I wasn’t being tactful because of his high statues, but because there really wasn’t anything to worry about. The dumbfounded gazes around me were even more uncomfortable than the gazes I received when I was alone.

I thought I would embarrass him if I forcefully shook him off me, so I asked him to let me go, but he replied with a smile and said, “I’m also going this way.”

It was a little embarrassing, but I felt like I had no choice but to accept this boy’s kindness in this situation.

“By the way, may I ask for your name?”

I finally introduced myself after I had calmed down.

“I’m Aime, and you are?”

“Alexei.”

People behind us started whispering to themselves when I asked for his name, but they stopped whispering when Alexei looked in their direction.

“Where did you study?”

I guess he approached me to ask this question.

He was brimming with curiosity even though the others kept their distance from me. I told him where I had studied, and he listened in interest.

“I’ve heard the rumours… but what is a commoner school like?”

“There’s only one classroom and the kids from the city come whenever they like to listen to the lessons. The content ranges from reading and writing to history, arithmetic, etiquette and many other subjects.”

“It seems like a typical school.”

He hadn’t expected that a commoner school would teach such a wide range of subjects. This was due to, in no small part, Fabio-sensei’s enthusiasm.

“Everyone enjoys learning. The teacher is a noble. He’s a good teacher who treats all the students equally and he helped me a lot with studying for the exam.”

“I see, then I’m sure you did well in the exam.”

“I did, it was easy. I think most people would have passed. I highly doubt that was a test of intelligence. Didn’t you think so too?”

“You must be bright.”

Alexei just smiled and didn’t answer my question. No but it really was just a memorisation test.

“I thought I heard humming in the exam, was that perhaps you?”

“Huh? … Ah, probably.”

This probably happened during the morning when I was humming poems.

“Could you hear me from behind? I’m sorry for being loud.”

“No, it was quiet. I just thought you had a lot of leeway.”

Alexei let out a small laugh maybe because he found it funny.

He must be a really nice person since he didn’t get angry when he heard humming from the seat in front of him during the exam.

But I’ll explain it to you just in case you were wondering.

“I memorised the poems used in the exam as songs, so I won’t remember it if I don’t sing it. It wasn’t like I had that much leeway.”

“Really? Did you learn these songs in school too?’

“No, I learnt it from a travelling entertainer who I had met while travelling to the capital.”

“Travelling entertainer?”

His blue eyes lit up like the evening glow when he heard a word that caught his interest.

He looked like he wanted to hear more about this, but we had arrived at the crowded exit where carriages were waiting to pick up the kids.

“Aime!”

I heard Rille-nee amidst the noise coming from everywhere around me.

I could see her waving at me from the other side of the gap between the black carriages. I responded by waving my left hand, which wasn’t held by Alexei.

“Is this the person who is picking you up?”

“Yes, she’s my sister.”

Alexei walked me in that direction. He could just leave now, but he seemed determined to fulfil his duty. How am I going to explain this to Rille-nee?

We passed between the carriages, and I saw Chancellor Leonard standing next to Rille-nee for some reason.

I had planned on visiting him after I had passed the exam, but had he come all the way here to pick me up?

But before smiling at me, Chancellor Leonard blinked as soon as he saw Alexei. Then he approached us and bowed respectfully.

Alexei stopped in front of us puzzled sisters and spoke.

“Aime is tired. Let her rest well.”

“Oh my, did your honourable self bring her all the way here? Thank you very much.”

“Don’t worry about it. It was just a coincidence.”

… What’s with this conversation?

Alexei handed me to Chancellor Leonard, then he smiled and left.

“Let’s meet again as school mates. You can tell me the rest of the story then.”

He slightly raised his hand to say goodbye, then he got into a carriage which was escorted by soldiers and left in the direction of the palace.

“You’re quite skilled, Aime. You suddenly become close to His Highness.”

“Huh? His Highness…?!”

I heard the Chancellor’s strained laughter and Rille-nee’s surprised voice behind me.

Having blonde hair and blue eyes as a Prince.

What is this, a flag?