Entrance Ceremony
The students around me were clapping.
It seemed that His Highness's speech had just ended.
Oh crap… I totally wasn't listening. What do I do?
This really wasn't the time to be stuffing my face…
… Hmmm, well, whatever. It’s not like he’ll come back over here. I’ll manage somehow.
Prince Fred returned, accompanied by Brother Aran and Ryuk.
Ah, crap… they really came back…
Just go home already…!!
“……”
“… Young lady Joan, do you really think you're hidden like that?”
Prince Fred spoke to me in exasperation as I awkwardly stuck only my head under the table.
“… Sigh. Jo, come out.”
Urged by Brother Noel, I reluctantly poked my head out from under the table.
“What are you doing?”
“Ahaha… well, you see…”
As I floundered, unsure how to explain, Ryuk whispered something into Prince Fred's ear.
“Hm? Already? Hmmm, can't be helped. Sadly, I have to return to the royal castle. Noel, Young lady Joan… and…”
“This is Joan's classmate, Young lady Bell Barst, Your Highness.”
“I see. Nice to meet you. Well then, see you both at the academy.”
“““Yes.”””
As we watched Prince Fred walk away, Ryuk glanced back and gave a thumbs-up, while Brother Aran mouthed the word “Idiot.”
Ahhh… I'm saved… They totally knew I wasn’t listening to the speech… That’s why they covered for me so Fred wouldn’t notice…
“Sigh… Jo, you totally didn’t listen to the speech, did you?”
“Eh? Ahaha… well… that happens sometimes, right?”
“It does not!!”
Not only Brother Noel but even Bell scolded me.
“I was so nervous watching you… Young lady Bell, I’m really sorry.”
“Not at all, it’s Joan after all.”
“That’s a relief to hear.”
“Hey, hey! You two are so mean!”
“No, I understand you, Jo. But try to be a little more careful, okay? Or should I report this to Mother—”
“No, please, anything but that… I’ll be more careful from now on.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
“Yes…”
“Hehehe…”
The dinner party ended, and Brother Noel walked Bell and me back to the dorms. Along the way, the girls heading to the dorms kept sneaking glances at Brother Noel.
“Alright then, see you at the entrance ceremony tomorrow. Father and the others will be coming too, so behave yourself, alright? I’ll be giving a speech as the student representative.”
“Okay.”
“Goodnight, you two.”
＊＊＊
The Entrance Ceremony.
Unlike yesterday's dormitory orientation, a certain nervousness filled the auditorium.
And for good reason—this was the Royal Academy, so members of the royal family would be attending as guests of honor. At this point, no one knew who exactly would be coming. Apparently, last year, His Majesty himself attended.
At the back of the auditorium where the new students sat was the guardian seating area. My father and mother were sitting there side by side, with Gray and Nancy flanking them. By the way, Zack, who also entered the academy, didn’t move into the dormitory but stayed at the mansion to learn the duties of an attendant. When I glanced over, my mother smiled and waved at me.
As the top scorer in the entrance exam, I was giving the representative speech.
When I stepped onto the stage, I finally realized that the guest of honor was Prince Albert.
Ugh, don’t grin at me like that from the guest seating…! I complained internally, but I managed to deliver my speech without any issues.
Afterward, the class assignments were announced. I ended up in the same class as Bell and Zack, which was a relief.
Once the ceremony ended, the guardians left, and the new students headed to their classrooms.
There were 158 new students. Regardless of status, the class assignments were based on academic performance, with about 30 students per class across five classes. Together with Bell and Zack, I entered classroom 1-A. Even though it was just the first day, little groups had already formed. Looking closely, the groups were clearly divided between commoners and nobles.
“Do you know if the seats are assigned?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything.”
“Me neither.”
“I see… Hello, do you happen to know if the seats are assigned?”
I asked a group of girls near the entrance who looked like commoners.
“““Huh!?”””
“Umm… I think… we can sit anywhere.”
“Is that so? Thank you.”
“““!!”””
It was so normal for me to bow and thank people at the mansion that I didn’t think twice, but the surrounding students, as well as Bell, were shocked to see me thanking commoners. Zack, meanwhile, regretted not being the one to ask instead.
“Hmm, should we sit by the window?”
“Yeah, sounds good.”
As the three of us headed towards the seats by the window—
“You there, may I have a word?”
“Eh?”
Someone suddenly called out to me.
When I turned around, there stood a girl straight out of an otome game, with blonde drill curls and a long skirt. At her sides stood two other girls.
Whoa, drill curls! Amazing, amazing!!
Did she curl it with an iron this morning? Her maids must have worked hard~.
And she even has lackeys on both sides, just like Suke-san and Kaku-san from Mito Komon! So cool! I feel like playing the theme song right now!!
Wow, they really exist…
As I admired her drill curls with sparkling eyes—
“Hey, are you listening?”
“Ah… Sorry. I was… lost in a daydream.”
“““Huh?”””
“Hey, Joan! That’s Young lady Catherine Cutter, the duke’s daughter!”
“Eh? Oh, really?”
“‘Oh, really’? You don’t know Young lady Catherine?!”
The one who said that was the Suke-san on the left of the duke’s daughter—a girl with sleek, short red hair, brown eyes, and silver-rimmed glasses.
“Huh, no, I don’t. I’ve never been to a tea party or anything.”
“Oh my~ how uncultured~ What kind of countryside bumpkin are you~?”
The one who said that was Kaku-san on the right—a girl with soft, wavy, light-purple hair tied half-up and droopy navy-blue eyes.
“Ah, well, I am a countryside bumpkin… By the way, may I ask your names?”
If I recall correctly, among the new students, there’s one duke from each gender, no marquises, and next is me—the daughter of a frontier count—so they’re both definitely lower-ranked than me. So I have no obligation to introduce myself first.
… Also, didn’t I give the new student representative speech?
Huh? Is the Lampail family really that unknown?
It’s understandable with Young lady Catherine, but do her two sidekicks know that and still speak like that?
Ahhh, I’m getting excited~
Hehe, I wonder if they can win a verbal spat against an 82-year-old~
What do you think about this chapter?
