Chapter 87

It didn’t feel like I had actually eaten that exhausting lunch. What a waste. Starting tomorrow, I’ll maintain my composure and focus entirely on eating.

In the afternoon, it was etiquette and dance. For etiquette, it was with Princess Margaret and her entire entourage. I honestly preferred to be with the other female students in the class.

Our etiquette teacher was Mrs. Rulerdale Ridgewater, who looked every bit the high-society noblewoman. After lunch break ended, we moved to the classroom, but everyone was still buzzing.

“My, my, everyone be quiet, please. Do take your seats.”

Everyone sat down, but Mrs. Ridgewater immediately threw out a warning: “Oh, no, that won’t do. Don’t make such a clattering noise.”

“Etiquette is vital as a lady. Failing to maintain it not only brings shame upon you but degrades your very value as a human being. Let us always carry ourselves as ladies.”

Wow, she seems like a tough teacher.

“Etiquette class is almost entirely practical. The goal for the spring term is to successfully host a tea party as a hostess. Today, you will choose your tea party’s theme, select your guests, and write the invitations.”

We have never hosted a tea party at the Granger house. Even so, I thought of a theme and wrote it down on the distributed paper.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be winter. In that case, let’s make it a cherry blossom viewing tea party. The theme will be ‘Celebrating Spring.’ For guests, my three aunts will do just fine. The invitation should say…

Patience’s etiquette is perfect. As for me, I think I’m doing passably well. I feel quite used to it by now.

Mrs. Ridgewater walked around, picked up my tea party planning sheet, and read it.

“My word, your tea party plan is flawless. You may test out and skip the class.”

Ah, everyone’s glares pierced straight into me. But I was happy to be in a different class from Princess Margaret and her entourage.

Princess Margaret also had a good planning sheet, and Catherine and Harriet were praised as well, but they couldn’t skip the class.

“Patience is always skipping classes. And here I thought we finally got to be in the same class together.”

Princess Margaret looked disappointed, but my classmates praised me, saying, “That is wonderful.” I’ll just assume that hearing “Hurry up, skip the class, and vanish” from somewhere in the back was just my imagination. Etiquette is important, after all.

As for dancing, Princess Margaret and her friends have already received their certificates of completion, so they are exempt. However, among the students in the middle division who are thirteen or fourteen years old, I am only eleven. On top of that, because I was malnourished before, I am short. We look like an adult and a child. I’m at quite a disadvantage.

Furthermore, this Class A dance class somehow has an overwhelming number of female students. I wonder why. There were fifteen girls in Class 4-A. Plus, Princess Margaret’s entourage is mostly exempt after getting their certificates.

While I was wondering about this, Mr. Carragan arrived. I have taken this teacher’s dance class back in the second year.

“All right, pair up with a partner. Today is a review of everything so far.”

He clapped his hands, and everyone paired up one after another. As expected, the beautiful girls were asked first. Just as I was thinking that, someone called out to me.

“Oh, aren’t you the female student who was at the Aoba Festival?”

Who was that again? The ones I met at the Aoba Festival were President Jeffrey of the Raffle Club—he was quite large all around. The members of the Riding Club were slender. This person is lanky and tall, but different from the Riding Club members.

“I’ve been waiting since then, but you never showed up, which left me rather disappointed. I didn’t even know your name, so I couldn’t go and recruit you.”

Ah, I didn’t recognize him without his dirty white lab coat. It’s Caesar Burns from the Alchemy Club.

“Um, Lord Burns, if I remember correctly, you were the club president. This is a fourth-year dance class.”

I asked, wondering if he was in the wrong place.

“No, I am a fifth-year, but I forgot to take dance. So, I plan to get my completion certificate this year.”

He had failed to take a mandatory subject. I guess mistakes like that happen.

“I would also like to get my completion certificate if possible, but unfortunately, I am not very good at dancing.”

“Don’t worry. I am a good dancer. It’s true. Last year, I just forgot to write it on my course registration form.”

I doubted whether it was true, but Caesar really was excellent. With a good lead, I could dance quite well.

“Ah, Caesar. You actually took dance properly this year. You pass. I’ll give you your certificate. Don’t ever forget a mandatory subject again. Is your partner Patience? Well, I’ll pass her as a bonus. I’ll give you your certificate; you dance well enough that you’ll be fine.”

“Wait, what a windfall! I just grabbed a completion certificate out of nowhere. Is this really okay? Well, Mr. Carragan gave it to me, so I guess it’s fine. Yay!”

“Thank you very much. Since there are so many female students in this class, I thought it would be difficult to get a certificate because a short person like me would only be able to pair up with a poor leader.”

When I thanked him, he asked for my name.

“Hmph, those girls are probably just after the Class A boys. Setting that aside, what comes after ‘Patience’?”

For some reason, I felt like I didn’t want to answer. As I stammered, Mr. Carragan chimed in.

“Hey, Caesar. You’ve got quite the nerve, hitting on a lowerclassman during my class. I’ll tear up your certificate.”

Caesar shrugged and laughed.

“Mr. Carragan, don’t be so cruel. My father scolded me harshly for forgetting to take dance. I was only forgiven after promising I’d get the certificate this year.”

Mr. Carragan laughed too, said “Hurry up and get out,” and tossed him the certificate. He handed mine to me properly, though. Dance teachers are quite kind to female students.

I was caught by Caesar outside the classroom.

“So, what’s your name?”

“I am Patience Granger. I plan to take the alchemy class, and if I can manage it, I’ll submit my registration form. I’ll think about the Alchemy Club after that.”

Caesar said “I see” and backed off rather easily. I was a fool for thinking that was the end of it.

“You certainly have a knack for being followed around by eccentrics!”

Prince Keith, accompanied by Ralph and Hugo, was glaring at Caesar from behind me.

“Prince Keith, what about your class?”

“I already got my dance completion certificate!”

He showed it off to me, but I got mine too.

“Patience got one too? There’s no way your dancing could earn you a certificate, right?”

Oh, hush.

“That Lord Caesar is an eccentric, but he is the eldest son of the Ducal House of Burns, so surely he has mastered dancing?” Ralph remarked. He knows a lot about the nobility. It seemed Prince Keith didn’t know.

“What, that eccentric is… relatives of the royal family are nothing but eccentrics.”

The ducal houses were originally royalty, after all. Duke Laforet is certainly quite unusual too. Even so, I wonder if the Ducal House of Burns is going to be okay?

“Speaking of Duke Burns, he runs the Burns Trading Company, doesn’t he? My father praised him as being incredibly capable… but is that person the eldest son? I wonder if I can get along with him.”

Hugo looked rather anxious. His father must have told him to get close to him. Being a noble is tough.

“Lord Hugo, if you join the Alchemy Club, you can become good friends with him.”

Even though I kindly gave him a tip, the three of them shouted “No way!” in unison.

“As I thought, eccentrics gather around you. Perhaps you emit a scent that attracts them?”

Prince Keith always has to add one extra remark—specifically, a remark that sours a person’s mood.

“Please excuse me,” I said, leaving them behind. Prince Keith isn’t a bad person, but he causes far too many irritations. Even if I have a soft spot for cute younger boys, I prefer to avoid people who upset me.

Besides, I have to catch Samuel and invite him to the music club. I hurried to the Year 1, Class A classroom.

“Ah, Samuel!” It looked like his class had just finished.

“Patience, do you need something?” Hehehe, his tsundere side is cute too.

“Tomorrow, Princess Margaret is going to recommend you to the music club. So, please practice the new sheet music I gave you before you come. The location of the music club is written in the club guide booklet, so you can make it, right? If you aren’t confident you can find it, I can come to your classroom to pick you up.”

While we were talking in the hallway in front of the classroom, a cute boy fidgeted nearby.

“Um… are you joining the music club too?”

With brown hair and blue eyes, yes, he’s an angel. He looks like he stepped right out of a Renaissance religious painting.

“Ah, it seems I’ll be recommended as well. Are you joining too, Klaus?”

Klaus-kun’s eyes sparkled instantly. Oh dear, he is exactly my type. He then waved his hand and called over two more angels—a golden-haired and a dark-blonde beautiful boy.

“Let’s see, Samuel, was it? I plan to join the music club too. And so does my cousin, Bardish. And who might this be?”

Samuel finally introduced me.

“This is my cousin, Patience Granger. She is Princess Margaret’s personal attendant. I suppose she’ll be our senior in the music club.”

Hearing that I would be their senior in the music club, the three politely introduced themselves.

“I am Daniel Kimberly. I was recommended to the music club by Lord Albert.”

With dark blonde hair and brown eyes, wow, he’s a beautiful boy with a bright future ahead of him.

“I am Daniel’s cousin, Bardish MacFarlane.”

With blonde hair and light blue eyes, he definitely has the angel attribute.

“I am Klaus Archer.” He was the one who had first called out to me—the angel who is exactly my type.

“I believe you will be recommended to the music club tomorrow, but the members are all people who absolutely love music. So, you will definitely be asked to play a piece. I came to warn Samuel to practice beforehand. With the four of you together, you won’t need me to come pick you up, right?”

It seemed Samuel wasn’t acquainted with the other three yet, but Daniel answered, “We will go together.” The leader of these four will definitely be Daniel. His aura is completely different.

“I’ll leave it in your hands, then,” I requested. With the class leader by his side, Samuel should be able to ease into school life smoothly.