Chapter 88

Princess Margaret praised me for getting my dance completion certificate as well.

“Patience, you did a wonderful job.”

That part was fine, but she wouldn’t stop grumbling about me testing out of etiquette.

“And here I was, so happy that we could finally take a class together. Fine, then. I shall work hard and test out of it too.”

Etiquette is still manageable. The real issue is Childcare. If Nutrition and Family Medicine are on the same level, I don’t even want to take them. I don’t even feel like putting in the effort to get the completion certificates. It’s no wonder Queen Victoria laments over this. Rather than being easy, it’s a total waste of time.

These subjects were probably designed so that young ladies making their social debuts could easily obtain completion certificates. Rationally, the smarter choice would be to just accept the certificates and be done with it. But it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Perhaps I should just tell Princess Margaret, “Should you not choose more substantial subjects?” But because I’m a coward, I can’t bring myself to say it. I keep making excuses to myself, hoping that maybe Nutrition and Family Medicine will actually have some solid substance to them.

Tuesday’s schedule consists of Administration, Foreign Language, Sewing, and Weaving. I prayed that Administration would be more interesting than Law, but it was taught by the exact same Mr. Patterson and was just as tedious. Still, I don’t consider it a waste of time like Childcare. At least it feels like something worth knowing. The fourth-year material is roughly on par with a middle school civics class. I feel like I could memorize the entire textbook word-for-word.

“Let’s take Foreign Language together.” Princess Margaret linked her arm through mine as we moved to the next classroom.

Oh, look at that—her entourage isn’t here. They must have run away because foreign languages are difficult. This is going to be so much more relaxing.

“We call it a foreign language, but the Dane language is a relative of the Emperado language spoken in our country, the neighboring Kingdom of Sonia, the Kingdom of Cordoba, and the Holy Estena Empire,” explained Mr. Philip Morse, a dapper man with an impressive mustache who turned out to be quite entertaining. He kept us laughing by mimicking the accents of each country.

“Emperado has its own local dialects in every nation. Other countries criticize the Lawrence dialect as being stiff and unsuited for literature, but they simply don’t realize the magnificent literature we possess. The Sonia dialect sounds feminine and listless—it likely evolved that way because Sonians love to woo women. The Cordoba dialect is rough; you must be careful of flying spit when they talk. The Estena dialect smells of religion. They invoke the name of God in every single sentence, so you lose track of what they’re actually saying. It might be even more difficult than Dane.”

He broke the ice and eased the students’ tension with laughter before having us practice basic greetings. I paired up with Princess Margaret to practice.

“Pleasure to meet you, my name is Margaret.”

“Pleasure to meet you, my name is Patience.”

“Good morning.”

“Hello.”

Now, this class is fun. Memorizing vocabulary is going to be a chore, but it feels rewarding.

Come lunchtime, I decided to completely ignore Prince Keith and focus entirely on eating. At least, I made an effort to. But of course, he has absolutely no awareness of the atmosphere.

“Is Patience going to join Caesar’s Alchemy Club?”

He just had to go out of his way to dig up an unpleasant topic. Did he already forget how he insulted me yesterday by saying I emit a scent that attracts eccentrics?

“I haven’t decided yet. I will think about it after taking the alchemy class.”

And with that, this topic is closed. I am focusing on my food. Yet, he refuses to give up.

“Were you actually serious about taking alchemy?”

I really wish people would stop questioning my course choices.

“Yes. I intend to take it and see if I have any aptitude for alchemy.”

Oh dear, Prince Keith is about to say something awful. My gaffe-radar is pinging. Having spent the entire past year watching him infuriate Prince Richard, I’ve developed a sixth sense for detecting these things.

“Could it be that you’re actually after Caesar? I hear the Ducal House of Burns is exceedingly wealthy.”

Are you an idiot?! I glared straight at him.

Snickers and muffled giggles broke out around the table. The three girls were laughing at me. Ah, that’s it. It is absolutely impossible to eat at this table.

“Princess Margaret, I am not feeling well, so please excuse me.”

I know I should just lightly brush it off since it’s just a child speaking. But I am also going through puberty, and my hormones are in full swing. On top of that, I don’t want to be anywhere near her classmates either.

I concentrate all my nerves on making as elegant an exit as possible. I completely ignore Prince Keith and the girls making a fuss behind me.

I stormed down the stairs and headed out into the courtyard. It’s freezing, but at least no one will find me here.

“I can’t take this anymore! I hate being Princess Margaret’s personal attendant! I don’t mind waking her up in the morning or dealing with her music obsession. But I absolutely detest that entourage of hers! And I hate taking these completely meaningless classes!” I screamed out into the cold.

“Even during the Aoba Festival, they completely abandoned Princess Margaret just to chase after the boys from the Knights Club. They play at being her friends, yet they won’t even live in the dormitory. And when it comes to a difficult foreign language, they won’t even try to study with her. I bet the only reason they became Princess Margaret’s classmates is because they think it’ll give them an advantage in marrying into a good family. I hate them!”

After screaming everything out, I felt a wave of relief. It was true that Prince Keith’s gaffe had made me furious, but the truth was, I was actually disgusted with myself.

I need to speak with Princess Margaret directly and lay it out clearly. As a condition for continuing as her personal attendant, I will choose my own classes. Furthermore, I will not associate with classmates I cannot respect. Yes, from the very beginning, my role as an attendant was supposed to be restricted to dormitory life. If Princess Margaret wants to spend time with those girls, she is welcome to. I certainly do not want to.

“I’m going to quit the music club too.”

I don’t dislike the music club itself, but I refuse to be stuck there with those three. I’ll ask to have my duties reverted back strictly to the dormitory. Even having lunch in the lower dining hall would be a hundred times more relaxing. I slapped my cheeks hard with both hands to psych myself up.

“Ah… I’m so hungry… I wonder if it would be against the rules to go eat in the lower dining hall?”

I had stood up right in the middle of the appetizers. In other words, I barely ate anything. My stomach is growling up a storm. How incredibly uncool.