Chapter 2.3

“Did you hear? Even though they’re both first place, Klein is the one reading the freshman declaration. It’s a shame you’re not a noble, right?”  

Enoch, having found something to tease her about after a long time, grinned irritatingly and sneered.  

Sitting quietly beside him, she glared at him without saying a word.  

Indeed. Even though she was sponsored by the Marquis Family, her opponent was the Young Lord of the Klein Ducal Family. Between her and Leonard Klein, it was naturally Leonard Klein who would read the freshman declaration as the representative.  

The Marquis seemed slightly displeased that it was the Young Lord of Klein, not her, who received the honor, but she didn’t have any major complaints. In fact, she was glad she didn’t have to stand in front of so many people. She wondered if people were giving too much importance to reading just a few sentences for the freshman declaration.  

However, Enoch’s behavior was certainly annoying. He didn’t even rank in the top ten, yet he kept sneering at her.  

“Be quiet.”  

“…What?”  

“I know you want to annoy me, but you’re too loud. Don’t you see everyone staring?”  

Her first time using informal speech wasn’t just to irritate Enoch. They were attending the academy’s entrance ceremony, and Enoch’s whispering had drawn the attention of the surrounding students.  

Faced with the focused attention, Enoch scowled but didn’t say anything more, only turning his head with a clicking sound.  

Feeling satisfied, she calmly straightened her posture. Finally, it was quiet.  

Following the ceremony’s schedule, it was already time for the freshman declaration to be read, and a boy was walking up to the podium.  

Well, let’s see the face of the distinguished noble who’ll be reading the freshman declaration instead of me.  

She grumbled inwardly as she looked up at the podium.  

The male student who stood neatly at the podium had dazzling golden hair. As the afternoon sunlight streaming through the window made his golden hair shine brightly, the faces of the girls around her became dreamy.  

“……!”  

Seeing the boy’s face, she raised an eyebrow.  

The top student reading the freshman declaration was the handsome boy who had spoken to her when she was alone on the entrance exam day.  

My goodness, that boy was Leonard Klein?  

She narrowed her eyes and looked up at the podium.  

The world is so unfair. To give one person a family background, looks, and even intelligence.  

Just as she was thinking that, Leonard Klein, with a faint smile on his white face, began to speak.  

“We, the freshmen, declare that we will always be diligent, sincere, and enthusiastic in our studies to lead upright lives.”  

Under everyone’s attention, Leonard Klein read the freshman declaration in a smooth voice. The content wasn’t special, but hearing the declaration in his clear voice made it sound solemn, noble, and genuine. It was truly fascinating.  

“…….”  

She stared at the podium and absentmindedly adjusted her school uniform skirt.  

* * *  

After the entrance ceremony, free time was given. Students who had finished organizing their belongings were instructed to act freely.  

Everyone seemed to be exploring the corners of the academy with friends, but she sat quietly on an outdoor bench. She didn’t have any friends to explore the academy with, nor did she want to be cooped up in her room on the first day of admission with nothing to do.  

Her assigned room was a double room with a roommate, and she had only exchanged brief greetings with her, so being alone together felt awkward.  

As she settled on the outdoor bench and looked up, the view of the campus made the fact that she was now an academy student suddenly sink in.  

“…….”  

Feeling a bit dazed, she opened the book she had brought but ended up being distracted, when someone tapped her shoulder.  

“Hey, Raven? It’s you, right?”  

“……!”  

“So your name is Raven, nice to meet you.”  

Startled, she turned her head to see Leonard Klein, the male student who had read the freshman declaration and the boy she had met on the entrance exam day. She raised her eyebrows in curiosity.  

“…How do you know my name?”  

“You’re wearing a name tag.”  

Leonard tapped his name tag and smiled, then sat next to her.  

“……?”

What’s he doing now?  

Leonard, smiling brightly, spoke to her whether she was bewildered or not.  

“You remember me, right? I wanted to introduce myself that day, but I had to leave in a hurry, which was a shame.”  

She glanced at his face and nodded slightly.  

If someone couldn’t remember that face, then they must not have eyes.  

Even though it wasn’t a big deal, Leonard smiled happily.  

“I’m glad to see you again. I heard you and I tied for first place.”  

She nodded instead of answering.  

A Duke’s son was talking to her, and she was unsure whether to use formal speech or the informal way everyone used at the academy. While she had answered informally when she didn’t know, she couldn’t use that excuse anymore.  

“Even though we tied for first place, I was the one who got to read the freshman declaration. If you felt upset about that, I apologize.”  

Leonard said with an apologetic expression, but she shook her head slightly, maintaining her expressionless face.  

“I don’t care about things like that.”  

It was probably an order from professors or the dean or some other high authority, but she didn’t understand why he was apologizing.  

She disliked speaking in front of many people, especially nobles. So it was actually a good thing.  

“Well, it’s not a big deal anyway.”  

Oops.  

She muttered carelessly, then flinched and covered her mouth.  

It might have been unpleasant for a noble who valued honor as much as life to hear.  

Worried that Leonard might be looking at her strangely, she raised her head.  

“You’re right, that’s true.”  

But Leonard neither sneered at her nor looked at her disdainfully. Instead, he laughed pleasantly, and his laughter was as sweet as the sound of an instrument.  

“It’s just reading something someone else wrote, but people think it’s such a big deal.”  

“…I didn’t expect you to think that way, Young Lord.”  

“Of course, it’s an honor, but I didn’t particularly want to read it either. What could I do when the Dean personally requested it?”  

Wow, the dean personally requested it. That means someone like me, a commoner, wasn’t even considered.  

Feeling the disparity anew, she fell silent, and Leonard spoke brightly.  

“Why don’t we drop the formal speech? We’re friends studying together at the same academy, so let’s not be too formal.”  

“Okay.”  

You said it, after all.  

She shrugged her shoulders once and reopened her book, but Leonard spoke to her again.  

“If you don’t have any plans, would you like to come with me? I’ll introduce you to some other friends.”  

“No, I’d just like to be alone….”  

“Oh, being alone is lonely. Come on.”  

Leonard gently took her hand and led her towards him. She was pulled along, holding a book in one hand, without a chance to think of anything to say. He didn’t seem like someone who would listen to a refusal, so she didn’t even try and just followed him quietly.  

Where Leonard led her, students were gathered in clusters. Upon seeing Leonard’s face, they all approached him, eager to talk.  

“Oh, Leon’s here? Who’s the person you brought?”  

“I brought her. Raven, say hello.”  

The students Leonard introduced her to were from prestigious families she had heard of at least once.  

Their eyes focused on her as if urging her to speak. Was it because Leonard personally brought her? Their eyes were filled with expectation.  

She tried not to be nervous and opened her mouth in a dry voice.  

“I’m Raven Winston… Raven Winston.”  

“Winston?”  

Hearing the unfamiliar surname, they tilted their heads and asked which family that was. They all looked puzzled.  

Of course, there was no such noble family.  

“Raven is the one who tied with me for first place in the entrance exam.”  

When Leonard spoke with a smiling face, someone exclaimed loudly as if they finally understood.  

“Oh, the sponsored commoner…!”  

“Was it the Chernor Marquis Family? Where’s the Marquis’s son, and why are you alone?”  

Amidst the flood of curious questions, she stood still, unable to make any expression.  

“I approached her first, asking her to hang out with us!”  

When Leonard spoke with a smiling face, the murmuring quieted down instantly. He turned his head toward her and gave a gentle nod.  

Are you okay?  

His purple eyes seemed to be saying that.  

“…….”  

She shrugged silently. She never thought she could fit in smoothly with the distinguished noble children as a commoner sponsored to attend the academy. That’s why she thought it might be better to be alone.  

“Well, if it’s okay, can I go now?”  

She spoke quietly, as if she felt the introductions were sufficient, but Leonard stopped her.  

“No, we agreed to have lunch together, remember?”  

When did I agree to that, you jerk?  

Blinking in disbelief, she saw Leonard respond with a smile instead of words. But it was so beautiful that she was momentarily mesmerized, and before she knew it, she was walking to the dining hall with Leonard. She had already been caught up in it before she even realized she was caught up in it.  

“If you were upset, I’m sorry. They’re not bad people….”  

“Enough. Why are you apologizing?”  

“Well, I brought you here saying I’d introduce you… I didn’t expect the atmosphere to get so awkward.”  

When Leonard spoke with his eyebrows lowered, she shook her head expressionlessly.  

Earlier, he apologized for reading the declaration, and now this. Is apologizing his hobby?  

She looked at Leonard walking beside her with a calm gaze.  

Why is he hanging out with me instead of those distinguished noble kids?  

Is it because I tied for first place with him? But is that enough reason to go this far? Does he want something from me? That can’t be it. What could a Duke’s son possibly want from me?  

“Hmm? What’s up?”  

Sensing her suspicious gaze, Leonard turned his head and smiled.  

“…….”  

Perhaps because his golden hair shone in the sunlight, it seemed like light was pouring over Leonard’s entire body.  

She opened her eyes wide and looked at the light, then turned her head away from Leonard.  

…She hadn’t known him long, but he seemed like a slightly strange person.