77. The Despot Club (3)
Meanwhile, the vice principal suffered from a headache due to the principal’s absence.
There was a joint ball with the academy tonight.
Though called a ball, it was essentially an event created for Despot Club members to showcase female students they would make their lovers.
Until now, the vice principal’s role had been to select suitable students from the graduating class and recommend them to Viscountess Borodin.
As a commoner who had risen to become vice principal of Molnitsky Girls’ Academy, one of Hersen’s leading educational institutions, she was nothing less than a hero and pillar of support for commoner students.
Acting as a mentor, she stayed close to the students and selected those who were academically capable but naive in romantic relationships.
Viscountess Borodin made final selections from the list she received and introduced them to Despot Club members.
However, the situation had become very difficult now that Viscountess Borodin had suddenly sent only a letter saying she was recuperating and disappeared.
Moreover, the Despot Club members didn’t know the principal was unreachable.
‘What should I do about this? The ball is tonight.’
Unable to contact her since she didn’t know where she was staying, she had waited for Viscountess Borodin’s instructions until the day of the party arrived.
Members who hadn’t heard anything in advance would obviously be furious.
They might even threaten to withdraw their donations.
‘What is the principal thinking?’
The vice principal who had acted like a tongue in the mouth before Viscountess Borodin immediately clicked her tongue when the person wasn’t present.
“Won’t they dump everything on me? Telling me to clean up the mess?”
Though temporarily serving as acting principal, she had no intention of becoming a scapegoat.
Why are boyars like this?
They made commoners and lower classes do all their dirty work while pretending to be clean and noble themselves.
As she pressed her throbbing forehead from the headache, knock knock.
Someone knocked on the principal’s office door from outside.
The vice principal, who had been lounging almost lying down in the principal’s chair acting like she owned the place while the owner was away, jumped up startled and took her feet off the desk.
“Come in.”
She hurriedly picked up some random documents from the desk and pretended to flip through them as she turned around.
The person who appeared when the door opened was none other than a commoner student from the class where Katya had taught.
As she had good grades and a loud voice, she was the leader figure among the commoner group and was close with the vice principal.
“Oh my, what brings you here?”
“I came because I had something to ask.”
She was actually a student who declared herself the vice principal’s follower, even telling friends that the vice principal was her role model.
Though she always greeted politely and brightly when passing by, for some reason, today her face was stern and hardened.
“Is that so? Then sit there.”
The vice principal naturally sat in the seat of honor as she offered the sofa.
“Did something unpleasant happen today? You don’t look well.”
“I came to raise an objection.”
“An objection? To me?”
“Yes. To you, vice principal.”
A student daring to object to a teacher, and the acting principal no less.
Such a thing would have been impossible in the vice principal’s days as a student.
A thin vein stood out on her forehead at the impudent attitude, but she struggled to maintain her expression.
“Alright. What has upset you so much? Tell me. Your teacher will listen to everything.”
“The scholarship system has been strange lately.”
“Strange how?”
“I clearly heard when entering that all tuition would be waived if one maintains certain grades, so why did it change to only covering half the tuition from this year?”
“Well, as you know, that’s because the school’s finances got worse…… Even teachers’ salaries were cut this year……”
Though she tried to gloss over it with sympathy tactics and smiles, the student who knew such habits from being close with her had already anticipated this.
This time she had no intention of letting it slide.
She had heard donations were pouring in every year, yet scholarships for her classmates and juniors were reduced, and especially this year even the admission quota for commoner students was cut.
“But it seems your salary increased, vice principal?”
“……What?”
“Even combining all the teachers’ salaries doesn’t match the principal’s or vice principal’s salary, so if there are financial problems, wouldn’t freezing or cutting the principal’s and vice principal’s annual salary be more reasonable?”
“What are you saying? Of course we also voluntarily–”
“I saw you coming out of a luxury boutique with lots of purchases during weekend outings. It doesn’t make sense if your salary was cut more. Even the clothes you’re wearing now exceed your monthly salary.”
Tsk. The vice principal clicked her tongue inwardly at her sharp observation.
This is why perceptive kids were troublesome.
Hiding her flustered state while quickly thinking, she came up with a clever move.
“One of your seniors got married through my arrangement, and her husband gave these as gifts.”
“Arrangement? How could you arrange with nobles……”
“Though I might lack social connections compared to the principal, I have good relationships with our students, right? The bride was a commoner, like you.”
The student blinked with a dazed expression at those words.
“Among boyars, there are surprisingly gentlemanly and rational men who don’t care about status. Since they find it frustrating talking to noble young ladies these days who know nothing about the world, I introduced our students at a previous party. They got along well as friends and fell in love, leading to marriage now.”
“……”
“I was actually planning to introduce sponsors to you since I thought you might be struggling with tuition? They’re coming to tonight’s ball, so how about meeting them there first if you’re okay with it?”
“T-Tonight?”
“Yes. You might even meet your life partner too, who knows?”
Conflict showed on the student’s face.
She had actually come today to properly confront the vice principal, but before she knew it, she had been persuaded by her again.
She thought marriage to a noble was only possible in romance novels.
It was a story every commoner girl dreamed of at least once.
Meeting a man who would love her regardless of status, enduring family opposition and various trials, and finally becoming a noble lady.
This student in particular had ambitions of becoming a scholar.
No matter how academically talented, it was difficult for a commoner, especially a woman, to enter academia.
But marriage to a noble would allow her to complete her studies without lifelong discrimination.
The vice principal’s offer was truly sweet.
Even without marriage, just having a noble sponsor would be beneficial.
What great fortune it was for commoners to know and associate with nobles in life?
“B-But…… I don’t have a dress.”
“Don’t worry about that. Your teacher has prepared it.”
“What?”
“Since you might feel shy going alone, bring your friends too. I’ve already prepared invitations and dresses for your friends as well.”
The vice principal winked.
Actually, the document she had randomly picked up earlier was a dress invoice addressed to Viscountess Borodin.
It seemed she had ordered them in advance for students participating in today’s party.
According to the document, the delivery date was noon today.
She was taking credit while just putting her spoon on a table already set.
“Teacher……”
The student’s eyes welled up with tears, moved by the vice principal’s consideration.
She and her friends had just been secretly envying their noble classmates who were talking about going to today’s ball.
To her, the vice principal was nothing less than a savior.
“I didn’t know…… I’m sorry, Teacher……!”
She repeatedly offered apologies and thanks.
Not knowing that the principal and vice principal were embezzling even the scholarship funds that a minority of benevolent nobles and merchants had contributed for commoner scholarship students, funds unrelated to the Despot Club.
The vice principal patted the student’s back as she threw herself into her arms, wearing a meaningful smile.
With her slim waist and pretty looks, plus being the top student in the graduating class, she was premium goods in terms of products to showcase at the Despot Club’s lover market.
‘Ah, what luck to have such a blessing roll right in.’
Until now, she had hesitated to put this student and her friends on the list because they were too smart and might complicate things.
Like they say, to cut off the enemy general’s head first in battle. Now that the group’s leader had completely fallen for it, the other children would naturally follow, trusting their friend.
This would hide the embezzlement, prevent objections, and solve the Despot Club issue—killing multiple birds with one stone.
Though she had hesitated to act alone without Viscountess Borodin, when things flowed this way, it felt like the gods were helping her.
Until now there had always been Viscountess Borodin in the middle, but perhaps this time she could create direct connections with the Despot Club.
‘Then maybe someday, I could even become principal here?’
***
Lunchtime.
Katya ate lunch in the dining hall surrounded by noble young ladies.
Because she had shed tears while talking about love during class, the girls felt an even deeper intimacy with their teacher.
Sometimes showing one’s vulnerable side by crying in front of others could strengthen relationships between people.
“You must have been surprised when I suddenly cried, huh? I’m sorry, children. To think that as an adult, I’m showing such an unseemly side on the first day.”
“No, Teacher! These things happen.”
“Of course. Do adults not have tears?”
“Did someone make you suffer heartache?”
“Oh my, is that it? What a bad guy.”
Though the innocent Nikolai was unfairly cursed by girls who had never even seen his face, Katya didn’t deny it.
It was natural to let them think that way.
She herself didn’t quite understand why tears had suddenly fallen earlier.
To realize she liked him and shed tears at the same time.
Was it guilt for making Nikolai pine for her all this time?
If not that, then longing for him?
Joy at finally finding her lifelong love?
Like her mother’s death, sadness and fear that she had gained one more family member who would someday cause her the pain of loss?
Or perhaps it was all mixed together.
In any case, it was a complex bundle of emotions difficult to define simply.
Katya realized for the first time then that when you love too much, your heart feels both full and empty at the same time.
