“Tsk, tsk, tsk, and he’s a High Court Judge…… I feel embarrassed for him.”

“What do you mean?”

“The child named Sana is the child of his deceased first wife, and Scott in our class is the son born to his second wife.”

“Ah……”

Connie’s face was about to crumple. So did Sana’s father have an affair before his wife died?

〈Madam.〉

For some reason, the word that Sana had swallowed flashed through her mind like lightning, and at the same time, goosebumps rose on both her arms. Could the person Sana was calling ‘madam’ be her stepmother?

“Um…… What kind of person is the new Countess of the Lancelot family?”

“Teacher Connie, this is a bit of a secret. This isn’t officially published in the Noble Channel, because the Noble Channel only publishes facts that nobles won’t sue over. Besides, Count Lancelot is a judge. He’s even rumored to be quite fair and clear in his judgments. Though his lower half seems infinitely frivolous.”

“……”

What was the Noble Channel, and what was the secret?

“There’s a rumor that the new Countess was actually the maid of the former Countess. It seems the Count had already been having that kind of relationship with the maid for quite a long time while the former Countess was still alive. She had a pretty face. It seems they kept the existence of Scott Lancelot, born to the maid, hushed up while the former wife was alive, but after the former wife’s death, Scott became a formal son when he remarried? The former wife had a weak body and couldn’t get pregnant after giving birth to her first daughter, but the maid had already given birth to the Count’s son, so…… Of course, don’t forget that this isn’t officially confirmed. We really need to be careful with these things.”

“……”

“It’s a bit awkward for a maid to become a countess, isn’t it? So there’s also a rumor that the Count bought a new identity for the maid. Anyway, the Lancelot family is also wealthy. But why did the daughter of his first wife only enroll now? That’s strange……”

The more she heard, the stranger it seemed. A father who had an affair even before his first wife died, Sana who kept saying ‘madam’ whenever she talked about her mother. Even the carriage that didn’t wait and left despite being only 10 minutes late.

Ah, so did the carriage earlier return with only Scott Lancelot, Sana’s brother?

“Is it possible that in that Count’s family……”

“What is it?”

“For several days, Sana came without a guardian, and today when dismissal was a bit delayed, I took Sana out with me. But the carriage was already gone.”

Connie was about to say that Sana might be having difficulties in the family but only stated the objective facts. For now, it was just circumstances and speculation. There was a need to observe a bit more.

“Hmm…… I see. The Countess came to our classroom regularly. The carriage left first…… It’s really strange, but let’s observe a bit more for now. It’s not something we should hastily intervene in.”

Teacher Anna seemed to have similar thoughts to Connie. There were many unsettling things, but they couldn’t hastily jump to conclusions.

Besides, Sana’s guardians were the Count and Countess. Parents had absolute rights over their children. Others, even teachers, could do almost nothing against the will of parents who had the power of life and death over their children.

In fact, Connie knew this reality better than anyone. It was precisely because of that absolute inviolable right of parents that she had to endure *buse from her uncle and his wife who had adopted her for many years.

“How do you know so much information, Teacher Anna? The ‘Noble Channel’ you mentioned earlier? What is that?”

Connie changed the subject and asked what she had been curious about.

“It’s a magazine that provides news about nobles not only from the Kingdom of Greet but also from other kingdoms. It sells so well. Ordinary people have an aspiration for the status and wealth they don’t have. They peek into their lives through such magazines. Actually, it’s not only entertaining, but also necessary to some extent for people like us who deal with them. It can reduce mistakes when dealing with parents and help understand the special circumstances of children. Since there are so many sensitive parents, we can’t ask directly, but you see as much as you know. You should subscribe too, Teacher Connie. It comes out monthly.”

“Do you subscribe regularly?”

“You can subscribe regularly or buy individual issues each month, but they give a discount if you subscribe. I didn’t read it for the first few years either, but since the people we deal with are those kinds of people, it eventually seemed better to subscribe.”

“I see……”

To think there’s such a magazine…… Ah! Was that the magazine Elaina was reading?

Should I really subscribe to something like that? In Connie’s class, ten out of twelve children were from noble families. Even in Sana’s case, the student information document only showed the names of her parents, so without the information provided by Teacher Anna, she wouldn’t have known that Sana’s mother was her stepmother. And it would have been even more difficult to grasp the overall situation.

“It’s nice that the weekend is here. Let’s finish up our work.”

Teacher Anna indirectly issued an order to leave. It was a signal that she was now busy with work and if Connie had finished what she wanted to say, she should go back.

“Yes, thank you, teacher.”

“And keep an eye on that child from the Lancelot family, and if there’s anything you want to discuss, feel free to tell me anytime.”

“Yes, I will. Take care.”

Connie decided to subscribe to the ‘Noble Channel’ as she returned to her classroom. Although she wanted to save money, this seemed like a necessary expense rather than a matter of choice.

But when she returned to the classroom, there was an unexpected person.

“Ethan Schwab?”

“Hello, Teacher Connie Clarence?”

“Uh…… What brings you…… What’s the occasion?”

Her heart raced helplessly at his smile, and Connie stammered.

“Just checking if you had a good first week.”

Ethan held out something.

“And I have a congratulatory gift for you.”

“Ah……”

What Ethan held out was the new novel by Leonie. She had heard the news that a new work had been released and wanted to rush out and buy it, but she hadn’t been able to yet because she wasn’t sure about her living expenses……

Wait a minute! So did Ethan remember the conversation they had back then?

About three years ago.

As she was coming out of a bookstore near the university entrance after buying a novel by author ‘Leonie,’ it suddenly started pouring rain.

She didn’t mind getting wet in the rain. It was part of her daily life. But she was worried about the book getting wet, which she had bought with her tutoring money saved bit by bit. She had to exchange it for a new book after contaminating a library book. She wanted to wait for the rain to stop at the bookstore, but she had to go to a tutoring session an hour later. With no other choice, she held the book tightly against her chest. All she could do was curl up her body as much as possible and run.

But just as she was preparing to dash out from under the awning, she felt a sudden presence above her head. When she looked up, an unfamiliar man was holding an umbrella over her. It was Ethan Schwab. Of course, at that time, she didn’t know he was Ethan Schwab.

〈You’re going to run in this rain without an umbrella?〉

〈……Yes. But who are you? Do you know me?〉

Connie looked up at the man who suddenly spoke casually to her with eyes full of wariness.

〈Aren’t you a sophomore? We’re the same age……〉

〈Ah…… Yes. I see.〉

How does he know me?

〈Want to borrow my umbrella?〉

Why?

〈No, I don’t mind getting wet in the rain.〉

At that time, Connie found even forming relationships with others burdensome. Because each day was a fierce struggle for survival, making friends was a luxury, and she had no time or emotional capacity to give to others. To receive full support for tuition and dormitory fees at Steen University, which gathered only the top talents, she barely had enough time even studying intensely. There were times when she only ate one meal a day, and even for that one meal, she had to tutor to earn the money.

Since she couldn’t return the kindness others showed her, she didn’t give them a chance to approach her in the first place, but occasionally, there were people who approached her like this.

And each time, Connie firmly rejected their approaches. It was better to wear armor of indifference and coldness from the start than to suffer later from the debt of heart she couldn’t repay.

〈Not just you, but Leonie’s book will get wet too.〉

Ethan’s eyes turned to the book held against her chest.

〈Ah……〉

You know Leonie?

That was the moment when a slight crack appeared in Connie’s solid armor.

Leonie was a new writer whom almost no one knew. Connie had become a fan after reading her first work by chance in the library, but even the bookstore owner she had just bought the book from didn’t know the author, so to think he knew such an author……

Without realizing it, as Connie’s high wall against the stranger began to crumble a bit, he nodded slightly. As if telling her to look outside the umbrella once.

The rain had already intensified into a downpour. It didn’t seem like it would stop anytime soon.

What should I do……

Without realizing it, she pulled the book closer to her chest, when suddenly, Ethan leaned his head right next to Connie’s face and whispered in her ear.

〈When it rains, you should use an umbrella. So the rain can’t soak you.〉

〈……〉