Chap 10

The man who appeared after the knight was hiding his face inside a cloak hood. As the knight tried to take the woman away, he spoke.

"Let her go."

"But…"

The blackhaired man who had first caught her, Duke Rocard Kaidel, approached and said.

"We found the money, so let her go."

"You're lucky."

When the knight let go, the woman ran off through the crowd without a word of thanks.

Rocard spoke to the man in the cloak.

"Let's go back, Your Highness."

"I'm in a bad mood."

"But the meal was delicious, wasn't it? Right, Falcon Knight?"

The knight answered with a laugh.

"You run so fast, I barely caught up, Duke Kaidel."

"I'm like that."

The man in the cloak, 2nd Prince Greyen, found it strange that Rocard was staring intently at the opposite side of the street where the pickpocket had disappeared.

Rocard, sensing Greyen's curiosity, turned with a playful smile.

"Let's go back, then."

(This is a time separator.)

I hurried back to the count's residence and sprawled on the bed, laughing breathlessly.

A bastard like me doesn't even have time to mourn. Even on the day my future vanished, I had to run away from a ridiculous accident.

I've naturally had no interaction with the nobles so far. Even on the night Misha was throwing a flashy debutante ball, I was in my room.

At that time, the count said it was okay for me to attend, but I refused. It wasn't just because of the countess, who seemed ready to devour me if I even cast a shadow there. I didn't want to enter a room full of real, highnosed nobles when I didn't know how to dance.

So, my only chance to meet a noble was when I entered the academy, but since that fell through, I wouldn't run into that tall, blackhaired person.

Since graduating from the academy and becoming a tutor in a noble's house seemed unlikely, it was unlikely I'd run into that tall, blackhaired person even by chance.

My life was just unlikely.

I tossed and turned until dawn, worrying about how to tell the count that I was giving up on the exam.

Then I fell asleep.

And as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning, the first thought that came to my mind was 'Don't tell!' I can go to the exam hall, pretend to take the test, and sneak away somewhere else.

Then the Earl will think I failed the exam, and after some time has passed, if I say I won't take the exam next year because it's too hard, that's the end of it.

I'm still young, and it's too much for me to solve all the world's problems on my own. It's not even possible.

With that decision, things became a little bearable. I idled in the room, occasionally listening to Misha's hysterical screams.

I was annoyed by the imperial law notebook that I still hadn't memorized, but I tried to ignore it.

Finally, the night before the exam, the Earl came to my room. Seeing me suddenly get up from the bed, he looked pitiful. He believed I was taking a break from studying.

For some reason, I couldn't meet his eyes.

"Are you sick?"

"No, no!"

I quickly got up and composed myself.

"Just do as usual tomorrow. Don't worry about the results."

"Yes, sir. Earl."

"...."

The Earl stared at me as if he had something to say.

Since he was not a man who hesitated about anything, I felt a bit strange. I was also scared that he might have noticed that I was lying.

"You'll be an adult soon."

"Ah...."

"I must hold a debutante ball before the academy's entrance ceremony. It's late, but it's better than not doing it. That place is a fierce social arena."

Indeed, the Earl took my passing for granted.

I involuntarily cast my eyes down. For fear that I might let out a word I couldn't say, I clenched my teeth for a moment.

"...If I pass. But I have no confidence. If a place could accept someone like me, then it wouldn't be the academy, would it?"

The Earl smiled and patted my head.

"Go to sleep. You'll have to get up early tomorrow. I'll take you to the exam hall."

I slid back into the covers. The Earl left only after he saw me lying down.

My conscience hurt. Both my conscience and my heart hurt.

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