Chapter 119: Chapter 117
"...Why does it suddenly feel like I’m being watched by rats?"
Silvano frowned and glanced toward the windows.
The moment he did, the entire spying group instantly ducked.
BANG!
One student accidentally slammed face-first into another.
"OW!"
"Stop pushing!"
"Move your elbow!"
"We’ve been discovered!"
Silvano stared blankly toward the windows before slowly looking back at me. "...There’s literally a crowd outside."
I clicked my tongue and stood up before walking toward the door.
The moment I opened it, the students immediately straightened themselves like innocent civilians caught committing federal crimes.
Silence.
"...Why are all of you still here?" I asked suspiciously.
One student nervously raised a hand. "We wanted to continue admiring the sculpture..."
"And the carving process!" another quickly added.
"And your face!" a third student blurted out honestly.
The hallway instantly turned silent.
Beside them, Gawain’s smile widened dangerously. "Oh?" he said pleasantly. "How bold."
The poor student looked one second away from throwing himself down the stairs.
Before things could escalate further, I immediately turned toward Gawain with narrowed eyes.
"Why are you late?" I complained. "Did you know how close I was to dying from hunger?"
Gawain instantly shifted back into his gentle expression. "I’m sorry, My Lady. The cafeteria line was too long."
I clicked my tongue before pulling out my handkerchief and handing it to him. "There’s ketchup on your face. It’s annoying to look at."
Gawain froze slightly because both of us knew very well that wasn’t ketchup.
But I was hungry and whatever he had been doing clearly wasn’t something he wanted to explain in front of everyone.
So I chose not to ask.
"I didn’t notice, My Lady," he said softly before smiling again and accepting the handkerchief.
I looked back at the students again.
"If I catch all of you peeking again," I warned, pointing at them dramatically, "you’re banned from my class."
The students snapped out of their thoughts immediately.
"NOOO!"
"PLEASE HAVE MERCY!"
"I’LL NEVER LOOK AGAIN!"
"That’s a lie," someone muttered.
Ignoring the chaos behind me, Gawain casually guided me back inside the studio with one hand lightly on my shoulder.
The hallway outside immediately fell silent after the door closed.
"...Why is Gawain calling Blanca ’My Lady’?" Ravian suddenly asked.
One of the students scratched his cheek awkwardly. "I think I heard it’s some kind of punishment..."
"Punishment?" another student repeated suspiciously. "I thought they were into roleplay."
Ravian stayed silent, his brows slowly furrowing.
Sebastian had Bella.
Gawain had My Lady.
Even Silvano somehow ended up with Master.
Meanwhile, he was still stuck calling her Blanca like a normal person.
For some reason, that irritated him slightly.
~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~
Wednesday
SLAM!
I immediately sat up straight as the classroom doors burst open dramatically.
Miss Belle entered carrying a thick pile of papers with the expression of a woman one inconvenience away from committing homicide.
The entire classroom straightened instantly.
Even the noisy students shut their mouths.
Meanwhile I was fighting for my life.
For three consecutive days and nights, those carving maniacs had insisted on being tutored even though it was already late at night.
Even worse, they kept asking questions. So many questions that at one point, I genuinely considered throwing foamwood at them.
Now my soul was leaving my body from exhaustion.
I rested my chin on one hand, trying to maintain the illusion that I was alive and functioning while my eyelids kept drooping dangerously.
Beside me, Silvano glanced over before lowering his voice. "Why do you always look like you’re about to collapse every morning?"
"Because I am," I answered honestly.
"What?" He frowned immediately. "Then you should go to the infirmary—"
I looked at him weakly. "...Are you worried about your master?"
"No," he replied instantly. "I’m worried that when you pass out, I’ll be the one forced to carry you."
I let out a tired chuckle.
"I skip breakfast," I said dramatically while placing the back of my hand against my forehead like a dying noble lady. "Gawain can’t cook, so I had no choice but to starve. That’s why I look like this."
I could practically feel Silvano rolling his eyes beside me.
"Here."
I lazily opened one eye.
Small chocolates were sitting on his desk in front of me.
My exhausted soul immediately revived and without hesitation, I grabbed one and shoved it into my mouth.
The sweetness melted instantly on my tongue.
My eyes widened as I grabbed another.
And another.
And another.
Until every single chocolate disappeared in less than thirty seconds.
Silvano stared at me in disbelief. "...Did you even chew?"
"Food is meant to be inhaled."
I tugged lightly at his sleeve with the most pitiful expression I could manage. "Can I have more?"
"That’s enough sugar for today," he said flatly while pulling the rest away from me before I could rob him.
"You’re so stingy."
"You inhaled them like a vacuum cleaner."
Before I could continue bullying him for more chocolates, Miss Belle suddenly slammed the papers down onto her desk again.
BANG!
The entire classroom jolted.
"Did you all have a good morning?" Miss Belle asked with a smile that looked legally concerning.
"Yes Miss," the students answered in unison.
"Well I did not," she replied pleasantly.
The room instantly fell silent.
"There were rumors circulating around the academy," she continued, smiling like a villain in a family drama, "that students from my class had no choice but to seek guidance from another student because apparently they weren’t learning properly under me."
The class collectively stopped breathing as I felt Miss Belle’s gaze land directly on me.
I immediately looked away innocently.
What was she going to do about it anyway?
Report me to the principal?
As if—
The classroom doors opened again.
"Hello students," the principal greeted warmly as he entered the room with his hands behind his back. "I’m here because certain rumors have been spreading regarding Miss Belle’s teaching methods and the students under her class."
Me and my stupid thoughts. She actually reported it to the principal!
Varek continued calmly. "Now of course, I know rumors are merely rumors..." he said while glancing around the room. "However, I also heard that one particular student has been conducting private carving lessons outside official class hours."
I slowly turned toward the window.
Maybe I could escape.
Maybe if I jumped correctly, I could still survive—
"Miss Blanca Frostine," the principal called warmly.
No.
I slowly stood up. "Yes?"
Varek smiled kindly. "I heard your class is very popular."
Miss Belle’s eye twitched.
Meanwhile the students nodded enthusiastically like proud cult followers.
"She teaches well!"
"She insults us equally!"
"I cried only three times!"
"I learned more in one Sunday than my entire semester!"
I immediately raised a hand defensively. "In my defense," I started seriously, "they appeared outside my dorm voluntarily."
Varek suddenly chuckled. "To be honest," he admitted, "I became curious after seeing the recent improvement in several students’ practical carving results."
The students immediately looked proud.
Miss Belle crossed her arms. "So what exactly are you implying, Principal?"
Varek smiled. "I simply thought..." he said calmly, "that perhaps Miss Frostine should demonstrate her teaching methods today."
The entire classroom erupted.
"YES!"
"PLEASE!"
"WE WANT A LIVE DEMONSTRATION!"
I slowly looked at the principal in disbelief. "...You want me to teach?"
Varek nodded pleasantly. "Right now."
Miss Belle looked one second away from tearing both me and the principal apart simultaneously, veins were practically visible on her forehead now.
Meanwhile, Varek was still smiling peacefully like he wasn’t standing beside a ticking bomb.
"To be fair," he said calmly, "the students’ practical scores did improve."
"That does not change the fact," Miss Belle replied through gritted teeth, "that a student was apparently teaching MY class behind my back."
The students immediately looked away.
Varek suddenly looked thoughtful. "Actually," he said, "perhaps this could be a good opportunity."
Miss Belle narrowed her eyes dangerously. "What opportunity?"
"Let’s have the two of you conduct a demonstration class," he proposed. "You’ll teach different groups separately, and we’ll compare the students’ performance afterward."
The room fell silent.
"WHOEVER achieves the higher results," Varek continued smoothly, "will officially handle this class moving forward."
"I OBJECT!" Miss Belle and I shouted simultaneously.
Miss Belle immediately pointed at me like I was public enemy number one. "How can you allow a STUDENT with no degree to teach a class?!"
"I see potential in Miss Frostine," Varek remained perfectly calm as his eyes shifted toward me thoughtfully. "No... she might actually be perfect for teaching carving."
Miss Belle opened her mouth again. "But—"
"Miss Belle," Varek interrupted quietly.
His voice wasn’t loud but the entire room immediately stiffened as his gaze sharpened slightly.
"I’m giving you one final opportunity to redeem yourself," he said calmly. "Don’t assume I’m unaware of what you’ve been doing behind the scenes."
Miss Belle’s fingers tightened around the papers she was holding.
But before the tension could worsen further, I immediately raised my hand. "Principal?"
Varek looked at me.
"I don’t want to teach."
The entire class erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"PLEASE DON’T ABANDON US!"
"WE’LL DIE!"
I ignored them completely.
’This old fox. Did he really think he could make me work for free?’
Varek gestured for me to come closer so I approached him carefully.
Miss Frostine," he lowered his voice, "you won’t be teaching for free."
My ears perked up instantly.
"You’ll receive a monthly salary, benefits, access to private studio rooms, unlimited use of academy carving tools and materials..."
I straightened immediately.
"And," he added smoothly, "you’ll only need to teach once a week instead of privately tutoring students during your free time."
This old man suddenly looked radiant.
"I accept whatever nonsense this is," I said without hesitation.
The principal smiled knowingly as the students started cheering like they had just won a war.
"YES!"
"WE WON!"
"LONG LIVE BLANCA!"
Meanwhile, Miss Belle looked moments away from coughing blood.
"Miss Belle?" Varek turned toward her calmly. "You’re free to decline if you wish."
Miss Belle clenched her teeth so hard the entire class probably heard it.
But in the end—
"...I accept," she said stiffly.
The principal smiled pleasantly. "Wonderful."
