The sky was still dark, the dew still wrapped around the blades of grass like a thin scarf. I went out to the yard to check early, let out a few sword strokes to wake myself up. The little soul light lightly clung to my shoulder, sometimes shaking slightly as if reminding me "don't fall asleep there".
The air was quiet.
Until—
"AAAAAA—I WANT TO SEE HIM! THAT BAD CHILD!!"
A shrill scream tore through the dawn. The birds in the treetops were startled and flew away.
I blinked.
Who was screaming so loudly?
From the school gate, a group of Ax guards were trying to stop a woman dressed in flashy clothes: bright red puffy dress, bright yellow lace, curly hair like a bourgeois aristocrat—and her face… oh my god, it was seven parts theatrical, three parts angry.
"Madam, Ax School does not allow outsiders—"
Before a guard could finish speaking, she had already slammed her glitter powder fan into the guy's face.
"Get out of the way! I am LADY ENDIAAAAAAAS!"
Her voice was like thunder.
I stood there dumbfounded.
Endias?
Wait—Endias??
That's my last name.
If I guess correctly…
The light spot on my shoulder trembled slightly.
I took a breath and stepped out.
She immediately glanced at me. Her eyes were rubbing like two black pearls about to fall into the sewer.
Then—
"A HA! That girl! I finally found her!"
She rushed towards me as fast as an electrocuted swan.
Before I could react, she grabbed my collar and shook me like she was wringing a towel:
"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH HAPPINESS YOU HAVE MADE ME!?"
I frowned.
The guards were startled:
"Madam, please don't—!"
The light on my shoulder was shining brightly, as if it was about to burn her hair.
I gently removed her hand, her strength was as weak as a noodle.
"Madam Endias… what do you have to say?"
She straightened herself up, waved her fan, and tried to regain her aristocratic pride.
"I am Duke Endias's concubine!
Your biological mother!
And you—you insolent little girl—dare to run away from the mansion, dare to go to school here without my permission!? Do you know that people say I don't know how to raise children!? Do you know how much I have lost face!?"
Ah.
I see.
This is the kind of adult who thinks her child was born to be an accessory.
It was the tragedy of the original Deuwyn.
I said softly: "I don't remember being your child."
She blushed:
"Huh!? YOU—YOU-YOU-YOU DARE—"
I calmly buttoned my collar, my voice small but sharp as a sword.
"I'm not under your control anymore. I'm Ax's student."
She froze.
The blood vessels on her temples throbbed.
"You… YOU ACCOMPLISHMENT! YOU IMPOSSIBLE ASSHOLE! I'll sue the principal! I—"
"No need to sue."
A male voice rang out behind me, low and lazy.
I turned around.
It was Ijeckerl, holding a cup of hot tea, her face sleepy as if she had just crawled out of bed.
"Madam Endias."
"P-Principal…?"
"I have accepted this student. You are insulting Ax School by making such a ruckus."
He sipped his tea.
"And I am very tired in the morning. Please go home."
She gasped.
"I-I WILL NOT LET THIS MATTER BE MISSED—!"
"Up to you."
Ijeckerl cut in, her face expressionless.
"But if you touch my student again, I will send a complaint directly to Duke Endias and ask him if he knows how his mistress ruined the reputation of the school."
Her face paled in 0.2 seconds.
"I-I… I-I will come back!!"
She turned abruptly, her skirts billowing like red clouds blown by the wind, and ran out of the courtyard amid the sighs of both the guards and the birds.
Ijeckerl turned to me, raising an eyebrow:
"You've gotten into trouble early, senior."
I exhaled.
The light on my shoulder gently touched my cheek, as if to comfort me.
I had a strange feeling in my heart:
Part pity for the original Deuwyn girl.
Part firmer determination.
"It's okay. I can handle it."
Ijeckerl nodded.
"You have to handle it. Because this is just the beginning."
And indeed—
The feeling deep in my spine said:
That's right.