Anything But Study - Chapter 42

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At last, today was Friday.

Once classes ended and night fell, the season party would begin.

Most of the students were too excited to properly focus on the lectures, and a restless atmosphere lingered.

Of course, Melia was no exception.

The lecture content did not sink in at all.

‘Me going to the season party as Hailon’s partner. I still can’t believe it.’

Her anticipation sent both her heart and mind spinning.

Her first banquet, attending as his partner while wearing the pretty dress he gifted her. Just thinking about it made her chest feel warm and fluttery.

Had there ever been something in her life that made her feel this excited and expectant?

Ever since meeting Hailon, it felt as if, by magic, all sad and unhappy things had disappeared.

‘I wish class would end already.’

It was a thought completely unlike Melia, whose usual class attitude was exemplary. If the professors knew, they would be appalled.

I should try on the dress one more time when I get home. The dress she had put away shimmered before her eyes.

To think the day would come when she could wear something like that in her lifetime. A small smile spread across her face.

Just because her circumstances were difficult and she couldn’t dress up properly did not mean she didn’t want to look pretty.

‘What kind of outfit will Hailon wear?’

She was curious. Something white to match her pale yellow silk dress.

Or perhaps a complete contrast with darker tones.

Especially since today was the day they decided not to have tutoring in order to prepare separately for the party.

For today, Melia felt secretly relieved.

Every time she tutored Hailon, the relic’s effects kept manifesting on him, putting her in a difficult position every day.

Once it started, he never let her go easily.

Normally, that was one thing, but today she had to attend the party, so it was safer not to create situations like that.

The lecture time, which usually passed quickly, crawled by even more slowly today.

And then, about three hours later.

‘It’s finally over.’

Melia jumped up from her seat and hurried out of the lecture hall.

She had a place to stop by briefly before going home.

‘First, I should tell Rosha.’

Rosha had said she would be attending this seasonal party as well.

If Melia suddenly appeared as Hailon’s partner, she would definitely be shocked.

Lately, Melia had only been making Rosha feel neglected, so this time she should tell her in advance so she would not feel hurt.

Meanwhile, the lecture hall Melia left in such a hurry soon began to buzz.

“Did you hear that?”

“That rumor? There’s no way that’s real.”

The students were busy sharing the news among themselves.

Here and there, voices overlapped as word spread, but everyone was talking about the same topic.

So much so that everyone in the lecture hall might as well have been part of one conversation.

“No, it’s certain. I’m telling you, it’s real.”

The students of Erpen were frantic to pass along the information.

And there was a reason for that.

“They say a transfer student is coming to Erpen.”

Something unprecedented was happening.

“At this time of year?”

“That’s what I heard. And apparently they’re a third-year. Same as us.”

“Right. I heard the same. They’re supposed to start next week.”

“No way.”

“I’m serious.”

Even so, more than half did not believe it.

At Erpen Academy, which could hardly be an exaggeration to say was attended almost entirely by children of imperial nobles, the existence of a transfer student was unthinkable.

Those who met the qualifications enrolled from the very beginning.

Even if there were special circumstances, or if a commoner happened to newly receive a title, they would usually enter as a freshman.

Yet the fact that someone would come in directly as a third-year was even harder to believe.

Even as they gossiped about the existence of a transfer student, deep down everyone dismissed it as nothing more than a false rumor.

Besides, it was already the fall of their third year.

Next year, they would be fourth-years, the graduating class.

And yet now a noble was enrolling at this point?

Who could it possibly be?

There was no one they could even guess.

Then someone who always got news quickly let something slip.

“They say they’re coming from abroad.”

“What, from abroad?”

“Yeah. My father said he’s attending an imperial palace banquet in a few days. Apparently, there’s a noble family returning to the empire from overseas.”

It was added that the purpose of the banquet was to welcome that family.

“Is that really true?”

If so, the conclusion followed naturally that a child of that noble family would be transferring in.

“Oh, my father talked about the imperial palace banquet too.”

“Right. Come to think of it, I’ve heard that as well.”

Here and there, voices chimed in with me too, me too, lending weight to the theory.

“Then does that mean it’s real? A transfer student is really coming?”

The theory instantly became the truth.

The rumor spread as if it had grown wings.

On Melia’s way to meet Rosha, even during that brief span of time, the rumor continued to spread.

By the time Melia came face-to-face with Rosha.

“Melia, did you hear?”

Rosha brought her the news herself, that fast.

“Hear what?”

“A transfer student is coming. And to our year.”

“A transfer student?”

Is that even possible? Melia reacted in surprise.

Even Melia, who was not very well informed about academy news, knew that transfer students were not just rare but practically unheard of.

Whoever it was, it did not have much to do with her, but it was still intriguing.

“They’re coming from abroad. I heard they’re the child of a really influential family. Apparently it’s a girl. I heard the father of the student transferring in was granted a marquis title,” Rosha whispered.

“That’s incredible. A marquis family.”

“Right? I don’t know how it happened, but won’t the high nobles end up having quite the political clash over this? Well, it has nothing to do with us.”

Rosha laughed lightly.

Just as she said, to lower-ranking nobles like Melia and Rosha, it was simply the world those people lived in.

Normally, Melia might have just laughed along with Rosha’s words without giving it much thought.

But why was it?

Today, she felt a faint sense of envy toward a transfer student whose face she had never even seen.

Because unlike Melia, someone like her might be of a status that suited Hailon.

“I’m curious.”

“Yeah, I wonder what kind of girl she is.”

Melia agreed briefly, without knowing how those light words of curiosity would later return to her.

“But Melia. What did you want to see me about? You said you wanted to talk for a moment.”

“Oh, that. Actually….”

She had briefly fallen behind because of the transfer student news, but there was something important she needed to tell Rosha.

But what if she reacted too strongly? What if her response was bad.

What if she said Melia did not suit Hailon at all….

Caught up in needless worry, Melia’s voice gradually grew quieter.

“I’m going to the seasonal party this time….”

Even as she said it, she felt strangely embarrassed.

The rest of her words came out barely more than a mumbled murmur.

“What?! As Hailon Alfred’s partner? You?”

But Rosha did not miss even that small voice.

“Y-your voice is too loud, Rosha.”

“Does volume matter right now? You’re saying you’re Hailon’s partner!”

Rosha pressed her eagerly, clearly excited.

“What is it? What kind of relationship is it between you two?”

The expectation in Rosha’s eyes already saw Melia and Hailon as being in a deep relationship.

Melia hurriedly denied it. She could not let Rosha misunderstand.

“It’s not like that. It’s nothing.”

“Liar. You just partnered up at camp, and that Alfred guy takes you to the seasonal party? There’s no way that’s all there is.”

Rosha’s sharp gaze poked at Melia again and again.

“Well, the thing is, what happened was….”

At this rate, it would look like she was in a deep relationship with Hailon.

Thinking she could not hide it any longer, Melia told Rosha about the tutoring with Hailon.

In a way, she had kept it hidden for quite a long time.

She did leave out details about her uncle’s debt or the marriage she almost got sold into with an old noble, so Rosha wouldn’t worry too much.

Of course, she also left out the relic.

“Wow. You taught that Alfred…. That’s amazing.”

After hearing the story, Rosha couldn’t close her mouth. Not just Rosha, but probably anyone at Erpen would have reacted the same way.

“As expected of the top student,” Rosha said in admiration. “Then I’ll see you at the seasonal party! I’m so happy for you, Melia.”

“…Yeah. But I’m a little worried.”

“Why? About what?”

“Is it really okay for me to go as Hailon’s partner?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? Do you think he’s just bringing you along for no reason?”

Rosha looked Melia up and down with a pleased grin, letting out a soft chuckle.

“What is it, my friend? Aren’t you going to become the future Duchess of Alfred?”

“No! There’s no way.”

Melia denied it vehemently. Even so, Rosha’s reaction was not entirely unpleasant.

If even Rosha thought that way, then maybe Hailon really did see her as someone special.

She started to think that perhaps her hopes so far were not completely groundless.