The Goddess Granted Me the [Hatching] Skill and Somehow I Became the Strongest Tamer, Commanding Mythical and Divine Beasts - 140

Chapter 140: Winter Break

The leaves on the trees had withered and fallen, and a cold wind that stung the skin blew through.

The temperature had dropped so much that it seemed like a lie they had been wearing short sleeves just before, and everyone had started staying indoors.

In the midst of that chill that made one feel winter, bright and lively voices of women echoed from the Boyle Count family home.

Three girls sat at a desk by the fireplace, spreading out reference books and notebooks as they studied.

“The answer to that problem is that the extraction temperature for mandragora powder is seventy degrees for three minutes, which is the right temperature, so the effect would be halved, right?”

Lorraine, who sat facing Celia, explained the problem at her request.

“I see. Thank you.”

Celia thanked her and immediately jotted it down in her notebook, reviewing what Lorraine had taught her in her mind.

“Um? Lorraine, what’s the answer to this problem?”

The last one, Lucia, held out her textbook to Lorraine and pointed with her pen to a problem she couldn’t solve.

She looked at Lorraine with eyes full of expectation.

But in response to her, Lorraine let out a sigh.

“Lucia. You should think about it a bit more on your own before asking. You’ve just been copying my answers from earlier, haven’t you?”

She directed a cold gaze toward Lucia.

Right now, what they were doing was the winter break assignment from the academy.

The academy students who were promised future positions at the heart of the country faced high-difficulty classes, and even during long breaks, they received a huge amount of assignments.

“It’s not like I have a choice. The problems are way too hard, and they don’t make any sense!”

Lucia puffed out her cheeks and vented her frustration.

“And yet you managed to get second place in the magic arts department…”

Seeing her like that, Lorraine wore an even more exasperated expression.

“Well, I’m more of a hands-on type.”

Lucia said that and flashed a friendly smile.

Even with this attitude, Lucia was excellent. She had a knack for jumping into other people’s hearts with an innocent face, and she was the type who remembered things by feel, so she could somehow arrive at the right answer intuitively.

“Besides, if we’re talking about slacking off, the top student is doing it way more!”

Lucia said that and turned her gaze toward the sofa table by the fireplace.

There, two people lounged comfortably with teacups in hand.

“We’re having a tea party over here. It’s not slacking off, okay?”

Melissa glared at Lucia when she heard the voice.

“But when we’re studying and you’re eating such delicious-looking sweets, it makes us curious.”

The three-tiered plate held tempting sweets. They were from a popular shop, the ones Lorraine had bought.

“I’ve finished the assignments ages ago, and right now, socializing among nobles is more important.”

At Melissa’s straightforward words, Charlotte, who sat facing her, let out a small chuckle.

“I’m honored to be able to talk with you, Lady Melissa.”

The reserved Charlotte and the blunt Melissa got along very well, despite their differences.

Melissa had originally disliked sneaky bullying, so she didn’t get along with the noble daughters who had targeted Charlotte.

“…W-well, that’s fine then.”

Melissa’s face turned red at the overly direct expression of fondness.

“Ah, Melissa’s embarrassed.”

“Sh-shut up!”

Melissa shot back at Lucia with a flustered look.

“In truth, there weren’t many noble ladies who would be friendly with me…”

Charlotte wore a sad expression.

When she entered social circles, many noble daughters treated her like a nuisance.

“That’s partly because your family is unique, but the main reason is that you’re just too beautiful.”

Nobles were generally cold toward upstart families to begin with. On top of that, Charlotte’s appearance was so refined that the women around her found it unpleasant and used it as ammunition for attacks.

“You’ll have it tough too from now on, Celia?”

“Huh? Why does it turn to me?”

Celia, who had been working on her assignments, looked up and tilted her head in puzzlement.

“Because Klaus is going to become a noble eventually, right?”

It was common knowledge among nobles, but Celia hadn’t heard it from her brother.

She wasn’t oblivious to the world, so she suspected from Klaus’s current fame that such talks were going around, but at this stage, she had no way to respond.

“Who knows? I haven’t heard from my brother, so I don’t know.”

So even if she thought it was likely, she couldn’t affirm it.

“If Klaus becomes a noble, you won’t get treated like one, right?”

Melissa hadn’t expected an answer to begin with and continued speaking under the assumption that Celia would become a noble.

“Then your status at school would go up, and the ones who bullied you before would flip their attitudes completely.”

At those words, Celia couldn’t keep her expression steady, and her brows furrowed. It showed what kind of treatment she had received at the academy so far.

Belladonna, the capital, had stronger noble influence compared to the provinces, so naturally, nobles and the children of the wealthy formed the upper caste at the academy.

Celia had achieved top grades at the academy, but the nobles who disliked that, along with their followers, had mocked her as a “country bumpkin.”

Since Melissa had scolded them at her debutante ball, the harassment had quieted down, but it hadn’t disappeared completely.

She still faced rumors of unclear origin and small daily harassments.

Just the thought of those stopping would certainly let her focus on her studies…

“But if I rely on status, I’d end up the same as those people. I want to earn recognition from those around me without borrowing my brother’s power.”

Celia directed straightforward eyes at Melissa. Her strong will shone through, and Melissa thought that in this way, she was as stubbornly competitive as Klaus.

“Well, you’re that kind of straightforward girl.”

“I love that about you, Celia-chan.”

“Yes, she’s far more likable than someone like Angie.”

Melissa, Lucia, and Lorraine each spoke to Celia in turn. To the three of them, Celia was an important junior, even if they attended different schools.

“If anyone bullies you, tell us, okay? We’ll take care of it before Klaus gets involved.”

“It’s been calm lately, so I’m fine.”

Celia answered that help wasn’t needed, with a dry laugh. She was scared to imagine what would happen if she left it to them.

“What are you talking about?”

Charlotte, the only one who didn’t understand, tilted her head.

“Well, you see…”

Lucia gave a brief explanation about the debutante ball.

“I see… so that’s what happened.”

“Lady Charlotte?”

Celia noticed Charlotte’s furrowed brows.

“Actually, I’ve been through something similar, so it brought back memories…”

A subtle air flowed. Melissa had no direct involvement, but she knew there had been moves at parties to exclude Charlotte.