Chapter 26: A letter. (1)

It was the middle of the day, and like the past month, Olivia sat alone at her desk, her fingers tracing the smooth surface of the polished wood.

Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting warm beams across the classroom, but it did little to brighten her mood.

In the back of her mind, she recalled the road to class and the boy who had pulled her into the school store, buying her a new uniform—each piece carefully selected, silky, and crafted from fine fabric that felt comfortable against her skin.

Unlike the shabby, threadbare uniform she had worn before, this uniform was a symbol of a better life.

However, the comfort it provided did little to ease her worry.

'Won't I have to pay him back for it?'

The thought gnawed at her, a relentless tide of anxiety.

As a commoner, she knew that repaying such a debt might be impossible.

The uniform had cost seven gold coins in total, a sum that felt astronomical to her.

Even if she pooled every coin she could gather from her village, it would probably not be enough.

Disturbed by this thought for the past hour, she found it difficult to focus on anything else—her knuckles turning white as she gripped the edge of her desk.

Suddenly, a realization struck her: 'That girl didn't come today.'

The girl who had tormented her for weeks—the one who had made her life a living hell—was absent.

How strange was that?

But with her mind so preoccupied by worries about the gold coins, she hadn't even considered the fact until now.

As her thoughts began to clear, she could hear the whispers of her classmates drifting around the room, specifically among the girls, their voices animated with excitement.

"Did you hear? I heard that lunatic caught some sky pirates hiding in the royal capital!" one girl exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with enthusiasm.

"He beat those pirates without any armor, I heard," another chimed in, her voice rising with incredulity.

"Also, from the rumors, they were in bad shape and had been massively tormented," a third girl added, a hint of admiration in her tone.

"I thought he was just some lucky guy who stumbled on treasure, but now he's got a glorious achievement!"

The girls were talking excitedly, their voices rising and falling with the thrill of the tale.

Nearby, a group of boys exchanged disgruntled looks, clearly unimpressed by the attention Leon was receiving.

"The guy who beat up slaves on his first day at school suddenly stands out, even though the girls hated him at first.'

'He seems like a country bumpkin, but I heard he's quite loaded with money from the dungeon he cleared."

"I bet his upcoming tea party will attract a lot of girls to him," another boy scoffed, crossing his arms.

"Like, suddenly playing an active role? Give me a break!"

Their worries were palpable, centered around the upcoming tea party, fearing that now, with Leon playing the role of the knight in shining armor, the girls would flock to him, leaving them in the dust.

What none of them realized—least of all Olivia—was that Leon utterly detested "used" products.

To him, girls who had played around with animals, slaves, or even dogs were utterly repugnant.

Hearing such stories left Olivia disheartened, a shadow creeping over her heart.

She couldn't quite grasp why; perhaps it was because deep down, she refused to accept the reason.

She didn't want to be seen as the kind of girl he desired—at the very least she wanted to be a concubine, not a pet like he had insinuated back in the pirates' hideout.

The idea of being regarded as a pet was too humiliating, even for a commoner like her.

'Even though he's just a student,' she thought, recalling the way he had fought off those pirates.

He had acted with such bravery, such cool confidence.

'Nobles are awesome,' she mused innocently, her admiration bubbling beneath the surface.

While she was lost in her thoughts, a different group of boys nearby were discussing Leon as well.

"Did you hear? The reason Bartfort beat up those pirates was to rescue the girls?" one boy said, shaking his head in disbelief.

"How far is that guy going to go to score points with the girls?" another replied, rolling his eyes.

"But, well didn't he beat up the slaves on his first day though?"

"Irrelevant, that was just him disliking them being in the position he wished... Probably."

"I guess we'll be compared to Bartfort from now on. I don't like it honestly~"

In her mind, Olivia conjured images of heroic knights, gallant figures from the tales she had grown up hearing.

Knights who rushed in to save captured princesses, their deeds immortalized in songs sung by bards in taverns.

She had admired those stories as a child, and the memory still warmed her heart even today.

Yesterday, she had been in the position of that princess, even though she wished, she never dared to hope that to happen to her.

But oh yes it did, and feeling the thrill of being rescued. It was the happiest she probably have been in her entire life.

'He really did appear for me,' she thought, a flush of warmth spreading through her cheeks.

Yet as much as she admired his bravery, she couldn't shake the feeling that this knight, however was not quite as chivalric as those in the stories she loved.

In fact, it felt like he was more of the dragon from those tales.

Author's Note: First of all the update have been unstable for the past few days I realise, and allow me to justify myself.

As I am writing this, just now, right now a phone call came that my mother just died, her state has been worse and worse for the past few weeks and I could honestly not force myself to write while I was with her in the hospital. (yes I was with her for the past month).

So today I took a day off because of the fatigued that builds up, but not long after I left she also breath her last.

So, I will declared an indefinite hiatus for this series. I apologize and thank you in advance for your underatanding.