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“I’m still not that tall,” I thought to myself.

Sure, I’d grown a lot compared to when I was younger, but standing next to Leonid, I still didn’t even reach his shoulder. Leonid, who now looked down at me from a much higher vantage point, seemed even more smug and irritating.

On exam days, though, it was one of the few times I could actually get the better of him. I purposely tilted my chin up, trying to look as superior as possible.

“Of course. Ten minutes is more than enough, don’t you think?”

This was only possible because I relied on my legendary-level intuition to get through the exams. By earnestly praying, “Please show me the answers!” and staring at the questions, the answers would just pop into my head, so there was no need to spend much time.

“Although, I can’t write down the solution process.”

Still, it was a skill that undoubtedly made everyone else taking the exam green with envy. Leonid, who had a strong competitive streak, looked at me with disapproval, fiddling with my hair as if to vent his frustration. He twirled it around his finger, tugged it slightly, and even blew on it to make it flutter away.

I was about to slap his hand away in annoyance when someone beat me to it.

“Enough. The maid must have worked hard on her hair.”

A boy suddenly appeared behind me, grabbing Leonid’s wrist. The boy with black hair and green eyes was, of course, Eugene.

“Eugene!”

I called his name cheerfully, smiling, and Eugene returned my smile with a slight nod.

“He’s scary,” Leonid muttered, looking at Eugene with a face full of exasperation before turning to warn me.

“Reshi, you need to know the real him. He’s only pretending to be nice in front of you.”

“What are you talking about? Eugene isn’t pretending to be nice; he *is* nice. He’s been kind ever since we were little!”

“That’s what I’m saying—he was like that *when he was little*…”

Leonid grumbled, trying to continue his argument, but Eugene simply reached out and clamped his hand over Leonid’s mouth.

“Mmph!”

Leonid flailed his arms in protest, but Eugene remained completely unfazed. It was a remarkable change from the scrawny little boy he used to be. Back then, Leonid had been taller than Eugene, but now, Eugene had surpassed him in height.

After a long struggle, Leonid finally managed to pull Eugene’s hand away and glared at me.

“See? Is it nice to shut someone up like that? Is it?”

“Come on, Leo. That’s only because you were saying unnecessary things.”

“Sigh… You’re hopeless. You’ve got a serious case of rose-tinted glasses.”

Leonid looked at me with an expression that seemed to say, “You’re incurable,” as he shook his head. Eugene ignored him and sat down next to me, asking,

“Ten minutes today as well?”

It was the same question Leonid had asked. When I nodded, Eugene, unlike Leonid, responded calmly.

“Impressive, as always.”

That was the composure of someone who had never lost the top spot since enrolling. He then added,

“Does that mean I’ll only get to see you for ten minutes today?”

Eugene still used formal speech with me, addressing me with respect, even after all this time.

Leonid had grown comfortable enough to speak casually with Eugene at some point. It made me feel a bit wistful, sensing the subtle distance between us, but it was probably inevitable given that Leonid and I only saw each other occasionally, while they were together at the Ivory Tower all the time.

“Yeah, I think I’ll be going out with Axel this afternoon,” I said, not bothering to mention Noah since I didn’t plan on bringing him along.

Upon hearing this, Eugene’s shoulders slumped in disappointment, and he rested his head on the desk, gazing up at me with a forlorn expression.

“Then I’d better get a good look at you now.”

Eugene’s soft smile made Leonid mutter under his breath, “That fox…” Leonid clicked his tongue and looked at me with a mix of annoyance and curiosity.

“Who’s escorting you?”

“For the debutante ball?”

“Yeah, is it going to be the Duke himself?”

“Hmm…”

I thought about the Duke. Over the past seven years, looking back on my time with him… well, he really did feel like a father, didn’t he? As odd as it might sound, the Duke of Elpinard had truly been like a father to me during that time. We ate meals together, he asked me about my day, and every year on my birthday, he’d give me grand gifts. Spending time with the Duke made me feel like an ordinary noble daughter.

‘Legally, he is already my father, after all,’ I mused. Yet, despite this, it still felt awkward to call him “Father.” Even Axel referred to him as “the Duke” or “Your Grace,” so perhaps it wasn’t just me.

“The Duke is really something. Even though the debutante ball is your official introduction to society, most parents introduce their children at parties or tea times before that,” Leonid remarked.

He was right. I was likely the only one making my social debut at the ball itself. Most kids my age had already been to small tea parties and formed their own little circles.

‘By now, the other kids are probably already hanging out in groups,’ I thought. I was the subject of many rumors for various reasons, and on top of that, I didn’t have any close friends. The upcoming debutante ball was something I was really anxious about.

I had even tried to bring up my concerns during a family dinner once, but both the Duke and Axel seemed utterly baffled as to why I was worried. They just tilted their heads in confusion, leaving me with no choice but to drop the subject. At this point, I had resigned myself to letting the debutante ball play out however it would.

My only real interest was seeing Kirke at the ball. The thought of meeting Kirke, now a full-fledged emperor leading the nation, was strange and uncomfortable no matter how much I thought about it.

“When I had my debutante ball…” Leonid began, noticing the worried expression on my face. But he quickly clammed up, probably because he was aware of Eugene sitting next to me.

‘Eugene didn’t attend the debutante ball.’

Not just the debutante ball—Eugene had been excluded from many things. Duke Kreutz completely disregarded his illegitimate son, Eugene. Rumor had it that even when people mentioned Eugene Kreutz, the top student at the Ivory Tower, the Duke showed little pride. People speculated that the Duke kept his distance, fearing that the attention on Eugene might undermine the position of the legitimate heir, the young lord.

10

As a result, strange stories circulated about why Eugene had yet to be introduced to society. The most absurd rumor was that Eugene, despite his intelligence, was so hideously ugly that the Duke kept him hidden away.

‘Ugly?’

What part of him could they possibly be talking about? I glanced at Eugene. Even compared to Axel, who once captivated the hearts of many young ladies across the empire, Eugene’s appearance was nothing short of stunning. Thanks to my motherly-like care, he had grown up well, with a strong and healthy physique.

‘He’s going to break a lot of hearts someday.’

Not that I had anything to do with raising him, but I couldn’t help feeling proud of how well he’d turned out. As I chuckled to myself, our class scholar entered the room.

“Alright, time to start the exam!”

The regular exam had begun.

* * *

After swiftly completing the test in just ten minutes, I returned to the Sapphire Room, only to find a “young master” waiting for me. But it wasn’t Axel—it was Noah.

“Didn’t Lily tell you that I wouldn’t be going to the tailor today?”

“She did. But do you really think I’d fall for that?”

Noah gave me a smug look, as if to say, ‘I’ve been through this before. I’m not that easily tricked.’

“I asked Uncle just in case, and he said you were planning to go to the tailor.”

“What? He actually told you that?”

“So I volunteered to go with you since Uncle is very busy.”

“Oh, come on!” I inwardly gritted my teeth, cursing Axel, who was nowhere in sight.

“Busy with what?” I knew Axel was well aware that I disliked going out with Noah, so he must have arranged this on purpose.