CH 387

Her Highness Princess Mia Encourages the Children

Mia composed herself as she entered the school, despite the fact that the sight of her ebullient wooden effigy had reduced her mental condition to shavings. Children had formed queues to welcome her inside and were waiting in line to do so. There were some recognizable faces in the first row.

“My, you’re…”

“Your Highness, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Wagul? Is that you? Moons, a while has passed.”

The grandson of the Lulu chieftain spoke first. She nearly didn’t recognize him due to his outfit and nicely trimmed hair.

She smiled and said, “Have you been well?”

“Yes, I’ve been doing fine. However, schoolwork is challenging.”

Of course. Wagul, I understand what you mean.

She softly grinned, her heart breaking for the boy. Studying was difficult. Pain is pain, even if it is necessary agony. Nobody with a clear mind would voluntarily do that—

The girl next to Wagul said, “And as for me, I’ve kept up with all of my studies as promised. I appreciate the opportunity to spend time in school, so thank you so much.”

As Mia turned to face the orphanage prodigy, who welcomed her with a deep bow, her smile started to flutter. “Ah. That’s good to hear, I suppose. Selia, I’m delighted you’re working hard.” she said, a cold sweat forming on the back of her neck.

After all, she had spitefully enrolled this girl in the academy under the guise that “If I’m going down, then you’re going down with me, buddy.” She had further added salt to the wound by placing Selia in a particular class where Galv would provide one-on-one tuition. And yet, until this particular moment, she had forgotten everything.

She looked at the girl and considered whether her remark had been ironic. She chose to smile cautiously because she was unable to tell.

“But, um, altogether, how do you feel?” She asked, feeling slightly bad for subjecting the girl to Galv’s rigorous academic torture, “Is there anything that’s stressing you out?”

Ludwig the teacher had been awful enough when she was a student. Ludwig’s teacher could not have been a worse teacher. “Let me know if you ever feel like, you know, it’s all getting a little much, okay? I’ll take action in the matter.”

Mia was familiar with the idea of reaping what you sow. She provided Selia a way out as a means of covering her own back after realizing that she had planted a rather nasty seed here. She was trying to prevent Selia from bringing the scythe of retaliation by being especially kind. Mia was a coward and would do anything to assault Selia’s conscience and avoid those consequences. The brave would merely face the results of one’s conduct.

Selia then immediately started crying.

Eek! Why’s she crying? Are Galv’s lessons really so bad? Or is she crying because she despises me so much?

Just as fear started to take hold…

“I’m OK, Your Highness. Thank you. I get to learn a lot here, and the teachers are incredibly pleasant to me. It feels like a dream.”

Selia wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and then grinned once again, adding, “I mean it.”

“Is that true? Okay, uh… So keep it up. But just don’t be afraid to let me know if you feel like you have too much on your plate, alright?”

Mia then looked at another boy.

“And… Good day, Cyril.” With all the politeness she could summon, she said, “It’s good to see you again.” Her face almost burst into bloom. Obviously, it was all a ruse, but she was going all out because Cyril was important to her plan. His whims may very well determine whether the new wheat strain is successfully developed. She had to maintain his motivation and happiness.

“Your Highness, it’s good to see you too.” Cyril bowed. Though the gesture was absolutely polite, she couldn’t help but feel some stiffness.

“Hm? Has something happened?”

“…No. Absolutely nothing.”

The words he spoke did not match the pout on his lips. Selia quickly leaned down and muttered in a voice that wasn’t especially gentle as Mia scowled in perplexity.

“He apparently thinks you’re really close with Wagul and me, but always stiff with him, and he’s envious of that.”

“S-Selia!” Cyril, who was now agitated, said, “That’s none of your business.”

As he pulled her away from Mia, his hot cheeks were made visible.

My! How absolutely adorable!

His puerile soul’s slight emotional instability struck a thrilling chord across her heartstrings. This sort of thing was her favorite. Mia, who was technically 22 years old, was very interested in young boys and their vulnerabilities. One should never judge another person based on their preferences, but Mia could certainly afford to adjust the age range she prefers by a little bit.

Oh, I seem to recall Abel saying something similar years ago. I guess all boys are the same after all!

She chuckled a little and let out a tender smile. She spoke with friendliness instead of her customary formality, saying, “Looks like someone feels a little left out, doesn’t he? Let’s correct that.”

“Huh?”

She gave Cyril’s hair a nice pat and caressed his head as he gaped. “You know, I was afraid you’d feel lonely here. or become ill. Your good health makes me happy.”

She pointed at Selia and remarked, “And that you seem to have made a really excellent friend who pays attention to you.”

The color of Cyril’s cheeks darkened.

“Your Highness, I thank you for your concern.”

He averted his gaze downwards. The kind deed made Mia happy.

Oh boy, I’ll give him a pat on the head all day if that’s all it takes to make him happy. After all, if he’s not at his best, we won’t ever obtain our new wheat strain. Boy, I’m depending on you.

She grinned while thinking about something far less benign.

She then turned her gaze away from them and toward the other kids.

“And who are the young ones standing behind you?”

There were approximately a dozen of them, and as they saw Mia’s eyes on them, they all tensed.

“Most of them were enrolled on a recommendation from the priest in the Newmoon District.” Galv said. “There were a handful from Outcount Rudolvon and a few more from surrounding outland nobility. Unfortunately, no youngster from the central nobility has applied because so many of our facilities are still under construction and because anti-agriculturalist ideas are spreading among their ranks.”

Mia raised an eyebrow before shrugging. “Is that true? So forget about them. They won’t come if they choose not to do so.”

She really didn’t give a damn. This academy’s main goal was to aid Cyril Rudolvon in his development of cold-resistant wheat. She didn’t want a group of pretentious, aristocratic kids strutting around. They would at best be useless and at worst be a major distraction. She added a second comment to her initial assertion after deciding it was too disparaging. In addition, if the academy establishes a reputation for its high caliber of instruction, students will come naturally.

This comment served a dual purpose. First of all, it was flattery aimed at Galv; any academic success would undoubtedly be his doing. It was also a way for her to distance herself from the academy’s performance, allowing her to escape accountability if the idea failed.

The justification was as follows:

Clause: People would swarm to the academy if it performed well and got well-known.

Corollary: if there was a lack of interest, it was likely due to the academy’s poor performance.

Conclusion: she was in no way to blame for the academy’s lack of popularity.

A woman approached her as she was about to covertly smuggle over her deft—and completely selfish—execution of defensive argument.

“Welcome, Princess Mia. We appreciate you traveling so far to visit us.”

Mia answered, “Ah, greetings to you too, Princess Arshia,” before quickly looking at Arshia’s clothing again.

“Yes, I am aware. I apologise for how I look.” Arshia frowned as she regarded her own attire. “They were constructed of a cheap-looking, heavily layered fabric that resembled what commoners would often wear. They are working clothes. Farmers from Perujin always dress like this. After all, I can’t go to the fields wearing a dress.”

“My, how fascinating. May I touch it? Oh, I see. Despite the poor presentation, this is very quality fabric. It has a pleasant, sturdy feel. When I go mushroom hunting again, I should think about purchasing some.”

Mia’s curious intellect was always on the prowl for fresh and intriguing facts. Whenever her addiction to mushrooms was involved, that is.