460 Chapter 460: School Days (1/2)
As expected of a noble, wealthy district, the way to Saint Teresa Academy was paved with good intentions…I mean lots of money, and expensive marble. Evidently some famous architect had been paid millions just to design the exquisite-looking bridge and roads that wove through the suburbs, with neatly pruned trees standing on either side like silent sentinels.
Accompanying Melina to school, I watched worriedly as she gripped the straps of a huge bag, looking as if she was being weighed down by it.
”Melina, that looks heavy. Want me to carry that for you?”
”No…no need!”
The blond girl shook her head hastily and clutched the big bag to tightly her chest, looking a little flustered. Lady, I'm not going to steal your bag from you, you know? There's no need to be on your guard.
We neared the school, and I glanced up at half-gaped at the massive entrance that made up the gates, a colossal archway with what looked like gigantic gleaming gemstones set within their tips. Already there were many students milling about at the gate, passing through the entrance to get to school. One of them waved at us when she caught sight of Melina.
”You've finally showed up!”
It was another girl, who was of similar age as Melina. Just like her, she clearly seemed to be from a noble family, with her graceful air and stylishly permed hair. Placing a hand on her hip, she gazed at my poor charge arrogantly.
”Took you long enough, Melina!”
The girl in question flinched and took a step back. There was no way I wouldn't notice that, and I stepped forward instinctively, almost as if to shield her.
”Eh? You've a new manservant? Why is he accompanying you to school?”
The noble lady frowned and bent forward, both hands on her hips this time.
”I'm not her servant.” Actually, I was her private tutor, but I didn't plan on sharing that information with her. ”And what business might you have with Melina?”
”It is all right, Sensei.” My disciple tugged at my sleeve nervously. ”Nirvana doesn't mean any harm.”
She then forced a smile and bowed politely, greeting her ”friends.”
”Good morning, everyone!”
”Morning,” Nirvana replied with a grin, and then thrust her hand forward. Whoa, what a rude and self-entitled person. ”Do you have it?”
”...”
Melina fell silent for a few moment before she obliged, digging through her bag and plucking out a few volumes of novels. Without even a word of thanks, Nirvana snatched the books out of Melina's hands and cheered.
”This is it! Bean Ding Ding's The Bumpy Road of Marriage: Divorce Now, Daddy! What a relief! My family is strict, so they don't allow me to buy romance novels like these.”
Because they are the same trashy CEO novels with a toxic male lead who raped and abused the female main character, who still somehow fell for him because he happened to be rich and handsome? Not to mention having a super-ass long title that made no sense? Of course they would ban you from reading such nonsense – they promoted rape and encouraged the idea that it's all right for a man to rape and abuse you (both physically and mentally) as long as he was rich and handsome!
However, I couldn't say that to the girls, obviously. From a glance, I could tell that they were the toxic sort of fangirls who would screech and find a way to utterly destroy me socially if I so much as breathe a word of criticism of their beloved CEO romance story.
”Lady Nirvana! Please let me borrow it next!”
”Me next!”
”Hey,” I snarled as I stepped forward, feeling fury rise within me. Noble or not (and I honestly couldn't give a crap about social standings), they were pissing me off and I wasn't going to let Melina take this lying down. ”Where are your manners? Do you just take things from others like that, without a single word of thanks? And these books belong to Melina, don't they? Why are you acting like they belong to you, and you girls over there, shouldn't you be asking Melina instead?”
The girls all stared at me as if I was some kind of unusual specimen caged in a zoo. It was a very uncomfortable feeling, especially since their gazes were extremely condescending.
”Oh, and who might this person be, Melina?”
The fuck? Was she ignoring me? Were all the girls ignoring me!?
”Ah…this is my private tutor,” Melina replied nervously. ”He will be accompanying me from now on.”
”Oh?! Lady Melina has a private tutor!?”
The rest of the girls reacted in surprise, gasping as they brought their hands up to their faces dramatically. Unfazed, Nirvana casually handed her bag off to one of her entourage, approached me and gripped the hem of her skirt before doing a curtsy.
”How do you do?” she greeted me formally. ”I am Nirvana of the Mallory family.”
She then smiled brightly and giggled, though I detected something sinister about that supposedly bright expression.
”As members of the same squad, Melina and I are very close friends.”
”From an outsider's perspective, you don't seem like friends.” I shut my eyes briefly and sighed. ”You seem more like a bully taking advantage of my lady.”
”Excuse me?!” Nirvana thundered. I shrugged.
”Ah, I apologize for being blunt. Since I am not a noble myself, I have no idea how I'm supposed to speak in this sort of situation.”
”Well, first you can begin by introducing yourself.” Nirvana's eyes glinted maliciously as she regained her composure. I immediately understood why she was asking for my identity. If she knew who I was, she could immediately begin investigations and carry out her plans of revenge. Being a noble, it wasn't as if she would directly beat me up, but she could secretly hire people to do so. Or perhaps dig out the skeletons in my closest and destroy me socially. What, did you think this was some kind of urban cultivation novel where every rich person would just hire assassins to kill a random nobody? As rich as they were, they weren't stupid enough to waste that sort of money and risk commiting such crimes. They would just want to intimidate the poor guy, not actually kill him.
”I am an exchange student from Jing Tian Academy,” I began, and then Nirvana cut me off with a high-pitched peal of laughter.
”Jing Tian Academy?! Did you say Jing Tian Academy?! That low-ranked, third-rate school from the middle of nowhere?”
”Well, it is on the edge of the Federation,” I admitted good-naturedly, relieved that I was able to omit my name somehow.
”Ha ha ha! And you presume to lecture me on manners? A lowborn commoner scum such as yourself?” Nirvana held her stomach as she tried to stop laughing. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she then studied me. ”Wait a minute…in the first place, how does one such as yourself even begin to teach a student of Saint Teresa Academy?”