Fun Study Session – In the Spirit of Getting Failing Marks Together
Mia looked at her granddaughter, and for a short, uncomfortable moment, she saw herself in the way the little girl pouted and cried.
She forgot about it right away.
No matter what, I can’t let Bel go, or I’ll be stuck here with Abel… Just him and me… Which actually sounds really great, but ugh! My heart’s not ready yet. I-I don’t think it’s time for us to take the next step in our relationship just yet…
Whether or not the situation she imagined was a “step” is debatable, but for Mia, a romantic novice, the idea of them sitting close together was just too risqué.
Mia and Abel went into the library with Bel in tow.
“Ah, Princess Mia.” Chloe, who was sitting in a corner, gave them a wave. Mia returned the wave and walked over.
Phew. So there are now four of us. Now, there’s almost no chance of being left alone with Abel.
She took a quick look at Abel, who didn’t seem to mind that Chloe was there. He said hello back to the girl without even a hint of disappointment.
Hmph, at least you could have been a little upset. Don’t you want to be alone with me for a while?
Don’t worry about sudden change of heart. After all, it’s in a young girl’s heart to be complicated and full of nuances.
“Why are you here today?” asked Chloe, who was interested.
Mia gathered herself and then spoke.
“We’ve come to study.”
“Oh, you are? So am I.”
“Oh, what a coincidence! Well, I guess not really. Considering that it was test time, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. May we join you?”
“Please feel free to do so.”
Chloe moved her seat to the side and then laughed.
“Hm? What’s wrong?” Mia asked.
“Oh, pardon me. It’s just… This is the first time I’ve ever studied with friends in this way.”
“Oh, is that’s true? Are we disturbing you?”
“No, not even close! I’m glad, actually. It seemed like something fun to do.”
Two more voices joined the group at that moment.
“Hello, Your Highness. Good afternoon.”
“Hello, Your Highness…”
Mia looked up and saw Tiona coming toward her. Liora Lulu walked right next to her.
“Hi, Tiona. Good afternoon to you, too. And so to you Liora. I haven’t seen you in a long time.
I went to your village not long ago, did you know?”
“You did? Wow… I didn’t know.”
“Yes. The chieftain can now speak the imperial language a lot better. With his grandson, he seems to get along well.”
Just as she was starting to feel at ease with the casual conversation, a bell went off in her head.
Wait! I know what’s going to happen! We’ll just keep talking and talking and get no studying done!
She and her group of girls had been caught in this trap many times before. Even though the library was supposed to be a place for quiet study, it was hard to believe that a group of young people who liked each other wouldn’t whisper to each other.
Wherever there were rules, it was hard to resist breaking them to see how far you could go, and Mia’s group would be no different.
I don’t know what to do…
She thought about what she could do. In less than a second, she knew what to do.
I know! I’ll get Sion involved as well.
Sabotaging was her answer. Sion wouldn’t be able to study either if she couldn’t. Nor, for that matter, his servant. She had to go get Keithwood so he wouldn’t help Sion.
Rafina won’t be able to pick on me if everyone on the student council gets bad grades.
In typical Mia fashion, she gave up right away on trying to study properly. Instead, she tried to minimise the damage by putting the blame on everyone else.
“Then I should also get in touch with Sapphias…”
He had sworn to follow the banner of his princess, so if that banner fell, he’d better fall with it. After all, what was a promise if it wasn’t kept through life and death?
So, she pulled the rest of the student council members into her study group, which was sinking, because nothing says “friendship” like drowning together.
For the record, Mia got the 15th best grade in her class after the test. This was by far her best score to date.
This historical achievement owed a lot to Abel’s notes, which were thorough and accurate summaries of all the important information. This showed how hard-working he was by nature. Anne was just as important, because her patented method of sleep-learning helped Mia learn a lot more. Even though it was the worst grade in the student council, it was still more than enough.
“Oh, that’s too bad. “I’ve been so busy and had to miss so much school that I couldn’t do my best,” Mia said, trying very hard to keep her grimace from turning into a smug grin. “I wish I had more time to get ready. I should have done better than that. “That’s too bad.”
Rafina was completely fooled by her awkward grin-grimace, and she looked at her twitching cheeks with worry.
“Gosh, you must be really upset…”
She even asked Mia if she would like to take the test again at another time. Not surprisingly, Mia turned down the offer.
“No, that’s not fair. I’m not happy with my grades, but I got them, so I guess they’re the ones I deserve. I’ll just have to get used to them.”
Rafina looked at him for a moment before murmuring, “Such integrity… You’re really amazing, Mia…”
As for Bel, she got an average of around forty, which was a good score compared to how she did before, but it was still a failing grade. So, she had to spend her summer break at school taking catch-up classes, which she didn’t mind all that much. Compared to living in a city that had been destroyed, her time at Saint-Noel was like being in heaven.
“Why should I feel bad? I get to stay in a place that is so nice.” When asked about it, she said with conviction, “I even get to drink hot chocolate every day.”
“If you’re this lucky and still complain, you probably deserve something bad to happen to you.”
Not mentioned was the fact that her grades made her sad at first. She had been looking forward to spending her break with Mother Elise, so when she found out she’d have to go to summer school the whole time, she was very upset.
Lynsha had the bright idea that if they stayed at Saint-Noel, they could drink as much hot chocolate as they wanted every day. This immediately changed Bel’s mood, proving the old saying, “Like grandmother, like granddaughter.”
