Chapter 51 – Five of Them, Together
Even though it’s the embroidery class, the ladies here mostly have enjoyed doing it since they were young, so the lecturer only went through the basic explanation lightly. While writing on the blackboard, the teacher begins explaining how to make a finished embroidery into cufflinks.
Francesca Delacour is holding her head.
How did it become like this?
I am taking the class together with the Count House’s Emma-sama, Catherine-sama & Caitlyn-sama from Simmons Marquis House, and Bell Duke House’s Marion-sama on the same seat.
(Francesca POV)
・・・
Since the matter at the party at the royal castle, Marquis Delacour has been in dire straits. As severe criticism came from the First Prince faction, the Second Prince faction, and even the neutral faction, my father’s position in the royal castle is on the brink of collapse.
My almost settled engagement also returned to the starting point, and the tea party invitations that usually arrived dozens a week didn’t come at all.
Just a few weeks ago, I was in the position of the ‘closest’ person to Lyla-sama in her group, but now, no one even wants to have eye contact with me. Those school days I enjoyed with that dazzling group like it’s a matter of course feel like a lie now.
But now, I don’t even think of going back. It’s not a prize worth it to hurt people.
Dance is my strong point, so I’m thinking of continuing the next level of my previous dance classes, but no boys want to partner up with me this year.
With no other choice, I chose the embroidery class I have never taken before. Yet, I have never thought I would be in the same class as Lyla-sama.
Even so, there’s no way I can join Lyla-sama‘s group. From that day on, I’ve been treated as if I’m non-existent.
Coming to school earlier than anyone else, I entered the classroom from the back and sat in the corner because I was afraid of being rejected on sharing seats.
Even after students gradually gathered, nobody came to sit next to me.
“Ah, there’s an open seat there.”
A group of several young ladies talked while looking this way.
“Wait a sec, that’s Francesca-sama, you know?”
“Hey, we can sit over there if we split into two and three, right?”
As expected, it’s not just the ladies from the Second Prince faction. Even the ladies from the First Prince’s faction, who just several weeks ago had been fighting over the spot next to me, didn’t greet me, let alone sit on the same seat.
This is my punishment. For myself who had been carrying out the baptism.
In the corner of the classroom, not daring to even raise my face, I just looked down and endured until the class start.
After graduating from the academy, let’s enter the monastery and live quietly to not bother anyone. Looking down alone, thinking round and round, I cornered myself into an even darker place.
“Excuse me… Can I sit next to you? Francesca-sama.”
When I looked up, Emma from the Stuart House was talking to me.
“Emma-sama!? …why…?”
She was looking this way with a carefree smile.
If she sits with someone like me, even Emma-sama will be left out by everyone… Even though I should’ve refused right away, I unconsciously wanted to hang onto that kind smile I haven’t received in a while, and my movement stopped.
“I just came to the royal capital, so I still don’t have any girl friends except Francesca-sama. If it doesn’t bother you, can I join you?”
Emma-sama sat straight down next to me.
Will she really become my friend? The other part of myself warned me not to get carried away by this little expectation.
Emma-sama talked to me as if nothing happened. Again, my small expectations sprouted.
Have I been talking well?
Then, the empty seats are filled before I understood what was happening.
The Simmons Marquis House’s twins, who entered the academy this year, are the rumored sisters who had the blood of a foreign royal family. They have brown skin, which is rare in this country.
Surrounded by sea, Simmons territory has the largest port in the kingdom and thriving foreign trade. Its exotic cityscape is also a popular tourist attraction.
Then, it’s the master every young lady adores, Marion-sama.
While she is a girl, she chose Chivalry and Practical Skill for Hunters and had excellent results that don’t lose out to men with her extraordinary athletic ability.
The lineage that leads the Knight Order for generations, Bell Duke House, is a prestigious family between all the prestigious nobles. Both of her older brothers also top their Chivalry class.
The Simmons House and Bell House stand in the neutral position without disrupting the balance, and both the First Prince faction and Second Prince faction are desperate to pull them in. They are that much distinguished.
Emms-sama faced the young ladies from that two families and offered the seat casually.
People would usually be tense or behave modestly in front of them. But Emma-sama, with a soft smile, acted towards the twins, Marion-sama, and even a fallen daughter like me without discrimination. …is she an angel?
end of Francesca POV
・・・
“Now, everyone! Do you understand how to do it? Please take out your tools and begin your work. Raise your hand if there’s anything you don’t understand!”
The little chubby teacher encourages everyone with a well-projected voice.
‘Haah,’ Francesca wake up from her thoughts and concentrate on the lesson.
She opens her bag to take out the sewing tools and the cufflinks buttons she has bought in advance.
There, Francesca gets curious about the inside of Emma-sama‘s big bag and glance at her side.
From that big bag, same with Francesca, Emma takes out sewing tools and cufflinks buttons. But… the amount is weird.
“Emma-sama? How many exactly did you bring?”
*clinking clinking* That large amount of cufflinks buttons is not the number of 10s or 20s. More than that, colorful embroidery threads come out from the bag one after another.
“The amount that can be made in two hours… was written on the list of items to bring, so for the time being, I prepared 100.”
‘Is it too little?’she asks.
Isn’t that amount hard even for professional embroiderers? Not just Francesca, the twins, and Marion also widen their eyes.
“I-I think a hundred… is a lot.”
” “100 is a lot!” “
When Marion and the twins pointed out, Emma replies with a ‘Then, it’s somehow enough…’ After that, without preparing any designs or drafts first, she sets the white cloth onto the embroidery hoop and, just like that, starts stitching the needle.
*whoosh stitch stitch stitch*
” ” ” “! ! ! ! !” ” ” “
The embroidery is completed at a speed uncatchable with eyes.
“Fast!”
With that speed, maybe 100… is just possible.
Seeing something unbelievable, the twins and Marion unconsciously look at each other.
“Pu-“
Don’t know who started it, all of them burst into laughter.
“Emma-sama, that’s so superhuman-like!”
“It’s the first time I see someone embroiders this fast, Caitlyn.”
“It’s the first time I see someone finishes an embroidery this fast, Catherine.”
“When it’s come to embroidery, you will need to call her Master Emma.”
Francesca has unconsciously surrounded Emma chatteringly. This is the first time she is conversing with others without minding her words like a group of friends who are already close from the start.
I wonder how long has it been since I felt this happy.
“Ohh~ Come on, everyone, don’t just chat. Move your hands too. The teacher is glaring this way, you know?”
Francesca was startled by Emma’s words, and when their eyes met again, Emma laughed softly at her.
Following Emma’s advice, Francesca stole glances at Emma’s finished embroidery while moving her hand.
“Is it a cat?”
” “It’s a cat!” “
“A cat, huh.”
The four people beside Emma make a remark.
With an astonishing speed, her first cufflinks are done.
“It’s the cat we keep at home.”
Emma places the part embroidered with a calico cat pattern on Francesca’s hands for her to see it clearly. After Francesca is done looking at it carefully, she hands it over to Catherine, who’s been reaching out her hand as if waiting for her turn. From Catherine, it goes to Caitlyn, then to Marion. They are handing it over to each other tacitly.
“Emma-sama’s embroidery… To finish such a delicate embroidery in a flash…”
“If you look closely, there are also letters embroidered.”
“Koumei…?”
“It’s my cat’s name.”
*whoosh stitch stitch stitch*
” ” ” “! ! ! ! !” ” ” “
When they look at Emma, she already starts making the second one.
Far from slowing, the speed is even faster than before.
“This is Ryuu-chan.”
*whoosh stitch stitch stitch*
“This one is Kan-chan.”
*whoosh stitch stitch stitch*
“This child here is Chou-chan.”
The embroideries of a calico cat, black cat, and white cat are done with an unstoppable speed.
“Emma-sama! I really like this black cat.”
“Emma-sama! I like the white cat.”
Catherine and Caitly are absorbedly gazing at the finished cufflinks.
“Then, if you would like, how about exchanging it with the cufflinks you two made?”
” “Is it okay?” “
The twins delightfully accept.
“If we’re going to exchange it with this lovely cat, we have to put effort into our cufflinks, huh, Caitlyn.”
“If we’re going to exchange it with this lovely cat, then, of course, we should put effort into our cufflinks, Catherine.”
The twins begin making their embroidery earnestly.
“Emma-sama, I would also like to exchange mine, can I?”
“Of course, Marion-sama. Francesca-sama too, would you like to exchange your cufflinks?”
It’s common to exchange works with mutual friends in the embroidery class. But when it comes to exchanging with Emma’s, they need to make their embroidery seriously like the twins. They can’t possibly give her something shameful.
It is just for a moment they were chattering and giggling. After that, everyone focuses on embroidering.
・・・
In the blink of an eye, two hours have passed.
Emma has really made 100 cufflinks. Not to mention the four of them, the teacher and the other students in the class are also surprised.
“I have made a lot since I was little, so…”
Suddenly in the center of attention, Emma blushes as she feels a little shy.
…Good thing this is the embroidery class. If there were any male students here, they would no doubt die from the kyun.
“Francesca-sama and Marion-sama, please pick the one you like.”
Taking their cufflinks like it’s something precious, Emma shows her works and lets Francesca and Marion pick.
Between the cat patterns and (for some reason) many insect patterns, Francesca chooses one.
“My, Francesca-sama! That is Violet, my pet spider. It has a super beautiful purple color, you see?”
A spider and spider web design similar to Emma’s scars is embroidered with a beautiful purple thread that sparkles depend on the lighting.
“I will have this.”
Marion-sama chooses a fluffy rabbit design.
“Marion-sama chooses the one-horned rabbit, I see. Although it’s a monster, it’s fluffy and cute, isn’t it?”
Marion-sama unexpectedly seems to like cute things.
“Everyone! Don’t be late for the next class.”
After reminding the students who are too immersed in exchanging embroideries, the teacher exits the classroom.
After this fun embroidery class, I will be alone again.
The next class Francesca takes is not a class the usual young lady would initiatively choose.
“Hey, what did you guys choose for the next class? If it’s alright, let’s go together to the closest point.”
Marion-sama suggests while putting away her tools.
Will I be seen as weird because I take that class... During the time Francesca is hesitating, the twins give a surprising reply.
“Next is Monster Science, right, Caitlyn?”
“Next is Monster Science, Catherine!”
Everyone makes a surprised face at the twins’ words. Young ladies generally wouldn’t choose Monster Science, after all.
“How surprising! I’m also in Monster Science. I took the beginner level of Practical Skills for Hunters last year, but I think the next intermediate level will be difficult if I don’t know anything about monsters.”
“Our Simmons territory is surrounded by seas, so because monster won’t come out there, we are interested in it instead.”
Don’t know what kind of coincidence is this, Francesca’s next class is also Monster Science. Though she didn’t choose it willingly like the twins.
Then, Francesca glances at Emma’s expression.
Those are words pretty hard to say in front of the girl rumored to be injured by a monster. Would this make her recall some painful experiences? Francesca feels anxious about Marion and the twins’ conversation.
“I heard that there are not many girls in Monster Science, but I guess it’s not? I also chose Monster Science for the next class.”
With a look that says Francesca’s worries are unnecessary, Emma joins the conversation.
“Emma-sama too!?”
Francesca unconsciously asks.
“Well… Does that mean Francesca-sama is also in Monster Science?”
Who knows that the people who sit at this table all choose the Monster Science class young ladies rarely take.
“Amazing, isn’t it. Is it fate, Caitlyn?”
“Amazing, indeed. This must be fate, Catherine!”
The twins chattered in high spirits.
“I am a borderland-born, so Monster Science is necessary.”
Emma replies while touching her scar, then asks, ‘What about Francesca-sama?’
“That, It’s… to support my older brother…”
The most common reason a young lady chooses Monster Science is to support her brothers.
Those who will succeed the territory must master Monster Science, but Francesca’s older brother is unfortunately not very good at studying. Francesca, who had lost any engagement opportunities, was told, ‘At least go support your brother’ and was forced to take Monster Science.
She kept fighting back and refused it, but in the end, she got no excuse.
“Fufufu, I’m also with my brothers everywhere.”
Francesca comes to smile at Emma’s sympathetic words.
“I heard that Monster Science is difficult because there’s a lot to remember. Let’s work together and aim to pass it!”
” “Let’s have study sessions~” “
The twins agree with Marion, who already talks about the test even before the class start.
“Although my older brother’s head is no good, I think my younger brother will be helpful to everyone. Besides, girls are basically better at classes that need memorization. Let’s pass the class in one year and surprised everyone, shall we?”
Emma-sama also rides on the mood. The passing rate of Monster Science’s first-year test is less than 10%. The average time to pass the test is 4 years. It is the most difficult subject in the whole academy.
If these five girls pass the test in a year, it will definitely be an unprecedented uproar.
That… sounds fun.
I could also get back at my snobbish older brother. Francesca thought.
“I will work hard!”
The number of girls who take the Monster Science class this year is ever so little, 5 people.
Francesca, Emma, Marion, Catherine, Caitlyn. Coincidentally also the same people who share the same seat in embroidery class.
