Chapter 18: “A Ruff Morning (4)”

The speaker had elaborate blonde curls styled into perfect drills that framed her face, bouncing with every exaggerated movement of her head. Her dress was an ostentatious confection of pink silk and white lace, clearly designed to draw attention.

‘Who in the world is this?’ Celestia raised a single eyebrow.

The girl clearly expected some kind of reaction, her blue eyes gleaming with anticipation. When Celestia simply stared at her with indifference, annoyance crossed the girl’s face.

“What? Cat got your tongue?” The drill-haired girl’s voice took on a more pointed edge. “Or has our mistress Celestia finally had her claws ripped out by His Imperial Highness himself?”

The insult was delivered with the kind of theatrical flair that reminded Celestia of bad acting in a cheap play. The girl raised her hand to her mouth and let out an exaggerated laugh.

“Ohohohoho!”

Her entourage immediately joined in, their laughter echoed across the plaza.

Celestia’s expression remained utterly blank.

‘Is this girl serious?’

The laugh, the pose, the entire performance, it was like watching someone act out every villainess cliché she’d ever read in webnovels.

This… this was just embarrassing.

‘Did she practice this in front of a mirror?’

Without a word, Celestia simply turned away from the drill-haired girl and continued walking toward the main plaza.

The laughter cut off abruptly.

Silence fell across the immediate area. Students who had been watching the confrontation exchanged bewildered glances. Even the drill-haired girl’s entourage seemed unsure how to react, their forced smiles faltering.

The blonde girl’s face flushed a deep red, and her carefully cultivated expression of superiority crumbled, slowly being replaced by raw embarrassment and fury.

“You—!” she sputtered, her voice rising shrilly.

But before she could complete whatever scathing retort she’d been about to unleash, a commotion near the main academy building drew everyone’s attention. Four men had emerged from within the building in the plaza, all dressed in the distinctive white uniform that marked them as academy staff.

One of the men raised his hands in a gesture for attention. “Students of Summit Academy!” His voice carried across the plaza. “If I could have your attention, please. The tour will begin shortly.”

The gathered students immediately began walking toward the academy staff, conversations dying down as everyone focused on the announcement.

The drill-haired girl stood frozen, her mouth still open mid-protest, her face now an interesting shade of purple that clashed terribly with her pink dress. She looked like she’d swallowed something particularly bitter.

The four staff members waited patiently as the students assembled before them. When the crowd had mostly settled, the lead speaker continued, “Welcome to Summit Academy.”

“As you can see,” the staff member continued, “we have quite a large number of students this year. To ensure everyone receives a proper tour of our facilities, we will be dividing into two groups to make this process as smooth as possible and to avoid any potential conflicts,” his eyes sweeping across the mixed crowd of nobles and commoners.

The division was immediate. Noble students began drifting toward two of the staff members without being told, while commoner students clustered together near the other two staff members.

Celestia remained exactly where she stood, making no move toward either group.

The drill-haired girl, who had been making her way toward the noble group with her entourage, paused mid-step. She turned back, and her eyes widened when she noticed where Celestia was. Several other nobles also stopped, confusion evident on their faces.

The commoner students nearest to Celestia shuffled nervously, clearly unsure whether to move away or stay put. The unspoken question hung in the air: Why was Celestia Von Reingarde, daughter of one of the empire’s most powerful ducal families, standing with the commoners?

The lead staff member cleared his throat, his expression professionally neutral despite the obvious irregularity. “If all students could please move to their respective groups, we can begin the tour.”

Celestia didn’t budge.

A moment of awkward silence stretched across the plaza. Even Anna, who had been following close behind, looked uncertain, her eyes darting between Celestia and the noble group.

Finally, one of the younger staff, a man with sandy brown hair and a nervous expression, stepped forward. He kept his eyes downcast as he addressed Celestia.

“E-excuse me…? Lady Celestia?”

“What?” Celestia’s tone was sharp.

“Might I ask why you didn’t go with the other group?” His voice trembled slightly, as though he expected to be struck down for his impertinence.

Celestia’s crimson eyes fixed on him. “You can do the tour the same, can you not? What difference does it make?”

The young man opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again without producing any sound. He looked like a fish gasping for air.

“…”

The commoner students glanced at each other with wide eyes. Others stared at the ground, clearly wanting to be anywhere else. Even the two academy staff seemed momentarily at a loss. Anna hadn’t moved from her position slightly behind and to the left of Celestia. Her face was pale, her hands clutching the sides of her dress tightly. She kept her gaze fixed firmly on the cobblestones beneath her feet, as if by not looking up, she could somehow make herself invisible.

Normally, Celestia wouldn’t have cared one way or another about which group she toured with. Nobles, commoners, it made little difference to her. But there were matters she needed to think of.

“Shall we begin?” Celestia directed the question to one of the staff members guiding the commoner group, her tone making it clear she considered the matter settled.

The man blinked in surprise. He glanced at his coworker, who had a look on that seemed to say that he couldn’t care less.

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“Of… of course, Lady Celestia,” The man looked back at Celestia. “If you’re really certain…”

“I am.”

With that settled, the commoner group finally began their tour. The noble students had already departed earlier, heading toward a different direction on the campus. Many cast backward glances at Celestia, confusion and speculation still in their expressions. The drill-haired girl looked particularly conflicted, her face cycling through various expressions, probably debating whether to say something or was confused at what was happening. In the end, she followed her group, though not before shooting one last venomous glare in Celestia’s direction.

The taller staff, the one with a tired face, gestured for the commoner group to follow. “This way. We’ll start with the main academic buildings and then move to the training facilities.”

The tour started in earnest, and the tension gradually began to dissipate as students became absorbed in their surroundings. The younger staff member, who was a nervous-wreck just a few minutes ago, actually proved to be an engaging speaker.

“Summit Academy,” he began introducing as they walked along a wide pathway, “is perhaps a misnomer. While we maintain the structure and discipline of a traditional academy, our philosophy is more aligned with that of a university focused on practical application and self-directed study.”