Chapter 263

Cold Stares [Part 2]

" "Emma-sama!" "

When the three siblings went to the courtyard after finishing their lunch at the cafeteria, they saw that Emma's usual group of friends from Embroidery Class had gathered together in the square gazebo.

The twins, Catherine and Caitlyn, spotted the siblings and waved at them with a smile.

"My, everyone! Long time no see! May we sit here with you?"

Emma trotted to the gazebo happily. Seeing that their friends didn't seem to have changed, George and William breathed a sigh of relief before following behind Emma.

"Of course, you may, Emma-sama. We just heard about your return from Catherine-sama and Caitlyn-sama earlier. It appears that you've begun attending classes today? I'm relieved to see that you're doing fine."

"Imperial Japan is an undiscovered country. I'm looking forward to hearing about the tales of your travels."

Francesca and Marion welcomed Emma with a smile and conveyed their lasting friendship through their actions. However, when the other students in the courtyard noticed the three siblings' arrival from the twins' call to Emma, they lowered their lively chattering voices and stared at them coldly.

"...The stares we're receiving here are even worse, huh?"

William held his bag in his arms and sat down while peeking around at those piercing stares restlessly. The "Fake Holy Maiden" he heard about every now and then must have been a jibe at Emma. The other students had similar reactions with their classmates in the morning class. Only the young ladies from the Embroidery squad behaved differently.

"This time of year is when the weather is most comfortable in the Royal Capital after all. Perhaps because more students are using the courtyard, that self-willed bunch occupies the whole gazebos for themselves, and the students who usually use them get chased out?"

After the three siblings sat down, Arthur also came to the courtyard. "That self-willed bunch... They only appear because the members of the First Prince's faction in the academy have recently changed," added Arthur to give them a temporary peace of mind.

"Oh, Arthur-sama! It has been a while."

William shouted in relief upon seeing Arthur, a duke's son of high status that even the First Prince's faction couldn't mess with.

"Hello there, you three! I'm glad to see that you have returned from your trip safely."

Arthur, who acted as the prince's guard inside the academy's grounds, had guessed that there was no way the three siblings went to Imperial Japan to simply just sightsee. Prince Edward gave everyone a cold impression with his usual expressionless face, but became very easy to read when it came to Emma.

"We're also happy to see Arthur-sama looking energetic as usual."

Arthur glared at their surroundings, and the whisperings ceased.

"Oh, I wonder when this prestigious academy became a zoo... How regrettable. If anyone has any complaints, I'm here to hear you out. Feel free to come to me anytime."

After keeping the noise in the courtyard in check, Arthur slowly sat down.

Just because those students were displeased with the three Stuart siblings didn't mean they wanted to make an enemy of Arthur, who belongs to a ducal house, and was the son of the Knight Order Commander.

All the insolent stares vanished, as if to escape Arthur's scrutiny.

"Thank you, Arthur-sama. We've received a heads-up from Rose-sama, but we didn't expect it to be this bad..."

George heaved a long sigh of relief.

With his sharp hunting skills, George became sensitive to a person's undisguised hostility aimed at them. If someone went as far as to attack them, he would most likely become overprotective and strike back harder beyond the limits of justifiable self-defense if Emma and William, whom he needed to protect, were around.

It would turn out just fine if the opponent were monsters, but he still didn't know how much restraint he needed to show when facing a human opponent. Now that it crossed his mind that he perhaps should also take chivalry skills besides practical skills for hunters next year.

♠♠♠

Translator's comment: Lol imagine someone throwing crumpled paper at Emma, then George going berserk (I've been watching too much shounen anime these days).