Chapter 335: Date [3]

Soren and Ethea reassured Mehriban and finally started eating their breakfast. And this time, Mehriban personally brought the meals, probably fearing Darian might ruin everything again.

"So you attended a nearby ordinary school and hid the fact that you were from the Valmere family?" Ethea asked as Soren began his school-life story.

"Yes," Soren nodded. "However, it didn’t last long. After they learned I was a Valmere, my classmates were curious at first. Some tried to befriend me, probably hoping to get close to a ’noble’. But once they realized I was just a Valmere in name and considered the family’s embarrassment, they slowly distanced themselves. Fortunately, they didn’t treat me badly or bully me. They just... ignored me."

Ethea nodded, listening intently. She didn’t interrupt, letting him speak at his own pace.

"But there were some who didn’t change," Soren continued, a faint smile touching his lips. "They kept treating me like a regular classmate, as if nothing had changed. I was already used to being ignored, so I wasn’t affected by the ones who pulled away. But the ones who stayed... they surprised me. It made me realize that not everyone cares about family names or status. Some people just treat you like a person, and that’s it."

"They sound like good people," Ethea commented, secretly grateful he had found kindness in a place where he could easily have been alone.

Soren nodded. "They were." He paused, a faint smile crossing his lips as if reliving a memory. "In fact, I became close friends with two of them. They were the ones who refused to let me sit alone during lunch or work by myself during group projects. They kept dragging me into their circle, and after a while, the rest of the class just got used to having me around. Eventually, they started treating me like a normal classmate too."

"Oh!" Ethea’s eyes lit up. "Are they your best friends?"

"...Yeah, let’s go with that." Soren chuckled.

"Can you tell me how you became friends? What did you do?"

"Mm..." Soren nodded and answered her questions one by one. "Actually, one of them was my deskmate. His name is Harmen. He was what you’d call a social butterfly. Always talking and always surrounded by people. I honestly have no idea how we became best friends, since we were complete opposites at the time. But now that I think about it, it’s probably because he kept talking to me. Even when I gave him short answers, he never gave up."

"He sounds persistent." Ethea laughed as it reminded her of a certain someone. "Right, what about the second one?"

"The second one was a quiet girl who sat behind us. Her name is Edith. She was the opposite of him, more like me. She barely spoke unless someone spoke to her first. However, she always shared her notes whenever I missed class or was late. In fact, she was the one I had to fight for the first spot in every exam."

"Oh," Ethea raised a brow, "who won then?"

"Well... let’s say fifty-fifty. Sometimes she won, and sometimes I did. And we both had subjects we were good and bad at. But in the overall ranking," Soren smirked, "I always came out on top."

Ethea giggled. "There must be a reason, right?"

"Well... she was really bad at PE... really bad..."

Ethea tilted her head. "How bad?"

"...At the bottom of the class." Soren chuckled. "And Harmen always used to make fun of her for it. He’d tease her every time she tripped or made a mistake." He paused, shaking his head. "But the truth is, he was only good at PE. Academically, he was a lost cause. If not for Edith and me, he would have never passed a single exam."

"...She didn’t tease him back? And also helped him?" Ethea asked in surprise.

"...A few times," Soren answered. "She’d remind him who was actually at the bottom of the class when it came to grades. But she never held it against him. She just... helped him anyway. That’s the kind of person she was. But then again, Herman wouldn’t let her have peace if she didn’t help him. He’d follow her around all day, complaining about how unfair exams were and how he was going to fail and end up working some dead-end job."

Ethea laughed. "He sounds dramatic."

"He was," Soren said with a fond smile. "But he was also loyal and protective. If anyone ever gave us trouble, he’d be the first to step in. Even if it meant getting detention for a week."

"..." Ethea stayed silent this time, knowing there was some story behind it.

"Anyway, thanks to the two of them, my school life was actually pretty good," Soren continued. "I wasn’t alone anymore. We studied together, ate together, got into trouble together. In fact, we even worked part-time together."

"I see. Then are you still in contact with them?"

Soren paused, then shook his head. "Before the wedding, I severed all contact with my past acquaintances. But I still remember where they live and their old numbers."

"I want to meet them," Ethea said without hesitation. "Once everything settles down, let’s look them up. I want to thank them for taking care of you."

Soren blinked, caught off guard by her straightforwardness. Then a warm smile spread across his face. "Alright. We’ll do that."

Then his smile widened as he recalled something. "Actually, there’s something else I haven’t told you about them."

"Oh?" Ethea leaned forward slightly, curious.

"Harmen and Edith are childhood friends. They grew up together, neighbors, actually. Their families have known each other for years."

"That explains why they were so close," Ethea said, nodding. "So, what are they doing now?"

Soren paused, a mischievous glint flickering in his eyes. "That’s a secret."

Ethea blinked, then frowned slightly. "You’re doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"That."

"...I promise I’ll tell you later. But speaking of secrets..." Soren leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice. "You never told me you had a best friend like Lady Zura. I had to find out from her directly."

Ethea paused, then let out a soft sigh. "I suppose I should have mentioned her."

"It’s fine." Soren smiled. "I’m just glad you have someone like her."

"Mmm." Ethea smiled. "Then... do you wanna hear about how I met her as well?"

"Sure." Soren leaned back, giving her his full attention. "I’d love to."