Chapter 6: Protecting Her Is Just a Duty

Chapter 6: Chapter 6: Protecting Her Is Just a Duty

[As the highest Magic Hall in the Lien Kingdom, nobles are everywhere within the academy, and elites are a dime a dozen.]

[Drop a brick from the bell tower, and it would crush at least ten noble scions.]

[There are also specially enrolled commoner students in the academy, but they either come from immensely wealthy families or are geniuses with a Magic Talent of B-level or above.]

[You have nothing, but you have Lady Beaumont’s backing.]

[Under Lady Beaumont’s maneuvering, you entered Class A, where Caius is, and became his classmate...]

In the massive classroom, Lilia did not sit next to Caius. Instead, she chose a seat slightly further back, one that allowed her to keep his every move in sight. This was her self-awareness as a "spy."

At the very front of the tiered seating, the young boy sat with his back perfectly straight, dressed in a dark green uniform. From Lilia’s angle, she could only see his tense profile. There was no one sitting beside Caius. The Earl’s eldest son didn’t seem to be very popular. He was gloomy and rarely bothered to leave his room; other than his mother, the person he interacted with the most was Lilia.

The Beaumont family held only a hereditary Earldom, but their lineage was ancient, making them one of the leading factions among the old nobles. Even in the elite-filled Class A, there was no shortage of people wanting to curry favor with the Earl’s only son and future heir. However, without exception, anyone who tried to get close was swatted away by Caius like a pesky fly.

He didn’t even bother to waste his breath on them; his icy glare alone was enough to stop those people in their tracks. No one could get within two meters of him.

Such an attitude easily offended others. Furthermore, the Beaumont family had enemies just as they had supporters. While they didn’t dare to openly target Caius, they had absolutely no qualms about dealing with a commoner whose Magic Talent was only a C.

During class, Lilia was taking notes when a sudden sharp pain shot through her scalp. Someone had tugged her hair from behind. She had been pampered by her parents since childhood, and in the Earl Mansion, no one had ever given her a hard time. Even Caius, who disliked her, would never say a harsh word to her—let alone lay a hand on her.

Lilia turned around, her beautiful eyes misting over slightly from the pain. The boy sitting behind her had slightly curly brown hair and a bit of baby fat on his cheeks, though his striking features were already apparent. Griffin Freg. Like Caius, he was the son of a hereditary Earl.

The Fregs and the Beaumonts had always clashed politically, leading to frequent friction between the two families. Influenced by the grudges of their ancestors, the relationship between the next generation was naturally poor. Griffin looked at the girl’s widened eyes, the smile on his lips growing even more malicious, like a schoolboy who had just pulled off a successful prank. Oh, right. He was, in fact, just a schoolboy.

"Sorry about that, little maid," Griffin apologized without an ounce of sincerity. "I was a bit careless just now, and my pen nib caught your hair. But—I suppose for thick-skinned commoners like you, a little pain like this is nothing, right?"

Lilia stared at him, wide-eyed in disbelief. She looked as if she had been frightened silly by the sudden bullying. Griffin’s smile deepened. He was just about to say something else when Lilia sharply raised her hand. "Teacher. Griffin Freg is deliberately pulling my hair."

Griffin was speechless.

"Griffin Freg!" the teacher called out from the podium, his tone stern.

"No, I..." Griffin tried to defend himself, but as a six-year-old boy, despite his noble upbringing, he lacked Lilia’s battle-hardened psychological resilience. He simply couldn’t lie in front of a crowd.

Unsurprisingly, he was thoroughly reprimanded and assigned extra homework by the teacher. Griffin lowered his head and accepted his punishment. His defeated look sparked a series of snickers across the room.

Lilia noticed that Caius, sitting in the front row, had also turned to look, his gaze landing squarely on her. Unlike the curiosity or schadenfreude in the eyes of the other students, his gaze was like a frozen sea—deep and icy—as if he were looking at a nuisance he couldn’t shake off.

And that was indeed the truth. Lilia had always been well-behaved, sensible, and exceptionally pretty. No one who had spent time with her disliked her. The only reason she was being bullied was most likely because of him. Because of him.

This realization that the two of them were deeply tied together made Caius feel a wave of irritation, mingled with an indescribable emotion.

RING RING RING—

This was the last class of the morning. After the teacher left, the students paired off in twos and threes, heading to the cafeteria under the guidance of their servants.

A blonde girl in uniform walked up to Caius, gathering her courage. "Caius... Could we have lunch together?"

This was the umpteenth person who had tried to get close to him, and Caius couldn’t even be bothered to spare her a glance. He bypassed the girl and walked straight up to Lilia.

TAP TAP TAP.

He reached out and tapped on her desk, his attitude condescending. "Time to eat."

The classroom, which had been bustling with noise just a moment ago, suddenly fell dead silent. Everyone’s eyes zeroed in on them, staring at the commoner girl who had been personally invited by Caius. Such an invitation was, in itself, a mark of immense value.

Lilia wasn’t the least bit surprised by this. She set down her pen and methodically tidied up her desk. Caius didn’t rush her; he merely stood by in silence, waiting. After a moment, Lilia looked up at him. Seemingly very satisfied with his patient waiting, the girl narrowed her eyes and smiled beautifully.

"Okay."

...

"Don’t misunderstand."

Caius and Lilia walked one after the other across the campus. The roads of the Lien Academy were excessively wide, capable of accommodating even six carriages riding side by side. Many nobles were heavily pampered, opting to use carriages even for the short trip from the classroom to the cafeteria. However, the Beaumont family had always maintained a strict upbringing, so Caius naturally did not enjoy such privileges.

Caius stared straight ahead, his eyes fixed forward. "As the property of the Beaumont family, allowing you to be bullied by those dregs would bring shame to our family name."

Exactly. The reason he had stepped forward wasn’t because he wanted to help anyone. It was simply because she bore the "Beaumont" name. Maintaining the family’s dignity was his duty as the heir.

Lilia didn’t reply, following half a step behind him. The girl, who was usually all smiles, seemed unusually quiet at this moment. It was unclear if she had been affected by the farce in the classroom.

That inexplicable irritation welled up once more. Caius paused for a moment, waiting for Lilia to catch up and walk shoulder-to-shoulder with him before continuing forward.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Griffin Freg was raised poorly by his parents. In his mind, only nobles are considered human. Commoners, especially those serving as servants in noble households, are merely assets. Just tools.

"And it’s not just him; most of the people here are exactly the same. Taronia is not some remote little town like Ernst. Your petty cleverness won’t do you any good here. In Taronia, the only things that matter are status and power. Do you understand?"