Chapter 7: She Always Receives Kindness from Others

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: She Always Receives Kindness from Others

Lilia replied obediently, "Understood. In Taronia, status and power are the only things that matter.

"Therefore, a powerless and statusless person like me must rely on you to survive.

"Is that right?"

Caius frowned, "I am not your protective umbrella, let alone interested in being your babysitter.

"Whatever. Think what you want."

Caius stopped in his tracks, turned, and walked in a different direction. They were only a few dozen meters away from the cafeteria, but clearly, that wasn’t his destination.

"Caius?" Lilia asked curiously.

"I have things to do," Caius said without looking back. "Don’t follow me."

Lilia’s mission was to follow Caius and report his every word and deed to Lady Beaumont. This feeling of constantly being watched was thoroughly unpleasant. Back at the Earl Mansion, all the servants were Lilia’s spies. Coupled with Lady Beaumont’s backing, Caius simply had no way to escape that dense web of surveillance. But things were different at school. Here, the only person he had to contend with was Lilia. Shaking her off would be all too easy.

After leaving her with the order not to follow him, Lilia really didn’t. Caius felt a wave of relief, as if he had thrown off a heavy burden, yet he simultaneously felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest. He found it incredibly irritating that she chose to be so obedient at this particular moment.

Caius stood under the shade of a tree, watching Lilia head toward the cafeteria. Just as she reached the entrance, two figures suddenly popped out of nowhere, looking as if they had been waiting for a long time, and approached her. Caius recognized them as two girls from Class A—likely the descendants of some Viscount. From his vantage point, he could see that the two were extremely enthusiastic toward Lilia. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but it was undoubtedly some nonsense about inviting her to eat with them.

Lilia had a smile on her face, seemingly entirely unsurprised by the situation. Of course, he realized. She was always able to garner goodwill from others, regardless of the reason.

Unfortunately, those two fools were destined for disappointment. Caius knew Lilia well enough to know that she only befriended useful people. She hung out with Betty because Betty was the prettiest girl in Ernst Town, aside from herself. She greeted the servants at the Earl Mansion with a smile because they could run errands for her and help her spy on him when she couldn’t do it herself. She approached him to use him as a stepping stone to reach his mother. Furthermore, she only curried favor with his mother to secure a recommendation letter for Lien Academy. Nothing more.

Everything she did had a purpose. Every person she interacted with was born out of ulterior motives. As for those two, they couldn’t offer her support in terms of status, nor could they help her accomplish anything with their abilities. Why on earth would Lilia want to be friends with them?

Despite knowing this, seeing the two of them crowding around Lilia, standing so close to her, made Caius unconsciously clench his fists. He stared intently at Lilia’s lips, waiting for her to politely utter words of refusal.

Under his watchful gaze, the girl smiled, parted her lips slightly, and gently said a single word.

"Sure."

The two girls were ecstatic, ushering Lilia into the cafeteria.

Watching this scene unfold, Caius clenched his fists so fiercely that a sharp pain shot from his palms straight to his heart.

Lilia admitted that Caius was right. Taronia was not Ernst. In this place teeming with Nobles, status and power were the only criteria for dividing social groups. But... who said borrowed power wasn’t still power?

As soon as she and the two girls appeared in the cafeteria, they drew the attention of the other students in Class A. The slow-witted ones were still clueless as to what was going on, but the smarter ones almost immediately rose from their seats and hurried over to Lilia. By the time she left the cafeteria, a large crowd had gathered around her. They chattered around Lilia like a flock of noisy birds.

"Lilia, are you and Caius close?"

"What is Caius like at home? Is he always this aloof?"

"I heard the Beaumont family owns a massive winery on the outskirts of the city that even outshines some Duke’s estates. Is it true?"

"Lilia, my brother’s birthday is coming up in a few days. I’d like to invite you and Caius to attend his birthday party. You’re so close to Caius—if you ask him, he’ll definitely agree, right?"

Faced with the Noble youth’s expectant invitations, Lilia hesitated for a moment. "Well..."

She cast a troubled glance at the two girls who had originally found her. Those two girls were currently unhappy—very unhappy. They were the ones who had invited Lilia to eat first, yet now, this group of latecomers had pushed to the very front, and they couldn’t even get a word in edgewise. Seeing Lilia hesitate to speak, the already resentful girls immediately stepped forward and shielded her.

"Carl, your father is nothing but a newly titled Baron who can hardly get a meeting with Count Beaumont on a normal day. If it weren’t for your passable talent, you wouldn’t even be allowed in the same classroom as us. What gives you the nerve to ask Lilia to persuade Caius to attend your brother’s birthday party?"

Her words were mercilessly blunt. The boy named Carl instantly turned pale.

"You..." He wanted to lash out in anger, but the girl proudly lifted her chin. "What? Am I wrong?"

Around them, everyone watched with cold indifference. They didn’t resent the girl’s behavior; rather, they thought she made a valid point. Why should a Baron’s son belong in their social circle? Furthermore, one less competitor meant a greater chance of being noticed by Lilia. To that end, they had no qualms about trampling their rivals one by one.

Seeing the youth’s pale face, Lilia said softly, "I’m sorry. I understand you only wanted to invite Caius and me to the party without any ulterior motives. However, the school term has just begun, and both Caius and I must prioritize our studies.

"I sincerely apologize for being unable to attend your brother’s birthday party. Please wish him a happy birthday in advance on behalf of me and Caius."

Hearing her gentle words, the youth felt his eyes grow hot.

"No, I... I did..."

He couldn’t go on. Suppressing the overwhelming mix of gratitude and shame in his heart, the youth barely maintained his dignity as he bowed to Lilia. "Thank you..." He choked back a sob. "Thank you for your blessings. My brother will certainly be very happy..."

With those words, he could endure it no longer. He turned and fled from this arena of vanity.

The atmosphere around Lilia grew eager once again, as if the little interlude had never happened. The crowd escorted Lilia back to the classroom.

Resting quietly on Lilia’s usual seat was a gift. It was a platinum bracelet. Perhaps because it had been prepared in a rush, it hadn’t been carefully packaged; a mere piece of ribbon was tied to the chain, dangling a card with the word "Thanks" written on it.

Beside Lilia, a girl looked at it with disgust, "How shabby. Someone actually had the nerve to present a gift like this?

"Lilia, do you want me to throw it away for you?"

Lilia shook her head. She picked up the bracelet and smiled.

"This is the first gift I’ve received from a classmate.

"Although I don’t know who sent it, I hope they can hear this—

"Thank you very much. I love it."