Chapter 74: Leon's Support
Finally, it's over... I'm tired. I need to get to the carriage early; otherwise, I might make Lucian wait.
Thinking that, I stood up and was about to leave the classroom when Ronnie spoke to me.
"Leon, are you leaving already?"
"Yeah, I need to go quickly to avoid making someone wait."
"Is that so? I was thinking, if you don't mind, maybe we could go home together. By the way, where do you live, Leon? I found a cheap apartment a bit far from here, so I'm staying there. If it's in the same direction, maybe we could go together?"
What should I do... Is it okay to talk about the Townsend Ducal House with Ronnie now? Ronnie seems a bit calmer, and it might be a bigger shock if he finds out later. I don't want to lie.
From the Townsend Ducal House's perspective, they would want to emphasize their support for me and that I have their backing, so maybe it's better to tell him.
"Ronnie, listen without getting too surprised, okay?"
"Yeah, what's wrong?"
"When I told you I got into the Royal Academy because of a connection with nobility during the entrance ceremony, well, that noble family is the Townsend Ducal House. So, I'm living at the ducal house."
"The Ducal House...? Leon, you're living in the Ducal House?"
"Yeah. But I'm a commoner, so don't worry too much about it. I'd be happy if you could still be my friend as usual. But because of this, I can't go home together... I'm sorry."
"Yeah, that's fine, but... The Ducal House?"
It seems Ronnie's mind is still catching up, and he seems a bit dazed. Ronnie, I'm sorry for springing this on you so suddenly!
But for now, maybe it's okay to go home. I shouldn't keep Lucian waiting for too long.
"Well then, I can't keep someone waiting, so I'll head home for today."
"Okay..."
For now, I'll consider this as me having told Ronnie the truth. I can explain things properly tomorrow.
I convinced myself of that and was about to leave through the classroom's exit. However, a voice stopped me from behind.
"Hey, aren't you Leon? Do you really think you can get away with that lie?"
It's Salim. Ugh, this guy is seriously annoying, and I'm in a hurry.
"It's not a lie; it's the truth."
"Do you seriously think the Ducal House would support a commoner like you and let you attend the Royal Academy? It's better to retract your words right now for your own sake."
Why doesn't he believe it's true? Well, maybe it's not something that happened before, the Ducal House using their name to help a commoner attend the Royal Academy. But why would a commoner make up a lie like that?
"You don't need to believe me. I'm not lying."
"Then you're being deceived. Maybe you fell for some scam artist somewhere? Haha, it's laughable."
Which scam artist would trick a kid into attending the Royal Academy? There's no benefit for a scam artist in that!
Is Salim just stupid? But he did pass the entrance exam. Well, maybe he barely made it in, studying seriously for once. He's probably that type.
This is getting too troublesome; maybe I should just ignore him. Eventually, when it's known that I'm riding in the Townsend Ducal House's carriage, he'll understand it's not a lie. Until then, I'll just leave him be.
I was getting too annoyed, so I decided to ignore him and leave.
"Are you running away!"
I'm not running away! I'm busy!
I got a bit irritated, turned around, and replied.
"I'm not running away. I'm busy, you know. I don't have time to deal with annoying and incomprehensible idiots like you."
When I said that, Salim's anger seemed to reach its peak, and his face turned bright red.
Just as Salim was about to shout something again, a voice came from behind me.
"Leon, what are you doing?"
At the sound of that voice, Salim froze with a surprised expression on his face. While most of the students were still in the classroom, everyone froze, looking behind me.
Why is that voice here in this classroom?
I turned around and greeted the person behind the voice.
"Lord Lucien, I apologize for showing you such a scene."
Why is Lucien in this classroom? Well, maybe it's a good thing to show that I have the support of the Townzent Duke's family, but it's still way too conspicuous. Coming to a classroom in the E class is a bit too much, isn't it?
I thought I could blend in and go unnoticed for a few days as an ordinary commoner, but in this school, even an ordinary commoner stands out, especially with the backing of a ducal family. Hmm, maybe being a plain, poor commoner without any ties to a merchant family isn't such a positive standout feature?
Oh well, I'll stop thinking about it.
But seriously, is it okay for an A class student to come to an E class classroom?
Why did he come here? Could it be that he came to pick me up because I wasn't waiting by the carriage?
I should have just ignored Salim and gone quickly...
"Did I keep you waiting by the carriage?"
"No, I haven't gone to the carriage yet, so it's fine."
In that case, why did you come here?
"If that's the case, then it's fine. So, do you have any business with me?"
"Oh, I was told to introduce Leon. Stefan, Martine, please come over here."
As Lucien said that, Stefan and Martine entered the classroom from the other side of the door.
Huh!? Why are both of them here?
"This is my friend Leon. He's a commoner but very talented, and talking to him can be quite educational."
I see, so it's supposed to be a first meeting. Maybe Lucien arranged for us to meet early on to avoid any potential problems later? I appreciate that, but... Lucien, you're drawing way too much attention.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Leon."
"Leon, huh? I'm the Crown Prince, Stefan Laarsrasia. Please call me Stefan."
"I'm the First Princess, Martine Laarsrasia. You can call me Martine."
"I understand. Nice to meet you, Lord Stefan, and Lady Martine."
I said that and bowed respectfully. Stefan nodded with a dignified expression, and Martine gave me a slight smile.
The other children in the classroom seemed to be buzzing with excitement at that smile. It looks like they've all come out of their freeze.
"I'd like to talk to Leon some more."
"Yeah, I'd like to have a little chat too."
"So, are you coming to the ducal estate with us? It might be difficult to visit the royal palace without prior approval."
"That would be much appreciated. Let's go to the ducal estate."
Wait a minute, are we all going to the ducal estate? Am I going too? It seems that way from the flow of the conversation!
Is this flow of events really plausible? Is it normal for things to turn out like this? Well, there's no use in me thinking about it...
But come to think of it, were Lucien, Stefan, and Martine close? Probably not, they might have met at a party or something. Did they become close today?
"Is it alright with you, Leon?"
"It's a great honor."
In this situation, I can't really refuse.
"Is it okay if the person who was talking to Leon comes with us? If there's still something to discuss, we can wait for a bit."
Lucien said that to Salim. Salim was still frozen, but those words seemed to bring him back to reality. His face, which had been bright red earlier, now turned pale blue.
"N-no, it's not necessary. Our conversation is already over, so please don't mind."
"I see, then it's fine. Let's go."
"Understood."
I followed Lucien and walked away, stealing a glance at Roni. Roni still seemed to be unable to comprehend what was happening right in front of him, frozen in place.
When our eyes met, he seemed to snap out of it, at least a little. I silently mouthed "sorry" to him and left the classroom. We'll have a proper conversation tomorrow.
After that, we walked behind the three of them, and the four of us got into the carriage of the ducal estate.
The royal carriage followed behind us, with the duty of escorting the two from the ducal estate to the royal palace.
Phew, I'm really tired, but I can't let my guard down yet...