"What?" Felicia asked, her eyebrows met each other at the end, looking at the instructor with a flabbergasted expression. How dare he belittle her in front of them. She could see in her peripheral vision that Helena was smirking, having fun that the teacher was picking up on her.
"It seems that your brain is slow at grasping things." The instructor said proudly while looking at her, straightly disrespecting Felicia in his eyes. Felicia chuckled at herself, unbelievable that she was getting bullied on the first day of her class.
"I do not understand what you want me to comprehend, Professor but it seems like you're mocking me even though you still haven't seen my abilities," Rachelle said, smiling at him while being annoyed.
"Is that so? But you're already looking at your brother and your step-sister for help. It makes me think that my discussions didn't get through you." He stated, proudly at her.
He was making her look like a dumb person in front of them. If she were not to understand the lesson, it's only normal since she is still new and joined them at midpoint but since she understands it immediately, this doesn't justify that he would make fun of her.
Felicia just smiled at him and didn't bother replying to him anymore. Let him get his hopes and his ego feed his head and turn him high. She won't be showing anything just to prove that she had long understood his lesson.
"In my days, this subject is very hard that it was hard to grasp anything about this. I understand where your slow understanding comes from since it is really easy. But you need to fasten your pace if you want to compete with these two, young ladies. It's very hard after all." He even added, poking fun.
Seeing that Felicia remained quiet, a grin appeared on the Viscount's lips and continued to discuss the subject in front of them. She was silent the whole time until it was time for the Marquis to hand out some assignments for them to do.
"Make sure to submit this the next time we all meet again. I'm sure that everybody will get the answers correctly since it's easy. Please avoid cheating." Viscount Margrave said as he began distributing the handouts.
"He's targeting me. How ridiculous." Rachelle thought to herself and eyed the homework he was passing to them. She sighed, basic mathematics? Really? And it's hard in this world? Wow, is she advanced?
"Alright, since we're done I hope that everyone will have a wonderful day." He said, bowed his head and left them alone in the library. Since he had already left it meant that another one would occupy this room once again.
And true to her words, the next teacher came inside. It was a woman in her late 50's, still elegant and fashionable. Rachelle wondered what subject she was going to handle other than etiquette. She looks kind and approachable.
"Greetings to everyone, I am Baroness Hildegard Norwagen, your history instructor." She said and faced them with no smiles at all. Her expectation was for the new teacher to suddenly vanish, looking like another strict person.
I hope she won't become another target for this teacher. Rachelle had enough of that guy that she just wanted to purge his entire family so that he would no longer mock her. People like him really deserve to die.
"I see a new face here. May I ask you to stand up and introduce yourself, young lady?" Baroness Norwagen asked, looking at her with curiosity. Rachelle nodded her head and stood up, introducing herself towards the dame.
"I am the eldest daughter of the Duke and the late Duchess, Felicia Vivianne Del Montague." She said, smiling at the lady. She could see how shocked the lady was. Rachelle's gut was right, these people really didn't know her.
But why? Was she hidden before that people find it shocking to see her? Was she not exposed to the world? Wasn't the late Duchess a famous person? Then why is she not being known when her mother is very well known?
"It's been years already since the last time I saw you deary... good heavens, you grew." The Baroness suddenly said, approaching Felicia and hugging her immediately. She could tell that the Baroness held great emotions as she could feel the warmth in her hug.
"Remind me do I know you?" She asked, curious about the Baroness.
"Your nanny... way back when you were born," Alexander uttered but it was enough for Rachelle to hear it. She didn't expect that Felicia's nanny would become her history, but this person wasn't involved in the novel.
"Ohh..." Rachelle just uttered those words. Well, there's no point because she's not Felicia. But why does she feel like something tugged her heart after hearing it? It's as if she's glad about the woman whom she had just met but claimed to become her nanny.
If she was indeed her nanny, why did she leave her?
"Alright, enough reminiscing. Let's get into our topic shall we?" Baroness Norwagen asked after pulling herself out from hugging Rachelle and going into the board. Rachelle then sat down and decided to just focus on.
"So aside from Elysium, there are also countries, allied by trade and of course, allies since then. However, out of these countries, North Imperium remained secluded. Their vast land is covered with white sheets, snow storms and never-ending winter." She said, explaining the region where she was pointing with her finger.
"Alright. So back in our country, Elysium was first founded by the first Emperor blessed by the Goddess Kartara. It was recorded that this barren land transformed into a fertile land wherein we are abundant with what we need to live. The Goddess had really blessed us with never-ending fertility and peace." The instructor said to them.
"Sounds like bullshit to me." She thought to herself and continued to listen to the discussion in front of her. Was it only just her that the topic gets very boring every time that it's this subject, all about history?
"Now, it was the Emperor, Alfonso Reonil Louis Cromwell who unified the country, the first Emperor that managed to conquer the barren land and turn it into what today is. Without him, this fertile land would be nothing but dead soils and crops. With the Goddess' help, he was able to defend and own the land, making it an empire for everyone else." She said with great excitement.
But in Rachelle's ears, they sound useless.
It's not her fault that history sounds boring to her and that it's not making her mood lift up. She doesn't even know when her straight facade will melt as it was getting hard not to fall asleep during her discussion.
It would have been much more appreciated if something could help her at least. But it's all the contributions of the first Emperor who managed to claim the land, nothing else but him was the highlight in today's discussion.
"After he conquered the land, the power or his ability that was gifted by the Goddess has been passed on to the Royal Family but then it suddenly disappeared midway, thus the arrival of the first Saintess, Juliene Harrison, a renowned nun who prayed earnestly towards the Goddess has been gifted the ability to heal all diseases. She was the treasured Saintess at that time and then..."
It felt like hours sitting in the wooden chair, she couldn't feel her butt anymore from sitting. She was still talking in front of them, presenting them with visual aids while she tried to fight her sleep demons. It's disrespectful but she does want to sleep.
She gazes at Alexander and he is listening well while Helena at her side is already dozing up yet the woman doesn't even do anything at all.
It has come to the point that the discussion finally ended with no homework to do, but rather catching up with the stranger she barely knew. Helena and Alexander had left her earlier after the discussion and it was just her and the lady, facing each other over tea.
"How has life been going on to you, young Miss?" She asked while sipping her tea. Rachelle sighed, life eh? How was life really here? It was full of chaos that she couldn't even have time to relax from the dramas.
"Well, life has been great. I'm being treated fairly and I've been able to study." She said, slicing the cake on her plate and taking a small bite in front of her guest when she really didn't know her guest.
"I see... it has been so long since your mother died but you look exactly like her." She said, smiling at Rachelle with eyes filled with misery and sadness. Rachelle wanted to ask why she was feeling that way or rather why she had left her alone when she could've just stayed.
"Did you father... forgive you?" She asked suddenly, making Rachelle stop and look at her. She observed her, looking into her eyes as she felt something suspicious about this woman.
"Yes... she did forgive me and ended up giving me the late Duchess' room." She said to her, testing if something suspicious really is happening right now. All of a sudden, a smile crept into the lady's face as if she was glad to know it then her expression changed into sadness, making Rachelle squint her eyes
.
She's planning something and she could tell it just by looking at her.