"Why would young master Elias do this to me? Why did he leave me behind here and go on his mission? Did he not want me to accompany him?"
Luca asked his partner for the third time. Shiva heard him complain, but she kept her mouth quiet. It was entertaining to see Luca struggling for something.
Usually, he was too confident and self-assured to make fun of. But he was entertaining to tease when he got like this.
"Have you thought it's because you are too noisy and chatter too much? Maybe the young master got tired of your talking and decided to leave you behind."
Shiva finally decided to add her opinion into the mix. She knew how to make Luca depressed. And as expected, she succeeded in causing Luca to drop his spoon.
Luca's eyes widened in panic, and he clutched his chest. It looked as if he was having a stroke.
"Don't tease him too much, Shiva. Luca is a delicate person, and he will take your words too seriously. Listen, Luca, it is not your fault. Young Master Elias left in a hurry, and you were not available. He will surely take you with him next time."
Terry sat down on the table opposite Luca and assured him. He felt much better than before and was also in control of himself.
It was difficult to tell what happened to the demon controlling his body, but Terry was in control now.
"B-But the young master just left without any instructions. What am I supposed to do now? My task is to be his bodyguard-"
"Go back to your old task and train brats."
"No"
Luca shot Shiva's offer down as soon as she made it. There was no way he was going back to the training hell.
That place was capable of sucking someone's soul out of their bodies if you were not careful.
"Tsk, why are you asking us for help when you do not even want it? Do you want to waste our time on such meaningless things?"
Shiva asked with an irritated voice. She was getting angry with Luca, and Luca quickly raised his hands to console Shiva.
"Hey, calm down. This was not what I meant when I was complaining. Don't twist my words to mean what you want- wait; I am getting a phone call."
Luca picked up the call without looking. His private phone could only be reached by a select few people. So, he was sure that this call was necessary.
"Luca, I need you to do a few favors for me. I left you behind because I knew you were the only one capable of carrying out my orders. Are you ready to accept them?"
Any grievance Luca had flown out of the window that very second. He looked at his phone with hope and quickly gripped it tightly.
"Of course, young master. I am always ready to carry out your orders."
Elias had finally called him, and Luca was excited. Young Master Elias always had the best orders for him.
"Luca, head toward the academy and become an instructor there. I need you to watch Rachael for the next few years. You will be absolved of your duty once I come back."
The phone call ended with those simple words. Luca was left staring at the phone even minutes after he received those orders.
"Hey Luca, are you alright? Who called you? You looked happy, but then your expression turned weird. Are you alright?"
Terry looked concerned for Luca, but Shiva narrowed her eyes and read Luca like a book.
"Who else could it be, Terry? Of course, it was young master Elias who called. No one else can invoke such strong emotions from our young fire-cracker here. So, what did he want you to do?"
Shiva asked with a curious voice. She wanted to know what Elias had asked Luca to do. He was looking pale and emotional now.
"Y-Young master wants me to babysit at the academy. Oh god! I am heading back to that hellhole again."
Luca threw his head into his palms dramatically. He did not want to go back to the academy. But he had been ordered to do something, and he had to carry out that order.
...…
The principal was surprised to hear such mature words from a child's mouth. Rachael sounded nothing like her mother figure.
The gentle and mature air around Rachael made one want to protect her no matter what, but she was not a delicate flower. She was a rose with thorns and logic.
"Should you be saying such things about your mother? Family bonds are regarded highly in this academy. So, you should watch what you say."
The principal wanted to test Rachael. This was the person Young Master Elias had asked to make an exception for. The principal wanted to know what kind of person Rachael was with his own eyes.
"Family, huh? Does one's blood make one family? For me, family means someone I can trust. And I am not willing to trust Emily as far as I can throw her. She might be my guardian, but she is not my family."
Rachael made this distinction clear. She was firm in her beliefs and knew how to separate herself from her emotions.
She did not sound like a child but like an adult who had gone through a lot. Seeing such maturity in a young child was saddening for the principal.
"I see. If that is how you feel, then we can do nothing about it. And I do agree with your sentiment regarding this topic. Now, let me see your papers…. Ah, I see."
The principal had not read Rachael's papers until now because he was uninterested. But it turned out to be a significant oversight on his part.
[Rachael Chlorance]
That was what the paper had said. The evidence of Rachael's Lineage shined before the principal's eyes. Her green hair was evidence of her being from the Chlorance family.
And yet, the principal had ignored the evidence, smacking him in the face.
The principal had never met anyone more devoted to his wife than Rocx Chlorance. So, the thought of him cheating had never crossed the principal's mind.
But this girl was proof of Chloracne's biggest shame and betrayal. Either that or this girl was a mystery. In any case, assuming how this girl had been brought up was not challenging.
The inattentive and rude maid from before also made sense.
"Are you feeling pity for me because of my lineage? You should not be concerned about that. I will ensure that my linear never becomes a demerit for your academy."
Rachael promised, and she had ways to ensure this happened. She would hide her identity and wear hoodies. There was no dress code, so that would pass as well.
She knew how to keep secrets and keep to herself most of the time. Now, she just needed to get accepted.
"Huh! That is not a problem. But this new information is something I need to consider. Just give me a moment, and I will reply."
The result of this interview was decided upon yesterday, and Rachael's application was processed. The principal needed to make a formal show to hide this fact.
After all, this academy was sought after by many and was one of the elite schools in the world. The only reason this academy had a low fee was because of its high qualification bar. Only the top could come here and compete.
For the first time, someone was admitted without a formal test. But the principal was not mad or disappointed.
'This child would have passed the test with flying colors if I had taken one. She is a resourceful child, but she also needs a stable environment. I hope she does well in the academy.'
Once significant time had passed, the principal called for Rachael's guardian. Emily entered the room with confident footsteps. She sat down arrogantly and looked at the principal.
"So, did Rachael pass? When can I leave her with you? Not that I want to get rid of her or something. But it would be better for Rachael to get acquainted with this place soon, right?"
Emily asked, trying to cover her stutter.
"She can start today. Miss Rachael has passed, and we will provide her with a dorm. As for her luggage, I can send someone to pick it up tomorrow."
The principal had seen the bag Rachael had brought with him and had a bad feeling about it. Many students in the school were from low-income families and needed better resources. Rachael resembled those kids a lot.
"L-Luggage? Ah, there is no need to. I will arrange something myself if you give me a day. I do not want to worry the academy."
The principal understood what Emily had not said. This bag was all the luggage Rachael had with her.
'I guess I better call the finance and add Rachael to the 'support-oriented' children list. It will make her life easier in the academy.'
The principal made a call, and the guard from before entered the room.
"You can take them to Miss Rachael's new room and get her settled in. I will ask a teacher to look at her stats and assign her a class."
The principal offered, and the guard nodded in reply. The guard had questions, but he knew how to hold his tongue.
Once the guard was gone, the principal clutched his head in worry.
Rachael was too young to take regular classes. And establishing a new class for her would be too much trouble. The principal needed to reach a conclusion based on the resources he had.
"Principal, Lord Luca is here to meet you. He says that he was sent here by the young master and had a mission to carry out."
The principal sighed once he heard Luca's name. Luca had been a troublesome academy student but was now ranked right in Dark Matter's internal ladder. He ranked even higher than the principal; one could only imagine what brought him here.
"You can send Luca in now. I will deal with him myself."