* * *

Parents’ Gathering Day.

The main gates of the Academy bustled with carriages.

To prevent overinvolvement, contact between students and their families had been restricted up to now.

So the faces of the arriving parents, eager to see their children, were glowing with anticipation.

The scheduled routine was for parents to first observe their children’s classes from the back of the classroom, then have lunch together. There were no afternoon classes.

Zahid looked out the window at the procession of carriages for a moment before pulling his gaze away.

There were no parents coming for him. No relatives who’d care, either.

Ever since the sedatives were delivered and he began overseeing the affairs of the household directly, not a single relative had reached out.

No one truly cared for him.

“That’s just how it is. You know how my uncles and aunts hounded me after Julian lost his memory, trying to get their hands on the inheritance?”

Rosie had once consoled him like it was nothing.

“They lost their minds over just 1.37 trillion gold—imagine what it’d be like with the Dyfenril Duchy.”

“…‘Just’ isn’t exactly the right word for that amount.”

Regardless, even when coming to the Academy, Zahid had to entrust every task to Shulva.

He had no one else he could trust—so much so that he left full authority in the hands of someone Rosie had placed at his side.

With a bitter expression, Zahid slowly rested his chin on his hand.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come to the Academy at all.’

But Julian had sent him letter after letter, urging him to stay near Rosie.

And then there was…

“See you soon at the Academy.”

He remembered Rosie saying it in passing to Fire—like it was a given that both he and Fire would come.

He’d already been filling out the application form before realizing it—thinking that she’d probably be disappointed if he didn’t show up.

‘Maybe Ray was right after all.’

“If you’re going to act like a gentleman, just break off the engagement as soon as possible.”

Ray Lavendal had said that. If Zahid had just played dirty, breaking off the engagement with Rosie Noart would’ve been easy.

From the start, the engagement was one-sided, something Rosie had pushed for. The Noart family hadn’t exactly welcomed it.

“Keeping the Noarts close won’t help you at all. You’re just giving people something to use against you.”

Even last night, Ray had said something similar before going to bed.

“It’s not that I like you, Zahid. I’m just saying, this isn’t the right time. Take a step back and try to see the bigger picture…”

It wasn’t the first time he’d heard advice like that. Usually, Zahid would just cut the conversation off irritably.

But yesterday, he’d interrupted Ray and grumbled instead.

“Must be nice. For you.”

Ray had paused at the unexpected response.

“What?”

“I don’t have the option to take a step back.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You have your father standing in front of you, so you can retreat a little. But where I’m standing—this is /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ the front line.”

Last night, Zahid had pulled the blanket over his head and said it through gritted teeth.

“You can hand the immediate problems over to your father and look ahead. I don’t have that kind of freedom.”

“……”

“If it weren’t for the aide Rosie placed in the Count’s estate, the Duchy wouldn’t even be functioning. You understand?”

Ray had stayed silent after that, and Zahid found himself regretting saying so much.

Why had he said all that?

Maybe it was because today was the Parents’ Gathering.

The Duke and Duchess of Dyfenril had once cherished him deeply.

He too had a childhood filled with love, raised by a warm and affectionate father and a gentle, generous mother.

There was a time when having family was something he took for granted.

As a child, he never once considered the possibility that his parents wouldn’t show up on Parents’ Day at the Academy.

But now, he would never see them again.

That truth lingered inside him with quiet sorrow.

To be honest, placing second in the graduation exams wouldn’t be hard for him.

He might even take first place if he pushed.

But it all felt meaningless.

‘Ugh, why am I being so childish?’

The childish Zahid sighed and pressed a hand to his forehead.

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

‘I’m not supposed to act like a kid.’

As class continued, the rear door slid open with a faint creak.

Parents began entering quietly.

“All right, settle down and focus!”

Theo, who was teaching at the time, banged on the chalkboard, but students kept glancing backward.

They spotted their families and smiled, waving discreetly.

Everyone straightened their clothes a little more neatly than usual. Even class presentations were unusually enthusiastic.

The atmosphere was clearly different.

Zahid, irritated by the giddy air, slumped halfway over his desk.

Unfortunately, it was Theo’s class, so he couldn’t even nap properly.

He kept his eyes forward—just in time to spot Julian outside the front window.

Julian’s hair had been carefully styled back, he wore a full formal uniform, and he held an enormous bouquet of flowers. His face was glowing with anticipation.

His leg was still bandaged, but he strode forward enthusiastically.

He disappeared into the classroom for Class 1, blending in with the other parents.

‘Rosie’s going to be happy.’

Zahid thought absently, glad he wasn’t in the same class.

Knowing Rosie, she’d worry about him and wouldn’t be able to fully enjoy herself with Julian.

As the class neared its end, the students started to fidget more and more.

But of all people, today’s instructor for Class 2 was Theo.

His classes were legendarily dry, and he never ended early.

“Sit up straight and face forward. If you keep turning around and losing focus, I’ll add one minute per offense.”

Eventually, the bell rang—but the class didn’t end until four minutes later.

“Mom!”

“Dad!”

As if rehearsed, the students all jumped up and rushed to the back of the room.

‘Guess I’ll just buy a packed lunch and eat in the dorm today.’

Zahid slowly packed his books, thinking to himself.

‘Rosie probably wants to be alone with Julian anyway.’

Laughter echoed around the room. Some parents, searching for their children by name, called out across the wide space.

As Zahid finally gathered his bag and rose to his feet—

A voice boomed across the room, slamming into everyone’s ears.

“Zahiiiiiid!”

Zahid flinched so hard he almost dropped his bag.

“Dead last? DEAD LAST? Are you kidding me? Huh? LAST PLACE?!”

The voice rang out, loud and commanding, shocking everyone into silence.

Every head turned toward the voice’s source—Count Caliban Noart.

He marched across the classroom toward Zahid, bellowing at full volume.

“Are you telling me a diligent kid who doesn’t even glance backward during this painfully boring class still ended up LAST? Just how dense are you?! Huh?!”

Theo, who had been erasing the board, paused mid-motion.

The broad-shouldered old man had just managed to shout down not only his granddaughter’s fiancé, but also his own grandson.

“Anyway!”

Zahid stared up at Caliban with a stunned expression.

The Count grinned and slammed a bouquet of purple flowers into Zahid’s arms.

“Still, you stayed awake through this god-awful boring class. Good on you!”

The one who responded was Theo, who had quietly approached.

“He usually sleeps the entire time. He only improved after I scolded him.”

“What?”

“Did you know Rosie is the top student? What do we do when her fiancé is this dim? It’s embarrassing.”

“That’s rich. We’ve heard plenty of people call us a disgrace to the Empire.”

“Well, this is the Academy.”

Zahid blinked in place, utterly dazed.

He had been sure he’d spend the whole day alone, and now he could hardly comprehend what was happening.

“Uh… um… did you really come just to see me?”

Caliban laughed heartily at Zahid’s dazed face.

“I represent you in the Great Nobles’ Assembly, and you think I wouldn’t show up for this?”

Zahid blinked again, expression still blank.

“Let’s go!”

Caliban clapped him on the shoulder.

“Family should eat lunch together!”

Before he realized it, Zahid’s ears were flushed bright red.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep