The Last Day of Classes
Tilia hesitated for a brief moment, then lifted a small box no larger than her palm with careful deliberation.
It was wrapped in the familiar paper she bought from the same shop, almond chocolate—slightly more expensive than she could afford on a student’s stipend, but never so much that she couldn’t purchase one for herself on special days.
Why was it inside a medicine box?
Tilia tilted her head, her expression puzzled as she glanced between the stack of medicine and the chocolate beside it.
Medicine and chocolate…
‘The packaging isn’t bad at all, is it?’
She had no idea which servant had placed it there, but the thought that this was rather efficient crossed her mind. Tilia returned the chocolate to the box, then emptied the entire pile of medicine into it with a light smile.
She carried the now heavier box beneath the desk and opened the drawer.
Inside lay another chocolate identical to the one she had just replaced.
Not a kit meant to silence Elex Davenport, but the genuine article her Judy had gifted her a week earlier.
Tilia tore open the wrapper of her favorite snack with a cheerful expression, broke off a small piece, and slipped it into her mouth.
The sweetness bloomed instantly, the same happy reward it had always been.
***
At last, the day of graduation arrived.
The front of the dormitory echoed with cheerful voices as carriages from each noble family rolled in one after another.
Students who had packed their belongings looked full of joy and anticipation, finally going home.
Yet only one person—Tilia—maintained her calm composure.
“Ah, there it is!”
Unlike Tilia, Judy, who had failed to contain her excitement, spotted the Wells carriage and jumped for joy.
“Tilia, I’ll go first. I’ll send the invitation right away, so be sure to come!”
“Yes. I will. Drive safely.”
Tilia saw Judy off, let out a small sigh, and searched the surroundings for the Ambrose carriage.
She found it quickly; among the lavish carriages, the drab Ambrose one stood out clearly.
With a colorless expression that matched the carriage’s dull color, Tilia walked toward it without much interest.
She handed over her luggage to the coachman without exchanging pleasantries, then climbed alone into the vehicle.
Unlike the formal appearance of a noble carriage, the interior was in disarray.
Tilia stared at the worn seats and torn curtains, then turned her head toward what she hoped would be a cleaner spot.
Ouch.
The carriage started moving on its own, without any command.
Tilia’s body swayed violently from the sudden jolt. She had not yet sat, so she barely grabbed the handle on the wall to avoid falling.
Once she managed to sit, she chose to close her eyes instead of knocking on the ceiling to get attention.
It was ridiculous to demand basic courtesy from a coachman who received no proper wage.
And it was even more so because he was an old coachman who knew his place in the household.
Tilia sat upright on the uncomfortable seat.
She had no choice but to endure it. The time she could study was over.
For the next month, she would have to endure rather than enjoy the days ahead.
***
Bam. The sound of her head hitting the fist. Her temple throbbed as she turned her head.
“Did you come here with a report card like that?”
Bradley Ambrose’s harsh scolding rang in her ears, and a white sheet fluttered in front of her eyes.
Tilia stared at her report card lying on the floor with a lifeless gaze.
The number 2/143 was the first thing that came into view, followed immediately by the words “Full Scholarship Recipient.”
“If you’re not number one, it means nothing. How many times do I have to tell you? You have nothing to offer, so you must at least take the title of top student at the academy and prove you can produce a brilliant child!”
Tilia stood obediently and listened to Bradley Ambrose’s tirade.
Her hands were clasped, her posture polite, but her inner thoughts were anything but.
Tilia observed Bradley Ambrose as if watching a third party.
The baron’s appearance was so deteriorated that it was hard to believe he had fathered two grown children. His soft brown hair was far more abundant than that of men his age, and his transparent green eyes still sparkled brightly.
Yes, that was the case.
She played the role of a repentant daughter who had done wrong, and Tilia secretly mocked him.
So, even as a mere baron, he had managed to marry a countess’s daughter.
“Do you know how much money we’ve spent to get you to graduate from the academy? How much astronomical fortune has been poured in!”
By God’s oath, Tilia had never received a single coin from the Ambrose family while attending the academy. From dormitory fees to her allowance, everything had come from the Royal Academy Foundation.
But the moment she pointed out this fact, it was clear the baron would return to his former wild ways as if time had looped.
“You disgusting bug that eats money, how can you not even get first place once!”
She agreed with the criticism, but wasting time was something she despised. Tilia stood silently, pretending to reflect on the baron’s words by lowering her head.
“So there’s no bug around here.”
At that moment, the voice of a bug that really swallowed the family’s money rang out.
Tilia did not turn her head toward him. However, she could sense the expression of the man who had intruded into the conversation without her noticing.
“In the end, no talent, only greed. You pull every stunt there is.”
George Ambrose. His biological older brother, identical in appearance to their father.
“This is why I said girls shouldn’t be allowed.”
He spat out the words while looking excited, as if he had been excluded from the main line after suffering enormous losses in every business he had touched.
“Father, can she really graduate with this brain? I don’t know how she passed the entrance exams.”
Tilia slowly closed and reopened her eyes, then spoke slowly.
“I’m sorry.”
She then declared her resolve to protect herself from now on.
“Next time, I’ll work harder. I will definitely try to become the top student.”
“Do you think you can do it?”
“Stop it, George. If your sister marries well, you won’t have to worry about your future either.”
“Where can she possibly go that’s good?”
“Be quiet! She has nothing but her head!”
George’s lips protruded in response to his father’s strict words.
Tilia hoped he would shut his mouth so that the time that repeated every vacation would finally end.
“Tilia, don’t be stupid. You owe the value I raised you.”
Bradley Ambrose, who had spat out the words dismissively, finally issued the dismissal order.
“Get out.”
It was finally over. Tilia bowed deeply, picked up the report card, and turned her body around.
At the exit of the study room, Bradley raised his chin arrogantly, which Tilia caught from the corner of her eye.
Tsk tsk. The sound of the baron clicking his tongue echoed quietly in the empty study.
‘Must be because it’s the last year.’
Tilia’s eyelids slowly rose as she turned the study door handle.
‘Today I don’t feel like holding back.’
After a light exhale, Tilia slowly turned her head.
“Father.”
Bradley Ambrose, slumped in a chair lighting a cigarette, answered nervously.
“Why?”
“Could you summon a healer?”
“What?”
The baron’s brows furrowed at his daughter’s irrelevant remark.
“You’re not seriously asking me to call a healer for having been scolded a little, are you?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Tilia ignored George, who was trying to butt in, and continued.
“I have an appointment tomorrow. I’m supposed to have dinner at the Wells’ house. I’m worried about a bruise around my temple where it hit wrong earlier.”
“…What?”
“Judy sent the invitation. She said that since blood relatives are returning after a long time, she wants us to dine together and insists I come.”
Tilia’s expression was as calm as it had been throughout the study.
However, Bradley Ambrose’s face was anything but calm.
“Why are you telling me this now!”
Bradley rose in a rage, snorted irritably, and frantically searched the desk.