Just in time for the Dukeâs teatime, it began to rain.
The moment Rieta thought it, thunder and lightning began to strike.
ââŚI guess itâs straying a bit from being romantic.â
In the end, though, teatime was very fun, especially when Darrell told academy horror stories.
It was nighttime by the time the story was finished.
Rieta and Noel wanted to grow well, so they quickly ran off to bed.
âItâs been a very busy day.â
Rieta hugged a squirrel plush, remembering the dayâs occurrences one by one. She was a little upset thinking about what had happened earlier, but now she felt better because she had a lot of fun spending time with the Duke, Darrell, and Noel.
Rieta recalled the story Darrell told her a while ago. (Of course, the Duke translated some of it.)
âThe Academy has exams three times a year. If you are at the top of all three tests, you will be selected as the best student, and you will be immortalized in the âSeniorâs Room,â with a portrait and all.â
Was there such a great man in existence? Since Rieta was curious, Darrell smiled and winked at his father.
âThat great man is here!â
Rieta clapped her hands, amazed, and Darrellâs story continued.
âThere was a male student who was at the top of two exams a few years ago.â
âThe boy studied hard with the aim of getting his portrait hung in the seniorâs room. But.â
âThere was another student who had the same goal as him. He had taken second place every timeâŚ.â
Darrell also frowned slightly, a bit sorry for him.
âAnyways, he wanted to be at the top of the class for the last exam, but he knew it wasnât easy.â
âBecause the first place student was really smart. He was such a genius that even the professors acknowledged him.â
By comparison, the second place student was just a little better than the other children. He was deeply frustrated in face of the seniorâs shadow.
âOne day, his sorrow deepened. It was a night of rain and thunder.â
Darrellâs voice became somewhat gloomy.
Just as the window rattled, Noel, who was sitting next to Rieta, flinched.
âI was studying alone in a classroom. But someoneâs whispering voiceâŚâ
Crash! Just as he spoke, a bolt of lightning rained down.
Rieta, a bit spooked, hugged the friendly squirrel plush in a hurry. The dollâs softness against her face comforted her.
âThe story was really, really scaryâŚ.â
When they all sat together and listened to the story, she thought it was just interesting and fun.
But when she was alone in the dark like this, she was overwhelmed with fear.
However, contrary to her intentions, she began to recall the story unconsciously.
âIf the top student is gone, you will be first place.â
The whispered idea sprouted and bloomed in his mindâŚ
And eventually, he did the deed.
âThe following year, he achieved first marks in all three exams and finally earned a place in the âSeniorâs Roomâ. And the day before the hanging of his portrait.â
He couldnât sleep because of his excitement that he had finally achieved his goal.
He got up and decided to go to the seniorâs room secretly, since he heard the portrait was usually hung up the night before the reveal.
âWhen he got there, there was really a portrait of him. He was so happy that he ran and stroked his own face.â
However, his joy was fleeting.
He felt chills, as though there were countless gazes on him.
What was it? When he looked up in wonderâŚ
All of the portraits turned into the faces of the senior he had killed, gazing at him with contempt.â
It must have been a terrible sight.
Even a room of portraits was scary to Rieta, but they were all of the same person.
On top of that, it was the face of the man he killed a year agoâ!
Rieta shivered under the blanket.
She wanted to stop thinking about this!
âThinking about something good.. Something goodâŚâ
Rieta consciously tried to think of something pleasant.
Clang! But the reverberating thunder only led her back to the story.
Again and again, she could only think of a scary wall full of the same portrait.