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Chapter 57




“Emma-sama, this cafeteria has an elaborately designed courtyard. Would you like to go there for a meal break?”
Joshua suggests to Emma, who is holding her full belly satisfiedly.
This building, which looks like it used to be a royal family mansion, has a beautiful courtyard that matches it.
“It must be a splendid place if Joshua recommends it, isn’t it? Let’s go there!”
Emma has a lot of faith in Joshua, who fully understands her taste.
They left the cafeteria and head to the courtyard.
“The courtyard is wonderful, huh, Caitlyn.”
“The courtyard is wonderful, indeed, Catherine.”
The twins’ eyes are sparkling with interest.
The twins are the same age as Emma, 13 years old, also just enrolled this year.
Francesca and Marion are 17 years old, in the academy’s fourth year.
Arthur is 18 years old and is in his fifth year.
According to Arthur, it’s rare to take Monster Science from the first year.
“It is the most difficult subject, after all. A lot of students take it in their second, third year after they have adapted to the academy.”
Practical Skills for Hunters class also acts to build physical strength and is required every year. But Monster Science class requirement is adjusted to each territory location, and it’s okay to pass the subject anytime before graduation.
“I-I didn’t know…”
Only George receives a shock.
“It’s because we are doubtful whether Nii-sama can pass or not, so Mother said, ‘Fight it with your number of attendance,’ you know?”
“I aim to pass Monster Science beginner class in a year, though…”
Emma and William give a further blow to George.
William is the second son, so it’s okay to only pass the beginner level. While Emma very muchly doesn’t even need to take it.
“Why, why am I born as the first son…”
“Sounds tough…”
Arthur shows his respect to the grieving George. Bell Territory is close to the royal capital, so he only needs to pass the beginner level, but he has failed the class for two consecutive years and thinks that this year is the one.
“Well, if I’d been born as male earlier than Nii-sama, maybe it would have been nice?”
Thinking of the big wall in front of her hate-studying brother, Emma sympathizes… but.
“You… Are you thinking of succeeding our Stuart House?”
“Nee-sama… Palace will collapse!”
The two brothers severely react to Emma.
“We are here.”
When their discussion(?) ends after arriving, Joshua shows the door to the courtyard.
There’s also a waiter stationed in front of the door. When the waiter sees Emma and friends arriving, he swiftly opens the door for them.
The green that stretches in front of them, along with a refreshing and pleasant breeze, is dazzling.
A square gazebo with trees scattered everywhere that remind you of a tropical country. In the middle of it, there are rattan desks and sofas.
“It’s like… Bali Island!”
The resort spot in her previous life floats into Emma’s mind.
Many cushions are lined up above the sofa. Its colorfulness stands out inside the one-shaded gazebo.
“My, Emma-sama knows Balitu, does she, Caitlyn.”
“My, Emma-sama knows Balitu, Catherine.”
The twins happily begin chatting.
“Balitu is the island country farthest from our Kingdom, right, Caitlyn.”
“Balitu is an island country, so it doesn’t have the threat of monsters, right, Catherine.”
“Wow… Is there a country without any threat of monsters?”
Francesca is surprised.
“I heard that monsters don’t appear at sea, so island countries are safe, right, Caitlyn.”
“But island countries are small, so even though it’s safe, it rejects immigrants, right, Catherine.”
Apparently, this world has a country similar to Bali Island called Balitu.
They sit down on the sofas and hear the twins’ stories about foreign countries. Because the two grew up in Simmons territory, where the Kingdom’s largest port is located, they are knowledgeable about other countries.
At the same time the waiter serves black tea, their conversation dies down.
‘There’s a black tea service for courtyard visitors, but it feels lonely without sweets,’ the one who was full until just now, Emma, mutters.
“I will bring snacks from tomorrow on, okay.”
Joshua promises Emma.
“That’s right. Here, Joshua…”
Remembering something from Joshua’s promise, Emma searches for something in her bag and takes out a cufflink she made during embroidery class.
From all she has made today, she gives the finest, most time-consuming cufflink to Joshua.
“Thank you very much! I will make this my family heirloom, Emma-sama!”
Joshua immediately puts it on his sleeve happily.
Arthur takes a glance at that cufflink and makes a surprised voice.
“What is this embroidery! So detailed! It’s too detailed!”
On the cufflink, the crest of the Rothschild House is embroidered.
“A lion, a unicorn, and… an arrow?”
Arthur stares into the embroidery fixedly.
“Our crest symbolizes a merchant spirit and is full of lucky charms, so the design is jam-packed.”
Joshua pats his cufflink while making a wry smile.
“Joshua has sold the cufflink buttons cheaply to me, so I made your family crest as my thanks.”
Finding 100 cufflink buttons was troublesome, so she asked Joshua to help her prepare it. In exchange for giving her a special (abnormal) price, Emma promised to gift one cufflink to Joshua.
“We don’t really embroider our cufflinks, huh.”
Also taking a look at Joshua’s cufflink, George points at his own plain sleeves.
As the result of being too used to being poor, the Stuarts’ everyday clothes don’t really have any decorations.
They have made tapestries to hide the stains on the wall, clothes to cover the scratches on the table, and clothes for themselves and the servants. But they rarely made any kind of decorations until they sew the dress for Rose.
“Ah, I also have one for Nii-sama and William.”
‘Since I already made it, I would be thankful if you actually wear it,’ Emma takes another cufflink from her bag.
Out of the four cat designs on the Stuart House’s crest, Emma gives the one with only the black cat to George.
The one for William is the same crest design as George, but the cat in it is a calico cat.
“…embroidery is your strong point, huh, Emma-chan. Did you make all of these within two hours of class?”
Looking at the detailed and complicated designs on Joshua, George, and William’s cufflinks, Arthur shows his admiration.
There are basically three choices on what to do with the work from embroidery class: wear it yourself, exchange it with a friend, or gift it to a noble son. Arthur, who is from a Duke family, tall and handsome, has received cufflinks as a present from different young ladies every year.
None of them could match Emma’s work. Her work doesn’t seem to be the work of a 13-year-old girl.
Arthur had thought that Emma would be bad at doing lady-like things, but turn out she had some amazing skills.
“Not at all! I like drawing design, but… if it’s just the embroidery, my older and younger brother is better and faster.”
Emma humbles herself. The Stuart family’s products are designed by Emma and are made together by everyone, so if we’re talking about sewing techniques, George and William are much more skillful.
Why? do the sons of a Count do embroidery?
Not only Arthur, but also the twins, Marion, and Francesca, look at George and William curiously.
“No, no… Compared to Father’s knit lace, my work still has a long way to go.”
“The number one expert in our home is Father, after all.”
Shying away at the sudden attention from everyone, George and William humble themselves like Emma.
That modesty brings about a new puzzle.
――why? does Count Stuart knit lace?
The longer the time of being poor, the better their skills are.
“If you would like, does Arthur-sama want one?”
Emma takes another cufflink from her bag.
It was a cute design of clover and a ladybug at first glance, but the embroidery is very fine and realistic that even if a boy wears it, it doesn’t feel out of place.
“I-is it okay!? Or, rather, Lady Emma, just how many did you make exactly?”
Arthur happily receives the cufflink, but his confusion deepens.
‘Fufufu,’ Emma laughs.