I found Fania holding a plate in one hand while his gaze was darting around the venue. This was my second time seeing him, the first time was when I crashed into him during the entrance ceremony.
That time, I only saw him for an instant, but this time I could see him properly. He had the same body build as mine, but the vibe he gave out was completely different from me.
āWhatās the heck? Isnāt he so damn cute?ā I talked to myself without thinking.
In order to enroll in this school, I worked really hard. I did not excel much in my studies, so I buttered up the principal and the teachers of the city school I went to. I knew that my appearance was appealing to adultsāmales specifically. I made use of that fact to the maximum, and I managed to grab a spot for the scholarship.
My family was dealing in the textile business. Our shopāalthough located in the royal capitalāwas only a small trade, so it was not strange for it to go under anytime. It was a business run by my parents along with several employees. Luxury was out of question, they were barely living comfortably.
āāāYet, they picked me up.
I was a street child when my adoptive parents found me when they were on the way back from a business deal. I had a vague memory of them scooping me up into their hold while I was wandering on the streets on an empty stomach.
Maybe I was five-years-old then. My data on the family register started on that day. The day I was picked up was my fifth birthday. My dad laughed as he recounted how he applied for it.
He was on the way back from a selling a high-class woven fabric called Louie1, so I was named Louie. My dad had a smug face when he said that it was worthy for a son of a mercer2 to have the name āLouieā. What was that, to have a name from a fabric?
It was not like I was a cat or a dog, how could they simply pick up a human child? Even then, since the time I was picked up by them, I only had memories of them doting on me. Being hugged by my mother, patted on the head by my brother.
ā
ā
Just why would they dote on some dirty brat off the street? I, who was wary of everything around me like some wild animal, was openly welcomed into their family.
So what was I capable of? Just what could I do to repay them who had been doting on me despite my unknown origin?
My only grace was my face. This face that was obviously not similar to anyone in my family, this cute face.
Then, what was left for me was to make use of this face. This was all I had. So my only choice was to enroll in Frialist Royal Academy, and get myself a patron! I would use that patron and enlarge my family trade. Doing a business in the royal capital was difficult without connections. Therefore, it was vital to have nobles as a backer.
For a commoner, it was no easy matter to be acquainted with the nobles. That was why I wanted to enter the royal academy. In the academy, I planned to bewitch those rich noble kids.
Although Iām a male, Iām sure there were some people with that inclination. No matter how adorable my face is, Iām a mere commoner, so when Iām dealing with a noble, Iāll only be a dispensable object to them. So Iād be their lover, their plaything, someone in the shadow or whatever to them.
Despite having the thought that it was better to die than rely on a man, but I at least wanted to properly repay my family before I die.
Since before I enrolled here, I had known that there would be royalty in this yearās new students. That was precisely why I intentionally ran into them to bump the Second Prince. However, the person I crashed into ended up to be Fania.
I made a show of terribly falling down, yet the people around had their attention on Fania instead, and he was even brought away in a princess carry.
Wasnāt that strange? I was even on my butt on the ground there. The only guy left on the scene somewhat reached out a hand to me, but even though he was all smiles as he helped me up, his eyes werenāt smiling at all.
Since I was small, I had been helping out at the store so I knew a thing or two about reading people. His eyes hid his ulterior objective by helping me out. His eyes were like those people in the trade business. It was better for me to keep a distance from them. So I only talked about trivial stuff with him and I escaped.
When I discovered that I was placed in Class 1, of course I was overjoyed; I thought luck was on my side. Nevertheless, things didnāt go well. Somehow, the Prince always wanted to mingle with me.
Even though I had decided to keep my distance once I intentionally crashed into them and then understood that I should never be involved with these people.
Since the Prince kept trying to mingle with me, the others in the class would not approach me. Even when I went near them, they drew away. Time was limited. I had to quickly enter their clique and create some connections.
It was unknown for what reason the Prince wanted to mingle with me, but here, my life was at stake. I was getting flustered, so I protested to the Prince, paying no heed whether it would be deemed as an act of disrespect to him. Although I could get punished for that, at this rate, the hard work I did to get into this academy will all be for naught. All my efforts would be in vain.
As a result, I was given an unexpected proposal from the Prince. The other party was the Prince, so I could not afford to refuse. Nonetheless, if I cooperated in this, I was promised adequate financing for my family trading after everything ended.
Therefore, I would not mind anything happening to me then. If I could properly repay them, it was okay for me to even offer my life. So, I agreed to Prince Alfredās proposal.
Afterwards, I stayed by the Princeās sideāI was told to do so. However, that was all there was to it. Although we were together, no one talked to me.
Everyoneās topic of conversation would be āFaniaā. All the time, it was always Fania. The Prince who was barely smiling when doing his things, only when it came to the topic of Fania, he would show a softened expression. Even his close aides would be all smiles.
From a distance, I only observed Fania who was looking around in search of something. I could not go near Fania. It was that sort of agreement.
Such a cute existence, he mustāve been protected by everyone, oblivious to any difficulties or painful things in life. While he takes them all for granted, he does not even know that itself was happiness.
Louie then turned his back against Fania. Afterwards, he went into the crowd.