Chapter Five-1
1216 Words
The Starlight Nobility Kindergarten in the City of Shadows was nestled in the quietest western district.
A single month's tuition here could easily match an ordinary person's annual income.
Only the truly wealthy or noble could afford to send their children here.
On the kindergarten playground, several children gathered around a sandbox, chattering excitedly.
“My dad took me to the Blood Clan's ancient castle last month!”
A blond boy named Alvin, grandson of a Blood Clan count, boasted loudly, “Prince Ryan even patted me on the head!”
“No way!” Lillian, daughter of a werewolf merchant, scoffed. “As if His Highness would just pat anyone on the head.”
“He did!” Alvin flushed. “My dad and His Highness are best friends!”
“Then have the prince pick you up from school,” another child teased.
Alvin choked on his words. He opened his mouth, then finally snorted, “Anyway... my dad's awesome. Unlike some people...”
As he spoke, his gaze drifted to the other side of the sandpit.
Leo was crouched there, intently building a castle with his shovel.
His movements were steady, each scoop landing precisely where intended. Soon, the castle's outline began to take shape.
“Hey.” Alvin walked over and kicked the edge of the sandbox. “Where's your dad?”
Leo didn't look up. “I don't have a dad.”
“I knew it!” Alvin's voice shot up an octave. “You’re just a nobody with no dad. Just like your mom—showed up from who-knows-where, not even a family name to call your own.”
Lillian rushed over, her face flushed with anger. “Alvin, shut your mouth!”
“Did I say something wrong?” Alvin crossed his arms, stubbornly arguing back. “His file has nothing in the father section. Even the teachers whisper about it, saying his mom might be...”
“What?” Lillian glared at him.
Alvin didn't continue the joke, but his gaze toward Leo brimmed with contempt.
Several other children gathered around, their whispers buzzing around him.
“I heard his mom's from Moonlight Glade...”
“What's wrong with Moonlight Glade?”
“My dad says there aren't any proper wizard families left in Moonlight Grove now. Just a bunch of mixed-blood families with impure bloodlines.”
“So maybe his mom really is the mistress of some big shot...”
Leo set down his shovel and stood up.
He was half a head shorter than Alvin, but when he stood tall, his posture was perfectly straight.
“Finished?” he asked flatly, his voice as still as a deep well.
Alvin froze, taken aback. This wasn't what he'd expected. Shouldn't someone react with fury in this situation?
“What kind of attitude is that?! You know who my dad is? A Vampire Count! And your mom? What is she? Just some run-down apothecary?”
“My mother is a spirit healer,” Leo said, correcting him. “And what your father is doesn’t make you special.”
“You—” Alvin's face flushed crimson with rage. “How dare you speak to me like that! Do you think I won't have my father—”
“What about your father?” A gentle female voice interjected.
Class advisor Mrs. Windsor approached.
She glanced at Alvin, then at Leo, finally fixing her gaze on Alvin.
“Alvin, how many times have I told you not to bully your classmates?” Mrs. Windsor's tone wasn't harsh, but the hint of sternness in her voice still made Alvin shrink back.
“I wasn't bullying him, I was just asking...” Alvin mumbled. “Asking about his dad, what's wrong with that...?”
“Every family is different,” Ms. Windsor said. “That doesn't mean you can disrespect others. Now, go apologize to Leo.”
Alvin's eyes widened. “Why should I apologize? I didn't say anything wrong! He just doesn't have a dad!”
“Alvin.”
“I won't!” Alvin's spoiled temper flared. “Let him bring his dad here! Let him prove he has a dad!”
Silence fell around them. All the children stared at Leo.
Leo's face remained expressionless. He brushed sand from his hands and looked up at Mrs. Windsor. “Teacher, may I return to class?”
Mrs. Windsor sighed. “Go ahead, Leo.”
Leo turned to leave.
“See! He's guilty!” Alvin shouted from behind him. “Fatherless brat!”
Leo's footsteps halted.
He slowly turned to face Alvin. His amber eyes, clear in the sunlight, held something sinking deep within.
“Alvin,” Leo said, his voice still calm, “you just said my mom runs a shady medicine shop?”
Alvin puffed out his chest. "Isn't that what she does? A herbalist sells medicine, right? My dad says it's no different from those street herb peddlers!"
“The difference is...” Leo said, enunciating each word, “Your father was sick and had to beg my mother to treat him.”
Alvin's face flushed instantly. “You're lying! My dad wasn't sick!”
“Hmph. Ask your dad if he was sick or not.”
Alvin froze.
He did recall his father being in a terrible mood for several days last month, even losing his temper. His mother had mentioned in private that his father had gone to the Moonlight Grove seeking medicine, but the price demanded was too high...
“H-how did you know...” Alvin's voice began to waver.
“Guess who your dad went to for treatment?”
The surrounding children started whispering. A few who knew the inside story exchanged strange glances.
Alvin's face flushed red, then drained pale; his embarrassment was obvious to everyone.
He clenched his fists and suddenly yelled, “So what! At least I have a dad! What about you? Go ahead, call your dad out here! If you can't, you're a bastard! Hey, maybe you were even picked up by your mom! Then you're not even a bastard—you're a dog's mongrel!”
The words were too harsh.
Even Mrs. Windsor couldn't help but frown. “Alvin! You...”
But the spoiled Alvin paid no heed to the slightly annoyed Mrs. Windsor.
He pointed his finger right at Leo's nose, his voice sharp and his tone extremely cruel.
“Oh, right—your mom's a potion master, isn't she? That means she must have wizard blood. And if she has it, you must have it too, right? Prove it to me!”
“How do you want me to prove it?” Leo retorted, his anger rising.
“Make that ‘Wizard King’s Test Stone’ glow! If you can, I’ll get on my knees and call you ‘Dad’!”
“Alvin!” Mrs. Windsor's face darkened. “The Trial Stone isn't a toy! It's a treasured heirloom passed down from the kindergarten's founding days. You can't just mess with it!”
“Don’t care!” Alvin fixed his gaze on Leo. “Leo, do you dare? If you don't, admit you're a bastard! Admit you're a dog's mongrel with no mother!”
Leo looked at Alvin and replied calmly, “Fine. You’re on.”
......
- Writer
