The First Female Duke

Chapter 27

"Believe it or not, Master Clark is going to be a regular visitor to our girls' dormitory from now on." Elena looked out the window at the two men who had been standing outside talking for days without coming in, and turned her head to speak mockingly to Penny with the corners of her mouth turned up.

Penny shrugged her shoulders, not taking her eyes off the book in her hands as she calmly replied back:

"As long as Edith hasn't become a regular visitor ...... to the boys' dormitory then it has nothing to do with us."

"Just as well!" Elena nodded approvingly, turning to sit back down on the suede couch.

"It feels as if Master Clark and Edith are getting along better." Frenda interjected perceptively.

"Oh, how can you tell, I thought they were still the same as before?" Elena, who had just pinched a bright red cherry and was about to pop it into her mouth, froze at Flanda's words.

"I'll bet they're arguing again right this minute out there." She said, bristling.

That did seem to be the case - at least Edith's face didn't look very happy when she came in.

As soon as Elena saw someone she raised her voice high, "Yo, back at it!"

Edith gave her a stern look and sat down next to her.

"So, did you have a nice weekend in Luxembourg?"

Edith replied dryly, "Obviously, not really."

Elena giggled, and she whipped her head around to pass a look at Flanda that meant, see what I mean, Edith and Master Clark definitely had another fight.

"Did he get on your nerves again? You two are so childish, if you ask me."

Edith's eyes widened, "It's not ...... childish if you call him childish," which would have been the truth, "Bring me along for what?"

"Aren't you childish?" Elena asked with a smirk.

Edith sat up straight, about which she had to answer seriously:

"Of course not."

Now not only Elena, but Penny and Flanda laughed. The girls' dormitory was full of fresh air.

After laughing through a scene, Elena changed the topic as if she thought of something, "Do you remember the undead that disappeared from classroom 1 earlier?"

Of course Edith wouldn't forget, "Why? Did you find it?"

Elena shook her head, "No, the mentors and patrol guards have practically turned Sophia upside down, but it's like the undead just evaporated out of thin air."

"Speaking, could that undead be lurking around us ah ...... like waiting for us to pop up when we go to class ...... " Flanda suddenly came out with a sentence, after saying this little girl shook as if she was scared of herself.

Penny agreed more with Flanda, "So just to be safe, the three of us didn't go out much except to eat for two days this weekend."

Edith frowned for a moment, then said, "Not that there's any need to be so nervous."

"Our dormitory area and teaching area are both guarded by formations and boundaries, that undead escaping out won't be able to think of coming back in, and as for on the way to class - if it's smart enough, it'll never scurry out in broad daylight on the campus - because once it shows up, there's nothing but death waiting for it."

As for the night, they could no longer walk out of the dormitory area even after dark now because of the school's gate hours.

Elena relaxed a bit as she rubbed a silk pillow into her arms and cooed, "So, according to you, we're just going to do what we always do!"

Edith gave her a look and raised an eyebrow, "Of course, being careful is never a bad thing is it?"

Before she left for class the next day, Edith received a letter from Taggart.

Dear Edith:

Seeing the words is like seeing the face

Every mother is comforted and delighted by the sight of her child growing up, I'm no exception, and I'm glad I didn't miss out on this phase - even if I'm not with you right now.

The world is indeed dangerous, the undead and parasites may be lurking in our lives, the invisible war in Estara has been going on for a long time and I don't know when it will end. But there is no need to be nervous, absolute power will keep all malice at bay. And that is why I am as strict as I am with your magical practices.

In mom's heart, you've always been an excellent child - there's no doubt about it. That's why the first thing we have to do about our mentors' criticisms and corrections is to treat them with a normal heart, just like I can't ask you to have a magical awakening when you're 8 years old, and you can't ask yourself to learn in the first year what you can only learn in the fourth year.

So isn't it a normal thing for you to lose to Bridges? Don't doubt the old Clark family's education of their children, and believe me, your Aunt Jolene and Uncle Fields will only be stricter with Bridges than I was with you. He's a fine boy all the same. As for crying - mama is sorry she wasn't around at that time, because I haven't seen you cry since you were eight years old.

(Edith couldn't help but spit in her mind when she saw this, so this sentence meant that she regretted not seeing the scene of her crying again after so many years? Aha, this is really a real mom.)

As for your relationship with Bridges, I certainly hope that you guys get along, and on the flip side, it's better to have one more mentor than one more enemy - I think you know what I mean.

All the best with Taggart.

Love, Mom.

The expression on Edith's face after reading the letter, especially the last sentence of the letter, was very subtle; the subtext of her mother's words, if translated, probably meant that since Bridges was a fine and talented senior, why didn't you go for the option of milking him dry of his worth and emptying the ink from his stomach instead of choosing to go against him?

Of course, Edith's understanding was very crude, and her mother's words were full of aristocratic grace and subtlety.

Edith couldn't help but consider the feasibility of the suggestion even now; it was all such a coincidence that Young Master Clarke had just promised to practice with her in the school's training room - it was practically a chaperone beater delivered to her door!

Edith's blue eyes lit up, with such a good thing, what was the point of her being pretentious before!

Although it was said that she and Bridges didn't discuss the exact time, but she could guess that the school's door closing time had been advanced to 6:00 pm now because of the missing undead - that is to say, they weren't allowed to go out after dark.

Then, the only time left to spare for training would be noon.

Classroom 1 was a bit disorganized before the magic training class started the next day.

Because the missing undead had vanished from here, the first years who hadn't yet lost a young, childish heart were enthusiastic about the other undead left in classroom #1.

Now that Ms. Babbitt hadn't even stepped foot in the classroom, they, especially the overly energetic boys, were gathered around the undead that had been sealed by the formation and chattering - when a week ago they were clearly scared to death.

"Was the undead that got away its brother?"

"It could be ...... I always thought they looked a bit alike."

"Oh don't be ridiculous, there's a bit of a resemblance, don't the undead all look like that? You can't see the face even if it's black."

Edith was sitting in her place and was trying to control herself from rolling her eyes, "Do you think boys are all this childish?"

"Pretty much." Elena blurted back, then raised an eyebrow, "What makes you feel that way."

Edith bristled, "Nothing."

She just suddenly felt that Bridges' childishness wasn't so hard to accept, at least he didn't seem so goofy compared to these boys - hey, it seemed like he was okay in that comparison? Surely the difference was in the comparison?

The group of boys' conversation continued.

"Do you guys think this undead will also ...... brush off and suddenly disappear someday?"

"If it's true, I'm worried about whether Mr. Babbitt will be able to keep his job, after all, he's already lost an undead hasn't he"

The boys covered their mouths and snickered until - a cold voice rang out from behind them:

"Thank you for caring so much about my job - at least it's not lost now."

All the boys looked like they'd been instantly pinched in the duck's neck, all the cackling coming to a screeching halt as they stiffened and turned back:

Mr. Babbitt was standing behind them, looking at them with a blank expression. His old tuxedo didn't seem to have been changed in years, and his hair looked a bit disheveled today - which made him look even more serious than usual.

"Are you all still standing here waiting for me to throw you into a cage for a passionate kiss with the undead? You guys look kinda sad to part with it, after all."

No--!

The group of boys screamed in their minds, damn it, why did Mr. Babbitt suddenly appear behind them like a ghost, didn't he enter the classroom without a sound? The first year boys shouted in their minds, but on their faces they looked like they were all well-behaved, and with their tails between their legs, they slunk back to their seats.

Babbitt stood up on the podium, and at this time the class had just started, which meant that he had just entered the classroom early, and it was no wonder that the boys were caught off guard.

"I'm glad you're all so interested in the undead" Babbitt spoke slowly as he looked around the classroom, "but interest aside, you need to realize that the undead are not the water ducks that you keep in your castles - devoid of offense."

As he spoke, Elena tilted her head closer to Edith and said quietly, "Oh no, who keeps water ducks in their castle? What kind of strange metaphor is that?"

Edith glanced at the podium and, seeing that Mr. Babbitt wasn't looking in that direction, lowered her voice to speak as well:

"Who knows, maybe Mr. Babbitt just happens to have them in his castle? He's just using his own house as an example."

Edith and Elena looked at each other and both buried their heads in muffled laughter.

The few boys in Classroom 1 talking about the undead situation was just a microcosm of Sophia's campus, and honestly - after all these days, that undead hadn't been found yet, and things were getting pretty big.

Although no news of any students being injured by the undead had appeared, the rumors about the missing undead had changed several versions.

Some people said that it might have been an accident that a loophole in regulation, such as the formation that sealed the undead suddenly broke or something, that allowed it to escape.

Others said that it might have been an oversight on Mr. Babbitt's part.

Even more outrageously, it was rumored that there were parasites mixed in with Sophia!

Parasites are humans who have had their minds eroded by the undead, or rather, humans who have sacrificed their souls to the undead and become slaves of the undead. Parasites have human appearances and memories, and appear to be no different from normal people, but in reality, they belong to the camp of the undead.

Think about it, the undead, though dangerous, can be recognized at a glance, while the parasites you don't even know when he is lurking around you, if the humans of Esdara hate the undead, then for the parasites it is hatred.

For they betray the humans utterly and completely.

By the time Edith and her group arrived at Building 7, the latest version of the rumor had evolved - Mr. Babbitt was the lurking Parasite! He was the one who deliberately let the undead go!

Building 7 was always the birthplace of rumors - because there were too many students gathered here every day alone, lower and upper classes alike, and when they finished their meals, most of them chose to rest in Building 7, and the conditions in Building 7 were incredibly precise in meeting their needs - soft sofas and matching tables and chairs everywhere, too many busy servants, and unlimited supply of desserts and beverages.

Even Edith liked to stay here sometimes, and she once even mentally complained that given a WIFI signal and a cell phone, she could nestle in Building Seven for a day.

But at this moment, her mood wasn't that pleasant, anger jumped in her blue eyes, and her voice was slightly shrill because of her anger:

"Hell, what are those people talking about - Mr. Babbitt is a parasite? Are they out of their minds?"

Bridges had just gotten here when he saw Edith's fuming little look, and he was followed by Emi with Lexi.

"What's worth getting so positively pissed off about?" Bridges said lazily, wearing Sophia's uniform blue and white school uniform, it was obvious that the crowd wasn't that different from his clothes, but it always took on a different look when it came to him - he was always the one who stood out the most in the crowd.

In front of him was a long square table, the dark red tablecloth was spread on the table without a single crease, the tabletop was neatly arranged with polished silver cutlery, Edith was sitting on the edge of the table, and there was an empty seat beside her right hand, and Bridges took a step to sit there with his long legs straight ahead of him.

Edith glanced at the man next to her and cooed, "Don't mess with me, I don't have time to argue with you right now."

Bridges lifted the corner of his mouth in a slightly mocking manner, "Oh, say it like I'd like to argue with you."

"Why would you want to argue with me if you weren't willing to argue?"

"Who's looking for you to argue? Aren't you the one who starts it every time?"

This table was now filled with Elena, Penny, Flanda, and Emi and Lexi in addition to them, but these two just managed to argue in front of such a table with the topic of arguing.

Emi held his forehead with a bit of headache, "I say can you two ...... stop arguing?"

As a result, Edith and Bridges turned their heads in unison.

"Who's arguing?" They said in unison, looking downright terrifyingly taciturn.

Emi: "You guys were just, what is that if not arguing?"

Bridges raised one eyebrow, a gesture that made him look extraordinarily handsome doing it, "Don't be so unseen, Emi - we're just talking about what happened.

"

Edith nodded in agreement, "Yes!"

She looked to Bridges again, seemingly surprised to have forgotten what she was about to say just now by such an interruption:

"Where were we?"

"That I pick fights."

"Yeah, you're the one who started it."

"Hell, feel your conscience, it was clearly you ......"

The first time to see Edith and Bridges get along mode of Emmy dumbfounded, this, a fight in the middle of an interruption can continue?

Elena happened to sit next to Emmy, she smiled and learned Bridges' tone, said, "Don't be so uneducated ...... we're all used to it!"

Penny and Flanda both nodded in unison.

Emi: "......"

At the table, Bridges said as he cut his steak, "We'll head to the training room after a short break after dinner."

Edith's hand paused with her silver fork, "When did I promise to go with you?"

"Just yesterday, do you need me to help you remember? Hmm?"

Edith: "Why do I remember that I clearly refused yesterday."

"No, you didn't!" Master Clark said without changing his countenance, "You said yes in a heartbeat then, and we came to a very pleasant agreement."

Edith looked at him incredulously, until today she had never realized that Young Master Clark's ability to turn black and white upside down was no worse than his poisonous tongue.

"That's a hell of a thing to say." Edith grunted.

-- but ultimately didn't really deny his words.

Bridges had an excellent sense of time, and when he felt it was almost time, he stood straight up from the couch, turning to look at Edith, who remained motionless, and he raised an eyebrow:

"It's time for us to go."

Edith reluctantly followed him.

It turned out that Master Clark still thought she was slow:

"It takes me longer to take one step than it does for you to take two!"

Edith retorted to him with a grimace:

"Aha, so all the more reason for you to wait for me at this moment in order to maintain your false gentlemanly demeanor."

Lexi muttered in disbelief as she stared at the backs of the two:

"Why do I feel that these two are quite close?" I haven't seen anyone who could make Young Master Clark condescend to personally accompany them for training, but the key was that the other party looked quite reluctant.

Emi had now summed up a bit of experience, he pushed up his glasses and said with an air of understanding, "Of course, before coming to that conclusion, you need to plug your ears so you can't hear what they're talking about."

Elena, who was drinking watermelon juice on the side, nodded with a smile and said:

"Precise!"

On this side, Edith and Bridges are walking side by side, from a distance, the boy is slightly taller than the girl, but he is very "gentlemanly" and considerate to match the girl's pace, it looks like a very eye-catching picture, but when you get closer, you will hear the content of their conversation.

But as you got closer, you could hear their conversation. Young Master Clarke said in his usual flat voice:

"Don't cry in front of me this time, kiddo! --I'm not going to show any mercy."

"I'm going to teach you a hard lesson!" Edith said indignantly.

"Oh, what are you going to teach me a lesson with? A little stick in your hand?"

"You suck, Master Clark!" Edith said with a shrug, "Just a bully based on being in a higher grade."

"Actually, I can bully higher grades too." Master Clark said honestly.

"Just wait, one day, I'll beat you!"

"I'm impressed that you even have such lofty ideals, may I give you a piece of advice, go to sleep - after all, dreams have everything."

"......"

In the training room, probably because he sensed that this was an important matter, Bridges' expression was a little more serious, and every now and then, his previous diffidence transformed into another kind of compelling pressure.

"You're a magician, the first thing you should think about when fighting a knight is not letting your opponent get close, because once you get close - you're done for." Bridges hit the nail on the head.

"I remember when I was at home before, your first reaction was to use Blast against me ......"

Edith said with a bit of regret, "I chose wrong, Blast won't stop you from getting close to me, I should have gone for some spell with more coverage, like Mars or something."

Bridges' black eyes glanced at her as he nodded, first affirming Edith's train of thought, "Choosing a spell with a large coverage area is certainly an option with viability, but Blast Spell isn't completely out of the question."

Hmm? Edith raised her eyes in some surprise.

Only to see Master Clark lift his chin and say in an obvious tone, "As long as you fire your blasts fast enough and often enough - you can certainly stop me."

Edith opened her mouth, clearly wanting to ask something, but before she could, Master Clark grabbed the opportunity to add something:

"Of course, the least you have to do to meet that requirement is wait until you're in third grade."

Edith's eyes widened in disbelief, "Then why are you even saying this??" She raised her voice.

Young Master Clark looked at her, his thin lips suddenly curling into a wicked smile:

"Obviously - to make you realize you're a rookie."

Edith: "???"

It was a miracle the man hadn't been hammered in his entire life - he deserved to be punched hard.

It's just a shame that anyone who wants to beat him up can't do it right now.

Edith glared at him with blue eyes and said in annoyance, "Never let me see you again!!!"

The smirk on Master Clark's lips didn't disappear as he glanced at Edith and said lazily, "Then I'm afraid you'll have trouble getting what you want."

Edith hummed in her heart, thinking, "I'm not going to Building 7 or the training room tomorrow, so avoiding you won't be easy.

But soon, Edith realized that Young Master Clark was very short on empty words.

Later in the evening, she received an e-mail from her Gathering class teacher, Gabriel, with an advance notice of the next day's class.

"Tomorrow's gathering class will take place in the Levin Forest, so please gather at the entrance of the Levin Forest by three o'clock tomorrow afternoon if you are reading this. Note: This class will be completed with fourth graders."

Edith stared incredulously:

"What the hell?"