The First Female Duke

Chapter 21

The conversation Edith had expected was not going well.

It wasn't that Master Clark was treating her badly, it was that - she didn't know what to say.

Was it to say, "Hey, Clark, can we talk?" Or, "Oh, Clark, I think we need to have a deep conversation."

Edith: That's too stupid!

It sounds like ...... she's initiating a favor with him.

Ms. Willey's expression got serious.

No, of course a proper lady needed to be reserved, and she couldn't go to Clark at this moment.

--however, not until she'd lost her temper.

After the assessment results came out, the corresponding course schedule was also sent to the students' e-mail in time.

-Without any surprises, all four of Edith passed the examination, and Penny even scored the highest in her group.

And at that moment, they were in the living room comparing their respective courses.

Elena cupped a piece of paper in her hand and read aloud:-

"Spell Training in the morning, two hours, Specialization in the afternoon, three hours ...... Oh hell, why do I have to take three classes in a row on Tuesdays and only one on Thursdays ......... "

"Can't it be moved around to even things out a bit?" Elena grumbled with a frown.

"That's a suggestion you could take up with Director Lola, maybe she'll reschedule you for your strength." Edith said slowly.

Elena rolled her eyes, she wouldn't do that unless she was out of her mind, with Director Lola's personality, not to mention re-scheduling her classes, it would be more like adding an ideological education class to her.

"What about you, what's your class tomorrow?"

"Same as you, magic spell training in the morning and specialty class in the afternoon."

Penny looked up at this point as well, she held up the parchment in her hand, "I'm History of Magic."

Flanda shrugged, "I'm the same as Penny."

"Obviously, our teams are divided." Elena clapped her hands together.

Edith, playing with her tiny wand in her hand, sniffed and hmmm'd.

Elena, however, gave a start, just a hmmm? Normally Edith would have to snark at her? Elena may not be sensitive enough, but she knew Edith well enough to see her wrinkle her nose:

"Honey, you look a little off."

Edith ahhed.

"Why haven't you stabbed me twice today?"

Edith: "...... Can't tell you're even good at it?"

She raises an eyebrow, "Sorry, my fault, it was an oversight on my part not to notice, I'll be sure to satisfy you next time."

As a result, Elena perked up, "Yes, that's what it feels like, that's the taunting energy ......"

Edith: "...... You look like a fool."

Elena grunted softly and sat down next to Edith, "Say, what's wrong, I just saw something wrong with you!"

"Just thinking."

"Like what?"

Edith blinked and looked at Elena, who at the sight thought she was going to tell her something big and held her breath, only to have Edith tickle the corners of her mouth and smile brightly a few seconds later, and say:

"--not telling you!"

Said he, standing up and turning to go upstairs.

Elena looked at her incredulously, pointing in the direction of the stairway and twisting her head to yell at Penny and the girls:

"What's wrong with this guy?"

Flanda had the presence of mind to be reassuring and whispered, "Maybe, Edith just went off on a tangent?"

Penny nodded, "It didn't look like anything serious."

As a result, Elena had a serious look on her face, and she said painfully:

"No."

"She must be hiding something from me!"

"She's already keeping secrets from me!"

Penny secretly stifled a laugh, Elena was good at everything, just a bit of a drama queen sometimes.

Edith didn't know that Elena had gotten caught up in the sadness she was brainstorming, she had indeed just gotten lost in thought, and it really wasn't a good idea to be straight with Elena as far as what she had gotten lost in thought about.

Was she supposed to say that she was worrying about how to discuss a sustainable relationship with Master Clark in a refreshingly natural and unpretentious way?

Why did that sound so strange!

-Even if it killed her, she wouldn't admit to that little bit of pretentiousness.

So in summary, our Ms. Willey slammed her eyes shut and prepared to play dumb to the end.

The next day was the official start of classes at Sophia, and Edith put on her school uniform - fine cut and fabric, double-breasted uniform with a short plaid skirt.

Edith looked at herself in the full-length mirror and nodded in satisfaction after straightening the red satin silk bow on her chest.

She and Elena had gone to Building 7 for breakfast first, and ended up running into Connor - of course, it was certainly not a coincidence, Building 7 was also called Building 7 because it had a total of seven floors, so how could it be that easy to run into each other in such a big place!

The fact that he was able to pinpoint their location was mostly due to the fact that he asked the waiter.

Of course, Connor himself didn't hide that.

He said naturally when he saw Edith, "I was waiting for you." "Join us for breakfast?"

Edith, of course, couldn't say no; she smiled slightly and nodded.

To be honest, there wasn't much time left for them to have breakfast, so it wasn't really possible to make small talk like they did for afternoon tea, and it was true that Connor hadn't said anything to Edith - he'd probably just come to have dinner with her?

The thought crossed Edith's mind as she elegantly sliced her omelette with her silver knife and fork.

Instead, midway through, Edith wanted to spread a little strawberry sauce on her creamy toast, but the bottle with the strawberry sauce was a bit far away from her, and as she was about to get up to get it, Connor handed it to her just in time.

Edith froze for a moment, then told him thank you.

In the third-floor dining room, Bridges was having his breakfast-a serving of bacon and grilled sausage.

Emi watched with squinted eyes; admittedly, Master Clark's dining etiquette was impeccable, but for some reason, Emi could see an air of impending brawl in his graceful eating.

It certainly showed a sign - Young Master Clark was in a bad mood.

Of course, as his inseparable chaperone, Emi also knew that it wasn't just today, but that Bridges hadn't been in a very pleasant mood for the last two days.

Emmy had a vague idea of why, but he couldn't believe it; it seemed to him that it was just a small thing - why was it so nagging?

Even the clever and quick-witted Emmy sometimes couldn't understand Bridges' uncertain teenage mind, and after thinking about it, Emmy thought that Bridges should have been angry that Miss Willey didn't say hello to him when she left that day.

--This grandpa is, he can ignore you, but you can never ignore him.

--Double standardized plainly, and not the slightest hint of what's wrong with it.

Emi wasn't going to advise - you couldn't reason with someone who acted with his own set of logic, he'd just follow his own ideas. So Emi just kindly reminded the eyeless Lexi that he shouldn't be guilty of getting into Bridges' hands lately.

It was true that Lexi hadn't offended Bridges lately - and only until today, of course.

He seemed to have gone off to fetch his food, and muttered something in passing when he returned:

"I'm surprised to see that Connor guy just now on the second floor eating with Willey."

The hand holding his fork gave a start and Bridges looked up brightly.

"What did you say?" The more peaceful expression that had been maintained on that cold white face was completely shattered at this point.

Emi suddenly felt a headache ...... Well, it wasn't that he didn't understand what Bridges was feeling right now - the person he'd been more concerned about lately, couldn't say he cared, I should say he was more concerned about was actually having dinner with his most hated nemesis.

It was probably the equivalent of someone telling him - the Duke of Clark's family was no better than that vapid royal family.

This sudden news added to Young Master Clarke's already bad mood.

He simply put down his knife and fork, his lips pursed into a straight line.

After three seconds, he asked as if he was puzzled:

"Why is it that some people don't always understand the sinister nature of the human heart?"

He was speaking towards Emi, and as a result, Emi hadn't even organized his words yet, and Lexi's brain scrambled to answer subconsciously:

"Maybe because he's stupidly sweet?"

The atmosphere was eerily quiet in general, and Master Clark's dark eyes just stared at Lexi.

Just when Lexi's heart was about to stop in fear, Young Master Clark nodded his head as he said solemnly:

"You're right."

It had to be because she was silly and sweet.

All Bridges could think of at the moment was his mother's sage advice to him - such as to take good care of Edith at school and do his duty as an older brother.

Bridges first reflected on his previous neglect of Edith, he should have listened to his mother.

Of course, it wasn't too late to remedy that from now on.

A deep, face-to-face conversation might be needed between him and Willey - he should have to tell her how sinister the human heart was, and what ulterior motives that hypocrite Connor had approached her with.

Having made up his mind, Bridges' expression calmed as he picked up his knife and fork again and began to enjoy his breakfast.

Since Bridges' morning class wasn't the same as Emi's or Lexi's, he went straight to class after breakfast.

Lexi finally got bitter as he cried out after seeing Clark's back disappear completely:

"Where do you think I've provoked him this time?"

Emi patted his shoulder with a sympathetic yet understanding feeling of comfort:

"It's okay, just think of that young master as ...... puberty coming on!"

Edith and Connor were parted at the entrance of the school building - yes, after breakfast, Connor offered to see Edith off.

--which was evidently too much solicitude.

Connor acted like I was just being a natural gentleman and didn't mean anything else, and of course Edith couldn't just refuse.

After he left, Elena muttered:

"What does this second prince mean?"

Edith shrugged indifferently, "Who knows, except to say that if he wants something from me, he's doomed to disappointment."

Perhaps because of Connor, it was almost close to class time when Edith and Elena arrived in the classroom, good thing they weren't late.

Mr. Babbitt, who taught spell training, walked into the classroom at precisely the right time, dressed in an old-fashioned tuxedo with a thin-framed eyeglass hanging from the front flap pocket of his shirt, and as he removed the glasses before setting them on his face, he finally spoke:

"Now then, open your textbooks - turn to chapter and verse three."

Yes, that's right, it's the third chapter and verse, not the first page of the book, and almost all of the students below froze, but no one dared to ask a question - this teacher would be happy to start with chapter three what's wrong with that, even if he was talking from back to front?

-- the students just had to listen honestly.

Elena sidled up to Edith and muttered as she flipped through her book:

"Who's it supposed to scare, talking about the undead at the beginning?"

Yes, the third chapter that Mr. Babbitt wanted them to turn to was about the very undead.

And what was in it, besides some basic introduction of the undead, was the magic spells against the undead.

Babbitt looked around and lifted the corner of his mouth and said:

"I hear someone who seems to be unhappy with my teaching schedule?"

Who dares to admit it?

The students at the bottom shook their heads frantically.

"If anyone has a problem with the way I teach - that can certainly be brought up."

"I'm very open to criticism and suggestions."

"No one?"

The classroom was silent.

"Very well." Babbitt turned and lifted the curtain that had been covering one corner of the classroom, exposing its contents without reservation.

Upon seeing what it was, the crowd stared in horror.

--Undead! Tutor Babbitt had put an undead in the classroom!

This grayish undead was picking at the cage that bound it, twisting into a bizarre shape. It hissed hoarsely, its scarlet eyes seeming to devour the crowd.

--The nation of Estara has never stopped fighting the undead since its founding. The hatred of the undead among the people of Esdara is practically in the blood, innate.

Therefore, upon seeing that undead - even if it was just a lowest-grade undead with no entity - the students reflexively stepped back far away.

Cages couldn't bind the undead. Elena's face was white with fear, even though they had heard about the war between humans and the undead long ago, this was the first time they had faced a real undead directly like this.

"It ...... it won't run out, right? Will that cage hold it?" Elena clutched Edith's hand tightly, as if that would ease the fear in her heart a little.

Edith frowned and stared at the cage for three seconds before she spoke, "It's fine, there's a confinement formation at the bottom of the cage, the undead can't get out."

The fact that Babbitt dared to release this kind of undead in the magic spell training class meant that it would definitely not threaten the students' health.

But Elena's grip on her hand didn't relax in the slightest, Edith was helpless, she thought for a moment and took out her wand with her free other hand, her lips flicked as she recited a string of incantations, and white light shone on Elena.

"Better?"

Elena couldn't tell what kind of spell it was - the only thing she could be sure of was light, and light had a definite check on the undead.

Edith had used a light-based spell on her!

Elena felt herself warm up and seemed less nervous.

She looked over at Edith and was pleasantly surprised, "I feel much better, dear, what spell did you use?"

Edith: "...... Eh, anyway you feel better."

Seeing Elena nod her head with no intention of pursuing the matter, Edith breathed a sigh of relief.

Actually ...... that was a most basic blessing technique.

In addition to being able to calm down the pressure, there is no effect--that is, it is also a psychological comfort. It was good that Elena lacked this psychological comfort at the moment.

Seeing these students scared like quails, the magic training teacher mocked:

"A low-level undead is all it took to scare you like this? Are you all still babies?"

The students below reddened their faces, not knowing if they were ashamed or frightened.

"The content of this magic training class - is to use the spells you know well to attack this undead."

A student at the bottom asked bravely:

"Teacher, what if it's killed?"

Babbitt raised an eyebrow, "I'm glad you're so confident, but clearly, you're a rookie - this undead isn't something you can kill at your stage."

Laughter erupted from the bottom, and this student's face completely reddened into a persimmon.

"So, who starts first?"

The laughter came to an abrupt halt, perhaps they weren't as fearful now as they had been in the beginning, but no one spoke if they were to initiate an attack .......

Babbitt nodded like he wasn't surprised by the answer, "I'll take a roll call then."

All the students held their breath, they unanimously murmured in their minds, don't shout at me ...... Babbitt looked around the room, and his eyes finally landed on Edith - the only fire and light dual system magician in his class, and as early as since the first day of enrollment, Edith was not only known among the students, but also among the group of teachers without any surprises this little girl from the Villey family.

"Ms. Villey!" Babbitt trailed off, "Please come up and try."

Edith pursed her lips and stood up, and the rest of the class looked at her - for goodness sake, she looked too calm for words, so was it true that light wizards were all much less afraid of the undead than they were?

If Edith had been able to hear their minds, she would have retorted loudly - No, I'm damned scared!

Just now, when Babbitt said he was going to call the roll, Edith had an ominous premonition in her heart - just like in her previous life, students who were number one in their school number were always prone to be shouted up by the teacher to answer questions, now that she was the only one from the Light Department in this class, those teachers would probably be able to immediately think of her when their minds were made to think of her.

As it turned out, her premonition was correct.

There was nothing to do but tough it out now.

As for the calmness on her face?

A loser doesn't lose - only the outward cloud of calmness could hide the anxiety and panic she felt inside.

Edith stood about five paces away from the cage, then she took a deep breath and raised her wand.

The crowd watched her intently - they wanted to see what kind of damage this Ms. Willey could do to the undead.

Edith began with a Fire Blast spell.

Since that test, she realized that she had reached a new level in her use of the Blast spell, and this time, she consciously gathered her magic at the tip and then compressed it.

The beam fired out like a red bullet, instantly piercing through the undead's body before exploding.

The undead was blown apart.

The crowd was overjoyed, this was, directly killed? But didn't Teacher Babbitt say that even the lowest undead was not something they could kill at their current level?

Edith observed Babbitt's expression and realized that he didn't show any surprise.

Edith's heart sank as she turned her sight back to the undead, and sure enough, she saw that the undead's virtual body slowly began to coalesce, and in no time at all, it actually returned to what it had been at the beginning.

Edith was shocked, could it recover indefinitely?

On second thought it didn't seem possible - it should be, her current attacks hadn't caught up with its healing speed.

Sure enough, Ms. Babbitt was right, this undead was indeed not something they could kill at their current level.

The first attack pretty much gave Edith a basic understanding.

After a moment's silence, she raised her wand again, this time finally switching to a light-based spell.

Although light-based attack spells weren't learned until fourth year, its natural restraint against the undead led to the fact that any of the light-based spells could deal direct damage to the undead, and the difference was only between more and less.

Edith used a purification spell.

Compared to the calmness of the undead when she used the blast spell, from the moment the light-based spell touched the undead's body, it hissed and twisted violently - like a drop of water dropping into a frying pan.

When Edith's magic power disappeared, a part of its body unexpectedly disappeared alive!

Instead of recovering like just now, it simply disappeared - its grayish body looked like it had broken into a large hole that couldn't be mended.

The undead seemed to be enraged, its scarlet eyes directly focused on Edith, only to see it hiss and directly crash over - it clearly wanted to attack Edith, but was blocked by the cage.

Edith's heart instantly shrunk - those red eyes gave her a great psychological shock.

In that instant, Edith suddenly understood why Mr. Babbitt wanted to have a class about the undead on the first day of school.

He wanted to make them, a group of hothouse flowers, understand - after thousands of years of war, the ancient country of Esdara had finally come to a superficial peace, but the danger had never retreated, it was hidden in the shadows, ready to make a comeback.

Edith's heart was suddenly heavy.

Toward the end of the lesson, the group of students' fear of the undead finally disappeared a bit, and one student even boldly pointed at another cage in the classroom that was covered by a curtain and asked:

"Teacher, is that filled with undead as well?"

Teacher Babbitt gave a kind smile, "If you want to go in there and have a passionate kiss with it, I'd be more than happy to accommodate you."

Kiss with the undead? The student's face went white and he shook his head into a rattle.

The crowd roared with laughter.

On the way back to the dormitory, both Edith and Elena looked a bit silent as they made their way to the direction of the dormitory, and when they reached the small dormitory building that belonged to them, Edith was surprised to find that there appeared to be someone standing outside the door.

That thin and tall figure ...... Edith stared wide eyed, temporarily putting the thoughts in her head on hold, she asked in surprise:

"Clark, what are you doing here ...... I mean, how did you find this place?"

Bridges frowned back, rightfully so:

"Of course I can find it if I want to."

He looked at her with an expression as if to say, "Why would you ask such a stupid question?"

Edith smacked her lips, "Okay, okay ...... So let me ask it another way, what are you doing here, my lord?"

This question seems to have asked the point, the impatient expression on Bridges' face closed up, only to see him with a handsome face, his black eyes gazing at Edith, three seconds later, he seriously said:

"Let's talk."

--Seriously sounding as if he was about to discuss a matter of national importance with her.

Edith: "...... What's wrong with you?"