Chapter 5: Things Seem a Bit Awkward…
1181 Words
“Geniuses really are different…” Leticia muttered with a sour note.
Why such a tone? This morning’s early lesson.
As usual, after breakfast, Alice went to her morning class. Leticia, with nothing better to do, had followed along. Confident that her few years’ seniority gave her an advantage, Leticia always rushed to answer Mr. Jeff’s questions—and usually got them right. This morning was no exception. Leticia beamed proudly, watching silent Alice.
But then Mr. Jeff asked a few harder history questions. Leticia froze, unable to answer. Alice, suppressing a smile, casually spoke the correct answers.
“There’s nothing genius about it, you’ve just read too little,” Alice said briskly, quickening her pace and shaking off Leticia’s hand patting her head.
“Hmph! I’ve never even seen those questions before. Obviously, it’s not something children should know. Only a genius would be bored enough to flip through ancient history books—those questions are meant for historians!” Leticia huffed, clearly annoyed.
“Cousin, if you keep fussing over this, we’ll miss lunch.”
“Uh…” Leticia slumped, defeated.
Alice thought her cousin was childish. At seventeen, Leticia often acted no older than a small child: always competing with Alice, rarely winning, and refusing to admit defeat. If Alice teased her a little, Leticia would pout and whine, “I’m not listening! That doesn’t count!” Alice remembered when she was five: Duke Alberon had posed simple math questions to Alice and Leticia, promising candy as a reward. Ten-year-old Leticia answered first—but only got half right. Alice got all answers correct, yet Leticia snatched the candy straight from her hand and ate it, ignoring her sisterly status. Since then, Alice found her cousin like sticky taffy—persistent and impossible to reason with.
“So many years, and nothing’s changed… sigh,” Alice murmured.
“What are you saying?” Leticia asked, puzzled by her quiet tone.
“I said, we should hurry to the dining hall…”
Lunch ended pleasantly. Alice had intended to spend the afternoon visiting Doris, but Leticia’s arrival forced her to cancel. She wrote a letter to Doris, explaining that guests had arrived and she had no time to visit the bakery.
After sending the letter, Alice was designing the layout for her newspaper when Leticia suddenly appeared.
“Alice~ come with me for a stroll around Noah City! I haven’t been here for half a year. Let’s see if there are any new shops or interesting things!” Leticia scooped Alice up from behind.
Alice quickly gave in. Years of experience had taught her that resistance was futile—and perhaps her cousin’s soft, warm chest pressing against her back didn’t help her cool-headedness.
Soon, the ducal carriage was ready. Before departure, Alice’s aunt said something that made her suppress a laugh and groan simultaneously.
“Alice, you’re the younger one—you must take care of your older cousin. If she goes overboard, rein her in! And… come back early, alright?”
Leticia immediately objected.
“Dear Mother, shouldn’t I take care of Alice?”
Her aunt merely smiled, silent. Alice shrugged.
Alice and Leticia’s carriage caused quite a stir in Noah City.
“So gorgeous! So beautiful!” exclaimed a little girl.
“Slay the dragon with a sword! The Lancaster family crest! This is the Duke’s carriage,” a man said in awe.
“Everyone, bow!” Following the crowd’s bows, the carriage slowly passed down the street.
As it moved on, townsfolk began to murmur.
“Was that the Duke’s daughter waving to us?” one asked.
“Definitely not. The Duke’s daughter inherited her mother’s golden hair.”
“Oh… perhaps she’s a relative of the Duke, then…”
Alice’s eyes fell on the crest pinned to her chest: a fierce dragon, pierced by a long sword, pinned to the ground. The imagery was inspiring, formidable, and utterly intimidating.
Rarely did Alice parade through Noah City in luxurious noble attire. She disliked this display: one crest, a carriage, an extravagant dress—dividing herself from the townsfolk. She couldn’t interact normally with them, and they treated her with nervous respect. She preferred dressing as a commoner to play with ordinary children. After all, in her previous life, she had lived in a much more egalitarian world. The habits of that world hadn’t faded in these years; she despised rigid class systems.
Leticia seemed perfectly at ease with this lifestyle, waving at the crowd while browsing high-end shops.
Alice sighed, shrinking into the back of the carriage, closing her eyes. She didn’t want too many townspeople seeing her. But it was unavoidable—whenever Leticia spotted a luxury clothing or accessory shop, she would drag Alice inside.
“This is awful,” Alice grumbled silently. Apparently, even in this life, now a girl, she couldn’t escape her past dislike of shopping.
“Alice, you don’t seem happy?” Leticia frowned at Alice’s half-hearted replies.
Thank goodness, after a few hours, Leticia finally noticed Alice’s lack of enthusiasm. The delay in her perception was almost comical.
“No, cousin Leticia, I’m just a bit hungry. Let’s head back,” Alice said listlessly.
“Back? It’s not even dinner time yet, dear.”
“I’ll have the chef make some pastries first,” Alice replied.
“Oh… alright… Wait, coachman, stop!”
Just as Alice thought Leticia had agreed to return, she suddenly spotted something intriguing.
“Doris’ Bakery? I haven’t seen this shop before. Is it new? There are so many people… The pastries must be good. Alice, do you know this place? Let’s eat here instead of going home!”
“Doris’ Bakery!? Nooo!!” Alice groaned, covering her face with her hands.
Lost in thought, she hadn’t noticed the coachman had driven them here.
“Alice, get down,” Leticia called, already outside the carriage.
“Damn it! Why didn’t I think she might end up here today?” Alice moaned softly, leaning back.
Leticia visited Alice every year with her mother, and Alice accompanied her around Noah City—but she had never told her cousin about her habit of dressing as a commoner to play with local children. She had considered letting Leticia join her once, but feared her clumsiness might reveal Alice’s noble identity to Doris.
“Alice, aren’t you hungry? Come on, try this bakery’s pastries!” Leticia urged.
“Cousin, I think we should go home and have the chef make some,” Alice said quietly.
“That’s too troublesome. This place looks nice—let’s try it!”
“The chef at home makes excellent pastries, too. He’s created several new ones recently—they taste even better! You should try them,” Alice rushed, her words spilling out.
“Hey! You don’t like commoner food? That’s not right for a pampered lady!”
At that moment, someone Alice definitely didn’t want to see appeared.
“Respected noble young lady, how may I serve you?” Beautiful, gentle Doris greeted Leticia with a polite, albeit slightly imperfect, bow.
- Writer
