Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Classroom Scandal
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I was startled.
The back door of the classroom burst open with a loud bang right in the middle of class, making my heart nearly drop out of my chest.
“Manfred Seller!”
The young woman who stormed in shouting the theory professor's name was dressed in outdated clothes that showed heavy signs of wear and tear, even though her hair was neatly combed.
With her hands on her hips, I could see the sleeves frayed and pilling inside.
A look of utter exasperation flashed across the called-out professor's face.
At the same time, he scanned the students with a mix of embarrassment and panic.
“Dear, why are you here...?”
“Why? I came because I heard some ridiculous story! Is it true you're cheating on me behind my back?”
“No, no, let's talk about that at home later. Do you know where you are, chasing me here?”
“Don't change the subject—tell me straight! Is it true you bought a house for that mistress and set her up with a household?”
Wow.
The scene of love and war unfolding before our eyes was apparently quite stimulating for the kids.
Even Dietrich, who had been dozing off with his head nearly buried in his desk, and Lavinia, who had been snoring away, now had their eyes sparkling as they watched the couple intently.
'Must be family of an employee—they got through the family inspection for the main estate.'
They often allowed family visits for people with special statuses like professors or knights.
The woman, fuming like she was about to breathe fire, lunged at the flustered professor.
“You vile man! You complain that your professor's salary is peanuts and won't even pay the healing offering for our son's treatment at the Grand Temple!”
I'd pegged him as trash ever since he threatened Erich, but he really was.
“And behind my back, you buy a house for another woman, shower her with jewels I've never even seen!”
“Aaaah! Dear, de-dear, stop!”
“I heard you even sneaked her into the professors' wives' gathering? Rubies, emeralds... You practically robbed a jeweler for her!”
Good heavens.
“When I heard that story, how much, how much it...!”
“Aaaah! G-guards! Guards!”
The skinny professor couldn't shake off his furious wife and got his hair yanked around for quite a while.
It took the main estate guards rushing in at his screams to finally pry them apart.
The woman clung to his hair until the very end.
As they separated, strands of hair floated through the air like dandelion seeds.
The professor, looking like his soul had fled, barely steadied himself against the lectern, gasping for breath.
His face made it clear class couldn't continue.
'This could be useful.'
I was determined to separate Professor Seller from Erich by any means necessary. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The moment class ended and I spotted Nurse and Betty coming to pick me up, I ran straight to Nurse and started babbling about the day's events.
“Nurse, today boom! Professor hair pulled!”
“Pardon?”
Anger crept across Nurse's face as she listened to my explanation.
Betty, standing beside her, exploded first.
“What kind of awful man does that?”
“Seller Professor bad guy?”
“Betty.”
When I mimicked Betty's words exactly, Nurse stopped her and bowed her head toward me.
“So you were quite startled, Miss?”
“No. Mariella not baby anymore, not scared. But...”
I deliberately trailed off, fiddling only with the brooch pinned to my skirt hem.
As I stood there rubbing precious gems with my fingertips and pouting sullenly, Betty raised her voice.
“That professor must have scared our little Miss badly! We should formally complain to the Duke about this, Nurse!”
“No. Not that. Mariella feel sorry for baby though.”
“Pardon? The baby?”
Worried Betty might run off to Grandfather right then, I hurriedly grabbed her skirt.
Betty, caught by her skirt, exchanged glances with Nurse and tilted her head.
“That daddy bad. Baby sick, but professor no pay healing offering, like that.”
“Must be getting treated at the Grand Temple? Sounds like the child's really ill.”
The center of medical knowledge in this era was the temples.
Nobles' private physicians weren't bad, but the consensus was they paled compared to temple priests.
Even great nobles preferred temple treatment over their personal doctors for serious illnesses.
They'd summon priests or stay at the temple for days.
The healing offering was the donation they passed to the temple as treatment fees.
'Just called an offering in name only.'
In reality, the fees were exorbitantly high—commoners couldn't even dream of temple treatment.
'Erich's probably going to the Grand Temple for his treatments too.'
He went for regular checkups despite having the estate's personal physician.
“Anyway, can Mariella go see baby?”
“Pardon? You want to go, Miss?”
“Yeah. Go see, help if can. Baby sick, Mariella sad.”
“Oh my, our Miss is so kind...”
I did want to scout Erich's condition too, but I did intend to help if possible...
I avoided the emotional gazes from Nurse and Betty, scuffing my toe on the ground instead.
Nurse, who had full authority over my outings from Father, pondered briefly before nodding.
“The Grand Temple should be safe, so it’s fine to visit.”
“Yay!”
With Nurse's permission, preparations for the outing proceeded swiftly.
I set off for the Grand Temple with Nurse, Betty, and Peter as my escort. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Northern Grand Temple.
The temple we arrived at was the central one for the Northern Diocese.
Unlike small local temples, it was staffed by a cardinal directly under the Holy King.
Its grandeur was impressive.
Beautiful columns evoking Greek style stretched endlessly.
Between them, priests in robes embroidered with the crescent moon symbol of the church—their order's emblem—moved about.
“Welcome, Miss Mariella.”
As if tipped off by Nurse in advance, an elderly man with a beard came out to greet us at the entrance.
'Three crescent moons on his robe—must be a high-ranking priest.'
Lower or mid-rank would have one or two.
“We received word ahead. You wish to visit Dennis Seller?”
So the son's name was Dennis Seller.
I nodded, confirming the shared surname, and the priest began walking a few steps ahead of us.
“I've only heard rumors, but this is my first time meeting the Duke's beloved youngest granddaughter in person.”
The rumors had spread here too?
Seeing my face flush with embarrassment, the priest gave a gentle smile.
To swiftly change the subject, I asked about Dennis.
“Dennis hurt bad?”
“Ah, it's generational curse. A condition that usually appears only in the direct line of the Duke's family, but manifesting in such a distant collateral branch is unprecedented.”
“What sickness?”
“Less a sickness and more... an inborn constitution, we'd say.”
Constitution?
“Do you know that among bloodlines who wield Divine Grace, some are occasionally born unable to use it?”
I'd never heard of that.
Shaking my head, the priest elaborated.
“Divine Grace borrows the gods' power, placing a heavy burden on the body.”
“Yes.”
“Thus, some are born unable to manifest it at all—often called 'cursed by the gods.'”
“Curse?”
“Figurative, but curse-like indeed. Their Divine Grace circuits are twisted from birth, causing constant high fevers and pain as they grow. Frail bodies too.”
This sounded just like...
“Moreover, those born with this constitution usually perish before adulthood...”
High fevers, pain, early death.
It all eerily matched someone I knew, sending chills down my spine.