Tea Time While Others Attend Class, and the Right to Participate
In the midst of students staring at him with piercing intensity, Kael leisurely took a sip of his tea.
Beside him, the sisters Ring and Ming clung tightly to his side, nibbling on cookies. Their brown eyes sparkled with pure happiness.
“Master Kael, these cookies are truly delicious! They just melt in your mouth,” Ring said with a bright smile.
“That’s right! They’re so rich and sweet! It’s amazing how something that feels so crisp turns into this smooth, melting texture inside your mouth!”
Ring praises you: “Master Kael, these cookies are truly delicious! They just melt in your mouth.”
Ming praises you: “That’s right! They’re so rich and sweet! It’s amazing how something that feels so crisp turns into this smooth, melting texture inside your mouth!”
The sisters’ delighted comments echoed across the clearing. The students listening to them twisted their faces in disgust. They were the ones suffering through the sour torment of coarse black bread. Yet here were these commoner sisters, laughing and eating cookies with Kael. Rage and resentment surged within them.
“What the hell… those commoner bitches are eating cookies?”
One male student muttered through gritted teeth.
“Why do we have to eat that disgusting black bread while they get to enjoy something that actually tastes good?”
“Exactly! This is bullshit!”
The female students erupted in complaint as well.
Kael ignored their reactions and popped another piece of cookie into his mouth. The warm, delicate aroma of the tea gently complemented the rich flavor of the butter cookie. He took the sisters’ hands, gently stroking the backs of them, and smiled.
“Go on, keep enjoying them.”
“Yes, Master Kael…”
Ring and Ming blushed shyly at his touch and took another bite. Their blissful expressions drove a dagger straight into the students’ hearts.
Professor Lucia stood in the center of the clearing and shouted coldly.
“It’s already been nearly two minutes! You have three minutes left, so hurry up and get ready!”
The pure yet seductive charm radiating from Professor Lucia in her white crop top and short denim skirt captured everyone’s attention. However, the painful memories of her classes made the students shrink back.
“I want to have my own tea time with Master Kael soon, so move it!”
At those words, the students stirred. The anger of those who saw this as unfair finally exploded.
“What? You send us all away and then enjoy tea time by yourself?”
A male student shouted, clenching his fists. His face flushed red with fury.
“Professor! Why do we have to suffer like this? We already had to choke down that awful black bread this morning—it’s so unfair!”
One female student cried out, her voice trembling.
“That’s right! Professor Lucia, this is too unfair! We can understand if it’s for Lord Aberwin, but why are those commoner girls getting special treatment? Why do those worthless commoner bitches get cookies while we don’t?!”
Another female student protested.
“We want to eat something delicious too!”
Professor Lucia cut off their complaints with a single sharp remark. Her sky-blue eyes gleamed coldly.
“Unfair? Do you really think you have the right to talk about fairness? Unlike Ring and Ming, you’re all trying to get something for nothing. What kind of thieving mindset is that? How pathetic.”
Her voice was as cold as ice. The students’ faces stiffened. Having grown up believing their noble status granted them automatic privilege, they couldn’t easily accept her words.
“Even those worthless commoner girls get to eat like that.”
“Why do we have to pay a price?”
The clearing filled with angry murmurs and dissatisfaction. The sight of two mere commoners eating butter cookies left the students glaring at Kael Aberwin with a mixture of fury and utter disbelief.
No matter how much of a disgrace he was to his family, he was still the second son of Duke Aberwin. It felt deeply unjust that he would favor those two commoners over nobles like themselves.
“That’s right! We nobles should be treated better!”
“This is ridiculous!”
Kael wasn’t surprised by their reaction. The sense of entitlement that nobles held toward their status was simply common sense in this world.
Thanks to his memories from his previous life, he viewed that privilege not as natural law but as a tool. That made him the odd one out.
Even on Earth, in societies with class systems, people treated such privileges as obvious.
Especially in this world of aura and magic, nobles possessed real power to back up their status—unlike on Earth.
Even after everything they did to me, they still think like this.
Irina Rosengart, who had turned him into a laughingstock in high society. Those who had ridden her coattails. Those who had watched indifferently or joined in the mockery.
He had been so thoroughly buried by the social world that even the indifferent Aberwin ducal family had been forced to step in. The titles “shame of the ducal house” and “incompetent fool” had followed him like a shadow.
Yet these students were furious that he had given butter cookies to commoners like Ring and Ming instead of to nobles like themselves.
If one were to interpret their glares, it would go something like this:
Yes, they had done things that earned Kael’s resentment. But that was only because Kael was an incompetent who couldn’t handle either swordsmanship or magic properly. It wasn’t their fault. Moreover, while people were starving, Kael was giving food to pets instead of to humans.
That’s about the extent of it.
Therefore, reducing their own status below that of commoners—whom they viewed as nothing more than tools or pets—would be the perfect revenge.
It’d be nice if one more idiot stepped up and talked back right about now.
They weren’t stupid. They could sense that the scales of power had tilted overwhelmingly in his favor. But they still hadn’t truly internalized it.
Knowing something with your head and feeling it with your body were two different things. Kael sincerely hoped someone like Finit would step forward. If that happened, more people’s pride would shatter completely.
There are other ways, of course.
Right now, everyone was hesitating because of their pride. But the current situation was like a dam on the verge of bursting under floodwaters.
These nobles, who had never known discomfort in their lives, were still holding on with sheer pride. But that too would soon reach its limit.
Meanwhile, a few female students, noticing that Professor Lucia’s white crop top and short denim skirt matched Ring and Ming’s outfits, and considering how the professor acted around Kael, guessed that the clothing might be a uniform symbolizing that they were Kael’s women.
And among them was one student who valued practicality over pride.
“Professor Lucia, wait! After everyone enters the gate… could I have some time to speak with Lord Aberwin alone?”
The students, who had been heading toward the gate while grumbling, stopped at the sound of one girl’s voice ringing across the clearing.
She was a pure-looking girl with dark green hair and matching dark green eyes. Kael immediately recognized her.
It’s Serenity.
Serenity Esmeral. The daughter of Viscount Esmeral. She hadn’t drawn much attention before. While her beauty and figure were outstanding, high society was filled with beautiful women.
Even Irina, the duke’s daughter from the Rosengart family, was top-class in appearance alone.
However, Serenity seemed to be the most sensitive to the flow of power and the quickest to act.
“No. Do you really think I’ll grant such a request during class?”
Professor Lucia rejected her coldly and firmly.
“Please, Professor! I’m begging you! Even if it’s just for a moment… please let me speak with Lord Aberwin alone.”
Serenity clasped her hands together, pleading desperately. Her dark green eyes were filled with earnest longing. The other students clicked their tongues at her behavior.
“What the hell? Why is she acting like that all of a sudden?”
“Is she seriously going to grovel to Kael?”
“She has no shame.”
Unsurprisingly, the reactions toward Serenity were far from positive. Hearing the whispers around her, her body trembled. But she continued to gaze at Kael with pitiful, pleading eyes.
Practicality over pride, huh? Well, pride is bound to crumble here eventually anyway.
Kael watched Serenity’s actions with interest. Besides his plan of waiting for someone like Finit to cause a scene, he had prepared another approach. It was precisely for students like Serenity.
She’ll be the one to break the dam.
Kael gave an order to Professor Lucia.
“Lucia, let her stay behind for five minutes to talk. Send everyone else in right now.”
“Yes, Master Kael.”
Professor Lucia bowed respectfully. The students were stunned by the sight of her changing even the class schedule at Kael’s command.
“What…? Professor Lucia is actually submitting to Kael like that?”
“That’s going way too far! She’s a Grand Archmage—how can she act like this?”
A few female students began to waver as they watched Professor Lucia. The noble students who had proudly clung to their privilege and sense of superiority were now seeing cracks form.
The 50% split from yesterday and Serenity’s bold move had created yet another fracture among them.
All of you will fall beneath even the commoners you despise.
Kael thought coldly to himself as he took another sip of tea, gazing at Serenity.
“Time’s up! Get into the gate now! Before I throw you in myself!”
At Professor Lucia’s command, the students swallowed their complaints and confusion, disappearing into the gate one by one. Irina, just before entering, bit her lip and stared at Kael.
Once all the students had gone, only Serenity remained in the clearing.
“You have five minutes. Speak quickly.”
Serenity swallowed hard as she stared at the butter cookies Kael was eating, then politely bowed her head to him.
“Lord Aberwin… please accept me… as your woman, just like those two commoner sisters and Professor Lucia. I beg you.”
It was something every student had already guessed. But unlike the hot-blooded twenty-year-olds who stubbornly clung to pride, Serenity had quickly read the flow of power. She had set aside her dignity and stepped forward first.
Kael smiled faintly.
“First, stand up straight and stay still.”
At his command, Serenity immediately rose and stood tall. Her white slip dress accentuated her pure appearance, but her trembling hands and eyes were filled with tension and desperate longing. Kael slowly approached her and gave her bottom a few light pats over the dress.
“Eep…!”
Serenity flinched at his touch but did not resist. Her dark green eyes quivered with embarrassment. It was quite a humiliating act for a noblewoman, yet she was doing her best to read his mood and please him.
“Good. Then now…”
Kael smiled as he slipped his hand under her skirt. Serenity instinctively started to raise her hand in resistance, but she clenched her teeth and lowered it again. When Kael pulled down her pure white panties, they slid down her thighs with a soft rustling sound.
“Lift your leg.”
“…Yes.”
Serenity closed her eyes and obeyed. Her panties were completely removed. Kael held them for a moment before opening his subspace and tossing them inside.
The panties vanished into the blue portal that appeared in midair. Serenity’s eyes widened in shock.
“A… a subspace?!”
“Ah, I won’t be explaining that.”
There was no need to tell her it had come from the Astral Gear. After speaking firmly, Kael handed her a butter cookie.
“This is payment for the panties. Take it.”
With trembling hands, Serenity accepted the butter cookie. Without hesitation, she brought it to her mouth. The crisp surface crunched between her teeth, filling her mouth with a rich buttery aroma. The sweet sugar and melting butter created an intense burst of flavor that overwhelmed her tongue.
The taste of the butter cookie far surpassed any dessert from the Esmeral viscount family. The perfect harmony of richness and sweetness danced across her palate, sending waves of ecstasy through her.
“Hng… It’s… it’s too good.”
Serenity unknowingly shed tears.
Having just escaped the hellish torment of coarse black bread, the experience felt even more heavenly.
For the price of this single butter cookie, having her panties taken by Kael felt like nothing at all.
