The Difference Between Having a Powerful Backer and Not (2)
The Difference Between Having Powerful Backing and Not
"What are your names again? Ring and Ming, was it? Hahaha!"
Cade looked down at the two sisters, twisting his lips into a sneer.
"How fittingly simple for commoners!"
The two male students standing beside him snickered and chimed in.
"Right?"
"Ringming, Ringming, Ringming~ What a plain name. If there's a younger sibling, is their name Bing?"
"Or maybe Ding."
The two boys kept giggling as they mocked the sisters. One was Tevin, the second son of Baron Baldwin's family, and the other was Ryle, the third son of Baron Carlton's house. Cade, Tevin, and Ryle were relieving the stress built up from hunger and irritation by tormenting Ring and Ming.
"Tevin, Ryle. How in the world did these bitches even get into Tartaros Academy?"
Cade asked his friends in a mocking tone while staring at the sisters. Tevin narrowed his eyes, still fixed on Ring and Ming, and sneered.
"Who knows? How did they get in? Did they use their looks? Huh?"
Tevin glanced over the sisters as he spoke.
"How did mere commoners manage to worm their way into Tartaros Academy, a place only nobles attend? Did they offer their bodies to get in?"
Ryle jumped in even more crudely.
"Yeah, who did you seduce? Who filled out your admission form for you? Come on, tell us who you spread your legs for to get accepted. We need to know just how impressive the backers of these commoner students are so we can be properly afraid, right? Hahaha!"
Kael clicked his tongue inwardly as he listened to them.
Idiots. They think Tartaros Academy is only for nobles? Anyone can come here. It's just that nobles are the only ones forcibly dragged in!
Tartaros Academy was a place where admission was mandatory for noble children, but in truth, anyone could enter. The only reason commoners rarely did was because even they couldn't stomach the hellish environment here.
The name Tartaros Academy was synonymous with terror across the continent—so much so that people would rather starve to death outside or live ordinary lives than set foot here.
If the Ring and Ming sisters had come here of their own free will, it meant they had shown tremendous courage in pursuit of success.
"Ugh…"
The sisters shrank back under the barrage of mockery from Cade's group. The older sister, Ring, tightly held her younger sister Ming's hand and kept her head bowed without saying a word. Fear swam in her brown eyes.
"Hic…"
Ming couldn't hold back her resentment; her eyes began to glisten with tears. The sight of her biting her small lips and fighting back sobs revealed a fragility born from the gap in status, despite her normally sharp charm.
But their silence only twisted Cade's face with irritation.
"Hey, you commoner bitches. Are you ignoring me? I'm starving and pissed off enough to die, so tonight I'll have to use your bodies to nourish myself. This coarse black bread tastes so disgusting I can barely swallow it. Maybe if I eat you two, the bread will go down easier?"
Cade gave a vile smile as his gaze swept over them. His eyes blatantly traced the deep cleavage of Ring's ample breasts and Ming's thighs. As the sisters shrank back even further from that greedy stare, Tevin and Ryle burst into laughter and played along.
"Oh! That's a great idea. Hey, Ringming. Let's head straight to bed after class. Before dinner, we'll have to use your bodies to restore our strength. Not bad looking for commoner sluts."
"Hey, Cade, Tevin. Let me join in. I'm going crazy from hunger. If I could just lick these bitches' pussies and assholes, it might settle my stomach. Haha. Commoner girls, isn't it an honor that you get the chance to experience noble cocks in your pathetic lives?"
Ring and Ming's faces turned deathly pale. Ring gripped Ming's hand even tighter while Ming trembled, tears streaming down her cheeks. The sisters' bodies shook pitifully. Cade's group's verbal abuse had crossed from mere mockery into outright sexual threats.
Perhaps because of this, even Princess Eleonora shot them a displeased look and seemed ready to stand up. But she wasn't the only one who felt disgusted.
Kael had been watching the scene and slowly rose from his seat. He turned toward Cade and spoke in a low voice.
"Why don't you stop making so much noise and just go back to your seats? You're annoying the hell out of me."
At Kael's words, Cade's face stiffened instantly. He glared at Kael but had no choice but to shut his mouth. Tevin and Ryle did the same.
Irritation flashed in their eyes, but it quickly turned to unease.
Kael was the second son of the Aberwin ducal family. Even if he was considered a disgrace to the house, the fact that he was still the second son of Duke Aberwin remained unchanged.
If a mere baronial family dared harm Kael, the Aberwin ducal house would crush them as an example—regardless of whether they liked him or not—to preserve their honor. Mess up badly enough, and by the time winter break arrived in thirty months of internal time, their family home might no longer exist.
That was why, even though they badmouthed him behind his back on purpose, no one ever laid a hand on him.
Besides, he remembered what Principal Albert had said yesterday. The principal had declared that anyone who touched Kael would be punished with the full extent of his authority. Cade's group hurriedly bowed their heads and fled back to their seats in silence.
They had tried to vent the stress from their hunger and ended up humiliated instead. Kael watched their retreating backs and sneered inwardly.
If things go as I expect, you'll probably end up as the main targets the other students pick on. I'll pray for your souls in advance.
Then Kael turned his gaze toward Ring and Ming. The two sisters were still sitting there with pale faces.
"Are you okay? You must have been really scared."
At his words, Ring lifted her head first. Her clear brown eyes were filled with gratitude as they met his.
"Y-you're Sir Kael, right? Thank you so much for helping us."
Ming wiped her tears and added,
"Thank you for saving us."
Kael nodded with a smile.
"If you ever need help, just tell me. I'll help with anything I can."
Kael felt that his own past of being constantly slandered was similar to their situation. That was why he decided to offer help like this.
Anyway, with all the professors now on his side, lending a hand wasn't difficult.
Just then, Principal Albert descended from the platform, followed by Professor Lucia. She approached Kael with her sky-blue hair swaying and asked gently,
"Kael, did something happen? Do you need my help?"
Principal Albert nodded as well and said,
"Hehe, Student Kael. If there's anything you want to ask of me, feel free to say it. I'll do my best to help with whatever I can."
Kael smiled and shook his head.
"I'm fine, Professor Lucia, Principal. It's already been taken care of. Thank you for your concern."
Ring and Ming watched the scene with wide eyes. They were stunned to see Principal Albert and Professor Lucia openly showing such favoritism toward Kael.
Admiration naturally filled the sisters' gazes.
"Wow~"
Receiving such envious looks, Kael thought their admiration was still premature.
There's still so much more to be truly amazed about.
Principal Albert laughed and said,
"Hehe, then I'll be on my way. If you need to use my authority for anything, just let me know."
"Kael, call me anytime if you need anything. I'll grant any request you make, so don't hesitate to summon me."
The blatantly excessive favoritism from both Principal Albert and Professor Lucia made Cade's group, who had returned to their seats, grind their teeth.
"That bastard… why is he being favored like that?"
"Seriously. First the principal, and now even that beautiful professor is openly taking his side? Why?"
Meanwhile, at Irina's table, similar reactions emerged.
Marina covered her mouth and whispered,
"My lady, why is that… Kael… guy—no, sir—being so favored by the professors? Yesterday the principal said those things, and today even that professor…"
Yuliana also asked with a curious look.
"Do you know anything about it? Or… maybe his ability is special?"
Irina set down her coarse black bread and looked at Kael. Her green eyes were clouded with confusion.
"I don't know either. Why on earth…?"
While everyone was lost in confusion, Kael was chatting with Ring and Ming.
"I really don't know how to repay this kindness."
At Ring's words, Kael smiled and replied,
"Then come to my room after class and talk with me for a bit. Honestly, it's too boring here. I'd like to hear how you two ended up coming to Tartaros Academy."
"…Yes, Sir Kael."
At the mention of coming to his room, Ring's face flushed slightly as if some strange thought had crossed her mind. Ming's face turned red just like her sister's.
"I'm not going to force myself on you or anything, so don't get any weird ideas. I really just want to hear your story."
"I-I wasn't thinking anything like that."
"M-me neither!"
Seeing the two sisters panic at the same time, Kael thought they really were siblings. He smiled inwardly.
Come to think of it, it's interesting. These two are pretty much the only students here who haven't tried to harm me.
As this went on, the time for the first class slowly approached.
The long-awaited first lesson at Tartaros Academy was about to begin.
