“You must report every day. Make sure that no suspicious people are lurking around Reina. That those who are jealous do not engage in any mischief. That that Crisia fellow maintains a proper distance.”

Kirian nodded his head in surprise.

“If there’s anything suspicious, you can act without waiting for my instructions.”

“I will do my best.”

The atmosphere in the study, which had turned into a strategic meeting like a military command center, naturally straightened Kirian’s back.

“Good. Prepare to pack and leave.”

At the duke’s command, Kirian bowed.

“Kirian.”

As Kirian reached for the door handle, the duke’s voice came from behind him.

“Yes, Father?”

Turning around, the duke was scowling, his chin resting on his fist.

“The ducal house can cover up even a murder.”

It took a moment to believe the words just spoken by his normally gentle father. But Kirian soon smiled and bowed again.

“Yes. Thank you.”

(This is a time delimiter.)

Midterms were approaching, and an emergency meeting was called among the academy teachers.

“What are we going to do about this situation?!”

The literature teacher shouted, slamming the blackboard. His voice trembled slightly with fear, uncharacteristic of his bulky frame.

In the center of the blackboard was the phrase ‘Creating Midterm Grades for Princess Reina,’ written in large letters.

“Are we forging the report card?”

The history teacher, unable to sit still from anxiety, clenched and unclenched his hands several times.

“What if the duke asks for the original test paper?”

The etiquette teacher, pale, pointed out.

“Last time we sent the original test paper…”

“Why on earth did you do such a foolish thing…!”

Master Grims, who had been watching the meeting, finally stomped up. The etiquette teacher, whose face had halved in size from stress over the past few months, began to sob at the principal’s scolding.

The whole incident was as follows.

Thanks to a new appointment at the academy, the etiquette teacher had not been affected by the duke’s letter offensive. On the first day of class, she gave a simple quiz on the order of using utensils.

So far, so good. It’s only natural for a teacher to gauge the level of her future students.

But the naïve etiquette teacher sent the graded papers to the ducal house, and the situation rapidly escalated to disaster.

Thus, she received an invitation from the ducal house and, thrilled at the thought of meeting the famous duke and duchess, set off.

“Our daughter got 20 points?”

But no sooner had she settled on the sofa than the test paper, crisscrossed with red ink, was thrust under her nose.

The etiquette teacher began to explain on the spot.

“We had a quiz, and it seems that Princess Reina needs to practice her dining etiquette…”
“Is it being said that our daughter does not know dining etiquette now?”

The Duchess with her arms crossed clicked her head.

The etiquette teacher, who slowly began to realize the ways of the world as a subject, quickly bowed his head.

“Ah, no, that’s not what I mean…….”

The etiquette teacher sneakily glanced at Reina’s answer, where she confidently wrote that she would scoop dessert with a soup spoon.

“It seems you don’t know the purpose of the utensils…….”

But the Duchess’s brow did not relax despite her desperate explanation. The Duke also was staring at the test paper with a very serious face.

“Are you absurdly accusing our daughter of not being able to distinguish between a salad fork and a steak fork?”

“She’s never acted against etiquette during mealtime even once until now.”

As the Duke and Duchess began to attack together, a chill enveloped the etiquette teacher. She timidly pointed to a part of the test paper with her finger.

There Reina’s handwriting was boldly naming the salad fork as a steak fork.

“If, if you look here—”

The Duchess fluttered the test paper again.

“So it means that our daughter couldn’t have written this answer.”

Although she had somewhat realized the turning situation but not fully, the etiquette teacher scraped together her last conscience as a teacher and opened her mouth with difficulty.

“It’s definitely the Princess’s test paper—”

“Isn’t it switched with a student with a similar handwriting?”

As the Duchess’s voice went up by several decibels, the teacup on the table noisily shook.

“Madam, there must be some misunderstanding.”

The Duke’s cold gaze stabbed into the etiquette teacher as he patted his wife’s back.

“My wife is on the verge of collapsing from shock; what are you doing not providing a proper explanation?”

The Duchess, who seemed ready to charge across the tea table rather than collapse from shock, nodded her head.

“The shock just won’t pass.”

“I ap, apologize! I’m sorry!”

Afterwards, the etiquette teacher sent back the test paper after imitating Reina’s handwriting, but she had the sad history of having to be summoned by the Duke again and being investigated for imitating his daughter’s handwriting.

Master Grimes scolded the sobbing etiquette teacher.

“You should know that if you don’t resolve this situation, we’ll hire a new etiquette teacher next semester!”

Then the math teacher sneakily raised his hand, tilting his head.

“But, is the situation that serious?”

All the teachers’ gazes fixed on the math teacher at once.

“Princess Reina seems like she would receive good grades on her own, though.”

All the teachers’ eyes went sour in an instant.

“You’re someone who doesn’t even know the founding year of the empire.”

“You haven’t even glanced at a Shakespearean text.”

“You’re a person who would cut steak with a salad fork.”

Upon the trembling testimonies of the history, literature, and etiquette teachers, the math teacher tilted his head once more.

“It doesn’t seem like that…….”