Chapter 12: Marquis: Lynch will surely forget Edith soon

Edith was looking at the ground with her eyes downcast when she suddenly felt everyone's eyes fixed on her. She barely broke free from her daze and looked straight ahead.

The first thing that caught her eye was the firm and powerful fingers of the red-haired noble lady.

"?" She didn't understand and hesitantly stretched out her hand, imitating the other person's gesture and pointing at herself.

"Yes, it's you." Hedda immediately got rid of her previous gentle temperament, and every move she made seemed decisive and efficient.

After pointing at Edith, she turned to look at Marquis Charles, "I see you all don't like her very much. Mrs. Charles also said that she would not let her be Lynch's final companion. Then why not just give her to me? It won't be a painful parting for you."

Marquis Charles was amazed that she had the guts to take the polite words seriously and make such a direct request, while he cast a puzzled look at his wife beside him.

He still didn't understand why Edith was in the drawing room, nor why Hedda was so determined to take her away.

"I'm sorry, Miss Turner. You may not know that this companion of Lynch's just came out of the slums and entered Charles's home a month ago. He has not received any systematic etiquette education or magic enlightenment education."

Marquis Charles acted as if he was doing this for her own good. "The entrance exam for Beaujolais College is extremely important for new students. The strength of your tutor can greatly influence your admission ranking. For your future, I suggest that you find a more capable noble lady in the capital to be your tutor. I believe this is not a difficult task for Duke Turner."

"Of course, the most important thing is etiquette." Marquis Charles seemed to be hesitant to speak, "... Allowing such a lowly person to enter the college is a disgrace to the Turner family's reputation."

"You wouldn't want to see her staring at the family title, knocking over a wine glass at a ball, or asking the teacher in Potions class why you can't make potions with carrots."

"Mrs. Charles got her skirt caught in the bushes while taking a walk, but this lady was able to take it out intact. I believe you can tell who is more clumsy with your eyes." Hedda refused to give in, but her face was always smiling. "She is not willing to give up even a study partner... It seems that Sir Charles is not really interested in repairing the relationship between the two families."

The smile on Marquis Charles's face was about to fade away.

Anyone would be unhappy to be pointed at and scolded by a child much younger than themselves, but the other party's family is very powerful, so they really don't dare to confront each other at this moment.

He could only try his best to calm himself down and think about the consequences of sending Edith away.

——Obviously, there are no consequences, only benefits.

He has already found a new study partner for Lynch - the adopted son of the president of the Oliver City Merchants Guild. Although he is an adopted son, he is a businessman whose identity is defined by financial resources rather than bloodline. In addition, the boy has been influenced by etiquette since childhood and looks no worse than a noble.

That person is much better than Edith in every aspect. The only thing he needs to worry about is Gray's identity as a recommender. In order to maintain the relationship with the Grand Mage, he cannot drive that person away without a reason.

Being taken away by Hedda couldn't be better.

It was the other party who took the initiative, not himself who abandoned her; Edith could continue to attend school as a companion, and for her, this future was not too bright, and it was worthy of Gray's expectations; satisfying Hedda's requirements could further consolidate his relationship with the Turner family.

If you think more broadly, with such a bad study partner entering the academy, Heda's grades will probably not be very good, and Lynch will have one less rival.

As for Lin Qi's opinion? I heard that he really liked this study partner, but the child would make a fuss for two days, and when a new study partner who was stronger and of the same age came, he would probably forget about Edith.

Although Heda's initiative to "ask" for it makes him seem to have no face, from the perspective of long-term development, it is indeed a good choice.

"Since you insist on doing this, I won't interfere." After figuring out the key points, Marquis Charles sighed and looked at Edith for the first time. "From today on, you are no longer Lynch's study partner, but Miss Turner's."

"Whether she finally recognizes you as a study partner or makes you a maid, you should respect her and do your duty as a servant."

Edith didn't understand how she had suddenly become an "object" that was sent back and forth. She only had time to sigh in her heart, "The lower-class commoners are really not considered human beings in the eyes of the nobles," before Hedda took the initiative to take her hand and led her out the door.

She missed the previous confrontation, and only after listening to the conversation between Hedda and Marquis Charles did she roughly understand the current situation. Although she didn't know why Miss Hedda had chosen her, but thinking carefully, this transaction between nobles was in her favor.

There is no need to save money for the trip, as this young lady's home is in the royal capital, and she can be taken directly back to a familiar place; there is no need to worry about Marquis Charles discovering the disappearance of the sword, leaving the manor, and hiding beside the duke's heir, where no one dares to touch her; there is no need to worry about not being able to enter the academy, as Hedda seems to be a person with her own opinions, and her say in the family seems to be much higher than Lynch's, so if she is asked to be a companion, it will definitely work - in short, it is a hundred benefits with no disadvantages.

The only possible shortcoming was that she did not know Heda's character, but as long as they reached the royal capital, even if the other party was a brutal criminal, she was sure that she could escape with her sister.

So Edith chose to keep her mouth shut and quietly be a vase that was sent here and there.

She walked out of the door under Mrs. Charles' half-hateful, half-relieved gaze, explained a few words to Hedda about her sister's existence, and quickly ran back to her own nest, packed her few luggage, and got into the carriage outside the manor without looking back, carrying her sister who looked puzzled.

Edith was so efficient throughout the process that she didn't even disturb Lynch who was sulking in the house. She disappeared quietly on a small road in Oliver City.

......

"Why did you bring me out here?"

After settling her luggage and sister, Edith quietly left the room late at night and walked into Hedda's study.

What made her a little regretful was that Hedda did not set out to return to the capital immediately, but settled in Hulda City, which was not far from Oliver City but was obviously much more prosperous. She planned to wait until the Fire Festival on January 1st was over and the winter snow melted before setting out on the journey home.

"My great-grandfather is in poor health and is recuperating in the Mage Tower. My mother died early, and my relationship with other relatives is average. It's better to be comfortable here." Heda seemed to see Edith's doubts and took the initiative to speak, "As for why I chose you..."

"I saw you use magic."

Edith frowned, then realized the problem - she was saving Mrs. Charles's skirt in front of Hedda.

She thought she was hiding very well, but it was still visible to the naked eye. For a mage who could sense the existence of magic, it was not a problem to find her hands and feet.

But is Heda's magic perception ability so high? At the age of 15, an apprentice, it's good enough that she can feel the magic in her body. And she tried her best to control the overflow of magic...

"There is a stain on your skirt. I stepped on it myself." Heda crossed her arms and had a look of contempt on her face. "It was wet mud on the side of the road, about half the size of a foot. But after you left, the stain disappeared."

"Although I can't sense the specific means you used, but since you were recommended by the Grand Mage, you must have used a spell, right?"

So it's not direct perception, but observation through details...

Edith hadn't expected this reason, but after thinking about it carefully, it was indeed reasonable. She nodded and showed the most sincere smile in the past month - this new boss seemed much smarter than Lynch.

"Yes, I used the Disengagement Charm and the Cleansing Charm," Edith said frankly.

Heda nodded calmly, "I knew it."

"Your wand is hidden in your sleeve, right? Take it out and give it to me. It's better to throw away the inferior one given by Charles's family. I will find someone to customize a better one." She stretched out her hand to Edith. "In case you are not used to it, I need the data of your original wand."

"...Ahem." Edith coughed lightly, "I didn't."

Heda: “?”

Hedda: "Don't joke. Since the Charles family asked you to be their study partner, they must have given you a magic wand. Otherwise, how would you practice with Lynch? As a target?"

"In fact, I didn't get permission to take the Charms class with Lynch." Edith shrugged. "For the past month, I have been serving as a swordsman for Master Charles."

"You know, they didn't plan on having me actually accompany Lynch to the academy."

She stopped talking and looked into Hedda's eyes. Hedda paused for a long time before she managed to speak calmly: "That means the Grand Mage Gray gave you the wand."

Edith: "He only met with me once and didn't have time to send anything."

Hedda paused again.

"...Let's not talk about how to cast spells without a wand. As an orphan from the slums, you only had contact with Gray once. Were you allowed to take spells classes with Lynch...Then where did you learn all the spells?" Hedda felt her throat tighten and had to pick up the water glass and take two sips.

"Self-study." Edith remained calm.

Hedda: “…”

Hedda: "...that wandless magic thing—"

Edith: “Also self-taught.”

It was difficult for her to explain the reincarnation of her soul, and she could only stick to the word "self-taught". In order to enhance her credibility, she also exaggerated her original life experience, creating a tragic image of a person who had read magic books since childhood but had to live in the slums due to family changes.

Heda still kept his head down and remained silent.

Edith shut up. After all, she planned to stay with him for a long time as a study partner, so she had to make up an excuse in advance.

She didn't know what expression Hedda would have when she looked up next time - either smiling in acceptance, or doubting her ability, or at worst concluding that she was lying and then torturing her. But no matter what the reaction was, she was sure to deal with it.

Edith's mind was spinning with explanations for different scenarios. She looked toward Hedda with ease, waiting for her to speak.

Hedda's reaction was beyond her expectations.

"Heh." She snorted coldly, put her hand to cover one of her eyes, and then laughed arrogantly.

Edith: “…”

She felt a little confused about the scene before her.

The red-haired girl spread the five fingers of her right hand and inserted them firmly into the hair on top of her head, instantly pushing all the hair hanging in front of her eyes back.

Her bright red eyes sparkled in the candlelight. "Is that so? The gods heard my prayers and are finally blessing me!"

"First, the son born by that woman was found to be a waste. Then my great-grandfather discovered my talent and chose me to be the heir. Then, I successfully broke off my engagement with that idiot. Now, a rare genius has been sent to assist me!"

"Is this the attraction of a leader that my great-grandfather talked about?"

She spread her arms wide, put her head down, and gave Edith a confident look.

"Sure enough, I am the center of this world!"

Edith: “.”

She tried hard to hold back her laughter, lowered her head, and tried to adjust her expression.

She almost forgot that this girl who looked calm and composed was not the old-fashioned guy she had come into contact with in her previous life.

She is only 15 years old.

......

Charles Manor.

Lin Qi stubbornly refused to go see his mother yesterday, but to his surprise, his mother never sent anyone to look for him again, so he escaped the disaster.

Phew... I'll put it off for a day. If I put it off until next September, my mother might be willing to let Edith go to school with him.

Lynch was in a good mood as he looked at the bright sunshine outside the window.

The spells tutor took a week off the day before yesterday, which meant that he had no special plans for the whole day today.

He can spend the whole day in the training ground practicing sword skills with Edith. He must withstand three moves from the opponent today, definitely!