Guide to the Education and Training of Girls with Mentally Abnormalities

Chapter 23 Shifting the Blame East

The melodious music, like the fragrance of flowers, captivated the people on the dance floor.

Waiters carrying drinks and food moved back and forth in the banquet hall. Gentlemen with knives and forks chatted with their companions about recent events at the table, while the ladies beside them either swirled their red wine or used a small silver spoon to enjoy a small piece of cake in front of them with feigned modesty.

When the people around them finished telling a story, they would always cover their mouths and chuckle at the right moment, as if to them, the tragic stories in the dungeon were as amazing or delightful as the income from the guild's shares, the profits from the manor, or a new hairstyle.

But in this beautiful atmosphere of clear skies and bright sunshine.

Only one corner of the banquet hall felt oppressive, like the sea under dark clouds.

Alicia stared intently at Edith. Although Edith's delicate and elegant face still maintained that standard, flawless smile, her eyes, as clear as the night sky, had lost their luster, becoming as unfathomable as an abyss, as menacing as a dragon ready to devour its prey.

"Butler, and tutor?" Under Alicia's deliberate control, her question did not break off like a violin with a broken string or a creaking saw due to the intense fluctuations of her emotions. Instead, it sounded gentler than before.

"Hmm." Edith stood with her arms crossed in a somewhat arrogant manner, her slightly raised head seemingly able to compensate for the difference in size with her aura.

Despite the suppression of her bloodline, the girl's feet still unconsciously moved closer to Edmund.

Even the hand that was held in front of her was now being held by Edith like the only tree trunk that could keep her from being blown away in a storm.

There is a saying that human suffering comes in two forms.

One type is where the money is not spent before the person dies; the other type is where the person is still alive but the money is all spent.

Perhaps Alicia was unaware of these things.

For the Enfield family, money is nothing more than a number that can never be exhausted.

For a young lady like her, youth and beauty are simply things she is born with and deserves. From the moment she was born, her noble bloodline naturally kept her isolated from the hardships of the world.

If she wants to.

There's nothing you can't get.

Alicia has never been so stubbornly eager to have something.

But when he saw the other person standing on his other side, looking at him politely as if greeting a stranger, he was surprised.

His sister, who had been expelled from the family, was able to hold his arm like a partner.

A knife-like pain surged from her chest to her throat, and the girl, who was trying to remain calm, swallowed hard.

"So, Mr. Clemens." Alicia smiled at Edmund, her eyes unreadable beneath her trembling eyelashes.

"Did you choose to leave without saying goodbye when I graduated so that you could stand beside my sister like this today?"

"Hey, sister, how could you say such mean things?"

Edith spoke before Edmund could.

"Actually, I was the one who approached Edmund first."

"You?" Alicia glanced at Edmund, her eyes brightening slightly.

In her heart, as long as Edmund didn't approach Edith on his own initiative, there was still hope.

Perhaps Edmund had his own reasons.

He is different.

Edith nodded, and with a cunning gesture, tilted her head slightly and rested it on Edmund's shoulder.

"I know that in your and Father's hearts, I am a disgrace to the Enfield family."

"I know that someone like me, who has been spoiled in the family, even with Willow by my side to accompany my parents, is no different from a piece of fat meat falling into the wolf pack in Karenbell, a city known for its adventures, after losing the protection of the family. It won't be long before I am devoured by the treacherous world."

"So..." the girl said playfully, drawing out her words.

She shrugged, a strange smile playing on her lips.

"I was reminded of Edmund, who once taught you."

"If he can serve as your teacher and pass the scrutiny of your butler grandfather and father, then he is definitely not one of those charlatans on the market who know nothing and rely on the name of adventure to pretend to be a noble adventurer and swindle people."

"Moreover, if he doesn't have the slightest ill intentions towards you, the White Rose of the Enfield family, then there's certainly no problem with a harbinger of doom like me."

Isn't he just a conman pretending to be a noble adventurer under the guise of adventure?

Compared to those who get exposed.

I'm just more willing to spend money on packaging myself than they are, and I'm better able to turn those bloody stories from the dungeons into romantic epics that are applauded, in a way that suits the aesthetics of the noble lords.

Edmund thought to himself.

But Alicia was thinking about something else entirely.

Her longing for Edmund and her pride as a member of the Enfield family made it difficult for her to elope with the ladies of those romantic tales, fleeing the towering castle for the sake of her beloved.

Her choice directly led to Edith being punished with confinement and a reduction in her allowance. In order to earn extra money from her sister, she took a risk and went outside the upper-class community. As a result, she was discovered by the Duke of Enfield, who, in a fit of rage, chose to expel Edith from the family.

So, I was the one who pushed Edmund to Edith's side?

Jealousy, guilt, helplessness.

Chaotic emotions are like paints haphazardly mixed together on a palette.

Alicia was unaware that Edith possessed a system; she could only attribute it all to a coincidence of fate.

"Is that so?" The girl's face was pale at this moment. She didn't know whether she should be happy that her sister had found a reliable partner, or mourn for her own relationship that ended before it even began.

"Yes, sister." Edith's smile became even brighter. If it weren't for the occasion, she would have jumped several feet high on the spot like a spring, let out a "Whoosh—!" and then run around the field three hundred times.

quack!

That's the kind of expression I want to see!

Sister, it must feel terrible to have your beloved things taken away, right?

Even if you become the heir to the Enfield family, so what?

The so-called "true ending" is to trample everyone else in the story underfoot, making them watch like defeated dogs as they walk towards a bright future with Edmund!

"Miss Alicia, please don't misunderstand. Miss Edith is at the most vibrant age, and children of this age are always as lively as larks, bringing the beauty of blooming flowers to their songs even before the end of winter."

Edith was overjoyed and nodded vigorously.

Others thought I was a harbinger of death, but Edmund said I was a lark!

"That's right, that's right, my relationship with Edmund is actually very pure—"

"A very pure employment relationship, just like when I signed my teaching contract with you," Edmund accepted. "She provides me with a salary, and I provide her with the services she requests."

"Yes, after all, compared to the person who truly accompanies Edmund..." Edith didn't finish her sentence. She took a step away from Edmund, revealing Esther, who had been unnoticed behind her.

"?"

The silver-haired girl made a questioning sound like a small animal. There was still some cream on her chin and the corners of her mouth, making it clear that she must have just been immersed in a sea of ​​cake and honey.

She glanced at Edmund, then at Alicia, who was smiling but seemed rather unfriendly, and at Edith beside her with a sly grin.

what?

Is it my turn?