The Teacher of Budding Villains Suffers Today, Too - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10
A few days later, in the morning.
Noah watched Rachel with apathetic eyes as she held her chin and unleashed a torrent of words from the teacher’s desk.
Over the past few days, the Rachel he had observed was, in a word, strange.
It was strange that she tried to drag him forward in every way, despite all the other teachers having given up on him. It was also strange that she never lost her smile in the process.
Honestly, by this point most people would have given up on him, but she never did. Not once. As if surrender didn’t exist in her vocabulary at all.
It wasn’t just him. When Roca or Eckerd were impolite or caused trouble, she never once let go of the children’s hand.
Rather, she met every situation willingly, as if it were all an opportunity for education.
‘Hmph. That’s one thing, but escape is escape.’
No matter how hard Rachel tried to look good in his eyes, it was a separate matter from escape.
His goal was to escape the school and return to Grandfather’s House, where he had hidden his precious belongings.
For that, he would stop at nothing.
‘I need to win over my brother too. He left the Toy that Grandfather gave him there as well. I’ll tell him to go get the Toy.’
It was obvious that his older brother Theo would also want to return to Grandfather’s House. If he could convince his brother, they might slip away from this place more easily.
Noah glanced sideways at the seat next to him. Theo was playfully twirling his quill pen, staring blankly out the window.
‘I need to find time to talk and make a plan.’
After that big incident, Rachel—the headmaster—had subtly avoided giving him and Theo any time alone together. Whenever they talked, another student or teacher was always present.
‘She’s doing it on purpose. I’m sure of it.’
At first, he wasn’t quite certain, but after a week passed, he could be sure. It was a situation designed very deliberately.
‘I need to try talking to him tonight.’
His brother Theo’s room was right next door.
If he slipped through the window while everyone was sleeping, he wouldn’t be caught. Noah bit his lip hard.
He was determined to meet his brother alone, no matter what it took.
Noah opened the window and began dangerously scaling the outer wall. He was on the third floor—if he fell, it could be serious.
Yet the thought of meeting his brother came before the thought of possibly getting hurt. He needed to see his brother first; then at least he could say something.
“Brother!”
Noah rapped on Theo’s window. Theo was already in deep sleep.
Growing frustrated, Noah knocked repeatedly—bang, bang. Then Theo’s body slowly stirred.
“Hey!”
Theo was startled to see his younger brother dangling outside the window and quickly rushed over. He opened the window and helped his brother climb inside.
“Are you out of your mind? What if you’d fallen!”
“Brother, you see? I’m not scared of things like this.”
Noah said proudly.
“So going to Grandfather’s House is possible too.”
“What?”
“Let’s go to Grandfather’s House. Let’s leave this place.”
“Ah… I’m not going.”
Despite dangerously making his way into his brother’s room, the answer that came back was frustratingly disappointing.
“Why?! You hate it here too!”
“I do hate it, but it’s also fun.”
“Fun? What’s fun about it?”
Theo was useless. Noah gnashed his teeth.
“Why do you want to stay here!”
“Isn’t it interesting? Every day is interesting to me now.”
Theo chuckled in response. His brother was truly no help at all.
“Why don’t you just let it go and accept it? This place might be more fun than you think. Honestly, I’m even starting to like Teacher Rachel a little, just a tiny bit.”
Theo finished his words flatly.
Noah sighed. Without his brother’s help, escaping this place alone would be difficult.
He would have to postpone running away for now.
* * *
“You’ve all worked hard today.”
Rachel stretched her arms wide and finally spoke, though barely.
She had maintained poor posture all day while teaching the children. Her shoulders were definitely stiff and knotted.
At times like this, she truly missed the acupuncture clinic. During her teaching days, her body would always tense up at the beginning of each semester, and she’d visit the clinic as if it were her own home.
“Still, it was a quiet day.”
“Indeed it was.”
This was a place full of incidents and accidents. Today, Roca and Eckerd had fought, Chase had run off to the back mountain, and Kana had accidentally set the garden on fire—which didn’t qualify as a ‘quiet day.’
By Swan Knight School standards, today had been a very peaceful day.
“Well then, everyone should go get some rest.”
With the dismissal, Henry and Colo bowed respectfully before leaving the headmaster’s office.
Yet Rachel continued with her stretching routine. She still had work to do.
‘Parent-teacher conferences are nerve-wracking no matter when you do them.’
Though technically it was a meeting with the boys’ older brother, but that hardly mattered.
Tonight, while everyone slept, she’d arranged a quiet meeting with Lucas to discuss their progress.
She’d deliberately chosen a late hour because if Theo and Noah realized their school life was being reported directly to their eldest brother, they’d hardly be pleased about it.
Rachel reviewed the compiled information she’d prepared on Theo and Noah.
It covered whether they’d shown growth during this time, and what incidents—if any—they’d caused.
After organizing all her materials and standing from her desk, a knock sounded at the door. Rachel quickly adjusted her appearance and approached it.
“Yes, please come in.”
As expected, Lucas appeared through the slightly opened doorway. Rachel greeted him with utmost courtesy and ushered him inside.
“How have you been?”
“I’ve been managing well, thank you for asking.”
Though there had been plenty of troublesome incidents at school, she saw no need to mention that outright.
“The journey here must have been long. Please, make yourself comfortable.”
“Of course.”
As she politely gestured toward the sofa, Lucas settled into it without hesitation. Every movement carried an unmistakable air of nobility.
Rachel stared at him in wonder for a moment, then caught herself and gave her head a small shake.
“Then I’ll begin by telling you about Theo and Noah’s daily life and their studies.”
While she regularly sent letters updating Lucas about the boys, he clearly wanted more detail. So she presented the materials she’d carefully prepared and began to explain.
Both were full of personality, and during their time at school, they’d caused various problems. It would be wonderful if she could do nothing but praise them, but that was simply impossible.
“Right now they’re engaging in somewhat problematic behavior, but I believe there’s plenty of room for improvement.”
If I give up on them, who will look after these children? Rachel spoke with determination, her voice firm with conviction.
Her eyes gleamed with resolve, and Lucas, who had been studying the documents, lifted his gaze to look at her directly.
“Is there something more you’d like to say…?”
Pinned under that handsome face and piercing stare, her heart suddenly began to race.
As Rachel’s voice came out hesitantly, he rested his chin on his hand and opened his mouth.
“No. I heard you clearly.”
Lucas found Rachel intriguing. It was the way she never gave up on the boys even when they caused her trouble, and the clarity of her voice that drew him in.
Perhaps, he thought, her smile was as beautiful as her voice. Lucas took in the woman before him with both eyes.
‘Rachel Swan. Quite fascinating.’
He met her blue eyes with his own gaze.
When their eyes met, Rachel smiled broadly. There was something in that smile that pulled at him.
‘I’ve never thought her beautiful before.’
Until now, he’d never once felt that Rachel Swan was beautiful. Yet today, watching her radiant before him, Lucas found himself thinking she was quite lovely indeed.
‘Is it because she’s different from the others?’
Among the countless women at the Imperial Palace, there was not one who lacked beauty. Each possessed their own form of loveliness, and all were eager to flaunt it.
They wore no shabby dresses, and their hands were not rough.
But Rachel Swan was different somehow.
Few could match her vitality, and fewer still were so completely free of artifice.
In fact, “completely free” was the more accurate phrase.
Rachel was different. Very much so. And because of that, he couldn’t look away.
‘Why is he staring at me like that?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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