The blonde, blue-eyed lady entered the classroom slowly, her silver-white gown adorned with shimmering jewels. Inside the palace, Elizabeth did not wear the cumbersome, formal regalia of a Queen; in this moment, she appeared more like a mother to a group of children.
"Alright, children, take your seats. It is time for your studies." Elizabeth gestured for everyone to sit. her kind gaze swept across the room, finally landing on Calca with a playful glint, as if observing the aftermath of a little troublemaker's handiwork.
Calca, meanwhile, kept her eyes on her nose and her heart at peace, activating "stealth mode." Elizabeth found it amusing—pitting her brother against the world and then refusing to admit it? She then looked at the twitchy Damien and let out a helpless sigh. This son of hers was being played like a fiddle by his six-year-old sister, always trying to be clever in all the wrong ways. Still, being tricked by his sister at home was better than being played by bureaucrats later at his fief.
Inside the classroom, the sixteen-year-old twins—Second Prince Corean and First Princess Sanita—sharply caught their mother's gaze. They looked at the exceptionally nervous Damien, and a sense of unease began to stir in their hearts.
"Children, do not be nervous," Elizabeth soothed. "I came here today because I heard from the priests that your progress has been excellent. Especially you, Corean and Sanita—I heard you can already use [Maximize Magic] to cast Third-Tier spells?"
Sanita lifted her head like a proud white swan. "Yes, Mother. We might reach the actual Third Tier before the end of the year. We won't let you down."
A flash of cunning crossed Elizabeth's eyes. "How wonderful. So, tell me, what kind of effort did you put in to reach such a level? Was it through private practice after class?"
"Of course, Mother!" Sanita began to embellish her story without hesitation. In her description, she and her brother became the very models of diligence, practically living in the palace's magic training grounds. Beside her, Corean frantically tugged at his sister's skirt to shut her up, but Sanita was on a roll and ignored him entirely.
Elizabeth ruffled her daughter's head, finally baring her "claws." "Since your methods have been so effective, why don't I implement them for the entire classroom? After all, Damien is still stuck at the First Tier and couldn't answer a single question yesterday. Sanita, as his eldest sister, you wouldn't want to see your brother so decadent, would you?"
"Y-yes, Mother," Sanita replied hesitantly. "How do you plan to implement it?"
"I intend to revise the royal curriculum. From now on, Monday through Thursday will consist of two full-day sessions, and Friday morning will be dedicated entirely to magic training. The magic being practiced will no longer be lifestyle spells like [Create Water], but practical ones like [Protection from Negative Energy] and [Light Heal]. And, of course, there will be accompanying homework and exams."
"The curriculum change begins today. I will return this afternoon to inspect the progress. Especially yours, Damien—I want to check your results first."
Elizabeth left with a smile. Damien had completely crashed: What happened? Since when did these suggestions come from the priests? Why didn't Mother mention Calca at all, and why is she checking me first?
While he sat there in a daze, countless furious glares were directed his way from around the room. Although the others didn't know the exact details, the logic was simple: Because Damien was a talentless slacker, he had incurred the Queen's dissatisfaction, and now everyone had to suffer with him!
"Damien, you are the culprit!" the crowd hissed, their eyes burning with rage.
The "black pot" of blame that Damien had tried so hard to shift away had finally landed squarely and firmly on his own head. Beside him, Calca remained entirely uninvolved, mentally drawing a heavy checkmark on her plan list.
Curriculum reform: Objective achieved!
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
I'm not the Queen Greatsword. (59 Chapters, Ongoing)
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