Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

The day of the reopening of the Dillua Academy.“Madam, it’s over there! Come on!”“I’m on my way, so let this go, Mary.”Mary arrived at the academy, which was noisy from the early morning, and dragged me.I pulled out the stretched sleeves and shoved Mary’s hand away. Just then.“Ouch!”“Ah, sorry. madam.”A large gentleman bumped into my shoulder.Before I could say yes, I was swept away by the crowd.“Look, this is why you’d better come with me.”Mary forced her way through the crowd and grabbed me.I sighed and took Mary’s hand and made my way through the crowd.Today, when the Academy reopening ceremony was held, a grand bazaar was being held on the playground.It had been organized at the last minute by the Count of Tilburn, who had suggested that a bazaar would be a good way to announce the Academy’s reopening, raise donations, and get people interested.The preparation period was short, so it was not possible to prepare an abundance of items to be presented at the bazaar, but each item presented was quite expensive.Several wives, led by Countess Turner and Walford, donated their cherished items, and the Marquis of Hallstein donated their collections willingly.In addition to that, the trophies of Count Tilburn and the decorations of the Duchy provided by Grand Duchess Crawford were added, and Helios also presented items belonging to the Dukes.In addition, merchants selling clothes, shoes, food, and stationery sent from Madame Floren’s dressing room participated in the bazaar and barely matched the assortment.Even as I prepared, I hoped it would be just enough to announce the Academy’s reopening.“All merchandise is sold out, sorry!”The bazaar was more successful than expected.Thanks to the Marquis de Halstein and Madame Florence spreading the word, many people from aristocrats and commoners flocked to the stadium, and it was crowded with no space to walk.It was regrettable that it would have been better if it had been carried out with leisure, but I decided to be satisfied with this as it was successful enough to meet the purpose of promoting the reopening ceremony.“Welcome!”The place where Mary, who had dragged me so hard, stopped in front of a snack shop.“Mister, two mostardas, please.”“Yes. Two silver coins.”As Mary took two silver coins from her pocket and put them in the money box, the shopkeeper offered a red pickled fruit that looked like candy.“Have a good meal.”“Try them, madam.”Mary put one in her mouth and thrust the other into my hand.Mostarda was a snack made by boiling the fruit in its original form in sugar water and then cooling it to make it look like candy.‘I think Escal would like it.’I put Mostarda in my mouth and rolled it slowly while looking around the bazaar.I felt proud to see the shops with signs that said they were sold out one by one.Outside the academy, counselors set up small booths to promote the academy.Bread and school supplies were handed out along with an introductory booklet to induce interest, and upon hearing the news, people flocked like bees.“Is it really true that if you go to the academy, they give you free food?”“Yes. The dormitory is free and there is no education fee.”A man was talking in a loud voice from one side of the counseling booth.I pricked up my ears and watched the scene.“Are you trying to lure the kids away with something like that again?”“Not at all. Her Majesty Grand Duchess Crawford and Duchess of Anthemion, who took over the Academy, love children more than anyone.”“The Grand Duchess? No… What? who cares who that is?”When the man asked in a harsh tone, the counselor answered with a smile.“They uncovered the exploits of Baron Rockefeller and Duke of Eaton.”The counselor opened the back cover of the booklet and held it out.“You see the names of Count Tilburn and Count Turner on the list of sponsors here? Do you know who these people are?”The names of the most famous admiral in the empire and a judge with a reputation for fairness were well known even among the commoners.The man who checked the booklet asked with still doubtful eyes.“You mean Count Tilburn is sponsoring the Academy?”“Yes. If you graduate from the academy with good grades, you may be selected for Count Tilburn’s fleet.”“Huh, is that really it?”“Yes. Other than that, you can receive countless benefits by attending the academy, so if you are interested, please attend the reopening ceremony to hear more details and see the academy.”The counselor smiled softly and handed the man another piece of bread.While I was looking at it happily, a familiar carriage approached from the other side.Grand Duchess Crawford stepped out from a carriage that stopped at the entrance to a crowded street.I hurriedly ran to meet the Grand Duchess.“Are you out already? Her Highness the Grand Duchess.”“I thought it would be a quiet day.”“I’m surprised, too, but more people are better than fewer, right?”“It’s important to keep up appearances, but it’s the substance that counts. Is there anything missing?”“No, it was all good.”“Where is Duke Anthemion?”“He said he would come just in time for the opening ceremony.”“I see. Let’s go inside.”I went inside with the Grand Duchess. ***** After the successful bazaar, the reopening ceremony was held in the auditorium.Hundreds of chairs spread across the large auditorium, and there were hardly any empty seats.I had expected only a few nobles to attend, given the connection to Grand Duchess Crawford, but there was a surprisingly large number of commoners.As I looked around the auditorium, wondering if the public relations strategy had worked, Helios entered the room.“Helios, are you here?”“Yes. Did the bazaar go well?”“Yes. We finished it safely.”I took a seat in the front with Helios, who had just arrived.When everyone was seated, the academy’s teacher came up to the stage as the moderator.“Then we will start the reopening ceremony of the Dillua Academy from now on.”The presenter said, looking at Grand Duchess Crawford, who was sitting in the middle of the seat.“First, a word from Her Majesty, Grand Duchess Crawford, who is the head of the Academy.”The Grand Duchess rose from her seat and went up to the podium. The people who were murmuring at the majesty of making the crowd shut their mouths.Waiting for the commotion to subside, the Grand Duchess spoke.“It is with a heavy heart that I, an old woman who laid down all my burdens long ago, stand here again.”The Grand Duchess’ gaze stayed on me for a moment and then fell.“The Empire has long been passionate about nurturing great talent. And those talented people made the Empire we are today.”“……”“But, as you all know, it was recently revealed that something unfortunate happened at this academy, where it was supposed to train talented people.”“……”“Considering that atrocity, I wondered if closing the academy would be the right thing to do. However, I don’t think it’s wise to get rid of the only learning place for children who crave knowledge.”Grand Duchess Crawford’s voice was low but resonant.I whispered to Helios, who focused on the Grand Duchess’ speech.“She speaks well.”“She’s been famous since she was a Princess. No one can match her speech.”“That’s right. She’s much better than the Emperor.”I shrugged and listened again to Grand Duchess Crawford.“So I decided to take over this academy and make a fresh start.”Grand Duchess Crawford glanced at the moderator, who came from behind the podium with a large banner.The flag was embroidered with the name ‘Felixium Academy’.The word ‘Felixium’ was coined by combining two words ‘felix’ meaning happiness and ‘xium’ meaning truth, and it was an idea from the Countess of Walford.“From this day forward, this academy will abandon the name ‘Dillua Academy’ and begin again as ‘Felixium Academy’.”Applause erupted from the audience at the declaration. I also applauded louder than anyone else.Grand Duchess Crawford waited a moment for the applause to end before speaking again.“To produce talented people who will lead the country, good teachers, sincere students, and good educational institutions are needed. Felixium Academy will do its best to nurture good talent and will be a place that can take responsibility for the future of students by linking with various institutions. Thank you.”When the speech was over, another thunderous applause broke out.The moderator, who took over the heated atmosphere, moved on to the next order.“Next, we will reveal the list of sponsors.”The host called the sponsors by name one by one.“… Do they have to tell that?”“It feels good when they call my name.”It’s not a necessary procedure, but a good thing.“The donations from these individuals, along with the proceeds from the bazaar, totaling 282,376 gold, will be used to fund the academy’s operations.”