The bell for the first class at the Royal Academy rang out.
Aier clutched her books and hurried up the stairwell to the classroom, only to be startled to find that all the seats in the front rows had already been taken.
That was rarely seen on an ordinary day.
This was truly something odd. Normally, everyone scrambled to snatch seats in the back rows.
But soon, Aier overheard from a few animated, whispering students at the front, and learned the reason.
It turned out that today, a brand new, beautiful female lecturer would be coming. Upon hearing this, a group of noble students rushed to the classroom to occupy the front seats.
Of course, they weren’t here to study, they just wanted a good look at the teacher.
Aier had no interest in this, so she found a suitable spot and sat down.
If it had been before, as soon as she sat, Ting Zhang would have blown over like a gust of wind and landed right in front of her, but today, she was nowhere to be seen.
Did she skip class again? Or was it because of what happened before… Maybe she’s been locked up at home and not allowed out?
Aier only worried for a moment, then stopped thinking about it.
If Tang Huan was being punished, it was her own fault. Aier herself had nearly been implicated by Tang Huan.
Those two girls’ quarrel, ultimately, the one who suffered most was herself.
Tsk.
Just as Aier was distracted by these thoughts, the classroom door opened.
A tall, long-legged beauty with black hair and golden highlights entered from the doorway.
Mihai held a stack of books in her arms, dressed today in a sharply tailored dark woolen long coat that reached just below her knees.
On top, she wore a snug leather jacket and paired it with dark silk straps.
This outfit showed off her tall, slender figure and graceful curves to perfection.
She wore a pair of thick-rimmed glasses; perhaps because the frames were made too wide, her eyes behind them seemed an even deeper blue than before.
“Wow…” A hush of suppressed whispers and excited gasps rose in the classroom. Several big-boned classmates even craned their necks to look, their eyes sparkling.
In this country where beauty was prized, beautiful women held just as much allure for female students. Sometimes, they’d even get as rowdy as the boys.
Mihai placed her books on the lectern, pressed both hands to the desk, and swept her gaze across the classroom, the corners of her lips curling into a professional smile. “Hello, everyone. I’m Mihai, your new pharmacy teacher. Currently, I serve as a guest pharmacist at the Royal Hospital.”
As soon as Mihai finished introducing herself, another wave of shrill exclamations echoed throughout the classroom.
A group of students like Tang Huan kept clapping, trying to get themselves noticed.
“Looks like the teacher is very popular~”
Mihai didn’t seem to mind the students’ noise at all and responded calmly.
Aier curiously studied this new teacher.
She was tall and willowy, with unusually dark hair.
Her features… somehow looked familiar, almost like the Mistress?
But Aier couldn’t quite see clearly, mainly because those thick glasses were just too conspicuous.
She even wondered if the Mistress was disguising herself as the new teacher.
No… Impossible, right? Mistress is so busy, always handling so many things every day. She can’t possibly have time to come be a teacher.
Or maybe… the Mistress’s younger sister? Or perhaps an older cousin?
“Heh… must be just me overthinking.”
Aier shook her head, suppressing the thought.
Up on the platform, Mihai would unconsciously glance in Aier’s direction from time to time, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention.
Those glasses were specifically chosen by Mihai as a disguise.
They worked well, hiding her most eye-catching golden eyes.
During class, Aier would always sit up straight and attentive, giving Mihai plenty of chances to observe her. After a few times, Mihai was sure.
The blonde girl who’d gotten out of her sister’s carriage this morning was her!
After class, a swarm of students surrounded Mihai, each one pretending to ask study questions, but really just trying to get close.
Aier kept her distance from scenes like this.
She wasn’t good at dealing with people who drew too much attention, especially since there was already such a person at home.
She walked alone to a sunlit corner of the corridor outside the classroom, sat down, and took out her notebook to review.
However, trouble soon came looking for her.
“Excuse me, why are you sitting here by yourself?”
A voice with a hint of laughter rang out.
Aier looked up and realized Mihai had somehow escaped the crowd and was now standing in front of her, looking at her with a meaningful smile.
“Hello, Teacher.” Aier stood up and greeted her politely, though she felt a bit on guard inside.
She hadn’t expected the new female teacher to come up and talk to her directly.
“I remember, you’re Aier, right? Why are you sitting here alone?”
“Aren’t you alone too, Teacher…”
Aier wondered how this woman even knew her name. She hadn’t spoken up in class or introduced herself… This woman seemed suspicious!
“Oh? So quick-witted, are you?” Mihai pushed up her glasses and gave a gentle smile. “As for me… I just haven’t met someone I’d want to spend my life with, that’s all.”
She said this as she took a step closer.
Why are you telling me this? I don’t even want to know!
And now you’re standing so close, are you planning to kill me, or see me off to my grave?
Aier was grumbling inwardly.
She quietly took a step to the side, putting as much distance as possible between herself and this odd teacher.
Word was that Lady Xie Yier had already withdrawn her spies, but Aier still wanted to stay out of trouble as much as possible.
All she wanted was to get through these years peacefully…
“Teacher, have we… met somewhere before?”
Aier asked tentatively, her gaze flickering to the golden light behind Mihai’s glasses.
Mihai laughed out loud, her laughter clear and melodious.
She pushed up her glasses. “What’s this? Now that you know your teacher is single, you’re trying to use this old-fashioned line to hit on me?”
“No, no!” Aier hurriedly denied it.
Aier took a deep breath, wanting to ask: Seriously, who’s trying to chat up whom here? Wasn’t it you who came to talk to me first?
“Teacher, do you know Duke Sheiyl?”
Mihai’s smile didn’t change at all. She replied, flawlessly: “The Imperial Duke? Who doesn’t know of such a person?”
“Right…” Aier deflated, realizing she’d just asked a pointless question.
“Is it because I… hm, resemble the Duke a little, that you asked? People ask me that all the time,” Mihai said with a rueful smile.
Aier admitted honestly, “You do look a bit like… I thought maybe you were a relative, like a younger sister or something.”
She didn’t notice that, when she said “younger sister,” Mihai’s fingers tensed almost imperceptibly.
Scared me to death! I thought I’d already blown my cover!
Mihai found this little cutie both sharp and clever, she’d even managed to make that connection.
No good… Since she wanted to tease this little cutie, she’d have to keep her identity perfectly hidden.
“I have something else to attend to, so I’ll go for now. Goodbye, Aier.”
“Goodbye, Teacher.”
Mihai waved her hand and turned to leave, her steps light.
She kept Aier in her peripheral vision the whole way. This little thing hadn’t given her any sense of danger, just a bit cute, a bit awkward, and definitely good-looking.
But with that face, it didn’t seem likely she was an ordinary person, so why did her sister have to hide her?
The more Mihai thought about it, the more curious she became.