Hero, Go To School! - Chapter 17

When I asked to meet with the Duke and Duchess to discuss the issue with Ian, they immediately dropped whatever they were doing and invited me to the reception room.

The neat reception room was already prepared with warm tea, fruits, and cookies, and both Duchess Josefina and Duke Helith, who had arrived before me, greeted me warmly.

After a brief greeting, I sat across from them and began explaining Ian’s current condition and our plans going forward. As soon as the topic of the academy admission came up, Josefina’s previously gentle expression suddenly hardened.

She silently set down the teacup in her hands.

“An academy?”

Josefina was shocked.

Her eyes seemed to return to the day Ian was given his death sentence, filled with worry and fear.

She clasped her hands in front of her chest and spoke to me.

“Lillian, you do know how fragile he is right now, don’t you? Wouldn’t sending him to the academy in such a state be too soon?”

Duke Helith also nodded and added his opinion.

“My wife is right. It seems too much for Ian to go to the academy while he’s still recovering.”

I had already expected this to be a difficult sell. There was no way parents who loved their son more than life itself would easily accept sending him to the academy, where everyone stays in dorms.

“As you can see, Ian is not the same as he used to be. The shock of seeing the hornet caused a significant loss of memory, and he’s acting like a completely different person. But…”

“How could we send someone like that to such a harsh place?”

Josefina interrupted me.

Even before I could begin my real attempt to persuade them, her reaction was firm. I couldn’t help but feel flustered, as she seemed completely unreceptive to any kind of persuasion.

Luxus Academy was the top prestigious school in the Empire, a place where the children of noble families, those who held high status, went to study. A prestigious and luxurious academy, and yet they call it a harsh place? This showed just how much Duke and Duchess Zenor cherished Ian, keeping him close and treating him like their most precious possession.

I knew this kind of persuasion wouldn’t work. It was time for Plan B.

I quickly changed my expression, trying to look as though I was about to reveal a difficult truth. I opened my mouth slowly as though struggling to speak.

“Well, you probably didn’t know…”

I deliberately dragged out my words to catch their attention. The hesitation in my voice already caused their eyes to waver with anxiety.

Then, taking out the handkerchief I had prepared, I pretended to lightly tap under my eyes, adding,

“Actually, even before the hornet incident, Ian used to talk about the academy a lot.”

Josefina widened her eyes in surprise and mumbled softly.

“…Our child?”

Her reaction was exactly what I had expected. I seized the momentum, deepening my expression, and continued,

“I think Ian… he longed for freedom. He was twenty…”

How old was he again? I can’t believe I can’t remember! Numbers flashed rapidly through my mind. Just before cold sweat started to form, I quickly changed my words.

“He’s a man!”

“……”

“He was curious and wanted to explore the world he didn’t know. Ian dreamed every day of leaving the Duke’s residence.”

“Ian…”

“But he didn’t want to worry his loving parents, so he always had to be content with his cold private tutoring.”

When Josefina heard that, she covered her mouth with one hand, her expression blank. Duke Helith, slightly startled, slowly stroked his chin.

After understanding the hidden thoughts of the child they hadn’t noticed, I couldn’t help but smile inwardly at the sight of the two of them unsettled.

Good, they’ve fallen for it.

I brought the handkerchief to my eyes again and let out a short sigh as if to add more weight to my words.

“For Ian, the academy is the freedom he so desperately wanted, a new world that can satisfy his intellectual curiosity. While being loved by his parents is important, isn’t it cruel to keep him confined only within that love?”

“Hah, darling. I never imagined Ian dreamed of such rebellion.”

Josefina whispered, resting her face on Helith’s shoulder. Helith, meanwhile, only tapped his fingers lightly on the table. Seeing their expressions become more complicated, I prepared to drive the final nail in the coffin.

“Ian even mentioned the academy just yesterday.”

“Really?”

I nodded seriously.

“Even though his memory isn’t complete, he still brought up Luxus Academy, so it seems he’s been longing for it. If he can study freely and to his heart’s content, don’t you think it might lead to positive changes for Ian?”

The Duke and Duchess fell silent. I anxiously stared at their mouths, waiting for a response.