This chapter is from Rachel’s perspective.
“Lunch break, huh?”
Time rewound slightly. As the lunch break began, Rachel considered her next engagement.
(Why would Auntie suddenly summon me? I should head to the Principal’s office since I’ve been called. Caro was also invited, so maybe I should meet up with her and we can go together?)
Rachel tidied up the teaching materials from her classes, which were still on her desk. She planned to meet up with Caro, who had also received a summons, and head to the Principal’s office together.
“R-Rachel, may I have a moment?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
As Rachel was tidying up, she was suddenly spoken to by a girl from the same class. Rachel stopped tidying and looked at the classmate who had approached her.
“Actually… it’s my first time going to the Principal’s office. I was feeling a bit anxious, and I thought it would be reassuring if Rachel, who was also called, came with me.”
“Ah, I see. The Principal is the Queen of this country, so it’s natural to react that way.”
The classmate who spoke to Rachel, like Rachel, had been told to come to the Principal’s office during lunch break. She was a commoner whose family ran a small shop selling food ingredients. Since their shop catered to commoners, they had no contact with nobles whatsoever. As the person she was to meet was royalty, the Queen herself, she was unsure how to behave. Rachel understood that her classmate, who was equally summoned, had approached her out of anxiety because Rachel seemed unfazed.
“The destination is the same, so it’s fine, but would you mind if I joined up with a friend who also received a summons?”
“Of course, your convenience comes first, so that’s perfectly fine.”
“Um, could I perhaps join too?”
“Rachel, me too, please!”
“Alright, alright, let’s all go to the Principal’s office together.”
As the two were talking, two more girls from the same class, who had also been summoned to the Principal’s office, joined them.
“Caro, is it okay if the classmates who were also summoned come along? It’s probably similar for you too.”
“You too, Rachel? I imagine we all want to say the same thing, so let’s all go to the Principal’s office together.”
“Yes!”
Rachel and the others left the classroom and headed towards Caro’s classroom. They met Caro in the hallway, and she was also accompanied by a girl who seemed to be from her class. The six of them proceeded to the Principal’s office.
*Knock knock*
“Please come in.”
Rachel and the others arrived in front of the Principal’s office, and Rachel, as their representative, knocked on the door. A familiar voice answered from inside.
“Okay, everyone, let’s go.”
“Y-yes.”
Rachel spoke to the three accompanying her, excluding Caro, and opened the door to the Principal’s office.
“Excuse us! Ah, it really was Clara. Long time no see!”
“Oh, Rachel, it has been a while. I’m glad to see you’re still as energetic as ever.”
“It’s been too long, Clara.”
“Lady Caroline, it’s lovely to see you as well. Please, all of you, do come inside.”
“Y-yes.”
Clara, the maid attending the Queen, gestured for Rachel and the others to enter. Rachel and Caro entered, followed by the three who had accompanied them, their faces tense as they stepped into the Principal’s office.
“So, where’s Auntie?”
“Auntie!”
Rachel habitually called the Queen “Auntie.” The three accompanying her cried out in surprise upon hearing this.
“Rachel, while it’s understandable in private, you shouldn’t call her that as you usually do.”
“Ah, right. I just called her that out of habit. Hehehe.”
Caro gently admonished Rachel about her choice of words, reminding her that this was a somewhat formal occasion.
“You’re as carefree as ever. Lady Margaret is currently out on other business. I apologize for the inconvenience, but we had to move the venue to the conference room due to more attendees than expected. Your attendance was confirmed here, so please proceed directly to the conference room.”
“So, it turns out many other people were also summoned. Understood. Well then, let’s head to the conference room. Everyone, let’s go!”
“Yes!”
After Clara informed them about the venue change, Rachel and the others shuffled out of the Principal’s office.
“So, Caro,”
“What is it, Rachel?”
“Where is this conference room located?”
“Huh?”
Once they were all in the hallway, Rachel asked Caro. Caro’s eyes widened in confusion at Rachel’s question.
“As siblings, you and Kent are quite similar. The conference room is next to the staff room. It’s usually used by the teaching staff, so general students don’t enter it. That’s probably why you didn’t know. So, this is the conference room.”
The conference room was located close to the Principal’s office. In no time, they arrived in front of their destination.
“Wow, there are quite a lot of people gathered here.”
“Indeed. It seems there are no assigned seats. Let’s just find an empty seat and wait.”
“Yes!”
The conference room was large enough to accommodate all the teaching staff. Long tables and chairs were neatly arranged. Inside the room, there were many female students from first to third year who had also been summoned. Some were sitting and waiting, while others were chatting in groups. There were no seating charts, so Caro suggested they find a vacant seat and wait.
“Ah, Caro, Rachel. Hello.”
“There she is. The one with the large entourage! Just kidding. Hello, Prim.”
“Hello. Prim, you were summoned too?”
Prim had approached them. She seemed to be alone and, upon noticing Rachel and the group, walked over to them.
“Yes. From what I can see, the people gathered here seem to be those whose families are in the food-related business or work in restaurants.”
“I see, so that’s the common thread. Now that you mention it, the girls who came with me also run shops or work part-time at restaurants.”
Rachel was surprised by Prim’s keen observation.
“Oh, you two were here already?”
“You arrived first?”
Josette and Patty then approached them.
*Murmur*
The appearance of Josette and Patty caused a stir in the conference room.
“Lady Josette, good day. Lady Patty, I apologize for my late greeting. Congratulations on your engagement this time.”
“Good day. Prim.”
“Thank you for your polite words, Prim.”
Prim was the first to greet the two.
“Prim was just saying that the people gathered here seem to be those whose families own food-related businesses or work in restaurants.”
“I see. It’s true that Patty and I both work at Marie’s Bakery. As expected of you, Prim. It’s wonderful that you noticed such details.”
When Rachel relayed her conversation with Prim, Josette said with admiration.
“I-I can’t produce anything just because you praise me so much… Ah! But I can immediately give you preferential treatment coupons and discount tickets from Bobby Prim Trading Company.”
“Th-that’s an astonishing amount!”
Saying this, Prim produced a bundle of papers from seemingly nowhere and fanned them out. Josette was astonished by the sheer number of coupons.
“Please, take some if you’d like. Lady Josette, Lady Patty, and also Caro, Rachel, and any friends you may have.”
With that, Prim began distributing Bobby Prim Trading Company’s preferential treatment coupons to Rachel and the others.
“It certainly lives up to being the operator of a major trading company.”
“They seize any opportunity to enter the market. It’s simply amazing business acumen.”
Rachel and Caro were greatly impressed by Prim’s proactiveness.
