Pendleton Revolution
Chapter 4

[Dear Mr. Benefactor,

How have you been? It is me, your dearest Ed. Thanks to you, I have been making incredible memories of student life. My dormitory houses eight students. Surprisingly, I have been getting along with my roommate of noble background, who I mentioned last time. I have also been getting along well with the other roommates next door, with whom I share the living room.

The last four remaining roommates have finally arrived. They are all students in the Specialty Studies Department, and their arrival has made our dormitory more bubbly and lively. Having grown up in an orphanage, I absolutely love this kind of atmosphere.

As for the boys from Military Studies who looked down on me, they are beginning to respect me after a few fights. I am glad I did not have to knock down a hundred of them before things settled down.

There is one classmate I must tell you about. For the past two weeks, I have been learning basic theories in a separate class to catch up with my classmates of noble descent. Once I finished, I finally joined the rest of the students in class for the first time, and that is where I befriended this wonderful fellow.

His name is Jovani. Apparently, he is the second son of a famous family of knights. He is part of the reason I have not written to you in two weeks. As an apology, let me tell you the story of Jovani and my roommate…]

* * *

“Are you going to do laundry, Ed? I’d like to come with,” said Alice, looking up from her book.

She was lying on her bed and reading when she noticed Ed had just finished her studies and was picking up her heavy laundry basket.

“Sure,” Andrea replied immediately.

Alice stood and picked up the small laundry basket beside her bed. Andrea couldn’t leave her clothes, uniform, and underwear unwashed for too long because she sweat every day from training. Naturally, she washed her clothes the most frequently among her roommates. Alice, who was reluctant to go to the laundry area alone, preferred to go with her.

Alice Carmidan and Andrea Yuriness were very different types of people. The former felt uneasy about going to the laundry area alone, in case she ran into any of the male students. She had learned from her upbringing to avoid—to the best of her abilities—seeing the bare skin of men. Even when she spoke in front of them, she would lower her voice and talk softly. All noble children seemed to be brought up this way.

At first, Andrea worried that Alice would be bothered by her loud talking voice and active lifestyle. To her surprise, Alice grew extremely fond of her. Perhaps it was their wildly different personalities, proving that opposites attract. In all honesty, Andrea liked Alice just as much.

On the surface, Alice seemed tender and weak, like a small animal. She was always careful and respectful in her demeanor. Andrea would come to her rescue whenever the poor girl was distraught, just like the times she used to protect Maria, her best friend. However, despite her seemingly fragile exterior, Alice was not particularly delicate or sensitive. In fact, she had a generally easygoing personality. If anything, Andrea was more delicate in character, which Maria had often criticized.

In any case, it was clear that Andrea and Alice had no problem becoming fairly close within two weeks of starting school. Perhaps it was in Andrea’s nature to enjoy looking after someone. Even back at the orphanage, she loved caring for and protecting the children who were weaker than she.

That’s why I want to become an officer. Ed thought to herself as she picked up her laundry basket. Opening the door, she gestured to Alice with her chin.

“Put your basket on top of mine.”

Students who lived in the dormitory were provided with laundry baskets. However, these baskets were made from logs with the inside hollowed out, which made them fairly heavy. Although the logs were lighter than the lumber they used for military training, most students found the baskets a bit too hefty for their liking. Of course, for Andrea, carrying them was a piece of cake, but for Alice, it was a different story—she was the smallest of the roommates. The sight of her struggling to pick up her laundry basket worried Andrea.

“Oh, it’s okay. I can carry it myself,” Alice said bravely.

“My training ended early today, so I’ll just consider it extra practice. I wanna become an officer, remember? Though I must say, this basket is too light to give me much of a workout.” Andrea grinned. “Come on,” she added, shaking her laundry basket to urge her friend.

After a moment’s hesitation, Alice put her basket on top of Andrea’s. Since her hands were free now, she picked up the bag of laundry essentials like soaps, towels, and hair ties.

“I’m just trying to gain some favor with you since you do all the sewing for me,” Andrea chirped.

“I can’t thank you enough. If there’s a handkerchief or some embroidery you’d like to have, don’t hesitate to ask.”

As the two chatted pleasantly, Elena came out from her room next door, dressed in a robe.

“Are you girls gonna do laundry?” she asked.

“Yup.”

“I wanna come with.”

Elena’s request prompted the other roommates to come out of their rooms with their hampers, eager to join in.

“Want me to carry it for you?” Andrea asked. It was in her nature to do so.

“You’re already carrying two,” Elena said, waving dismissively.

“I can carry up to four baskets. More if I had an extra pair of hands. They’re not that heavy.”

“It’s fine. Just carry Alice’s for her. I’m worried that one of these days, she’ll break her wrist trying to lift that heavy thing.”

“I-I’m not that weak…” With a flushed face, Alice shook her head with embarrassment.

Her sheepish reply was drowned out by the voice of Cheryl Ronstell, a Diplomatic Studies major. From behind, she stuck her head over Alice’s shoulder.

“So, it’s Jeria, Elena, Ed, Alice, and me. That’s five total, right?” she asked.

Though a commoner, Cheryl was an honor student enrolled in the Specialty Studies Department. She had bronze skin, scarlet hair, and a delicate face. In her letter to her benefactor that morning, Andrea had also mentioned her—she had left quite an impression.

Four students in the Specialty Studies Department entered the academy a week after Andrea began her studies, and they were all unique in their own way. The first was born from a morganatic marriage—a union of people from different backgrounds. It could be between a commoner and a noble, or between a noble and a member of the imperial family. A child born out of such a marriage inherited the lower rank of the two partners. The only exception was a marriage between someone from the house of a duke, marquess, or count, and a member of the royal family.

Belle, the daughter of Count Crowty, was one such example who couldn’t inherit her father’s title. She neither received her father’s surname nor was she accepted as a noble. However, Count Crowty showered his daughter with affection. So, while Belle could not inherit the authority of a noble, she was raised as if she were her father’s rightful heir. That included receiving an education in Business Administration.

Naturally, she was the most aristocratic in the room. Her every gesture exuded elegance and class. Apparently, her stepmother had pressured her into joining the commoners’ residence. However, she didn’t seem interested in interacting with her roommates for anything other than practical matters. She was so aloof that on the day of her arrival, Alice, lying beside her on the bed, had jokingly said, “You’re in a whole different class than me, aren’t you?”

The second newcomer was Henrietta Marhen, a beautiful lady with a sickly complexion. She was enrolled in Technical Studies, which was only second to Military Studies in terms of the hurdles that female students faced in the field. In her introduction, Henrietta explained that her mother was a private tutor. Though gentle and friendly, she was so frail that she was often found lying in bed or nodding off by the fireplace, save for when she was in class. Henrietta was assigned to Elena’s room.

The third new student was Anita Dorem, a daughter of a house of knights, who was majoring in Political Studies. She was a beautiful woman with a ruddy complexion. Her features were sharp, but her attitude was sharper. She exuded the kind of charm that no one dared to approach. Naturally, this made Alice uncomfortable around her. Even Anita, who usually appeared quite stoic, seemed to find Alice hard to get to know. Perhaps it was due to the gap between typical noble and military families that simply could not be bridged.

In any case, Anita’s family had rules of their own. According to these regulations, regardless of birth status, children received the same treatment as commoners. As such, Anita joined the commoners’ residence. As a result, she shared the room with the graceful Belle. Fortunately, since Anita came from quite a prestigious family, the two seemed to get along well without trouble.

The last newcomer was Cheryl Ronstell, who was majoring in Diplomatic Studies. Andrea had never imagined that a person like Cheryl could exist. Cheryl, who had just turned fifteen, had entered the academy not because she cared about academics, but because she wanted to become a diplomat. Although she had the brains to get good grades, only academy students aged fifteen or older could take the exam to become diplomats. With the help of a local lord, Cheryl entered the academy, intending to take her first exam in the fall.

Upon learning that Andrea’s new roommate was Cheryl Ronstell, her peers in Military Studies from the same province exclaimed that she was a prodigy. According to them, even the nobles knew who she was. It wasn’t every day that a commoner was hailed as a genius, even in the neighboring provinces.

Andrea agreed that Cheryl was intelligent. On her first day at the dormitory, Cheryl stood before her roommates and introduced herself using difficult vocabulary that Andrea had never heard before. It was only after Elena rebuked her that Cheryl began expressing herself in simpler terms. Even then, Andrea remained baffled.

[So many good things have happened since entering the academy. Part of why is because I have met so many incredible people from around the world, those I had never imagined I would ever get to meet…]

That was what Andrea Yuriness had written in her last letter to her benefactor. Her life would never have overlapped with her roommates’ had they not been assigned to the same dormitory. For some reason, she was overjoyed to be interacting with these girls in a way she had never imagined before. She began offering to do them favors, no strings attached.

Andrea volunteered to hold the laundry basket for young Cheryl as well, to which she flatly declined.

“Physical endurance is just as important as studying. I consider this training,” Cheryl replied with a shrug. Then she picked up her basket and took the first step out of the dorm.

Jeria quickly picked up her hamper and followed suit. On the way, Jeria asked Elena how her latest “date” went. Ed and Alice also chatted as they followed behind.

“Ed, if you are free this weekend, do you want to go to the city with me?” Alice asked sweetly.

“The city?” Andrea echoed, carrying Alice’s laundry basket.

Alice walked next to Andrea with hurried steps.

“I have to pick up my textbooks this weekend, but they are due to arrive in the evening. So I need to go late, but you know how scary it is out there. There’s been a lot of horrifying incidents happening lately, and I’m terrified of walking around alone late at night,” she explained with a timid smile.

“I see. Of course, I can go with you. I don’t have any plans, and I haven’t had the chance to explore the capital yet. My orphanage was located deep within the mountains, so it didn’t exactly feel like I was living in the city.”

“Thank you. Since I’m much indebted to you, please let me treat you to a meal.”

“Oh dear, was that what you were really after?”

Alice smiled with embarrassment upon seeing Andrea’s knowing smirk and curved eyebrows.

Pushing away the locks of her hair, Alice added, “I would truly appreciate your company around the city, so please, don’t think too much of it. My fears aren’t unfounded, what with all the murders lately.”

“Murders?”

“Oh my, haven’t you heard? It’s been going on for a few years now.” Alice tilted her head, her round eyes widening with confusion.

Cheryl, leading the way, arrived first at the laundry area. Alice snapped out of her confusion and hurried along.

“I’ll tell you more about it this weekend,” she whispered.

“Sure.”

Andrea’s legs were longer than her roommates’, and she quickly caught up to the other girls. The laundry area was popular in the morning and evening, so for the most part, it was empty in the afternoon. When Alice confirmed that no one else was there, her face relaxed. Relieved, she started preparing to wash her dirty clothes. Andrea took a bar of soap from her and prepared to do her laundry. Meanwhile, Jeria was still talking to Elena about her recent date. Their conversation took center stage after Elena revealed a shocking piece of information.

“I’m expected to go on an evening date this weekend.”

The moment the words left Elena’s mouth, the shock sent Cheryl tripping over the water pump and landing on her back. The color drained from Alice’s face, and Jeria looked more concerned than ever. Even Andrea knew what an “evening date” with a benefactor signified, and her face turned rigid.

Jeria was the first to recover from the shock.

“Are you gonna be okay?” she asked gently.

“What choice do I have? If I turn him down now, I’ll get kicked out of school, and my parents and the orphanage will be penalized. It’s okay. I’ve been expecting it. I braced myself for it the moment he began sponsoring me.”

Lathering her dirty clothes with soap and scrubbing them roughly, Elena broke into a bitter smile.

“I just didn’t think it would happen so soon. I thought he’d give it at least a few more years before asking. I’m only eighteen, you know?”

“That son of a b*tch!” Andrea cursed, unable to hold back.

Alice wasn’t used to hearing profanity, but she nodded in agreement. Cheryl, on the other hand, spat on the ground, looking incredibly disturbed.

“That lecherous old man!” she exclaimed, followed by some unspeakable obscenity.