06. Elite Class

"Welcome home, Lady Rosalind."

A tall and lean butler bowed after opening the car door and greeted a beautiful girl who was stepping out of the car with a calm expression, there was almost no expression on her face.

"Is Father home?" the girl asked coldly.

"The Master is busy at the president's office. He'll be back when dinner time comes."

Upon hearing the butler's answer, the girl showed no reaction and walked up the stairs to her house. Although called a house, her place looked more like a giant mansion with Greek architecture and a touch of futuristic style, adapting to the surroundings in their Apocalypse world—in which Earth had been destroyed by the emergence of monsters, and the surviving human groups built a new civilization by adapting to a world full of monsters and dangerous territories.

"How was your day at school, Lady Rosalind?" The male butler took Rosalind's blazer and walked beside her.

Rosalind sighed. "You're so noisy, Armand. I don't want to be bothered today."

Armand, the butler's name, nodded obediently.

"I apologize for crossing the line. Please rest peacefully, Lady.”

Rosalind glanced at the butler briefly before walking into the elevator to go up to the top floor where her room was. Armand was the butler who had served her since she was little, and she had even forgotten when exactly he entered the Ellsworth family home because it was such a long time ago.

"Hmph—anyway, I don't really care about stuff like that."

The girl crossed her arms while waiting for the elevator to reach the seventh floor. There was nothing special at school today. She went to class and attended lessons as usual. Maybe it was just Claude's mischief—her distant cousin—and his friends intentionally teasing Miss Lenora in class.

"I haven't seen that kid all day either," Rosalind muttered.

She could remember the faces of the kids in her class well enough. Claude enjoyed bullying others for his own amusement, and one of the victims of his bullying was Avery. Rosalind remembered him as a quiet guy who didn't cause much trouble in class. He paid attention in class, and in some subjects, Avery could outperform his classmates even though he was talentless—a person without talent—and maintained a good rank.

Rosalind had a reason to remember the face of that young man. It could be said that Rosalind secretly felt that Ave was a tough academic rival because he truly relied on his intelligence and brainpower.

Therefore, it was highly unlikely that Ave would skip today's practical exam in preparation for next month's assessment.

"Tch—why am I thinking about someone unimportant like him?" Rosalind monologued to herself. She erased all those useless thoughts and stepped out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened. Rosalind then walked with graceful steps through the giant hallway adorned with gold statues and lamps made of diamonds.

It could be said that the Ellsworth family was one of the elite in New Orleans, considering Rosalind's father, Jacob Ellsworth, worked in the president's office and served as one of the general advisors. At Neogen High School, Rosalind was always respected, and no one dared to disturb her, even from older students. She was like an untouched and unattainable gem.

Click.

The girl opened the door to her room and entered her private chamber.

Rosalind's room was about 10 square meters big, with special spaces like a walk-in closet and a reading corner. She also had her own balcony. The girl put her bag on the table and grabbed a towel. She wanted to take a shower to get rid of all the dust that stuck to her body all day long. Passing by the large mirror next to her wardrobe, Rosalind's figure looked full there.

A girl with a perfect slim body, and long straight brown hair that seemed permanently straightened, adding to Rosalind's beauty. Rosalind's face was also very pretty; she inherited all the genes from her late mother. Amethyst-like eyes, a pointed nose, and small lips made Rosalind look like a saintess. However, instead of feeling satisfied, Rosalind felt that something was missing inside her, but she didn't know what.

She touched her own lips.

When was the last time Rosalind smiled?

Five years ago? Ten years ago? Or when she was 6 years old when her mother passed away due to bleeding while giving birth to her younger brother?

She had forgotten.

Besides, Rosalind didn't have a reason to smile. The girl left the large mirror behind and walked straight to the luxurious bathroom with a separate bathtub and shower. She would take a shower and then continue studying for tomorrow's daily exam.

---

"Rosaliiiiiiiind—now you ignoring your cousin, huh?"

Rosalind's whole plan went totally wrong when Claude, out of nowhere, showed up and sat in the living room, busy enjoying Rosalind's favorite high-quality green wine. Claude sat with his legs up on the table, as if it were his own home.

Rosalind sighed, trying to ignore Claude's antics, and turned the pages of her book to study about air acceleration and gravity's influence because this material would be on tomorrow's test.

The girl said casually, "You better go home and study. Your mom will be furious if you get bad grades again in the next test, Claude."

"Tch!" Claude got angry and stared at Rosalind with wide eyes. "Are you teaching me now, huh?"

"Huft—I'm studying, can't you see?" The girl looked back at Claude with a tired expression, as if Claude's arrival was just disturbing Rosalind's concentration.

"You and your ambition to be number one. You've always liked showing off since we were little, huh! Yet, your practical scores are still far below mine, so don't act like you're better than me—"

Shiiiiing—

A sword suddenly appeared in Rosalind's hand and pointed straight at Claude's neck, making him shiver in fear, worried that the sharp edge might pierce his skin.

Rosalind's talent is storing and summoning. She can keep weapons in her virtual storage space and call them quickly. Rosalind's talent is rare and valuable, and her family's wealth supports her, allowing her to gather powerful weapons from around the world. However, she can only summon one weapon at a time, and calling a high-attack weapon consumes a lot of her stamina. So, Rosalind must use her talent wisely.

"Hey, I was just joking, okay? Don't act like this, Rosalind!" Claude stammered a bit.

"Go," said Rosalind coldly.

"Huh?"

"I said go away from here. I want to study without being disturbed by you."

"O-okay, I'll go, alright?" Claude stood up, still raising his hands, and hurriedly left after being threatened by Rosalind. After Claude left, Rosalind put away her sword and resumed studying with focus.

Outside the Ellsworth mansion, Claude kicked a stone hard and spat to the side.

"Ugh, what a disgusting woman! Just because her family is a bit richer than mine, she can look down at me like that. Just wait, Rosalind, I'll make you regret threatening me." A sinister smile appeared on Claude's face as he turned around and entered the car he used to come here.

In the living room, Rosalind was frantically searching for something. But when she found what she was looking for, her face turned sad.

"My pencil... its broken," the girl muttered in disappointment. Maybe her pencil broke when she accidentally drew her sword earlier. Rosalind bit her lower lip. She opened her pencil case to find another pencil, but all of them were used up.

"Lady, what's wrong?" From the side, Armand saw Rosalind looking gloomy and immediately approached his master. With a sigh, Rosalind showed him her last broken pencil.

Armand nodded understandingly. "I will go to the store to buy the same pencil, please wait a moment, Lady. I'll be back before dinner."

Just before Armand turned away, Rosalind spoke up. "I'll come with you."

"Yes?"

"I said I’m coming. I want to choose my own pencil."

Armand blinked in surprise. It was unusual for his Lady to take the initiative to join. However, he could not refuse as their relationship was master and servant.

Armand nodded obediently. "Alright, then I'll prepare the best car for you, Lady."

After that, Armand and Rosalind got into the car to go to a special store for stationery items. This store was popular among the elite because it used the best materials and could be customized according to their wishes. The store was in area 72, about a 20-minute drive from the Ellsworth mansion. During the ride, Rosalind did not speak and stayed focused on her studies. She could not afford to miss any lessons, or she would be very embarrassed in front of her father if she fell behind other students and dropped from the top ranking.

From the driver's seat, Armand looked at Lady Rosalind with admiration. Even though she came from a super wealthy and elite family, Lady Rosalind did not forget herself and continued to increase her value by studying diligently. Usually, Rosalind's peers from the elite class did not care much about education and preferred to play around.

Shortly after, they entered Area 72, which was quite crowded with markets and residential areas, including the lower-class slums.

"Lady, I'll go in first to inquire about the stock. Don't get out of the car until I come back because there are often thefts and crimes in this area," Armand spoke through the window to Rosalind and received a brief nod in response. The girl was not too interested in this area. She just wanted to choose her pencil design so it would not easily get lost.

After making sure Rosalind would not go anywhere, Armand, the butler, entered the store.

"AHHHHHHHH—!"

Rosalind was startled by the scream. She then turned to the side and saw a crowd there.

"What's happening?" Rosalind asked the car driver.

"I-I don't know, Lady. There might be someone getting hurt over there. It's pretty common in this area—"

Click.

"L-Lady? Where are you going?" The driver panicked as Rosalind opened the car door and got out abruptly. He was afraid of being punished by the butler for not taking proper care of Lady.

Rosalind replied, "Wait here. I'll check it out for a moment."

Before the car driver could respond, Rosalind had already walked away from the car. She stepped into the crowd and saw a middle-aged man writhing in pain, holding his private area where fresh blood was flowing.

"Hissss," Rosalind whispered, feeling a twinge at the sight. However, the girl's eyes caught something else. She turned to the side and found a man assisting an elderly woman, slowly walking into an alley. The old lady seemed covered in bruises.

Rosalind blinked in understanding. If she were in that young man's position, she would do the same. Or maybe ... she would do even worse to those people who dared to hurt her precious person.

But one thing made Rosalind ponder.

The young man's face... she felt like she had seen it somewhere before.

But where is it?

"Lady Rosalind!" Armand's voice came from behind, breaking Rosalind's focus, and she turned immediately.

Oh, right. She needed to buy a set of pencils for tomorrow's exam. She didn't have time to deal with other people's problems.

"Yes. I'm coming," Rosalind said briefly, tossing her long hair back and walking away from the scene without a single glance for that poor meat shop owner who might become an eunuch for the rest of his life.