Side Story: Adieu

nothing wrong!" Edith exclaimed, hands on her hips, feeling angry.

"What does a little wench like you know?" the boys replied impatiently, shooing her away.

The boy with the whip pushed Edith hard, causing her to fall to the ground.

Then, a thin voice came from behind, "What if I tell you to let it go?"

"Aya, it''s the Countess!"

"Run! Run!"

The boys recognised Charlene de Saint-Clemont and panicked, hastily trying to run away.

"Halt! Did I allow you to leave?" Charlene sternly called out.

"Apologise to Edith," she said firmly.

Of course, these troublemaking boys didn''t dare to defy the commands of the little Countess. Reluctantly, they said sorry to Edith.

Charlene ordered them with a long face, "Do it again. Show more respect. Bow."

The boys lined up with a grimace, but had no choice but to bend down in front of Edith, saying aloud all in unison, "We were wrong! We won''t do it again!"

After the boys slinked away, Edith was so delighted that she pecked Charlene''s cheeks hard on both sides. In Edith''s eyes, Charlene was an all-powerful angel. Everyone had to listen to her! Edith felt proud to have such a good friend.

Knowing that she had finally helped someone, Charlene felt a sense of relief.

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Raphael had so much fun playing with the two little sisters all day until evening before he finally went back home. He felt really happy as he remembered all the things they did together. Just then, the footman came up to him and said that his lordship the Count wanted to see him in the study to check his Latin homework.

Raphael''s happiness all at once turned into fear. Every time he met his father in the study, he would break out in a cold sweat on his back.

Father would glance at his lack of progress in rhetoric and then look down at him with a disgusted expression. He would address Raphael as "Monsieur" and "vous