Chapter 13 – Monster Class (iii)
That night, Xi Wei suddenly received a communication notification from Uncle Berg. Before Berg married, during his childhood, he had given Xi Wei a mini optical computer as a way to contact him. Seeing this notification, Xi Wei was very happy and immediately clicked connect, "Uncle, long time no see!"
Berg was still the same as before. Currently, he was sitting beside the bed while wearing comfortable home clothes. He smiled as he saw Xi Wei and said, “Have you become used to your new school?”
“Today is the beginning of the school year, the school conditions are very good.” Xi Wei remembered someone’s name and suddenly asked, "Uncle, do you know Carlo?”
Berg had yet to speak, when suddenly a man appeared behind him. The man had a great and muscled stature, and looked very honest as he asked curiously, “Carlo? What’s wrong with that brat?"
“I’m talking to Xi Wei, why are you butting in?" Berg looked back at him.
“…” The man scratched his head and smiled very innocently.
Xi Wei immediately judged that the man must be Drew Berch, heir to the Berch family, and also the Alpha who had married Uncle Berg. Since Carlo was also surnamed Berch, they certainly shared a blood relationship; this was the reason Xi Wei asked about Carlo.
“I haven’t seen Carlo, but I know the kid." Berg looked back at the man next to him, “Your nephew Carlo went to school this year, too, right?”
“Yes, he just reached the age of admission and went to St. Paul’s Academy.” Drew said, “Carlo was born with a very high mental strength, and since an early age he had grown stronger than other kids his age. I also heard he placed first in the school's entrance examination. Why, did he get into trouble at school?"
Xi Wei said, “No, the teacher elected him as our class president. I heard he is from the Berch family, so I want to ask uncle whether he recognized him.”
“He is my nephew.” Drew said, “Are you the First Prince? Your uncle often tells me about you. You are really cute ah, your eyes look just like your Royal Uncle…"
The man had not finished talking, and Berg already drove him away, “You go out first, I still have something to say to Xi Wei.”
"Oh." The innocent Drew immediately went out.
After he left, Berg finally recovered his smile, and said seriously, “Xi Wei, I'm contacting you today because of His Majesty the King, he wants me to tell you something. Most of the students in St. Paul Academy are children from military families. Although you are young, you still have to remember your identity as the First Prince. When making friends, you have to pay attention to their family background. In addition to the Berch family, you can also befriend the Basie family, but other families like the Orlando family, the Sharman family, the Stoker family, etc., you shouldn't get too close to them, it is not good for you."
Xi Wei was surprised; his father asked Uncle Berg to tell him all these probably because the relationship between the royal family and those families were not good. There must be conflict of interests involved, and so Xi Wei, as the Frist Prince, must be clear of his own position.
Seeing Xi Wei listening seriously to him, Berg continued, “By the way, when you were born I gave you a necklace, did you bring it with you to school?”
“The blue one? I’ve been wearing it all the time." Xi Wei said, pulling out a blue-pendant necklace from under his collar. Berg saw the oval-shaped, fluorescent blue crystal flashing at Xi Wei's chest, smiled, and said, “This necklace is said to bring good luck to the owner, you have to take good care of it.”
“Yes, Uncle.” Xi Wei promised readily, and then asked, "Uncle, how are you after getting married?"
Berg answered calmly, "I'm fine, I am pregnant now, at this time next year you may have a little cousin."
Xi Wei: “…"
Looking at the man on the screen saying “I’m pregnant” very calmly, Xi Wei automatically thought of the process of being marked by an alpha, and immediately felt goose bumps crawling all over his body—living in this wonderful world, the pressure is really too big ah.
***
Probably because of the rapid evolution of human beings, the children of the Empire are generally precocious, especially Alphas. They already had the courage and motivation to compete with each other from the very first day of school.
There were two courses during the first school day morning: vocabulary and grammar for two class periods, and mathematics for another two periods. Since the children had already studied addition and subtraction until the hundreds with their own tutors before entering formal school, the teacher started teaching addition and subtraction for three-digit numbers directly, along with the basics of multiplication and division—the Imperial education was about three years ahead of Xi Wei’s current course.
Of course, these lessons were too simple for Xi Wei. He pretended to listen attentively, while actually reading his own book with his optical computer.
In contrast to him, Aiden studied very carefully, diligently taking notes in his optical computer while listening to the lecture.
In the row in front of them, Klaire was lying with his head on the table, fast asleep. The teacher could not see it, and called out to him. "Student Klaire, you answer this question."
The optical computer on the teacher’s podium showed the map of the entire classroom, so even though it was only the first day, the teacher was able to accurately call out Klaire’s name. However, the called on boy did not hear it, still asleep.
Xi Wei had no choice but to stretch his feet, and gently kicked his ass.
Klaire was awakened, he stumbled to stand up and asked: “Xi Wei, are you looking for me?”
“……” You pig teammate[1]! I’m helping you, and you did not even hesitate to sell me out?!
The teacher pushed his glasses up and said with a dull face, “Xi Wei, you answer.”
Xi Wei stood up helplessly and said: “The answer is 137.”
The teacher pressed the next question option and a new question appeared on the podium's screen.
Xi Wei answered once again, “The answer is 522.”
“…”
Xi Wei responsed calmly and answered ten questions in a row until finally the teacher's mood improved. He smiled and let him go, “Xi Wei answered well, clearly he has been listening seriously. Klaire, you have to learn more from Xi Wei, don't sleep in class.”
Klaire scratched his head, "I know, teacher.”
“Sit down.”
After the two had sat down, Aiden gave a thumbs up to Xi Wei beside him and said, “You are amazing, you learn so fast.”
Xi Wei smiled at him, “In the future, if you don't understand something, you can ask me."
Aiden nodded, "Yes! There are a few things that I don't understand, I will ask you again once we go back to the dorm. ”
Meanwhile, Carlo looked back at Xi Wei, and his expression seemed to say: What's so amazing, I can answer it too.
***
Morning class soon ended. Xi Wei and Aiden went to lunch, Klaire tailed behind Xi Wei, and Carlo went together with Klaire. After the four children sat down in the school cafeteria, Xi Wei couldn't help asking: “Klaire, why are you always sleeping ah?”
Klaire said, “I don't know, I've always loved sleeping.”
“If you sleep in class, the teacher will be calling you to answer questions every day" Xi Wei pointed out.
Klaire was also very upset, he scratched his head, face confused as he said: “There is actually something strange that I've never told anyone…”
Aiden and Carlo immediately perked up their ears curiously.
“Xi Wei, you come to me tonight, I will only tell you, okay?”
Carlo: “……”
Aiden: “……”
People who like to leave other people with cliffhangers are too annoying, Carlo and Aiden concluded at the same time.
Xi Wei smiled, “You still have a secret? Fine, I'll visit you tonight.”
***
In the evening, Xi Wei was back in his dormitory to sort out what they had learned today while also occasionally giving studying tips to Aiden. The sky was already dark when Xi Wei remembered Klaire wanted to tell him something. He went out and walked to room 17 before knocking on the door.
The door was opened by Carlo, which surprised Xi Wei, “Are you roommates with Klaire?”
Carlo nodded and turned back, “Klaire, Xi Wei is here looking for you.”
A golden big head soon came out, which instantly became flourished with a brilliant smile as he saw Xi Wei, “Let’s go.”
Xi Wei wondered, “Not here?”
Klaire said, “A secret has to be said in a secret place, otherwise Carlo will eavesdrop.”
Carlo: "…… ”
The class president who had intended to eavesdrop shut the door with a sour face.
Klaire smiled, took the initiative to take Xi Wei's hand and said, “Let's go.”
This guy seemed to like holding his hand, making Xi Wei felt very awkward. He wanted to throw him off, but his heart softened once he looked at the simple happy smile on the face of this beautiful blond haired child in front of him—he was still a child after all, holding hands must also be part of his childish nature. Since he trusts me, and even wants to tell me his secrets, this has to be the only reason, right?
Thinking so, Xi Wei let the other boy hold his hand, and followed him all the way to behind the school's dormitory building.
There was a forest there, filled with silvery white tress with leaves that shone brightly under the moonlight, making whoever looks at them felt like they were in dreamland.
Xi Wei did not know there was such a beautiful place in the school. Most of the information he usually sought after was about the empire’s regime, military departments, and history, while he didn't really pay much attention to plants and animals. This was his first time seeing this silvery tree, so he asked, “What tree is this?”
“This tree is called a five-star fruit tree,” said Klaire. “The first day I came to school I happened to pass by here, isn't it pretty?”
Those large silvery trees were indeed really beautiful. Xi Wei could not help but appreciate the beauty of this strange tree; five-star fruit trees have straight trunks, the leaves are very dense, large oval-shaped silver leaves closely bundling together. The moonlight above covered all of them, but because the leaves glowed, although it was night time, the forest was as bright as day.
While walking in the forest, Xi Wei couldn't help but feel funny—Klaire this guy, I don't really know what he is thinking in his head. He said he wanted to tell me a secret but brought me to see this beautiful view instead.
They walked all the way to the depths of the forest before Klaire finally stopped. He watched Xi Wei seriously and said, “Xi Wei, If I tell you the secret, please don't dislike me?”
The boy seemed very afraid of being disliked, Xi Wei answered him calmly with a smile, “Just say it quickly, I promise I won't dislike you.”
Klaire hesitated for a moment before saying, “I feel sick.”
“…”
This guy’s grammar sucks, his words can easily lead to ambiguity. Xi Wei fell silent for a moment, before taking the initiative to ask, “Are you talking about your fear of blood?”
Klaire shook his head, “Not the faint-when-seeing-blood problem. I often have nightmares.”
Xi Wei wondered, “It's just a nightmare, don't you feel well after waking up?”
Klaire’s face turned a bit ugly, he said seriously, "I think I always become another person in the dream. I can see him with a lot of strange things, he has his own parents, and many friends. Every time I fall asleep, I become him.”
” … ” The more he heard, the more Xi Wei felt wary, his expression also couldn't help turning serious, "Your dream content feels very real?”
“Yes, like it really happened. And all of those daily dreams can be connected. For example, yesterday I dreamed he was eating dinner and was awakened halfway, and today I continued dreaming about him eating the rest of the meal. The things I dream every day are connected, as if he was growing up with me… ” cried Klaire while grabbing onto Xi Wei’s hand nervously, “I feel scared, Xi Wei, what if one day I fall asleep and completely become him, never waking up again?"
Xi Wei also felt worry after listening to him. According to Klaire's story, his situation seems like a case of dual personality. It is said that a person with a dual personality would sometimes unconsciously turn themselves into another person, and they often couldn't control this "other self” of theirs, as if they were only looking through a dream. In serious cases, people with dual personality generally has criminal tendency; when they became their “other personality”, it was easy for them to release the negative emotions suppressed in their heart, and they would even kill or do arson without hesitation.
It seemed like Klaire’s nightmare was much worse than Lady Grace’s description. Xi Wei could not help but say, “Did you not tell your parents about this?”
Klaire lowered his head in frustration, “I can't tell them, I’m afraid they will treat me like a monster.”
No wonder he couldn't say it, To dream of becoming another person every day, children who experienced this strange thing would of course feel scared.
Looking at the boy's pale face, Xi Wei reached out his hand and gently touched his head in comfort, “Klaire, don't be afraid, tomorrow we'll look for a doctor in the school. Tell this situation clearly to the doctor. You'll be fine with a doctor's help.”
Klaire paused for a moment before nodding his head and said with a clenched hand, “Will you ignore me if I am really sick?”
Xi Wei smiled, “No, no matter what, you are still Klaire.”
Klaire felt moved, but he didn't know how to express it. He thought carefully, and then extended his arms to hug Xi Wei while saying seriously, "Xi Wei you are really nice.”
Being embraced by a child, Xi Wei was very awkward, but he did not have the heart to push Klaire and hugged him back instead.
Xi Wei reached out and rubbed his hand on Kyle’s golden head, saying, “Don't worry, I'm here.”
This was the work of Xi Wei's principle to protect the “weaker" ones. Plus, the two of them grew up together, Xi Wei really did not want to see Klaire suffer from schizophrenia.
— Had he known Klaire would later grow up to be so crooked, he would never have comforted this child actor.
Proof-read by: Kleepart