279 | Rejected Appreciation

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"WE'RE GOING TO USE Historical-biographical criticism on the short story that I will be sharing with you after class. But before that, I want us to begin with the very definition of Literary Criticism and why it is important when it comes to analyzing Literature," an English professor says to a class that's finally full of students who are eager to listen.

     During the time Kim Hee-Joon implemented the Brotherhood Customs, the white uniforms stopped going to their classes, afraid that the Brotherhoods would kidnap them. But after the chaos ended, things returned to normal, meaning regular classes resumed.

     Other than the fact that most of the abusive professors were removed, the quality of their classes changed drastically, and after so long, Stefan and the other serfs finally had chairs to sit on. Gone are the days when they had to sit on the floor

     "Do you have the notes from last week's lesson?" Xander asks Max who was busy writing something down in his notebook.

     Max, who's probably the only student in this entire school who continued studying despite their circumstances, stopped what he was doing so he could hand Xander the notebook he used last week.

     While everyone was busy listening to their professor, someone suddenly knocked on their door, interrupting the class. The professor stopped his lecture as the Saints' president, Justice Thorndyke, opened the door, holding his chest briefly as a sign of respect.

     "I apologize for interrupting your important lesson today, but Reverend Mother Margaret would like to speak with Maximilian Sinclaire in her office," Justice suddenly says, surprising Max and the others.

    The professor turns to Max and nods his head as a sign of approval. Max then turned to his friends who could only shrug their shoulders in similar confusion.

     "I'll tell you the details later," Max whispers to Keigo before finally heading out of the room with the council president.

     "Follow me."

     The two were completely silent the entire time, unsure of what to say to each other since this was the first time they were left alone together again since the public arrest of the Ministry. Max thought they were just gonna ignore each other, but when the two got out of the cathedral, Justice finally turned to Max and said, "It's strange how the first time I walked with you like this was the first day you arrived. Everything was still a mess at that time, but now...things have changed drastically. You're like a saviour sent from the heavens, so as the council president, I want to—"

     "Please don't thank me. Everywhere I go students and even teachers are thanking me like I'm some kind of saint. It feels wrong," Max says, making the president laugh.

     "Wrong? What's wrong with that? They just want to show their appreciation."

     "But there's nothing to be appreciated for. I mostly did all this for my selfish reasons and you know that. And it's not like I was the only one who did something to help. St. George Academy. I didn't have to be in the spotlight," Max then explains, and this time, Justice sighs. He understands that Max isn't the type to take credit for every little thing he does, but Justice would be glad if he did.

     Max was the reason why everything came to be. He started with the serfs' division, and then everything else just rippled in place. Max had such a huge impact that he was able to influence others as well. If Max could only be more selfish, Justice wouldn't feel so bad as the Saints' president.

     "There must be a way for us to show our appreciation. Not being able to thank you feels wrong somehow," Justice then says.

     "Just let your house know that J.S High did it. It was the House of Kings who helped this school. It wasn't me. It was Kim Hee-Joon, Hedeon Stallion, Gavriil Alexeev, Charles Justin Mills, and everyone else who put effort into making sure change could be possible. So I'm sorry, I still won't accept your gratitude," Max firmly says, and Justice finally gives up. Max has only been here for a couple of weeks but he already knows how stubborn the heir can be. Fortunately, Justice is persistent.

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