𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝑒𝒾𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒞𝒶𝓅𝒶𝒾𝓃 (𝐿𝑒𝓋𝒾 x 𝒪𝒞)

Chapter 3 : The Fall Of Wall Maria

Year 845

A year had passed since Marie was taken in by Erwin Smith, and her life had changed in ways she could never have imagined. Under the watchful but strict guidance of her half-brother, she had begun to adapt to a new routine, a new world where each day brought its share of discoveries, learning, and challenges.

Marie was now 17 years old, an age where the carefree nature of childhood mixes with the budding responsibilities of adulthood. Her days were marked by a rigorous schedule that Erwin had carefully established for her. In the mornings, she attended classes at a school reserved for young girls from good families, a place where they were taught the arts of femininity, good manners, and everything a future wife should know. In the afternoons, she continued her academic studies under Erwin's supervision, who made sure she acquired knowledge that would serve her beyond societal expectations.

However, school was a true ordeal for Marie. She, who had always been full of life and energy, suddenly found herself in an environment where conformity and elegance were paramount. The classes were long, often boring, and the teachers, mostly older women, seemed more concerned with propriety than educating their students.

One afternoon in particular, Marie found herself sitting in a classroom adorned with heavy drapes and dark wood furniture, a place where daylight seemed barely able to penetrate. In front of her, a stern-looking old woman, Madame de Chasseloup, was giving an unbearably boring lesson. The topic of the day? "How to laugh like a proper lady."

Madame de Chasseloup, standing rigid in her corset, gave exaggerated demonstrations, each burst of laughter perfectly calibrated, neither too loud nor too soft, with a delicate hand placed in front of her mouth. "Ladies, never forget! A laugh that is too loud is vulgar, and a laugh that is too restrained is weak. A lady's laugh must be like a sweet melody—captivating but discreet. Like this..."

Marie, seated at the back of the room, watched the scene with half-closed eyes in boredom. Around her, her classmates, all from prestigious families, obediently mimicked the teacher, practicing their laughter as if it were a complex art. But to Marie, it all seemed incredibly absurd.

She let out a deep sigh, crossing her arms and leaning back against the backrest of her chair. "Seriously... learning how to laugh?" she murmured to herself, a mocking smile forming on her lips. "Does it really make us better people?"

Just then, one of her classmates, a girl named Marguerite, burst out laughing in an exaggerated manner, much too loudly by Madame de Chasseloup's standards. The teacher immediately turned to Marie, wrongly assuming she was the culprit. "Miss Marie! I remind you that we are here to learn how to behave like proper ladies, not to make vulgar jokes."

Marie straightened up, surprised to be scolded for something she hadn't done. "But... it wasn't me, Madame!" she exclaimed, her face showing her indignation.

"Don't mock your companions, Miss," replied Madame de Chasseloup sternly. "An inappropriate laugh is just as reprehensible as mockery. Learn to contain yourself, it is the essence of feminine grace."

Marie let out a small grunt of frustration but forced herself to remain silent, though her mind was still boiling. "Contain?" she thought. "Why should we have to contain everything? This is completely idiotic."

She glanced at her classmates, all focused on perfecting their laughter. Marguerite, the actual culprit, was now trying to hide a smile behind her hand, taking advantage of the fact that Marie had been blamed. Marie, on the other hand, felt increasingly exasperated by this farce.

The longer the lesson went on, the more alienated Marie felt in this world of etiquette and pretenses. She had nothing against learning good manners, but to conform to every little rule without asking questions... That was asking too much of a girl who had always followed her heart more than conventions.