Alpha's Rejected Mate Returns as Queen
Chapter 770: The Botanical Garden

Chapter 770: The Botanical Garden

Yarin's POV:

"I can't believe it," Heller continued discussing the young teacher with me even after we had boarded the bus. "He looks really young! Even though I know we can't measure an elf's lifespan by werewolf standards, but seriously? Is our academy really so heartless to employ children?"

"This is the fourth time you've told me this, mate." I leaned against the window, resting my eyes, and responded without lifting my head. "Elven exchange students, remember? Those poor souls were left behind in foreign lands by their kin. They lack family support and financial resources, and they'll starve if they don't do anything."

"The werewolf government must have some reason for supporting them. Doing jobs in the library or at the school is the safest option. Besides, maybe Emery is already fifty years old. According to elven standards, he's not even an adult yet, but in werewolf terms, he could already be a grandfather."

Heller shivered and complained, "Don't say these weird things. Do you know how horrifying it is for me to imagine Emery holding a baby and laughing?"

Most students enjoyed the plant collection class; this outdoor practical class was far from as dull as math or history. The class involved plant collection, but it felt more like playing.

Apart from Emery, the physical education teacher and the dormitory manager also oversaw the students' safety.

The robust physical education teacher maintained order with his rough voice and led the students into the botanical garden.

"Do you know that the Woof Anca Family originally owned this botanical garden?" Hailer said. "After the fall of the Evaria Family, they suffered greatly, and many of their industries were sold off. This used to be a greenhouse specially cultivated for rare flowers. My mother bought it and turned it into a royal private botanical garden, authorizing its use for teaching purposes at the Sivir Academy."

I nodded. "Cynthia mentioned that many of her favorite new flower varieties are cultivated here."

The experimental plants for students certainly weren't the rare and precious ones. There was a simulated outdoor area for plants, filled with species commonly found in werewolf territory. Each student had a plant list and today's lesson was to recognize these plants and collect samples.

Thanks to their natural affinity for it, elves were undoubtedly the best in botany among all races. That was probably why Emery was chosen to be the teaching assistant.

"If you have trouble understanding something, please ask me immediately. Also, if you find any interesting plants not on the list, please feel free to collect and display them. The creations of nature are beautiful and ever-changing, and I'm honored to help you with any questions."

After Emery finished explaining the instructions, the students were given free rein to explore.

Plant collection was quite fun, as long as you didn't mind getting dirty and dealing with all sorts of insects.

A fellow student in my group recoiled every time he tried to pick a flower, his face filled with the expression of one making a noble sacrifice. He mentioned that when he was a child, he got stung by a poisonous caterpillar, and his hand was swollen like over-fermented dough for an entire week. It was both painful and itchy as if the creature had burrowed into his flesh. Since then, he had developed a deep fear of insects and the plants that housed them.

"Oh goodness, if you're struggling, let me help you." Watching him dig into the soil while holding back tears, I couldn't help but offer. "We're in the same group, we should help each other."

But he refused, with a lot of pride.

Just then, a worker in the botanical garden uniform came over and handed him a pair of thick gardening gloves.

"Would these make it easier for you? These gloves are very sturdy and are the first choice for many researchers when dealing with poisonous insects," the worker said softly.

As he accepted the gloves, the guy, afraid of bugs, thanked him. Scott noticed my slightly too direct gaze and seemed to misunderstand something. He apologized, "I'm sorry for disturbing you. Your Highness, I just thought you might need these... Uhm, anyway, I'm sorry."

I quickly explained, "No, thank you very much, sir. It's my own impoliteness for staring directly at you. I owe you an apology."

Scott didn't say anything, seeming quite embarrassed, and quickly excused himself. "He's really a good person," my classmate who got the gloves said happily. Looking at Scott's hurried departure, I agreed, "Yes, he really is a very good person." Only a good person would try to save an innocent girl among a group of scoundrels. Those criminals had beaten Scott after he tried to stop them and were thrown out. There were no records of him being interrogated by the police. I thought he managed to escape in time. Meeting him again so soon was indeed a strange twist of fate.