Ch.7: Diamond Academy Welcome Back Banquet

Maria found herself escorted out of the carriage by her brother, silk white-gloved hands nervously clutching the pink fabric of her dress. Just like her mother stated, the dress was truly top-quality, trimmed in pearl pink tulle, pearls and gold ornate designs decorating the chest and bottom portion as the sleeves hung an inch off her shoulders. A pink silk choker adorned with a diamond heart was worn around her neck. Shirone styled her hair in a nice elegant bun with a few loose curls framing her face.

Thanking her brother for his assistance, Maria pointed her emerald eyes to the massive and beautiful alabaster castle-like building with gold rooftops. Stained glass windows were scattered through the high towers and walls. Riding up to the front gate were a number of high-class carriages, and escorted off these carriages were noble children of all ages, who, from what Maria had seen so far, all walked with their heads held high, posture perfect with a stuck-up and sophisticated air to them.

Which made Maria's stomach turn, knowing that she would most likely not get along with most of the kids here. It was already bad enough that she had regressed a few years back from her original age, but now she also had to deal with a bunch of stuck-up rich kids. 'So this is how Haruhi from Ouran Highschool Host Club felt.' Mentally trying to rid the butterflies in her stomach, Maria reached for her brother's hand, who kindly walked her inside the building.

Once inside, Maria heard classical music playing; kids of all ages were spread out in groups, talking amongst themselves. A few were even slow-dancing on the ballroom floor, which painfully reminded Maria that she didn't know how to ballroom dance. 'Yep, I want to go home.' Having just walked through the door Maria already wanted to leave.

"Michael-kun, it's good to see you." Looking towards where the voice was coming from, Maria was stunned to find herself staring at a beautiful girl, the same age as her brother, who reminded her of an Egyptian princess. She looked to be the same age as her brother with smooth tannish-brown skin and long glossy raven hair that reached down her back, wearing gold accessories that went perfectly with her deep purple dress.

Standing beside the raven-haired girl was a younger girl around Maria's age who bore a similar resemblance to the older girl; yet instead of raven hair, she possessed short blonde hair and wore a cute yellow dress. Unlike the older girl, whose very air screamed elegance, the younger of the two seemed more energetic and friendly, grinning widely when she spotted Maria, who shot the girl a peace sign.

Maria responded back with a smile and a wave of her hand, wondering if the girl knew her or was just being friendly. Hearing a bunch of whispering, Maria looked around the room, noticing how people in the room were looking in their direction, mostly in the Egyptian princess's direction.

It seemed that the girl was quite popular, seeing how most of those staring at the older girl were blushing boys. Though now that Maria paid closer attention to the girls in the room, she noticed that they were, in fact, fawning over her older brother. 'Wow, my brother is a popular bishounen!' exclaimed Maria, mentally smirking at the realization of having a good-looking older brother who spoiled her.

'Take that, you fangirls! If you wish to go out with my brother then you'll have to go through me.' Maria was feeling like an OP final-boss character in an RPG game, barely aware when her brother began introducing the two people in front of them.

"Maria, this is a friend and classmate of mine, Isis and her little sister, Mai." When Maria heard those two names, she briefly recalled that Isis would become the number one most talented girl in the high school division of Diamond Academy in the future.

Not only that, but the little sister and the original Maria in the story had a very bad first meeting when Maria publicly blew the girl off who only tried to befriend her. When she got annoyed by Mai's presence, she embarrassed the other girl by causing the eighteen layer tiered cake to crash down on her, causing everyone at the banquet to laugh at the poor girl.

This created a traumatizing experience for Mai, who would begin to bear a deep grudge against the original Maria. Luckily, Mai would become best friends with the main heroine, who helped her overcome her trauma that was caused by the original Maria. 'What a sweet heroine, but man, the original Maria was evil.' Recalling the events that happened in the book, Maria couldn't help but stare at Mai with pity, promising to never follow in the original Maria's footsteps.

It didn't take long for both Maria's brother and Isis to get pulled away by kids from their own peer group, leaving only Mai and Maria alone together. "Hi, I'm Mai! Want to become friends with me?" asked Mai with a big cheesy grin on her face that made Maria think of the sun. Unable to resist smiling herself, she returned the gesture with a smile of her own.

"Sure, I would love to!" Deep inside, Maria was really happy, since Mai would be the first friend she had met since she crossed over into this world. Happy to have made a friend, Mai grabbed Maria's hand, dragging her over to the table filled with food and desserts. Both girls couldn't help but feel their mouths water at the sight of the food, as it took no time for them to begin stuffing their mouths.

Once each girl was filled and satisfied, it was Mai who suggested, "Let's take a walk around the garden. Such a large meal needs good exercise to help digest the food."

"Good idea, but just where's the garden?" asked Maria, watching Mai begin to ponder the same thing.

"Let's go out and search for it. It can be like an adventure!" suggested Mai with an eager and curious look in her eyes that told Maria that Mai was the adventurous type of girl. Getting up on their feet, the two were about to leave but stopped when Maria saw a familiar redheaded boy make his way over to her.

"Richard-sama?!" exclaimed Maria, surprised to see the boy so soon after the whole fiasco that happened at the Scarlet Mansion. The young boy himself was drawing a lot of attention from girls of their own peer group and even older.

Dressed in a stylish and polished white suit, it made Maria, and most likely the majority of the other noble girls, think of him as a prince. Mai looked confused as she watched the boy stop right in front of Maria. A charming smile made its way to his face, causing some of the girls to blush heavily and feel jealousy towards the one who it was directed at, who in this case was Maria.

"Maria, I'm happy to see you again. I never did get the chance to thank you for saving my mother. You are a kind and courageous girl." Hearing such a compliment, Maria couldn't stop herself from blushing, sheepishly scratching the back of her head.

"A-Ah, it was really nothing-" Maria couldn't find the strength to speak when a pair of soft lips gently pecked her cheek. Richard's actions not only took Maria by surprise but all those who were watching. The girls' eyes by now had become murderous and Maria was oblivious to it, unlike Mai who began fearing for her friend.

"If you don't mind, I would love it if you save me a dance later?" Richard requested, showing off that bishounen smile of his, which brought forth the imagery of sparkles and red roses.

Mai sweatdropped when she saw a few girls glaring daggers at Maria, some even fainted from anger. Maria, on the other hand, was still in a daze but nevertheless, managed to nod her head. Satisfied with Maria's answer, Richard excused himself, while Mai dragged Maria away somewhere more private and away from the crowd of angry girls.

It was only when they were outside, standing beside a large decorative water fountain that the two took a breath. It was Mai who spoke up first and asked, "Just how do you know the Scarlet heir? That guy likes to keep others at a distance and is not the type to socialize, yet... It seems that that is not the case with you?" Mai stared at Maria, eyes filled with curiosity and questions.

Just before Maria could answer the other girl, the two heard footsteps come their way, followed by a voice. "Tch, just when I was trying to find some peace and quiet, I just had to run into you," complained the mysterious figure who Maria wasn't looking forward to encountering anytime soon.