Irene

Soon, the female teacher stood at the podium.

She lightly tapped the desk, and the chatter in the classroom gradually quieted down.

“Thank you all for coming today, parents.”

Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried the authority that came from years of managing students.

A few noblewomen in the front row who were still chatting slowly sat up straight, and the classroom fell silent once more.

What followed was the standard routine for the academy's annual parent-teacher meeting: grades, discipline, etiquette, higher education, and future planning.

It was dry and boring for the students, but for the parents, it concerned the next few years of their children's lives.

The female teacher opened her folder and began to explain each point.

“Overall grades this term have increased by six percent compared to last year.”

“The academy's graduation rate for higher education remains at forty-two percent.”

“Among them, six have qualified for scholarships.”

Hearing this, several parents in the front row visibly perked up.

Some immediately lowered their heads to take notes, while others began whispering to those next to them.

After all, for many families, whether or not they could secure a scholarship determined whether their child could even continue studying.

Next was the matter of discipline.

“Recently, some students have violated school rules. This includes leaving the premises without permission, reading unassigned books in the dormitory, and altering the length of their uniforms.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a noblewoman in a dark green dress in the front row immediately frowned.

“Children these days are becoming more and more improper.”

Several parents nearby immediately nodded in agreement.

“Indeed. My daughter has also started picking up bad habits from the newspapers lately, and even secretly cut her hair. That would have been absolutely impossible when we were young.”

The middle-aged parents spoke with increasing seriousness, as if the length of a uniform's hemline was tied to the very future of the Empire.

Irene lowered her head, secretly rolling her eyes.

The corner of her mouth even twitched.

Ryan almost couldn't help but laugh.

He suddenly felt that, no matter the era, the topics parents discussed seemed to be much the same.

Afterward, the meeting officially entered the student evaluation phase.

The atmosphere in the classroom grew noticeably more serious, and many parents instinctively sat up straighter. Some were even more nervous than the students themselves.

Every time the teacher read out a name, the corresponding parent would immediately look up, as if awaiting judgment.

“Margaret Roland.”

“Excellent grades in mathematics.”

“However, classroom discipline needs improvement.”

A man who looked like a merchant in the front row visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Lucy Grant.”

“Good grades in literature.”

“Easily distracted.”

A plump woman in the back row immediately frowned; clearly, there would be no escaping a lecture once they got home.

When it was Irene's turn, the female teacher's movement of flipping through the papers noticeably paused.

Her tone softened significantly as well.

“Irene White.”

Quite a few people in the classroom looked up at the same time, because Irene was actually quite famous in her grade.

A girl from a poor family in the East End, yet her grades had consistently remained at the top—such an occurrence was rare in the academy.

“Irene's grades this term remain stable. Her grades in literature and history are particularly outstanding, her reading volume far exceeds that of her peers, and the quality of her essays is also excellent.”

Speaking up to this point, the teacher even showed a slight smile.

“She is one of my most worry-free students.”

A low murmur immediately rippled through the classroom.

Many parents looked toward Irene with some surprise.

After all, many of them had only known that this girl had decent grades, but they hadn't expected her to receive such high praise.

Irene's ears instantly flushed red, and she wished she could bury her head into the desk.

Ryan could even see her clutching her skirt tightly in her nervousness.

“However,” the female teacher continued, “she occasionally experiences moments of distraction.”

Irene muttered under her breath, “That's because the classes are so boring...”

Ryan pretended not to hear, nearly laughing out loud.

“In addition, Irene possesses excellent reading habits and writing skills. If family circumstances permit, I highly recommend that she pursue higher education.”

Once these words were spoken, the classroom fell dead silent for a brief moment.

The looks in many parents' eyes changed, because they knew what this meant.

Pursuing higher education, in this era, was practically a ticket to a higher social class.

Especially for an East End girl, this was an exceptionally high evaluation.

Irene had clearly not expected this either, and she was momentarily dazed.

She stole a glance at the teacher, then quickly lowered her head again.

The tips of her ears were burning red.

The female teacher then looked at Ryan and pushed up her glasses.

“You are Irene's...”

She actually still hadn't figured out the relationship between the two of them.

Ryan's expression remained calm.

“A family elder.”

The female teacher nodded.

“Irene is very clever. But lately, her mental state seems a bit fatigued, and she occasionally daydreams in class. If possible, I hope the family won't have her take on too much extra work.”

Irene immediately hung her head, a guilty look appearing on her face.

This was because she had indeed been staying up late frequently, helping her parents organize their account books, calculating rents, and even copying documents for neighbors to earn pocket change.

Ryan naturally knew this, but he didn't expose her.

He simply nodded.

“I will pass that along.”

The female teacher continued, “And one more thing. Irene is exceptionally suited for clerical work. Her written expression is very good, her logic is clear, and she has plenty of patience. If she enters government departments, the court system, or archiving institutions in the future, it would be a good direction for her development.”

Hearing this, Ryan suddenly felt like smiling.

Because this afternoon, he was indeed planning to conduct recruitment for the archive at the academy.

In a sense, the teacher had basically helped him advertise in advance.

And Irene was indeed suited for this kind of work.

Quiet, meticulous, and with excellent literacy skills, it was far more promising than the vast majority of factory jobs.

Afterward, the meeting gradually shifted to the topics parents cared about most: employment, higher education, and future income.

The atmosphere also began to shift from gentle to pragmatic.

A merchant was the first to raise his hand.

“Are jobs guaranteed after graduating from the academy?”

The classroom fell silent instantly; obviously, many people wanted to ask this question.

The female teacher fell silent for a few seconds, but ultimately she still said, “The academy will do its best to recommend them.”

Once those words were spoken, the expressions of many parents changed.

Because everyone knew that a so-called “best effort recommendation” basically meant no guarantee.

Jobs in London were becoming harder and harder to find now, especially for women.

Even for academy graduates, many would end up as low-paid clerks or working as a governess for someone else's family.

Some graduates would even end up getting married in the end, using their education merely as added value in the marriage market.

The atmosphere gradually grew heavy.

Several parents began to press for answers.

“What about the costs of higher education? What is the ratio of scholarships? Are there recommendation quotas for government positions? How is the employment situation for this year's graduates?”

Although the female teacher tried her best to answer, many of her responses failed to satisfy them.

Because reality was simply like that.

Even for an academy in the North End, there was no guaranteeing the future.

Irene quietly leaned a bit closer to Ryan and lowered her voice.

“See? Every day they talk about etiquette, refinement, and becoming a lady. But in the end, they still only discuss jobs and salaries.”

Ryan replied in a low voice, “Because etiquette cannot pay the rent.”

Irene was choked up by his words.

She wanted to argue, but found she couldn't refute him at all.

In the end, she could only glare at him.

The meeting lasted until noon.

When the female teacher announced its conclusion, the entire classroom seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief.

The parents stood up one after another.

Some surrounded the teacher to continue asking questions, while others began exchanging business cards.

A few noblewomen were already chatting about the winter ball.

The girls, on the other hand, regained their energy.

The classroom quickly became lively again.

Just then, several girls secretly peeked over in their direction.

One of them, a short-haired girl, nudged Irene.

“Is that really your relative?”

Irene's face instantly flushed red.

“None of your business.”

“He's quite good-looking, and a civil servant, too. No wonder you kept him hidden and never talked about him.”

“Shut up!”

The girls immediately burst into a fit of giggles.

Irene's ears turned bright red with embarrassment, and she almost lunged forward to hit them.

Ryan tactfully pretended not to hear anything, lowering his head to adjust his hat.

Yet, the corner of his mouth still couldn't help but curl upward.