Dear Broom Knight.

Chapter 1050 I've Grown Up
“Mom’s eyes are so fierce,” Penelope muttered softly.

"You can clearly do your homework properly, so why do you always..." Euphemia couldn't understand.

“Ever since we started school, Mom has been learning some weird stuff, and she doesn’t hit me anymore, even when she’s angry with me,” Penelope pouted, feeling wronged.

But Euphemia, upon hearing what she said, thought there might be something wrong with her ears: "What...what did you just say?"

The room they are currently in is another small apartment that the royal family helped renovate before the two children officially started school.

Since a kitchen wasn't needed, and it needed to connect with the neighboring house, it was simply changed to a layout where the stairs were in the middle, and the two sides were separate spaces for the two children.

Downstairs are their respective living rooms and small studies, while upstairs are bedrooms with dressing rooms and washrooms.

The staircase on Mrs. Alexis's side was moved to the wall that had been demolished between the two apartments.

Because Ms. Connie, who was in charge of the household chores, was not so afraid of Mikhail, the middle section was given to him.

Penelope's room is now directly opposite Euphemia's.

Their friendship began when they would hold up signs by the window and ask each other, "What do you want to eat lately?" or "What new dishes does the church have?"

Euphemia discovers that after each tutoring session with Penelope, Ms. Alexis would return to her own place and spend two hours relentlessly hitting a punching bag downstairs in what had been converted into a training room.

Those specially made sandbags are considered high-level rare items; even a great knight probably couldn't break through them.

But Ms. Ariges could send the sandbag flying sideways when she hit it.

Euphemia worries that one day her little one will get into serious trouble... It won't just be a spanking, it'll be boiling oil.

As it turns out, Penelope was asking for a beating?
"What are you thinking?" Euphemia was extremely confused.

“My mother’s identity is quite special!” Penelope said softly. “You should know that, right?”

Euphemia nodded: "Yeah, it's nothing."

“I heard her mutter something when I was little…” Penelope said dejectedly, “that if Mikhail and I grew up, she would send us somewhere else.”

"Hmm?" Euphemia opened her mouth awkwardly, then let out an exaggerated "Ah?"

“I’m already in school, so that means I’m all grown up!” Penelope said earnestly. “On the day we started school, Sister Michelle specifically reminded our parents that we were all grown up and that they could no longer beat or scold us at will, but had to reason with us.”

Penelope said, somewhat aggrieved, "I don't want to grow up."

Then she thought for a moment and added, "No, I can grow up on my own, but I can't let my mom think I'm all grown up."

She resolutely touched her bottom and said, "It will hurt a lot, but as long as Mom is still here, that's all that matters."

Euphemia couldn't help but laugh.

She had almost forgotten whether she was just as difficult to deal with at that age.

But children's innocent words are so cute!

Of course, it's possible that she wasn't the one experiencing this sudden whim.

“But Pepe. The minimum age adults consider ‘grown up’ is 16!” Euphemia pressed a corner of her mouth down, telling Penelope with a serious expression, “Even I, right now, won’t be considered grown up!”

Penelope scanned Euphemia from head to toe.

The young woman stood up and turned around to show her.

The light blue hem of her skirt brushed against the armchair.

Penelope's waist-length hair, fluttering at the tip of her nose, exuded a warm orange scent.

Penelope looked up at Euphemia, who had grown to 1.8 meters tall, and finally admitted from the bottom of her heart... she was still a little girl.

"I'll have to wait until I'm your age!" she said after thinking for a while. "Then I won't upset my mom for now. It hurts her, after all."

Euphemia looked at her tenderly: "Then...from now on..."

"Will Euphemia still stay with me?" Penelope looked up and asked earnestly, "You're my best friend!"

“Of course…of course you can,” Euphemia replied immediately. “Pepe is my best friend too!”
I thought you'd be more eager to finish your homework so you could go out and play.

If she comes over, Penelope will be able to finish her homework quickly, but because she will definitely teach a little more, Penelope won't have much playtime.

Penelope said she could understand that Euphemia was her only friend, since other kids would call their friends to go out and play after finishing their homework.

The biggest advantage of the Church of the Night is that it makes the children seem indistinguishable on some level.

Adults surely know that, no matter what, people are different.

But how can children understand those subtle differences?

In any case, the parents of the Dark Night Church would certainly not emphasize the difference in status in front of their children who are still too young to understand.

There, you may find a statue of the goddess of the night.

Although humans are good at classifying themselves into different tiers, they would never dare to say such a thing in front of a goddess.

The younger the child, the more naive they are in this regard.

Even the children of outsiders are not discriminated against. And when the children finally understand the class distinctions, the curriculum at Laurel Church will begin to be streamed according to differences in talent.

The real, insurmountable gap between children is actually talent.

Especially in places like the Dark Church, talent equates to status.

Even Luciano, if his talent wasn't good enough, would only be able to stand at the back in the church.

Euphemia, who had lived here for several years, knew very well that children were truly carefree during the early developmental period, from three to eight years old.

Therefore, she sincerely hoped that Penelope would have some fun.

Even if it might cause her only friend to 'fall in love with someone else'.

But Euphemia only has classmates she's on good terms with; she can't make any true friends at all... Her identity means too many interests, and those classmates who have passed their innocent days can't possibly be without demands of her.

However, Euphemia is sensitive and sharp-tongued, and simply cannot accept a friendship that is tainted by infidelity.

She didn't think she was being too picky... After all, she already had a father's loving care.

Fatherly love may not be comfortable, but it's something she was born with.

Get used to it.

After going through this process, she has come to accept it calmly.

However, Euphemia had no interest in finding any meaningful friendship for herself again.

On the contrary, Penelope is someone you can have a serious and genuine relationship with... Friendships based on food don't have so many extraneous elements.

Although both parties were well-intentioned at the beginning, it was based on mutual benefit, and neither had any ulterior motives.

Therefore, everything that followed was because they genuinely had feelings for each other.

Even her brother and Mikhail could sit at the same table and study together.

For people with their personalities, this already qualifies them as friends.

Of course, the reason these two were able to develop a friendship was also due to their curiosity about each other.

There's a reason we come together, but the reason we become friends is very simple.

Euphemia was willing to compromise for the sake of this true friendship.

“What are you talking about?” Penelope just rolled her eyes at her friend. “Why would I hang out with people who can’t even speak properly?”
They can't even play chess! They throw away the puzzle before they've even finished half of it.

Is her and Mikhail's problem that they can't make friends?

It's because I can't make friends of the same age with whom I can have meaningful conversations.

Although, according to Euphemia, she was still a long way from being considered an adult, Penelope knew she was smart enough!
She and Mikhail were promoted directly to the intermediate class after only half a year in the basic class... Their classmates were generally six years old and above.

The basic courses at the Laurel Church are also divided into three levels. The beginner level is simple text and common sense, the intermediate level adds training and some supplementary courses, and the advanced level adds training intensity and art appreciation courses.

Penelope and Mikhail's class was called the Gui Class... Although the content of the classes was not much different from that of the Month Class, it was a paid class.

Their lunches, their training standards, and classroom practices are somewhat different from those of the monthly classes.

After all, even the wealthy and powerful Dark Night Church couldn't afford to provide training resources for so many children.

All they could get from the Church of the Dark Night for free was knowledge and the most basic living resources.

Penelope only realized that she and her brother were actually somewhat different when she got to the church.

It's not because of the living environment.

Many children in Guiban were from wealthier families than her, and they could afford to hire a whole bunch of expensive maids... Not knowing exactly how high the standards were for female workers on Laurel Street, she genuinely felt that her family was only considered ordinary.

Penelope describes her family as neither lacking in money nor extremely wealthy.

But she and her brother were much smarter than their classmates.

It's a pity that Mom won't let them go straight to the advanced class... even though they could have graduated from the advanced class!
In terms of physical strength, the two of them were no less capable than those eight-year-old children.

But Mom just wouldn't agree.

The only compromise was to free Mikhail and Penelope from those three-year-olds who cried and snotted all the time.

The children in the intermediate class are all 6 years old. Although they are noisy, they are at least sensible. They won't suddenly burst into tears during class or grab onto others for no reason.

She did consider trying to see if there were any people she could talk to in the eight-year-old class... but that was completely impossible.

All she could think about was eating and sleeping, and she would even lie down to do such simple training... The thought that the only outcome of her becoming friends with the other person was being constantly asked, "Why aren't you tired?" or "Can you teach me this?" sent chills down her spine.

Penelope had no desire to associate with such people; she preferred a two-way street.

Looking at her only friend with whom she could talk properly, the little girl pouted: "When Mia was my age, how old could she play with other children?"

(End of this chapter)