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The White Queen Reigns – Part 02

Stumbling through the snow, Marion finally caught up to Jacqueline and pounced on her from behind like a hunter finding a bear.

The maid hastily adorned the lady’s lapel with a brooch, her fingers with a ring, then fastened a necklace around her neck. The two imposing gentlemen—the chairman and principal of St. Marguerite Academy—observed them for a moment, blinking in surprise. It only took them a moment to collect themselves.

“Welcome to St. Marguerite Academy, Mrs. Signore!” one man said. “Thank you for coming all the way from Saubreme for an observation.”

“The weather is splendid today, perfect for a human chess match!”

Jacqueline nodded with a smile. “Indeed.”

As she strolled leisurely along the snowy path with the two gentlemen, she turned to Marion. The maid was on tiptoe, attempting to secure a bejeweled hair ornament into her employer’s hair.

“Hey, Marion… What exactly is human chess?” Jacqueline asked in a whisper.

“What? You don’t know about it?” Marion’s hands froze in surprise.

Snow slid down from the trees, thumping on the iron bench. The cries of winter migratory birds reverberated from somewhere. Snowflakes clung to bare branches, resembling delicate white leaves that glittered in the morning sunlight.

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The opulent office of the chairman, located on the ground-floor of the school building, was furnished with a luxurious leather couch and an antique table. Oriental vases were carefully placed throughout the room. On the desk sat a large globe, swaying gently despite the absence of any breeze.

Although she was offered a seat on the couch, Jacqueline only sat down for a few seconds before exclaiming, “Wow!” in delight and jumping at the expansive window of the chairman’s office.

“It’s so lovely!” she remarked.

“I-Is that so? Your kind words are greatly appreciated.”

“I’ll tell my husband all about it upon my return.”

Jacqueline’s eyes glimmered with excitement.

Outside, the entire expanse in front of the school building had been transformed into a grand chessboard, a masterful creation crafted by the elderly gardener. Since the early hours of dawn, he had toiled to clear away the snow and draw the squares with charcoal. Eager students had already donned their human chess costumes, frolicking across the board.

“E-Everyone, please settle down!” From the distance came the voice of a teacher, Ms. Cecile. “Return to your dorms and classrooms for now! Are any of you even listening?”

The excited students paid no heed to Ms. Cecile’s words. They playfully leaped upon her or hurled snowballs in her direction, their enthusiasm reaching astonishing heights.

“H-Help! I’m going to die! Kujou!”

“You called, Teach? O-Ow!”

Jacqueline faintly heard the cry of a young boy, a voice that sounded familiar. She inclined her head and strained her ears.

I believe it was in Saubreme, during the Jeantan incident… Ah, the polite international student with melancholic, jet-black eyes…

Marion approached her discreetly. Feigning to fix the lady’s hair, she whispered softly so the gentlemen wouldn’t hear. “In human chess, participants dress up as chess pieces and gather in a garden or park to play the game. It might not be as popular in urban areas, or among the nobility. When I was a child, we often played it in the countryside. My brothers would use me because they didn’t have enough pieces.”

“Ah, I see.”

Marion giggled. “I felt like a little queen, protected by my brothers’ pawns and rooks. I acted all high and mighty just for that day.”

“How wonderful!” Jacqueline nodded, her eyes gleaming with immense delight.

Before her eyes lay a pure white garden, where students dressed as kings, pawns, bishops, queens, and various other chess pieces had gathered, joyfully hopping about in their respective costumes. They were divided into white and black teams, with their attire reflecting the corresponding colors.

The chairman and the principal approached cautiously from behind, clearing their throats to gain Jacqueline’s attention.

“Ahem!”

“Um, Mrs. Signore!”

“Our esteemed St. Marguerite Academy has long been known as a ‘closed academy’ and sometimes regarded as Sauville’s secret armory. However, since the end of the Great War, we have strived to create a more open school environment, which includes welcoming international students from various countries.”

“Prior to the Christmas break, we decided to incorporate the popular human chess event from the village and organize a tournament, inviting dignitaries from Saubreme to serve as judges… Mrs. Signore? Mrs. Signore? Um, are you listening?”

“Argh, I will get you all for this… Kujou, back me up here!”

“Uh, as a teacher, you should be maintaining discipline among unruly students… You’re supposed to… Ouch!”

Just as the principal and the chairman were elaborating on the event, a petite woman with fluffy brown hair and large round glasses suddenly appeared by the window. Her eyes were round and endearing, reminiscent of a puppy’s. She wore a papier-mâché of a white horse’s head on top of her own, fastened tightly beneath her chin, signifying her role as the knight. With a dramatic flair, she hurled a snowball in a specific direction.

The snowball traveled weakly through the air, twirling like a boomerang before returning to the window behind her. It hit the principal’s head hard, leaving the fine gentleman covered in a dusting of snow.

“Hey!” the principal yelled.

Jacqueline erupted in gleeful laughter. “Well done!”

“Cecile, you little…”

“Oh, Sophie. There you again, mimicking the principal. For the record, you sound nothing like him… Wait, why would Sophie be there? Uh…”

Cecile turned slowly, a worried expression on her face, and saw the snow-dusted principal, the indignant chairman, and an unfamiliar lady laughing out loud.

“Did you say Sophie? So she’s in on this too. Why are you two causing chaos with the students?! You’re not children anymore! Oh, this is giving me a headache … What a mess. To think that it would be witnessed by none other than the esteemed wife of the police commissioner. What if the government suddenly decides to slash our subsidies by half next year? And now, the true nature of Sauville’s secret armory has been laid bare…”

“Me too! Me too!”

Jacqueline exclaimed with laughter, climbed onto the window frame, and like a wild deer gracefully leaped into the garden below, displaying a slender and nimble form not one would expect from a grown woman.

She squeezed the teacher’s shoulders tight. “I’m not quite sure what’s going on, but I’ll back you up. Where’s the enemy?!”

“Wh-Who are you? Never mind. Somehow, a battle ensued between the white team and black team, and I was supposed to stop them. Anyway, since I’m on the white team, the kids in black are the enemy! That one in particular…”

Cecile pointed her finger fiercely at a captivating woman with fiery red hair and a generous bosom—Sophie, the dorm mother. Wearing a black horse’s headpiece secured under her chin, she stood with her arms akimbo. Students, split into their respective colors, were engaged in a snowball fight, squealing in joy. Kazuya’s faint cry of pain could be heard from the distance.

Jacqueline rolled up her sleeves. “All right, bring it on! You there. We’re going for the win, got it?”

“Understood, stranger!”

“One, two, let’s go!”

“Let’s go!”

“Madam, there’s no need for you to join them!” Marion cried. “Stop! You’re going to ruin your ruby diamond brooch!”