The Seven Sisters and Their Hidden King

John had been taken away by his mastro at the age of five. He had never attended a traditional school. All of his knowledge was passed down through teachings at the temple.

So, when he said he'd never gone to school, he wasn't lying.

But others didn't interpret it that way.

Nick, Marcia, and Justin were stunned for a moment, then their expressions twisted into sneers of contempt.

Especially Justin, who wore a smug, superior smile.

Marcia scoffed. "So you're illiterate?"

Even though Queenie had warned her not to make things difficult for John, she couldn't suppress the disdain in her tone. In this day and age, how could someone still exist who had never gone to school?

Was he too poor to afford tuition?

But hadn't he grown up in a welfare house? Surely the staff there taught basic education!

There was only one explanation in her mind: he either had no interest in learning or simply hadn't made the effort.

And in her eyes, he deserved to be mocked.