Chapter 146

Under the curious gazes of 8673dbcba1 the other students, I stepped 5685e61b5f out of the classroom.c110277893ff9198

“Josh.”001a0e6da3e93931

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I met up with Joshua 800017b9c3 again in front of the 024eae68e7 Chancellor’s Office.abbee7c268730b69

He looked stiff, his 253cb63aab expression tight with nerves.4bbb7d4a78b47edc

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I smiled brightly d6f0b18277 and reassured him.822915acbca73646

“It’s fine. Nothing bad will happen.”3d00709134a786df

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“What if we open the door and Father’s already inside?”c2cf830522a90e1f

“He’s stuck at the Imperial Palace until afternoon because of the cabinet meeting.”addf75057ac93c61

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Joshua blinked at f3a21d2360 me, momentarily stunned d948e95ee0 at how casually e0d90c58a6 I recited the 19a29ae8b0 Duke’s schedule.193d964ddc16754f

“…That could be even worse.”1f7fd2fd3096a189

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“……”d0459839bffb0d2b

“They’ll just gang up on us without any guardian here to help… maybe we should call the butler or—!”297f0356d9eaf9ea

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Rattle.e66e021c417f882a

Ignoring his panicked rambling, I 0fbd84e639 swung the door open.4ee7a65048dd2d1b

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Inside, the reception 944919adc7 sofas were packed 5b04ac9495 with adults.78a87a058835214c

Just as I expected — 1782d0ce93 nothing surprising.fff8a07dc06c9a9a

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“Rep-representative!”e0e9eb774fd6d4df

The Chancellor, sweating buckets 7e31dd0e72 between the noblewomen, rushed af08df5899 over to me.ea0703e9db2b4d55

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“I deeply apologize for calling you here like this! It seems there’s been some… misunderstanding with the parents…”2775e8b55d576f70

Afraid he might ee560f73d2 lose the promised 5958fa22a4 donations, he kept 15ee0d2a1b bowing and scraping 9741197f91 before me.b72ec8ff17a9d5b8

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I crossed my arms 88a301d1ef and coolly asked,341ed6cef0e66982

“What misunderstanding?”95db528a03b6064b

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“It’s you! You beat up my kid!”1007f274447d8fc9

Suddenly, one of 01e9260b73 the seated women 9d3d1e6474 jumped to her b05f9082d8 feet, pointing a 13aa219d0d finger at me.87cf9a668fb911dd

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“After the last class ended last week, you dragged them to the junkyard and beat them up! My Hans almost died because of you! You know that?!”da510ea86e70050b

“Me?”d189c01a64b6bb21

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I widened my 361f73fab2 eyes dramatically, pretending 60cb110f2f to be shocked.793a3259b9087b3b

“How could I beat up so many boys? Especially boys who are all bigger than me?”2c876f93b7e27dae

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“You—you used some kind of weapon, didn’t you?! There’s no way Danvers and all the others would have fainted, or Hans would have broken his arm otherwise!”e9f454d800d6572e

“Weapons are banned at the academy, ma’am.”863a0494987e81b6

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I shrugged and answered calmly.ea1b4bc5c0abf89c

“T-that’s…!”21167ae18db4a624

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The woman, who had been b1a161dcaf ferociously attacking me, faltered for a10b869604 the first time.b87b011156eae5c4

Apparently, without seeing a9eb8aa85f it firsthand, she 0a9245734c couldn’t push harder.6f127faf8eb989a0

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Judging from how she kept 40762f6782 bringing up the Campbell brothers, f2d3ffc2b7 she must be Lady Campbell c2a8e1b6a5 — the Baroness herself.657a45c573f6cf3c

‘The cousin of the Second Prince, huh…?’b161e246a6b23073

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She wasn’t a familiar 2d579ed6ff face, meaning she wasn’t 2e9c6e0071 a regular customer at de67e21cc8 the Belze Salon.ee9bf649fcafa400

In fact, it was the e36cfa13cd other noblewomen beside her who 9fc1640355 looked more familiar.8b5fed33d53bc752

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It seemed they were c036c17216 just as unsettled about e38b8cbda4 running into the salon 0ca6ef511e owner like this — 91c2bb50c3 even though they kept e8033d8af3 their manners, their stiff 979ad9bec5 faces and hostile eyes 9882cc6bd7 said enough.49dad7b7593fd4a0

“Don’t lie!”f2d981d0cd1a1c65

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At that moment, 975ab43987 Danvers Campbell, hiding 512211e9cd behind his mother’s 4ca0ea9b5b skirts, suddenly shouted.2938fe70c121523d

“W-we all saw it! That weird magic teddy bear beat us all up! Maxim, Robert, Gael — you saw it too, right?”c39c8b30d0e56b9d

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“Y-yeah!”9289460f77e53cce

“T-that giant bear sang about catching mice and everything…!”5d4318b32af69d93

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The other boys chimed in d61d17ac6d one after another, their faces 725968f6a4 still pale with fear.b3d882b4d2e605a5

“Maybe… the seniors were all hallucinating or something?”91c4de674af63a5b

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“W-what?”d1e905264ba2ca95

“I mean, I was at the junkyard too, but I didn’t see anything like that.”e6226f3d2690a22d

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“Hrk, huuugh!”70231b5f87411a4c

I locked eyes with f619cbfad8 each of them one da21498289 by one, flashing a 0e1d393890 slow, chilling smile.80940859e3713580

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The boys froze up, 5df9d2916c swallowing hard.ef7d0e707e7d624b

“Gael! Why’s your face so pale? Come on, Gael, snap out of it!”fa20f2b94e0108b9

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One of the noblewomen shrieked 11578c0787 in a panic, noticing her a4bd8cbba3 son trembling like he was 8e6a6df61f about to have a fit.4c1190374fed2624

“You! What did you do to them?! Why are the kids acting like this?!”984f350c762b32bc

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‘Countess Torte.’588125d54c354a03

A regular customer at 29bb111297 the salon, and part d8a8398f54 of Madam Cloud’s social 8f0f03f76a circle.4e1f940b83d8db73

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I had assumed the boys tailing after Danvers were nothing special…57ca68ede607f7d5

‘Turns out they’re actually from respectable families, huh?’e20ed682d732c085

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Glancing sideways at Countess Torte, c69cdf7054 I pouted slightly.352675445a1af295

I had thought 36d4dbdbed we were on 34e6b18edd familiar enough terms, 679dc5551e exchanging greetings at 71718de3b4 the salon.77446252deaeb621

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Seeing her rush to accuse 87b105bb20 me based solely on her 993ffe0772 son’s words was bitterly disappointing.1dba410eae560586

‘Well, it’s fine.’3f8f03c1324f4359

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If they wanted to come f9eca7fe95 at me like this, it fd51c0b4ac just made things easier.11aa0b883d49ae97

After the initial chaos 507d716428 calmed down—5f4aad558bf707f6

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Another noblewoman, who 7dfb29b1ff had stayed silent ce07ae1ee8 until now, finally bc3f083e83 spoke.d3f09c0f49c62e9b

“Rather than Representative Belze, why don’t we hear from Young Master Joshua himself?”fd3586936a9b9380

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“U-uh…”f59a5df8b0d76087

Suddenly thrust into 224f39e5cc the spotlight, Joshua 779fbf74f6 shrank back, his 51f62e90ef shoulders trembling slightly.f3bde7d0349f13f5

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‘Countess Quirel.’478a373d791a9cec

Another regular at the salon.c31ac7852cc71fb7

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Pulling a handkerchief from c823c44240 her sleeve, she dabbed 46ffc8445c at her eyes and d80bb32576 began to speak, her 29dc768e72 voice heavy with emotion.f93d8803c4695f3b

“Surely you all know that I was once close friends with the late Duchess?”7fd64589b9e13dfd

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“Ah…”0dc2e063f50087a0

Joshua blinked blankly, clearly unaware.1d3f8b66c6ee18f4

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Of course, I hadn’t known b5959b2873 either.3064f36a965d9807

“Even after she passed away, I was so relieved to hear you were growing up strong and healthy… And when I heard you had entered the academy, I was truly overjoyed.”f267829b5d042bef

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“……”eb37ce3961b788d6

“I was so happy that I even made my son, Robert, promise to look after you personally…fe19293c8c97a015

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And yet — now, school violence?”baf3fa67c4c4bd78

“L-Lady—”5d8735c756b0adf9

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“How heartbroken the late Duchess would be if she could see this… sob…”6c8e661534d08483

She suddenly burst 4befc314a4 into tears, dabbing dc5a81d524 at her eyes 36e4778d35 dramatically.932af560b42a46e4

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Watching her push Joshua bc8e3ed7e7 into the role of 3d13afcac7 a violent delinquent made 2133f68cea me scowl without even ba47420446 realizing it.e371abc48ff6e018

I could handle insults thrown 8fa6d56368 at me.867b08920406a283

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But dragging Joshua — who 5ac9d91301 had already endured so much 0dbd5eff33 — into it? That was unforgivable.91dbce74aa96018b

Unable to stay silent, I b9fd646fb7 opened my mouth, annoyance written 1e3250282c all over my face.7c680bd5177d9e40

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“Chancellor.”017a06d6ebeb567e

“Y-yes, Representative!”8a37b3504773548d

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“Has the rule about handling academy matters internally already been thrown out?”d311460134eae96e

I stared him 010f329e77 down, silently demanding c924b02280 why he hadn’t 965365e3ed taken care of 9c7dd76c1e it earlier.4162ca34612b159c

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The Chancellor shrank under eb3db04569 my gaze, practically about 665c29fec8 to cry.3d14fb4453f204eb

“W-we did explain that, but…”6032e48dbd57aecd

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“Oh my, look at this one.”2b193cbbb530ad7e

Bolstered by the other dedfd67003 noblewomen, Lady Campbell spoke 667a75dd09 up again, all smugness.4956d84a020d6c4d

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“That’s exactly why we came all this way — to handle it within the academy. If you’re upset, you can call your guardians too.”a63ff8cf33837cd6

“……”62cf09a81214c7fd

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“Oh! But you’re an orphan, aren’t you? Poor thing. You don’t have anyone to call, do you?”ee281713b20e8a2b

The woman snapped open her 63f0b49b11 fan, hiding her mouth behind b22178e766 it.dc0b01fb333cbb4d

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Her voice was dripping c8db7bfc65 with mockery, and I 53a10dbb45 was left speechless by 1063742d65 the sheer audacity.ce997220623dfadc

“Tsk, tsk… Truly unfortunate for the Duke’s house. Taking in a child like that after the Duchess passed away… And His Grace, being so burdened with affairs of state, can’t afford to involve himself in such petty matters either.”8cbe7a19410b9fe4

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“Exactly.”5d908c4a311511e3

“That’s right, indeed.”11e31a7810923dbf

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The noblewomen around her ce608d1f4f nodded along.6cd05d091653854f

‘Wow. Low blow much? So this is 500717b104 how you want 408f70ca37 to play it?’74bfbf3cc86f271f

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Grinding my teeth, 9c8568a52a I thought to 3276299cca myself.5885dbaad6b493c5

They weren’t entirely wrong:dac7b522a7d953d5

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Even if today’s situation had 6f767990c0 been reported to the Duke, ae5655a952 he likely wouldn’t have been 34aa7052cc able to come.a33ae0bb1044fad2

Not only because of 1981c6ec64 the important meeting he b6e4392521 had—9dabe3dad2a23e79

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But also because here, in this conservative environment, it was frowned upon for the head of a noble house to intervene in “petty squabbles” between children.28e6b550b4e836d2

On top of that, academy d455095036 rules discouraged parents from storming e0f4f875b4 in to handle matters personally.6d7f7d314f988639

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If it had only been 89fdb7c451 the Campbell family stirring up bcafbd65f7 trouble, the Chancellor could have 869bb55948 smothered it quietly.c8370fe16023f0d2

But—c13871520823be00

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‘They ganged up and pushed their numbers. No way to block them fad949266b all.’6aa0e83a5238a151

Had the Duchess still a23900fb07 been alive, this would 97a14fbf8d have been easily solved.9af8be65f45f972d

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But sadly, that wasn’t possible.0badad518c3e220e

And clearly, the other cd8bac4ace side knew it well.b4e728a4da530190

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Only Hans Campbell c4cf5335c3 was actually injured, 93b40c9621 but it was 7bd4f941f7 obvious what they e283c10f15 were aiming for da3d49556c —cbabee4b1e838ca3

To use this d1e7c79251 opportunity to push 6eb0bb719b down Joshua, to e01bc97d60 emphasize the absence 6eb16f5ec3 of the Duchess, 8d77966266 and to bolster 75d3842410 their own standing a0bcdcd3cc in society.5b754fce5f36a59c

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I checked the time b8b56bf35b briefly and took a 481315674d deep breath, trying to 3a5e5a290b calm my boiling anger.dda5147a4d48210c

Unfortunately, all of this was c1fa0e6ab6 still within the range of 44176d8020 what I had anticipated.0e2a1fffb709516a

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‘I was willing to handle this nicely since they’re customers…’e6c628f4e31173e2

But bringing up 72c8643469 the fact that 9f4ec1360c I had no 6ec465f66b mother?0f07fa2f34f70083

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That was going 0ed42ee2e5 way too far!dd4416dbbb551406

Right then and db1d85d08c there, I vowed 5b271d3e71 to throw the c94e21fbc9 membership cards and d3333e0f87 carefully prepared gifts b8ba141332 Charlotte had readied 0676d9a616 straight into the 1116cbf494 trash.991f1942b0a78e20

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It was at that moment—4bb50c8fd548b70c

Knock knock.44a882cbf19a84a8

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A knock echoed through the 1a61f62680 tense Chancellor’s Office.665ed2efb0b6633d

“W-who’s…?”08911b817579593f

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Everyone’s heads whipped 65c570f1ea toward the door.c876e30af811f1c6

Slide—7cf3ad61d7f19b2f

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“Hmph. I thought I’d arrived on time… but it seems everyone’s already gathered.”1b699e83f86815e6

The door opened, and a a2c15f392c noblewoman, dressed elegantly in a 9ad40a9b78 deep green gown, stepped inside.b8e8b632c8c3d779

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The moment the noblewomen recognized 2d150306fb her, their faces froze in 375ffe4914 shock.d83fd997a46ae770

“Gasp! L-Lady Cloud…?!”d4f08d4d611f8083

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“L-Lady Cloud, why are you here…?”51336ea7bc99287b

One after another, the women 6f7c618364 who had been lounging so 1d797e5004 arrogantly on the sofas all 0c66640c4a scrambled to their feet.1b26979077f548c4

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Her mere presence daafc461d2 — her aura a507c035cd — told everyone 56020e91e0 in the room ffe434557c exactly who held 871954befa true power here.3ba3a18392e6a58a

Lady Cloud, moving with a9586c6669 a calm, leisurely air, 36607f5f97 scanned the room slowly.e49e1be4b8e6c3be

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And finally, her gaze landed c52a04e6a5 on me.fd20bf98a728cc34

“I seem to have arrived a little late, Belze.”ecf27c1333f1388a

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“D-Duchess! Wh-what brings you to the academy?”11d0fbfa2ee41e34

The Chancellor, his mouth 56442a47e6 hanging open, stammered the 5eb5a1ded5 question.0184740b056b730d

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“Why else would I come to the academy? I heard something happened to my girl, so I came.”03083cd3c074d32a

Lady Cloud snapped back crisply.2e298eed0d074e91

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Then she strode toward me b186daa9ff and placed one hand firmly 5fb2f4cf2d on my shoulder.024703944873ea44

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Elena Cloud — Belze’s godmother.”25dc0d32190dda27

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