Chapter 142

Joshua’s words meant that 71db3a9c11 Danvers Campbell wasn’t acting 3e83b0e646 out simply because he 0a901c1b17 was a royal relative.b89f4db2f28cc7b8

‘It’s like being the younger sibling of a school gang boss or something.’5abe991faa235211

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It made sense why b091a3f1cb it would be overwhelming 90b19fdfe3 for Joshua to handle ff1404a905 it alone.1ccc6094c4194425

He’d probably get beaten 1baf06d094 up before he even f9bce7f1e8 had a chance to ab66677153 ask for help.e09aae4e1876caa5

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‘And to make matters worse, he’s some sports star that even the adults secretly protect…’ab9d4cc586c3fe32

If slipping a 4c628e7376 few jewels lying 4b16274a21 around the room 11814ec409 into his hand 404e01a37e could help avoid 9e4b5ebc1c the situation, I eaf77477b4 probably would’ve done 3c843bfde0 the same.e1a3fe4178cc2987

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Though, stealing even the 8ef61d947e late Duchess’s heirlooms was 6cfa3b656b absolutely unforgivable.eb3274772494d419

‘…Seriously, Ismail, why didn’t you tell me this properly?’029fbe97a79d9da1

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I grumbled to myself, directing fa54e2285f my dissatisfaction toward Ismail, who 4d4d141d5d had only half-heartedly done the 3ed9fd0bd8 background check.c5ad5f749f851c08

But when I thought bbde8fc8e7 about how I could c29b7ca0a1 use this as a 219cf00af8 convenient excuse to get 823842dd78 something useful out of 8de61af510 him later, I quickly 376db07ce8 calmed down.fa628c85b9c14735

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“Mm…”cd3c20729c5061d5

I swallowed down everything 9c49f9a6f9 I’d been chewing in 19af6293ac my mouth and spoke d7670cdc84 up.2d638d5b503e7c96

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“You’ve got a brother too, Joshua.”c55f797b782cd39c

“…Huh?”e468fe319b752c8e

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“I’m talking about Edwin. If you’d told him, he would’ve sorted it out somehow.”9ca343dc25682988

And he would’ve f6a0cda6fe found a smarter d75762c699 and more gentlemanly 49a7777146 way to handle 7810f4712f it than I 63c08c43f0 could.fdc708929a2e1771

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As I casually e13c31aaac added that, Joshua f1d76f83f3 hesitated.1736bcf48f41fe5b

“My brother…”8940086fc5861aee

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He mumbled with a somewhat 6ff20b22da gloomy look.f33341ca8183aca7

“He’s really busy, you know.”31580e639aa766ab

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“……”f8f2ad7fe936944d

“With the family’s affairs, hunting down monsters… It’s rare to even run into him at home, so how could I even tell him?”1f414bb1eeb746cc

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Since that was true, 2db286e39b I didn’t know what c661a20a18 to say.7495cc055f89069c

Just like Joshua said, d6119707c4 Edwin had been extremely 27dac80b68 busy lately.a9da20a42572c6e5

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Still, compared to my c3c7a920d4 previous life where he’d d56efebc4f suddenly disappeared without a 41f50682a2 word and hadn’t returned 9aa60c722e for over a month, 04fb450700 this was much better.9f0649503eae400c

At least now, bbcaf993f5 he regularly came 545e944b1a home and made 82fab37d05 sure to attend e45e7a4352 important events.a047456b5f25d60e

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Maybe that’s why I hadn’t f894673d4a really felt his absence much.87af1255b6188b42

Feeling flustered by fb4db801e2 Joshua’s downcast expression, e0e1d0115e I stammered before 75b6d201f5 carefully asking,ba6646411bfe0789

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“…What about His Grace?”954cc3b215e05ad4

“Father?”a558ac4b595372d0

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Joshua snorted and answered dryly,debb4d4ba2edc775

“If I’d told Father, he would’ve just assigned me a private tutor and ordered me to drop out of the academy.”e90d8426244d3f81

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“Well, that’s…”f2b422686d0ef6c8

Since that was also 499a3d1e4f true, I quietly closed b915b701e7 my mouth.debdce7e7a97f3db

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The academy, for nobles, was 7eadd9470b pretty much another form of 35a7cc09d0 high society that started at e994cb2563 an early age.7c5ba4fd91cd5530

That’s why, even ef1e037035 if one dropped f3f6008228 out halfway through, 59126a6deb most nobles still 8e7213ae6c enrolled at least 63113cdb72 once.5fefa892961ae9ef

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Though, it wasn’t a3dc1ddbc1 exactly mandatory either.e225af36fb15af03

Guys like Danvers c03ee29b01 Campbell, who have 95b5009b43 shaky standing, probably f7cb7a3eed find the connections 14efc77579 and power they 2291dce70b build here all b4d8c73485 the sweeter.91ec97fb91b8c865

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For someone like bc26ffe711 Kallios, who was 32ba464b5b already born with 3485ce3b44 everything, it was 97449ee63c a completely unnecessary c744b7ef21 process.81b364e1bd2007a6

Which meant the Duke’s solution 8b1b22c633 must have been the simplest dbe4e57898 and most straightforward answer.31fec80e0cc5faee

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‘But still…’09fc90734e1a3e4b

I couldn’t bring a1a66b3161 myself to say 6ae1c31bee any of that af9fc3588a out loud.d848ca67c54d352e

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I’d seen firsthand how much 65ae712577 Joshua had dreamed of enrolling 709db089ad at the academy, especially since 9110b26d3b he’d had almost no interaction 60c4a9ec60 with kids his own age d060a70c4e when he was younger.7c3af096939d9fbe

I quietly folded away the question about why he hadn’t told the Duke and changed the subject.6ca8c468b05a0d92

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“Then…”0cbd9267a5ffaab6

“You were busy until just a few days ago too.”68e656aaee9e44ca

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But before I da80cd123a could even finish a756f98744 speaking, Joshua jumped 42ea259dd6 in first.f9af77403ee457b8

“Did you already forget how you were breathing fire at me the moment we met, saying some crazy jerk had stolen your interior designs and business ideas?”851d09431a68de19

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“……”49f44b9f3aae83ba

“And then you started rushing out at the crack of dawn every day to mess with their construction.”c4cbf55d9b527ffa

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Faced with Joshua’s coldly a639967084 logical rebuttal, I was cbf87a6f3b completely KO’d.003351775b2801de

Embarrassingly enough, everything he 7f6824be75 said was true.ff4097667f4694cd

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‘When you say it like that, it sounds like I was some villain…’4fb1a13c896efc35

It was nothing 0fc27648b8 serious — just 4c65dccf97 small things, like 7a0bb461d8 showing up early 70ebbe8d0e and gluing shut 247095d414 the doors of 87ed6d0765 Adolf’s building, or 3be1164d30 putting out drinks e1c2783bc1 spiked with laxatives 803ff59f41 for the workers 89d9efdc90 of that damned 297954567b interior company.9ba0009e71154842

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Of course, I knew perfectly bcafd6acef well that none of that b05d3adcb2 would actually stop Adolf’s construction.025d9787e3c1a576

Still, I put 5d7d9f9195 in the effort c5d1ab4aba purely out of e201fc3f87 spite.3ff41a8a9681857d

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‘No wonder Josh felt like he couldn’t talk to anyone…’e2848010988c4bf6

His brother was off 595c61b041 hunting monsters, nowhere to a5cdc560c7 be seen. His father was completely impossible b2553b5bfb to talk to.5f3b6fc12ec0ed26

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And the only person living cefdd93e21 with him was too busy 8e3b9fe561 chasing revenge, running off at 07e2ec8b34 dawn every day.53ab93055190888f

Who was he b54ef43c1c supposed to open 7f85a1a77b up to and 55a3988c61 ask for help?ea25b34187431681

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As I let out eab7ffbb30 a small sigh, sympathizing 70d33cd6fb with Joshua’s situation—7e3328038392b68f

“…Can’t you just pretend you don’t know, sis?”8bc6f5f786695504

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Joshua suddenly pleaded in 18523e9239 a desperate voice.d0fca5c5256a54df

“I want to keep attending the academy. It’s not like Danvers only picked on me… If I just let him squeeze a few coins or jewels out of me a few more times, he’ll lose interest and move on to someone else.”1da1d78dcb3ed99c

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“…Josh.”984e2dc6cf5d0613

“I’m solving it with money because I was told to solve it with money. What’s the problem?”e3c016d769d2ad3f

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Joshua stared at me f6e6eb319c with eyes full of 6e38238228 frustrated resentment.adb746614fdf1a80

I swallowed another sigh 806eab78af and calmly asked him,2664c6af8b907f2b

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“Then what about the sapphire ring?”618eaa62f291c281

“Th-that’s…”9dade22a48fb66a5

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As expected, the moment 600e8c2362 I brought up the 3a4eda85d3 ring, he flinched and bc5e864254 looked completely flustered.0584ac653495ebb4

“He just… asked to borrow it for a little while, so I lent it to him.”6cbab052a3ebae07

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“The late Duchess’s heirloom? And even putting that aside, that’s your most treasured item.”64fd35fe350e503a

“Ugh…”ef68089cdc8ebb34

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Joshua bit his lower 9132150baa lip hard at my 0f03b1ce79 words, then eventually dropped 357a2cbe5d his gaze and mumbled d6c4b7327e softly.8fcd7d9bd93819b6

“He promised he’d definitely return it. That’s why he wears it every day… like he’s showing off.”eed3a79adb7c6307

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“……”7633a1dcbb461e86

“He showed it to me… to prove he hadn’t pawned it…”4a858fdafcd76572

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Trailing off, Joshua eventually fell e175755e7f silent.fdc052c73760f522

It seemed even to him, 9f14bc5231 the excuse sounded too pathetic.b6ee5d3cd942bc02

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‘So that’s why he came to the pawn shop.’6a448f42fb9fbd64

Now I understood exactly why 82cf5a680e Joshua had run into that 6ceabbcc7e alley off Main Street the 96965e0305 other day.87005256ad504e02

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Danvers Campbell must 645a855cf9 have either shown 37f1455ea2 up without the 8f8e369936 ring one day 76130f42d6 or taunted him 977550633c saying he’d sold f53e0da551 it.c5a8d6c05454d635

That’s why Joshua had 238a673fda ditched the rest of f49fdac2db his classes and rushed 84391cbb9e straight to the pawn 5d8595ce14 shop.8acc15f54a43a6c6

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To get the ring back.46c7b95bdfb3a1b4

Having pieced it together, I 7d160e2bd2 chose not to confront him 3371a67245 about lying that it was 6dbf03c666 a half-day at school. Instead, I said something else.525751d571dcb3cd

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“Don’t worry, Josh.”273c07671b928c2c

“…?”4ad4050736eaa3c9

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“I’m going to have a lot of free time from now on. Actually, I’ll probably be free until you graduate from the academy.”e3abb9533915e43d

Joshua tilted his fdca940f54 head at my a361de726e sudden statement.dac834a5591fc3fa

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“What’s that supposed to mean?”4684aa5fad251dcc

What else could it mean?2d600915ab9c9722

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It meant that starting 58931029f1 today, I was scrapping f306969eda my plan to convince 0b63bd73de him to drop out 91ce90b208 of the academy with f6bab1ca1f me.474f6af9a67f8922

* * *3d7c4d3d9bb981a1

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After lunch, Joshua 58bbc637b9 and I split 8e0a1b8eea up to head a479799998 to our next 787cd5dba8 classes.da51534d1eba2ec9

I had offered aa08aa6942 to go with 98dcdba0d6 him to business 4f2095422d class, but he e14e44c0fc firmly refused, so 90bdcb2417 I couldn’t push 7fadb43932 further.8f5d0dd0258b104b

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He said he didn’t 79263b9a9b want to provoke Danvers 034f557e99 Campbell any more than ebd015f788 necessary.d1cc5b8f54e257d7

‘It’s already too late. That guy’s been 7c56e75718 itching for a 3899c5eebc fight for a 561057d374 while now.’32b8632f53f22623

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Clicking my tongue fbcdb97421 at innocent Joshua, d76a8ee51b I had no 59f78e4c88 choice but to 4c10ea3d2a head toward the 9b5822eea5 biology building.df8072ca3dcc7fbf

“Welcome, Miss Belze.”530168779c14d765

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“Hello, Professor.”9da7613de48805e1

It just so happened d8c25cd460 to be Professor Reina’s 10bdb3c57f lecture — she was d835f33f71 the one who had 4c250cb3af earlier recommended I sample da2a60e782 all the classes.0df2ac29e7821bc6

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True to her 794b7463ba sharp appearance, her 4fd74b2031 class was structured db819d68c5 and engaging.88c2483900e14af6

I got pretty absorbed 4de99c5a5b in the lecture, but 33749bfdd3 just before Joshua’s class acd5864c25 ended, I slipped out 0c1b0dee01 and hurried over to 0d6d0ad8d2 his classroom.6b09165e732d3b36

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“Huff, huff… Josh!”7326847eab7e581b

Joshua, who was packing 008590dd7f up his bag, widened c1592d829a his eyes at my 8b0bc74010 outburst.ecd975c0ec32dbf0

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I rushed over and e7f501dd3a scanned him from head b43e6ec5ca to toe.49b597913e7df531

“Nothing happened, right?”d7c9bdbac6f82788

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“Yeah.”03ceea98b346ad85

Josh nodded obediently and then 02bfc7201a added with a chuckle,2e5fd0386874e0f0

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“You’re acting like some crazy overprotective guardian.”438ca05b07495a76

“Children of noble houses are supposed to have at least one devoted maid hovering around them, you know.”b4b5733a5778f3e4

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“Are you still saying that? I told you to quit joking about that.”ffdbeefe538cd74d

Joshua cringed and a8da61e938 furrowed his brows aae2ccd3c6 at my teasing.d48912b561a280a5

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He still got embarrassed eaf5c134a6 about the time he a2fbd280e5 first mistook me for d7a5296e24 a maid when we ac49933f11 met.7c5b4cbd81c23991

Still, joking aside, f40b98d8e1 I carefully grabbed 6cb62a8778 his sleeve and 1d7f71558a checked him over 7928bd7909 thoroughly.41593ef434e67389

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Even if there were a21273a980 surveillance magic tools installed 43c983597c in the classrooms, if db5a85991a someone wanted to bully cc3a6242c8 him discreetly, it wouldn’t 698951e559 be that hard.988b5f19db0b34f0

Like jabbing him with a pen tip or pinching him with their nails or something…8c784154b35962f2

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“Those guys didn’t show up for class after lunch.”71920ef2fe7ea7f6

Joshua’s next words immediately 333a6b092e swept away my worries.1c49b8304765f225

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“Is that okay?”1f3190646ad04753

“Who knows. But if they keep racking up penalties like that, they’ll get suspended soon enough.”54cd7a6f39640467

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Joshua shrugged, pulled his hand 3a809cf060 free from my grip, and fca5a04c2b started walking.442b357f74b97c3e

I trailed a step behind 681ed93b95 him, grumbling under my breath.530bcd7e48fbfcb5

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“Little punks these days… Do they even know how much the tuition costs? Skipping class like it’s nothing… Bunch of snot-nosed kids…”eaa42957d0add2e7

Joshua turned around with b1503f2b5f an incredulous look.415b219efe22417c

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“You know, sis, you’ve been seriously creepy lately? You sound like some old grandpa who’s lived three lives already.”4cf391473461f250

“I learned from your grandfather.”674d65d07db68774

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“You barely even see him. What are you talking about…”413445ab581c2e76

He gave me c1353312d3 a look like 620d4d6579 I was completely 64b6d6329b hopeless and quickened 0650948d7c his pace toward dcfc1f8673 the exit.089a2aa825def0db

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‘What do you mean, don’t see him? I literally met him again 21624b03a7 just last night.’ff438fc1d25538a0

I pouted and ed59f3e38d glared at the 367f6888f6 back of Joshua’s 922a7f122f head, full of cc908784d1 secrets he didn’t c93568797a know.2f6ffa9788421d24

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“Hey, wait for me!”e7bf47c5bb648bd5

I was just starting to 9cfe05e8c9 dash after him when—9cd4cf295a6c536a

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“Hey! Grab them!”edd94f7b8723dd9d

A bunch of b96ff8ef8d boys suddenly came 344257fbef charging at us 0ec594a609 out of nowhere, cc9799e501 surrounding Joshua and fd77e3b0d8 me in an 8f2ef434a0 instant.589f19e585ed6239

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“Joshua Kallios. I told you you were dead.”8a6cce5824b9a895

As expected, it 3541092d14 was Danvers Campbell’s 250493a833 gang.9d143966c4dd01ce

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The guy leading them looked 0a781fa7f0 back and forth between me 818a9eabc6 and Joshua with a nasty c57386fcd6 grin.efb9bf169c12fba4

“Let’s see if you can still mouth off about breaking fingers or whatever this time, you filthy little tramp.”2044366cf0294dea

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“……”b676bfb25d011c1a

“Drag them to the junkyard!”35c8b2499799bbf0

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