Chapter 146

Under the curious d093953fb7 gazes of the 441b0fbddd other students, I b672c5575b stepped out of 7e1dcea390 the classroom.3c4a5aacf49af627

“Josh.”d97585ddfb65ae87

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I met up with Joshua e5d47ac825 again in front of the 87781a48f6 Chancellor’s Office.e332605c6589dd92

He looked stiff, his expression de6f0fa163 tight with nerves.8ad1abfd751a87a3

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I smiled brightly 3df39f6d14 and reassured him.4854ef6ae9fb50a2

“It’s fine. Nothing bad will happen.”4b5bc9ba8d9fc87b

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“What if we open the door and Father’s already inside?”2c6b602804236bdd

“He’s stuck at the Imperial Palace until afternoon because of the cabinet meeting.”4401a6abe09caa50

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Joshua blinked at me, momentarily 575684f486 stunned at how casually I f7247df657 recited the Duke’s schedule.6f3b7dee2863ff7e

“…That could be even worse.”4eb7d9cae9937384

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“……”d3cd6b755192a043

“They’ll just gang up on us without any guardian here to help… maybe we should call the butler or—!”a49b2879288f4058

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Rattle.6f8f3a7c64da2475

Ignoring his panicked rambling, 22d1d6611a I swung the door 1444645d60 open.80a6357fb2d1814b

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Inside, the reception ffbbf0bc52 sofas were packed e2b870fad0 with adults.d0f484b4acc621fb

Just as I expected — dc2b063f13 nothing surprising.cc6d2f4d2d311965

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“Rep-representative!”16a3f5fccdeb72af

The Chancellor, sweating buckets 0a8d8a560c between the noblewomen, rushed a383716d12 over to me.9661449321f2bf8d

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“I deeply apologize for calling you here like this! It seems there’s been some… misunderstanding with the parents…”70b3260e85ba1e16

Afraid he might lose the 66aa8fc733 promised donations, he kept bowing b8a0c45136 and scraping before me.56fe499907973ff9

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I crossed my 8eebeef07c arms and coolly 61a3a0d7ca asked,ea6230ca908e16ec

“What misunderstanding?”f9f85adc080d2a64

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“It’s you! You beat up my kid!”d921d108be2c862d

Suddenly, one of 9e1a4f99c3 the seated women a90998c605 jumped to her 2ef6f6af61 feet, pointing a e6fa970791 finger at me.1b3e10ff92904440

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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?!”fcd712a97e2e226e

“Me?”e419f975ba566e8f

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I widened my 17aeb314a4 eyes dramatically, pretending 7b2a727463 to be shocked.68acce21679579b6

“How could I beat up so many boys? Especially boys who are all bigger than me?”6b5a8d8a393891d0

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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!”d1511ab6f51d2387

“Weapons are banned at the academy, ma’am.”5d64e0c47df8ca47

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I shrugged and answered calmly.529b5dfdbac5a081

“T-that’s…!”40cf7c31c459aa0f

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The woman, who a3767e998e had been ferociously da83911212 attacking me, faltered b185d1683a for the first 4784d861e2 time.194dcc1470ee13dc

Apparently, without seeing 8281f799be it firsthand, she 90f5d0cdad couldn’t push harder.f5d5510545936ab8

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Judging from how she kept 48f421356c bringing up the Campbell brothers, bb3f76909b she must be Lady Campbell 235ab9dd96 — the Baroness herself.aee4f1b033ac068e

‘The cousin of the Second Prince, huh…?’51000a883d31cc3c

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She wasn’t a 748a1bdfa7 familiar face, meaning b8f60ec2d2 she wasn’t a 99f94a096e regular customer at ab28e1ff10 the Belze Salon.c65f5aa3a4d4395b

In fact, it 4ac15239cc was the other e474e708f0 noblewomen beside her 9e47dbc804 who looked more bff31dc90f familiar.7c3d1f1d68749d08

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It seemed they f6bd3f23d2 were just as e4e495ff67 unsettled about running 9f412d06a7 into the salon b20940d698 owner like this 39616419f7 — even though 3588e9ae4c they kept their fbbc930d77 manners, their stiff 8087c2bd14 faces and hostile 4114202b0f eyes said enough.44c2b68e94ab963f

“Don’t lie!”3dc742a1064ec8ca

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At that moment, Danvers Campbell, c4122e12f6 hiding behind his mother’s skirts, 22585f51bf suddenly shouted.eb2573230d2c2415

“W-we all saw it! That weird magic teddy bear beat us all up! Maxim, Robert, Gael — you saw it too, right?”b084c2edf1eb8f06

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“Y-yeah!”fad2b66468ca21ab

“T-that giant bear sang about catching mice and everything…!”d9d408bba39abe71

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The other boys chimed in 04cbb5156e one after another, their faces ffb8559b69 still pale with fear.dbb74daaa4576d93

“Maybe… the seniors were all hallucinating or something?”efccd4a17f492fb4

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“W-what?”4b6a6a0c9118c073

“I mean, I was at the junkyard too, but I didn’t see anything like that.”86609cbaf2b969a7

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“Hrk, huuugh!”c8313edb47176f88

I locked eyes with c6982c470d each of them one 9a64340957 by one, flashing a 6d35a07908 slow, chilling smile.98bad2bf5c754bea

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The boys froze up, swallowing 4fe1d80034 hard.be3ff2450cea12f4

“Gael! Why’s your face so pale? Come on, Gael, snap out of it!”4b2b8cc578f97565

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One of the 5a13a90254 noblewomen shrieked in 5d2a290184 a panic, noticing 1af183f9e3 her son trembling 2ad2ca52bd like he was 8a9eebc9c7 about to have 85baedac62 a fit.2282475e1f9650ee

“You! What did you do to them?! Why are the kids acting like this?!”306d36d590031720

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‘Countess Torte.’ba7f114f790d6a5f

A regular customer at the 84080de2d2 salon, and part of Madam 447cf8b1ba Cloud’s social circle.a23969dfcb841a45

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I had assumed the boys tailing after Danvers were nothing special…fc7a0788d3c5e520

‘Turns out they’re actually from respectable families, huh?’ad12cf10a4ee1f85

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Glancing sideways at Countess caf1a569f6 Torte, I pouted slightly.aab67bf274d40f18

I had thought we 337e006b6a were on familiar enough 92bd7b41d7 terms, exchanging greetings at 39b19a83bd the salon.5479257a037ab8d5

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Seeing her rush 8f4b5893fb to accuse me 1faf2e8220 based solely on cdba5ca74c her son’s words 3816e48291 was bitterly disappointing.e252a3a45cc851a3

‘Well, it’s fine.’a80915534ad8374f

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If they wanted to come 907a68ee03 at me like this, it 41d15ca402 just made things easier.e42ea89f9d40226e

After the initial chaos calmed 36b2404e6f down—27dd35e4eace91ca

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Another noblewoman, who had stayed 6dad877bf3 silent until now, finally spoke.a15f33673b08fe7b

“Rather than Representative Belze, why don’t we hear from Young Master Joshua himself?”81519cb58d3cbd8e

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“U-uh…”7e4ab61731f90890

Suddenly thrust into 0354ff3e9b the spotlight, Joshua 861c09bb20 shrank back, his 61f4f6839a shoulders trembling slightly.7bc59de2cfa8f9dd

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‘Countess Quirel.’64106dd81514be3a

Another regular at the salon.fb6ba095932db069

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Pulling a handkerchief from her 32ae881f9b sleeve, she dabbed at her 53682122b1 eyes and began to speak, 89905047a0 her voice heavy with emotion.f56f58c5945a8a40

“Surely you all know that I was once close friends with the late Duchess?”c8bc2274a193853e

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“Ah…”28beaf77c897ba07

Joshua blinked blankly, clearly unaware.75ca24a3edbd17fb

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Of course, I 10433c75c7 hadn’t known either.f6133cd3a6823720

“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.”1a58e38ca7645d88

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“……”4468ffcc2df492bd

“I was so happy that I even made my son, Robert, promise to look after you personally…8890ddaaa737166c

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And yet — now, school violence?”c864d91cd722077a

“L-Lady—”275e70a05149388e

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“How heartbroken the late Duchess would be if she could see this… sob…”94ed2967eec86900

She suddenly burst into b6ae43d43b tears, dabbing at her b3a5c13538 eyes dramatically.6dbb1e11f1664edb

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Watching her push Joshua e15270e2df into the role of 939dcd2530 a violent delinquent made faf143b659 me scowl without even 6d4488fc2f realizing it.f7e61d600ab7d646

I could handle 91160e2381 insults thrown at ed6e1b4b16 me.1ce1aa9ae37fd4db

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But dragging Joshua 3237fbea7e — who had 3fac3331b3 already endured so 11cb1451fd much — into 0e33c93e80 it? That was unforgivable.277aa222f31b68dc

Unable to stay silent, I 907b849d64 opened my mouth, annoyance written 2283a2796f all over my face.d07d83c1adc47606

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“Chancellor.”efc6bc910f5219bf

“Y-yes, Representative!”e4570cbeca3ede3d

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“Has the rule about handling academy matters internally already been thrown out?”be36a12716f5db0a

I stared him ae1db875c1 down, silently demanding 8ceea14fc4 why he hadn’t e9cecfc6df taken care of c22e6afee1 it earlier.201c2037d1490502

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The Chancellor shrank under my d801bfd865 gaze, practically about to cry.50e50f7ef17a8cd6

“W-we did explain that, but…”4d85e468ed66dcc6

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“Oh my, look at this one.”4a33e5a3be1684b4

Bolstered by the other 157dbbe494 noblewomen, Lady Campbell spoke a1ecf0376c up again, all smugness.88805f20e4e55c11

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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.”f84e3aebcff0ee99

“……”c5e82c4bd4f1482d

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“Oh! But you’re an orphan, aren’t you? Poor thing. You don’t have anyone to call, do you?”d26f86a35224e8ef

The woman snapped a0df4fe66b open her fan, 1d8ce81a04 hiding her mouth 9fb11886c7 behind it.41815bef3853fb6a

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Her voice was dripping with 7f994fdf57 mockery, and I was left f3867c5bb4 speechless by the sheer audacity.f6e060c5d0da3e56

“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.”0d773afdcfafc0cc

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“Exactly.”e0c852731e3c5af5

“That’s right, indeed.”bf762ac28ebb6778

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The noblewomen around 881116d28f her nodded along.952490c4a47ccb73

‘Wow. Low blow much? So this is b6d403c250 how you want 15aa285216 to play it?’e41e85ff8d6d5253

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Grinding my teeth, I dcd9b1db78 thought to myself.638d8722aca457fc

They weren’t entirely wrong:5798ad0d94a8103e

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Even if today’s situation ec5a031391 had been reported to 332763df41 the Duke, he likely 8abef19dc5 wouldn’t have been able ecee54edf9 to come.fd51a228bb509d40

Not only because of df20cb1669 the important meeting he 7e3188b42a had—025a4bedea1f0d60

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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.b14f5516fda2ddb1

On top of that, 85a18c9889 academy rules discouraged parents 1cea40e171 from storming in to 79cbc5edfa handle matters personally.27814622d998e5a7

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If it had only been 7e63c55f4f the Campbell family stirring up 09677b19b5 trouble, the Chancellor could have ba4dbb4f3a smothered it quietly.3da4230b650992b3

But—ae9f5b3420e95003

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‘They ganged up and pushed their numbers. No way to block 552b210049 them all.’e5fe7db258ae113a

Had the Duchess 614bd3d2c2 still been alive, 73dd451948 this would have fe31a72ece been easily solved.813ed9dd3edba7a1

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But sadly, that wasn’t possible.c18c5b686ba5962f

And clearly, the other side a5c7177cf5 knew it well.c44f52def07f192e

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Only Hans Campbell was 5d1c980b22 actually injured, but it 4f32773b63 was obvious what they 06000befc5 were aiming for —df44920987ef66dc

To use this opportunity 777bc9abd3 to push down Joshua, 48d657db92 to emphasize the absence 7ccbcbbee3 of the Duchess, and f7509715bb to bolster their own 2f03724e27 standing in society.492836173abbff43

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I checked the time briefly 99257c70ee and took a deep breath, ca1f219e37 trying to calm my boiling 932db418c8 anger.99ede1361860281e

Unfortunately, all of this 305f07991e was still within the f59552069e range of what I 0280fa194f had anticipated.821f9e23fe12eadc

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‘I was willing to handle this nicely since they’re customers…’b123c0ab1cd6e647

But bringing up 11462ec69d the fact that 1e8833750e I had no 49154e917a mother?3980889052313419

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That was going a7bad4ec3d way too far!9d5d19a8831815c2

Right then and 2610794811 there, I vowed 10461849d2 to throw the 664206044a membership cards and a4291e3967 carefully prepared gifts a073420a7d Charlotte had readied e24ef56500 straight into the 0c64d6ccb0 trash.cae7f10ed5763d62

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It was at that moment—25e8f3f5ff7b7a03

Knock knock.b625930893ddc544

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A knock echoed through the b7668ad1c1 tense Chancellor’s Office.091f598b1b0138ce

“W-who’s…?”7288bd5118e491fa

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Everyone’s heads whipped toward 03181fdc51 the door.d19211d7956af6dc

Slide—cac61c25c35a544d

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“Hmph. I thought I’d arrived on time… but it seems everyone’s already gathered.”6e65011e2b133aae

The door opened, and a fb9be5dd75 noblewoman, dressed elegantly in a db288c655d deep green gown, stepped inside.267bd2cc3763a0c7

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The moment the f2a7c5c3aa noblewomen recognized her, e9c5b9f81a their faces froze 6583e01da2 in shock.c999adf3a8f8e73a

“Gasp! L-Lady Cloud…?!”5e7c66a4b82750cb

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“L-Lady Cloud, why are you here…?”a09441b4569d3f60

One after another, the 59f5575dfa women who had been 04aaa22e20 lounging so arrogantly on 95cc6fd10b the sofas all scrambled f410d99ef4 to their feet.3a1bd534ec40da0c

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Her mere presence 3cf9834ebe — her aura 44b924d34c — told everyone c17edd5a85 in the room dd2d637f2e exactly who held 243df867c0 true power here.8063001bc332538e

Lady Cloud, moving c5c8ffc09c with a calm, 1a2b189cb8 leisurely air, scanned 88b28dae66 the room slowly.f6504f52930081e2

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And finally, her gaze landed b873661a42 on me.a3bc523566e36cff

“I seem to have arrived a little late, Belze.”c4732502a08fce52

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“D-Duchess! Wh-what brings you to the academy?”f356422e03450bab

The Chancellor, his mouth ff6a5f6518 hanging open, stammered the 9248c0f0fd question.5e7449e9721a007a

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“Why else would I come to the academy? I heard something happened to my girl, so I came.”4cf8e17e6eaf02bc

Lady Cloud snapped back crisply.c8c73bc43d5c8f29

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Then she strode toward 36e483f4bb me and placed one 89fcfa2568 hand firmly on my c9e7cf2cf0 shoulder.288a8e3e191a2d02

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Elena Cloud — Belze’s godmother.”4400ffcea76fc846

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