Beside her, Lewis smiled as he watched the situation intensify around the principal's office. Luckily...I have come to finally understand her as a person. Otherwise I would have intervened the second she said she wanted to complain to the principal. He thought to himself while looking straight at the woman with the spectacles.
"It's not your decision to exile me. And to do that with the Imperial Prince right next to you." The principal spoke while looking sideways with a much more calmer expression. "Who am I to intervene with the matters the heir has to say?" He spoke while shrugging. "It's her decision to who she wants to keep in this empire and who she wants to throw out of it. If she says it, than it is what it is."
"She is... just the only child—"
"The only child to a merit army officer who is dead?" Cutting off the woman with her words, she leaned back against her seat and placed a hand under her chin. "Did you really believe those lies without confirming or checking through my documents? Didn't you check who my legal guardian was upon hearing so?"
As if to confirm it, she immediately pulled out her documents and scanned through multiple pages, only to find her legal guardian as the eldest brother of their family. "It's written under the name George." She confidentially replied. "And the last name?" The girl in front added at the end, while noticing a sheer hesitation on the woman's face.
"Don't worry. You don't need to read it aloud. I know you definitely don't want to embarrass yourself in front of my brother... but you are already in a fragile state in front of me." Her gradient black and red eyes, and the almost calm smile, sent a shiver up the principal's back. Noticing this, she added after a short moment. "But still, you don't seem to have trust in me with the matter. You didn't even want to listen to my complain... thus, I am taking that you will be able to discuss the matter with my brother while I talk about it with the duchess."
She stood up and picked her steps towards door. Before she could reach her hand towards the handle, a small memory struck her mind as she turned her head around for a swift moment, and then left the room as if nothing had happened. "Well... that was extremely strange." Her voice echoed back into her mind. "I clearly remember... seeing a golden hue at the corner of my eye..."
Her fingers wrapped around the side of her head that was wounded and her left eye shut with the pain it afforded her. "Nevermind... I must have hallucinated that. Could be so that by seeing it so often nowadays, I am imagining it here too." Watching her footsteps all the way to the their locker, the hallway seemed loud with the students running around and their laughs.
The shiny metallic lock stared at her as she opened it without twisting in the passcode. In that swift moment, she had forgotten what where the necessary items to be carried to the next class. Silently, she clocked into her mind and read for a few moments. "Puppet. Could you do me a favor? If you are not asleep?" The words echoed back and forth as a red creature appeared in front of her, inside the locker.
"Great... then can you gather my things and store it into my inventory? Also, add Merissa's items too. If I am correct, then the next subject must be... math." She frowned at the last word as Puppet nodded and she shut the door to the locker, locking it before leaving the area. An itchiness was felt at her eye as she looked up towards the heavily lit and crowded hallway, thinking about the complain factor. Was it really crutial?
I know that when I meant the ace card that I was placing, it actually meant my daily life problems. If only I can settle this part of my life, then I would go on to place my next card... most probably, the problems with the other worldly missions. But I also fear... that the game I am about to play... it may not go the way I want it to. Because the dungeons seemed to have closed ever since I had cleared the other worldly dungeon.
Because with the way the principal was reckless... and the way she still hesitated to acknowledge the fact that I am part of the family. Ugh... what am I thinking?! I don't want to show power... I just want a warning to settle down within Count Lucius and the gambles against his County he has been playing lately... I was lucky for short to be able to get my hands on that document by accident.
The burying fact that he is intending to ruin the next coronation... the duchess must have heard about it beforehand... and was planning on setting up a trap... by using me. Darn... the family is at the same level of intelligence as me now. They have gotten their hands into summoning informations... and what I am persuming now is...
"There are three people working in this same case... all individually and secretly... without letting the other two know about this."
She deduced to herself as she recalled how bad of a mistake this was to have three different plans slowly being executed, ran along while there already being a high possibility of a loophole that none of them knew. To allegedly want to take the entire empire down, was going to need huge determination and creativity... especially if you want to exterminate the same empire you are from.
But what confuses me the most is... why would they do that? Her thoughts encircled the same topic. The letter I had received from Count Lucius was stating the fact about wanting a trial for... George. Now although the reason was stated as unknown and was only going to reveal it through verbal agreement... I think it would be a best for him to come along to our estate... but this also feels like a trap.
Holding the fact that he might have written that sentence for a physical meet... I think it would be best to delay his invitation by a few more days, or the best would be weeks. But the letter... am I the only one who received it? There could be multiples sent to other well-known governors to support him... so I think by the day we have a meeting with him... the most closest response would be 'may I request some witnesses?'.
She looked towards the door to her classroom, a tall, wooden, engraved two way door that meant 'suffer' once the teacher entered the auditorium-like room. With her last thoughts tied to her mind, she closed off the self investigation with a few more sentences.
Regardless... I think I need to get into George and mom's rooms and check their most recent documents just to find out if they know. Luckily... the duchess is sick in the bed, and as long as she stays like that... I have a free will to request her documents. But I also need to be way more smarter in this situation.
Pushing open the door, her eyes immediately left to face the backside of the entry. "Hello! I saved you a seat!" Merissa spoke while grabbing her wrist. "And you seem to have also forgotten our things." She added shortly after. Seeing the joyous face, a relief settled down against her. "I didn't forget it." Saying this, she held out her hand and her own items firstly appeared.
Settling down the notebook and textbook on her own table, she snapped her fingers and dropped the books into a stacked manner in front of her orange haired friend. "I just used magic to store it." She smiled at the last word while sitting down. "I hope that pink gang didn't come along and interrupt your silent moments... did they?"
"No, they didn't get a notice at my direction." The fragile girl spoke while looking sideways at the dark-haired girl. "But what took you so long? A simple bandaging doesn't take that long of a time frame. What were you up to again?" The concern reilluminated onto the girl's face as she took both of Aefia's hands onto her own hands and held them tightly.
"Well... I went to the principal's office... to complain." Aefia replied with narrowed eyes and furrowed eyebrows. "You would have really freaked out if you followed me along. Seriously! Like I had a chance to ruin her reputation... and for a few words... I let her go."
"Hold... on... you... what...?!" She stuttered softly while saying each words. "How powerful are you in authority that you had the audacity to confront the principal at her face?! Why are you so reckless nowadays?! Are you suspended?!" Her hands shock her so hard, her blood rose all the way up her nose.
"Very much. You still don't seem to understand me well. And yes I got suspended... but how long... I don't know. I think she did a good thing because now the pink gang can have a free rein over this school. I allowed this opportunity just for them." With a short moment to regain her mind, and spoke with a mere expressionless face as her fingers held the side of her head. "Please don't do that again. It really makes my head hurt..." Trialing off, she slumped downwards at her seat.
"I am sorry... I didn't mean it." Merissa spoke while retracting her hands and stared at her face with those closed eyes. "I have one more question if you don't mind. But I hope you don't lie with this." She added while straightening at her seat and with beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. I am stressful of her reply.
"Yeah go ahead. But do remember that the question needs to be a certain criteria." Aefia spoke while opening her eyes and looking sideways at her friend with a smile surfacing on her face. "That whatever I tell you, you better not change the way you speak with me and never tell the others about it even when I am in a confrontation with them."
Nodding, the orange haired girl started speaking. "Honestly... seeing how you had interacted with the second born to the Imperial family... I had a question regarding how you were related to them." Then hesitation settled into her tone of voice as she spoke out a few more words. "Like you know? I was thinking you were cousins or something... but then I also calculated how you would have still bowed to respect with him... and I know everyone of the family thanks to my brother."
"... I had expected you would ask that." Aefia answered while straightening at her seat and placing her chin upon her palm. "Try guessing. Then I will avoid my interactions with the pink gang. How is that?" She added while smiling. The ginger haired girl stared at her with curiousity as she looked her up to down and tried to guess her identity.
"Given that their father was a silver head, I think you would be the daughter of the sister of the duchess's spouse. That's the closest I can get... but I can't confirm it." Merissa responded with determination surfacing on her face and she stared at Aefia's face while anticipating a yes reply. Seeing the frustration on her face, the orange haired girl leaned against the table.
"It isn't that hard. Try guessing again... replaying our conversation might help you honestly. I have left many small hints... and I was honestly expecting you to have already found out at this point. But even if I was part of the father side of the family, you might want to reconsider how I have half dark hair." She added while catching the sight of the pink gang entering from the side of her eyes, then Stephany stopped to give her a message using her eye sight.
"..." She heavily breathed out without breaking her gaze and soon realized Merissa had caught sight of her eyes and her annoyed expression. But before she could open her mouth, Aefia stood up and spoke out another sentence. "If you feel stuck...you might get help by asking Lewis." Without looking back at the shocked girl, she walked towards the door and dissapeared behind it.
The way she just informally addressed him... I think I give up with this now. The girl thought to herself as she watched the exit where the person with the pale complexion disspeared out of view. Following her leaving, she stayed glancing at the door for a very long time until the silver haired person finally appeared and she gathered her determination to stand up and ask.
"Aren't you Aefia's friend?" Lewis spoke while looking at the bowing Merissa who walked up to the front. "Do you happen to know where she went? I can't believe she didn't tell me anything while leaving so randomly in between the conversation." His eyes scanned the entire room and still didn't catch a glimpse of her.
"She just left the class. But if you don't mind... I have a question about her." Merissa politely spoke while lifting her head with a serious and calm expression. "Sure... go ahead?" Hearing this, he intensely got curious while crossing his arms and thinking of what other problems she might have caused.
"Honestly...how is she related to you?"
Lewis took a short moment to think as the words echoed through the class and some students even turned their eyes towards their direction. "So she still hasn't told you..." He held the answer with a moment worth of pause. "For short... she is my sister."
"What...?!" Merissa stood with shock at her face as she stepped back and bowed once more. "Thank you for the respond." A joy, along with something else, was heard in her tone of speech. The few students who heard the words started whispering and discussing who the 'she' might be.
***
"What do you want this time?" Aefia spoke as she stood with Stephany face to face at a quiet corner of the hallway. "..." Holding an angry stare at her, the girl lifted her head and grabbed her throat with one hand as the other grabbed the back of her head.
"Who are you really? A mere only child of a dead merit army officer can't be that powerful and determined to face a politically powerful person like me." She spoke while pulling the clip that tied her hair up. "Especially this silvering hair... I am curious now... from this morning."