Chapter 161: Punishment?
Principal’s Office
Aurelia Scarlet and Selene Frostblade stood nervously before the principal, who was simply staring at them without a word. The silence was oppressive, and the tension in the room was palpable.
“I-Is something wrong?” Lia asked tentatively, glancing at Delphine, who stood silently to the side, her expression unreadable.
No answer came. The room remained dead silent, each second stretching longer than the last.
Lia and Selene exchanged puzzled and anxious glances, both wondering why they had been summoned during class hours.
‘Did they find out?’ They wondered.
Suddenly, a sound broke the silence,
Knock, Knock
“Come in,” the principal said, her voice a sharp contrast to the quiet.
Lia and Selene turned their heads to see Aether entering the room with a hurried, almost frantic expression on his face.
Selene sighed in relief, ‘It seems he was late today’, she thought. She had really panicked when he didn’t arrive this morning, but now upon seeing him here, she realized… not only she but also Aether and Lia as their eyes widened in understanding.
“I am sorry, Principal, I slept a little longer than I intended,” Aether said with an awkward smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Taylor and Aether had come in late, and one of the servants had informed them that Delphine had ordered Aether to come to the principal’s office.
Upon entering, Aether quickly realized this meeting wasn’t about his tardiness but rather… about yesterday’s incident, which had caused quite a stir.
Aether looked at Lia and Selene, a surprised expression on his face, “Oh? You guys are here too? What happened?” he asked, feigning ignorance.
Lia quickly caught on to his act, “Beats me,” she shrugged, still pondering the reason for their summons and trying to appear nonchalant.
Selene nodded a moment later, playing along.
The principal’s lips twitched slightly as she looked at the trio. Delphine shook her head in disbelief at their pretence.
The principal got straight to the point, “Student John from Class D was severely injured yesterday. Even though his disfigured face was healed, he contacted his family, and now… they are demanding answers and rightful action against the responsible party.”
Hearing this, the trio sighed in relief, looking at each other with faint, relieved smiles.
“BAM!!”
The principal slammed her hand down on the table when she saw their smiles, her face showing clear irritation, “This is not something to laugh about!!”
“””We are sorry””” They said in unison.
The principal glanced at Delphine, who nodded and began to speak, “According to the report, the victim claimed he wanted to have a friendly talk with them, but Aether, who got jealous of his handsome face, hit him and ran away.”
Selene frowned at this and was about to interrupt when the principal raised her hand to stop her, “Let Delphine finish,” she said, and Selene reluctantly complied.
“But according to witnesses, it seems John grabbed Aether’s shirt first, and Selene was the one who hit him on the table before they both ran away,” Delphine continued.
“I-I think he was wrong first, so…” Lia mumbled slightly, her voice trailing off.
The principal stared at the trio with a stern face,
“First of all, it’s not about who is right or wrong.” Then she looked at Selene specifically and said, “You hurt a student on the premises, and it happened in the cafeteria where everyone eats peacefully. This is a serious matter.”
“I heard you also hurt your brother’s servant. We overlooked that since he was a servant, but if your brother complains, we will take strict action….
However, John is a student under our academy’s protection, Ms. Selene Frostblade,” the principal frowned and glared at Selene as she continued, “Do you think it was right to hit a student?”
Selene lowered her head, unable to meet the principal’s stern gaze but there was no regret in her eyes, “No, Principal,” she mumbled.
Then the principal turned her attention to Aether, “And you, who gave you permission to enter the students’ cafeteria?”
“Well—” Before Aether could come up with an excuse, the principal cut him off, “Not only that, you also picked a fight with a professor,” she said, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Aether had nothing to say about this about the second complaint.
The principal then looked at Lia, “And you…”
“I didn’t do anything,” Lia said quickly, her face the picture of innocence.
The principal glanced at Delphine, who nodded. The principal sighed. “I suppose you are out of the problem then.”
“Heh…” Lia giggled softly, glancing at the other two, who looked at her with betrayed expressions.
‘I am sorry, guys… It’s for the greater good!’ Lia thought to herself, as she looked at them with a pitiful expression.
The principal was about to give her verdict when,
“She is the one who allowed me to enter,” Aether pointed at Lia with a serious face and continued, “If not for her misusing her power as a second rank, nothing would have happened.”
“!!”
Lia’s eyes widened, her lips parting in horror. She couldn’t believe what he had just said. Selene glanced at Aether, who winked at her. She understood his plan and felt amused, so she added,
“Yes, Principal, even though I said it was wrong, she forced Aether to come inside,” Selene’s eyes turned teary, adding to her act of innocence.
Lia was once again shocked by the betrayal.
“I see…” The principal nodded and asked Lia directly, “You are the one who allowed him?”
“W-Well… Yes, but I did—” Before Lia could finish,
The principal said sternly, “I suppose you three are all deemed for punishment.”
“!!” Lia’s mouth was wide open, unable to respond. She glanced at Aether and Selene, who were smiling ear to ear, clearly pleased with themselves.
‘Let’s enjoy the punishment together!’ Aether’s eyes say that.
Similarly, ‘Yeah, Best friends forever’ Selene’s eyes say.
‘These guys…’ She thought, almost losing hope in the concept of friendship.
Just as the principal was about to announce their punishment, suddenly,
Knock, Knock
“…Come in.”
John, the victim, entered the room with his face wrapped in bandages, looking quite the spectacle.
Everyone looked at his bandages and couldn’t help but think, ‘He is overdoing this’ because the nurse in the infirmary had already healed him with a powerful healing potion. There was no real need for the bandages… but as the victim, he could do anything he wanted to garner sympathy.
John glared at Aether before bowing deeply in front of the principal. “I’d like to withdraw my complaint, Principal.”
“Hmm? Why?” The principal asked, surprised.
“Because I already received an apology from the master of this ugly servant!” John said with a smile as he showed a letter. He never thought Princess Aqualina would personally visit him and offer a hefty amount as compensation for her servant’s actions.
Though he loved to show his manly side to beautiful girls, money was a different matter altogether. It had a way of changing priorities.
And he knew there was no use in pursuing petty revenge against a pathetic, ugly servant. He would deal with this servant later, in his own way.
“…” The principal frowned for a moment before reading the letter…. which was from John’s parents. To her surprise, they also withdrew the complaint. She sighed inwardly, thinking, ‘I suppose her daughter is also a cunning one’ then dismissed everyone.
They had pointlessly wasted her time. She then focused on yesterday’s more pressing incident: They had found 15 dead bodies, and after a thorough investigation, discovered those individuals belonged to the Umbrionis Void Empire. She had already sent a formal response to the empire, and if they chose to ignore it… she would personally visit them.
Causing chaos in her city was absolutely unacceptable!
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