“W-W-What do you mean?” stammered Irene, her words stumbling. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her gaze repeatedly met mine, silently questioning whether I had disclosed anything to Gabrielle. I had promised her confidentiality, and I hadn’t betrayed that trust. Well, perhaps in a roundabout way I had, but since Gabrielle discovered it independently, it didn’t really constitute a breach, did it?
“Don’t play the fool, Irene. I’m aware of your actions,” Gabrielle asserted. “Don’t fret. Leon didn’t divulge anything to me. I uncovered it on my own.”
“H-How?” inquired Irene.
“Well, even though we drifted apart after that graduation incident, I’m well acquainted with your habits, Irene,” Gabrielle remarked. “When you arrived at work that day, I noticed your peculiar crab-like walk. And ever since, your gaze seems fixated on Leon. Did you think I wouldn’t catch on to that?”
“W-Well, alright, we did engage in that act, I confess. But it was merely a drunken error. It happened unintentionally, and that’s the extent of it,” Irene explained. “I acknowledge that I’ve committed an irreversible mistake. That’s why I’ve resolved to bury it and move on. But what about you? You’re actively engaging in it with him!”
“And is that an issue?”
“Eh?”
“Is that an issue?” Gabrielle reiterated.
“W-Well, it is! Leon is your student! You’re his professor!” said Irene. “You can’t willingly engage in sexual relations with a student!”
At that, Gabrielle simply sighed. “What? That’s hardly a concern,” she dismissed.
“W-What?”
“I mean, even before I became his professor, I was already his,” she declared boldly, wrapping her arms around my neck and drawing me closer.
“Wha…? What do you mean?” Irene appeared somewhat perturbed by Gabrielle’s embrace, but she composed herself.
“I am his possession,” she stated firmly. “You could call me his receptacle for cum, or a sex slave, and I take pride in being one for him. Even if you were to divulge to others about my intimate involvement with a student, I wouldn’t be fazed. After all, the reason I relinquished my role as a magic knight and transitioned into a professor was at his command.”
“W-What…? What does that mean…?” Irene finally turned her gaze towards me. She must have been shocked to learn that I was the catalyst behind Gabrielle’s decision to abandon her role as a magic knight because of our relationship. I remained silent, offering no response. Silence might as well have been an admission; by staying quiet, I essentially confirmed Gabrielle’s assertions. “H-How long has this been going on…? I mean… what?”
“You need not concern yourself with matters that do not involve you, Irene,” Gabrielle remarked. “Why don’t you just state your purpose for being here?”
Upon hearing this, Irene glanced at both of us, then hesitated before opening her mouth again. Eventually, she closed her mouth, reopened it, as if she had finally gathered her thoughts. “I apologize. It’s nothing. Sorry for intruding,” she said. I could see tears welling up in the corners of her eyes as she turned away, exiting the room and closing the door behind her.
Gabrielle and I were left in silence. I turned to look at her.
“Well, it seems this isn’t the atmosphere conducive to resuming our activities, is it?”
“I suppose you’re right,” Gabrielle sighed. “I can’t believe I got cockblocked by her. Seriously, does that woman even know how to knock?”
Gabrielle appeared genuinely angry at Irene. I still had no clue why they were at odds with each other. I’d heard they were close friends during their academy years. It was puzzling how they’d grown so distant, treating each other like mortal enemies. Gabrielle often regarded Irene with a level of hostility one might reserve for a family murderer, while Irene seemed to recoil at the mere mention of Gabrielle’s name. Gabrielle did allude to some incident during their graduation, but I’m clueless as to what transpired.
“Anyway, Master. I suppose our secret isn’t so secret anymore, is it? Are you angry with me for revealing everything to Irene?” Despite wearing an expression akin to a child awaiting a scolding, Gabrielle’s lips curled into a smile.
“It’s a slight deviation from our original plan, but I believe this might actually work to my advantage. Instead of being upset, I think rewarding you would be more fitting,” I replied.
“In that case, for my reward, can you indulge me with some anal next time?” she suggested with a lascivious flick of her tongue across her lips.
“I’ll take you in every way imaginable,” I promised. “Anticipate it.”
“I certainly will,” she responded eagerly.
Before I could forgot why I came by, I leaned in and said to Gabrielle, “Oh, and Gabrielle, I need you to look into someone for me.”
She straightened up, her expression turning serious as she pushed the middle of her glasses up, the lenses ominously lit by the light. “I’m all ears.”
“I want you to dig into Charlotte Sierra,” I stated firmly. “And if she ever crosses paths with Professor Sesillian, I need you to intervene if things start heating up. I won’t stand by and let that woman have her way. She’s not getting what she wants, not on my watch.”
If she thought she could just waltz through life after what she did to the Prince, she had another thing coming. I was determined to put a stop to her getting everything handed to her on a silver platter. Women like her, thinking they’re entitled to everything, made my blood boil. Maybe I was a bit bitter from a similar experience the Prince had, but who cares? And that professor? Whatever shady business he was up to, I was shutting it down.
“So, you’re basically asking me to cockblock her? Well, I suppose I can manage that,” Gabrielle replied with a smirk.
“Good,” I nodded. “I’ll make sure to sweeten the deal after the King’s Game.”
“That’s something to look forward to,” she said, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
After the chat with Gabrielle, I headed back to the classroom. When I got there, Shredica filled me in that Professor Irene had canned the lecture and said we should hustle to our next class. On our way there, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Hereon was shooting daggers at me the whole time. Was he jealous because I was strolling alongside Shredica? Totally possible, considering he had a thing for her. Should I back off from Shredica, then? Nah, sticking close to her might lead to some juicy drama, so I stuck with her.
“Oh, by the way, Mr. Leon,” Shredica suddenly piped up.
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“Did you manage to rope in Mr. I-don’t-know-his-name to join us?”
Looks like you’ve got a lot of ground to cover, Hereon, if she can’t even remember your name.
“I thought I told you it ain’t a piece of cake getting someone to join us,” I retorted.
“You’re utterly useless,” she spat, her irritation palpable. Man, this chick was seriously getting on my nerves. After calling me useless, she stormed off, putting some distance between us. The other classmates who were tagging along with us to the next class shot me disgusted looks, whispering among themselves about whether I was already fooling around. I wouldn’t dare cheat on Titania with someone like Shredica, but trying to defend myself felt like a futile effort, so I just kept quiet. Plus, Titania would never buy into the idea that I’d cheat on her with Shredica. It was downright absurd.
After a while, we finally made it to our next class, where we were taught the basics of swordsmanship. Just the usual stuff, like how to grip a sword properly and some basic arithmethic. After the lesson, they announced that the class was getting axed because the staff had some pressing business to attend to. No need for an explanation; we all figured it had something to do with the terrorist attack at the capital.
And just like that, the class two days before the King’s Game came to an end.
***
Robyn’s POV
When Captain Angelica returned to the desolate classroom where she’d left me, her face was twisted in fury. I nearly bolted, thinking it was aimed at me, but it wasn’t. Instead, she took it out on a rickety shelf, snapping it clean in half.
“That damn bitch,” she growled through clenched teeth. “Looks like that woman’s changed, huh?”
“Um,” I managed to squeak out, “did the chat with former Captain Gabrielle not go well?”
“What else did you expect?” she snapped back, shooting me a glare. “Well, at least our main objective still stands. Irene’s on board to help us. That’s all well and good, at least. Our main reason for being here at the academy is to recruit Irene’s help. She’s got the skills to counter the Prince,” the Captain remarked. “Any word from the investigation unit on Prince Julius’ whereabouts?”
“Nope,” I replied. “They’re still coming up empty-handed. Doesn’t seem like he’s been spotted at the Black Market either.”
“Well, it’s fine if they haven’t found anything yet,” she reassured. “Just pass along a message from me.”
“What’s that?” I asked, detecting the seriousness in her tone.
“Tell them not to dig too deep. I’ve got a feeling that man’s involved in this mess,” she instructed.
