Chapter 28
Chapter 028.
Lenny arrived at the empty lounge and collapsed onto the sofa as soon as she closed the door.
She rolled around excitedly, not caring that her school uniform was getting wrinkled.
“How’s the investigation into the Beryl family going?”
At my question, she stopped rolling around, giggling, and sat up to answer.
“It’s a bit strange. If any family has something to hide, the first thing that gets exposed is their financial transactions. But recently, the Beryl family’s income and expenses have been fine. Even if you dig, it’s just minor individual deviations.”
“What about Count Ember’s side, who was sponsoring Trevor?”
“They seem no different from the Beryl family. They lamented Trevor’s situation and were angry at the Academy for not protecting him, but they couldn’t figure out why the problem occurred.”
If they had known that Trevor was using Dark Arts, they would have protected themselves instead of pressuring the Academy.
“One more thing, Count Ember’s family recently scolded Trevor for taking on the research of the Land of Death as a project. In other words, Trevor acted on his own, out of the Count’s family’s sight.”
For an Academy student receiving sponsorship, the sponsor’s words are almost absolute.
A powerful figure like Count Ember should have been more cautious.
What was Trevor’s backing that allowed him to defy their wishes?
How did he come to use Dark Arts?
The number of students cursed was too high to be a simple individual deviation.
“The funny thing is, Trevor Beril was a dullard when he was young.”
I raised my head.
Reinia fiddled with her hair and continued nonchalantly.
“I thought it was just a rumor, but the locals seem to know about it.”
“A dullard?”
“When he was young, he didn’t understand what people were saying and was so unruly with his teachers that the Viscountess sent him to a monastery in another territory to calm down and study.”
“When was that? Which monastery?”
“It was before he entered the Academy, so around ten years old. The territory hasn’t been revealed. I’ll find out more.”
If so many outstanding students were Trevor’s Puppets, it made sense that his grades were excellent in all areas.
He was outstanding in every subject.
“Suddenly changed….”
I stroked Lenny’s fluffy hair and fell into thought.
She sat close beside me and suddenly said, “I didn’t think you’d bring Orion into this.”
“Neither did I.”
I still felt my heart beating faster than usual.
The fog of anger in my head cleared, and I could see how big this had become.
I thought I would have a few months, maybe even years, of grace before being publicly announced as Merian Miller.
I even thought that Mom’s mind might change or the situation might change first.
I didn’t want to reveal my name and show myself like this, being pushed into it.
Orion’s face flashed through my mind as he came without hesitation, making my head even more complicated.
“What are you going to do?”
What should I do?
I hadn’t really thought about it.
I had never reached out to someone without a detailed plan.
Even if I didn’t want to trouble Jen, even if I was afraid that Lenny or Vertein would be punished, how could I trust Orion and reach out?
Lenny, who was looking at me, sighed.
“When Jen said she felt wronged, I thought she was putting on airs, but now I understand how she feels.”
“Jen?”
“I thought I was a big deal, but even when you were cornered like that, it was hard to deal with. But Orion brought the royal guard and overturned everything. I’m so jealous.”
Lenny leaned on my shoulder and mumbled.
Her voice was unusually subdued.
“I guess it’s not enough to just have money. You need power too.”
“I like you even without that.”
“No. I’m going to work really hard from now on. I’m going to rake in money, buy and sell power, and stand above people so I can step on everyone except the Emperor.”
I imagined Lenny stomping on Orion and shuddered.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that as she got older, she was seeing the bitterness of the world and falling into increasingly dangerous paths.
As I wondered whether to comfort her or stop her, Lenny called me softly.
“Hey, Merian.”
“Yeah?”
“It looks like we can’t really live peacefully without being noticed anymore.”
“I guess so.”
“Are you okay with that?”
At Lenny’s hesitant question, I slowly nodded.
I had expected that this day would come eventually.
Rather, it was more of a miracle that I had been able to live quietly until now, living as Mom’s daughter.
“It wasn’t easy holding my breath all the time.”
Now that I’ve lived like that until now, it might not be bad to stand up straight and hold my head high.
“I think I’m okay.”
I took a breath and pushed away Lenny’s worries.
“Actually, I thought it would only be uncomfortable to treat people based on power. But when I saw the professors’ faces turn blue, I felt relieved.”
It felt like watching a comedy as those who had tried to suppress me changed their attitude as if they were being turned upside down by my status.
Lenny, who was staring at me, crossed her arms with a serious face.
“If you want, let’s try taking over the Miller Dukedom as a long-term plan.”
“It might be easier to just get rid of the Vice Duke.”
“Lenny.”
At that moment, the door swung open.
Lord Rune, who seemed to have been listening to our conversation, chuckled and stepped into the room.
“Ladies, the Vice Duke has suggested that you stay at The Duke's Residence for the time being for protection.”
He offered his hand kindly for an escort.
I glanced at his expression, but couldn’t read anything.
He stopped briefly at the doorway and spoke to me with a playful voice.
“I’ll have to retract my statement that you’re not as appealing as you seem.”
“Excuse me?”
His eyes curved deeply like crescents as he looked at me.
His gentle gaze and soft, sweet voice were directed at me.
“I think our young lady is more interesting than I thought.”
“You shake my heart like this every time we meet, it’s troubling.”
I blankly stared at him as he said something that seemed straight out of a romance novel.
Just now, I was accused of being a suspect in an assault case, then Orion reversed the situation, and now I’m listening to this man’s nonsense.
‘The genre of my life is fantastic.’
He chuckled and whispered, receiving my coldly fading gaze.
“Please be more careful about such plots in the future, in places where people don’t know.”
He gestured slightly ahead.
I could see the royal guards guarding the door pretending not to notice.
It seemed our conversation had been heard by more people than I thought.
Compared to me, who was trying to ignore it and lower my head to cool my flushed cheeks, Lenny was very confident.
“Everyone has desires.”
“Lady Locke is a very honest person.”
Lord Rune smiled.
I don’t think it’s a good idea for the girl who wants to get rid of the Vice Duke and take over the Dukedom to get along with the Vice Duke’s confidant.
I wonder if it’ll be okay.
Lenny grabbed my arm from the side and shook it, saying in an excited voice.
“I just discovered the hope of taking over the Dukedom without bloodshed. The Vice Captain seems surprisingly easy to bribe.”
“That’s not true.”
“Merian, seduction is the best method after all. Well done!”
“I didn’t use seduction, I won’t use it, and I can’t use it.”
He’s just saying that.
I resolved not to put Lenny and Lord Rune in the same place.
It was too dangerous for the two of them to meet.
For the sake of the Dukedom’s peace, and for my own peace.
And of course, for the sake of Orion’s stability.
* **
As the investigation began in earnest, the reality of the poor management was revealed here and there.
Even though it was just a light shake-up, there were endless problems.
It was only natural, since they had tried to fabricate a case by accusing the Duke’s daughter.
A full reinvestigation was also conducted on Trevor Beril.
The fact that he was the one who cast the curse,
And that he was cursed in reverse while trying to curse, was quickly revealed.
The Imperial Family quickly stepped in and severely punished them.
[The Beryl family’s title is revoked, and the Ember family’s title is demoted to Viscount.]
Even if they were not related to black magic, the Ember family, who sponsored Trevor, could not avoid being affected.
The problem was the Ember family’s revenge against the Beryl family, who had already fallen into the abyss.
Although they were demoted, the ending of the conflict between the Ember family, who held the title of Viscount, and the Beryl family, whose title had disappeared, was obvious.
The cruel thing about nobles is that if they have a grudge, they will tear apart even a corpse.
Even if it takes a long time, the Ember family will erase the Beryl family from the traces of history.
However, what bothered me was the fact that Trevor Beril, who had fallen into a coma, had disappeared.
Lenny nodded slowly.
“I gave the guards quite a bit of money, but they don’t know anything. If he didn’t go out through the gate, does that mean he’s still in the castle?”
“A person declared a heretic by the temple? That’s impossible.”
The Beryl family had already collapsed, and there were no nobles who would help Trevor.
And the lower classes under the bourgeois, where religion had absolute influence, would not help him either.
He had been declared the enemy, so where could he go?
“If I could just catch him, I could show him what the bottom of life is like.”
Watching Lenny swing her small fists, I was still bothered by him.
The curse was quickly lifted thanks to the efforts of the high priests, but its purpose was too ambiguous.
‘If it was simply to get good grades at the Academy, he should have gone to the Imperial Academy.’
I couldn’t understand why he had come to the National Academy.
As the incident, which left a lingering feeling on one side, was concluded, all the professors were dismissed.
It was a natural consequence that their honor as scholars had hit rock bottom.
It would have been more correct to say that they didn’t even have the honor to fall, as they were so engrossed in the power within the Academy.
Not a single person was innocent.
In the end, the Academy was temporarily closed, in fact, closed without the possibility of reopening.
