Chapter: 420
Lucy Allen’s mischief spread rapidly throughout the academy.
Due to her recent achievements, everyone was buzzing about the news that she had stomped on the head of a professor who was a powerful figure in the court. Talk about a juicy tidbit!
Some were gleeful, thinking the wild one finally showed her true colors.
Others expressed disappointment, believing she had changed, but apparently not.
And then there were those who argued that the current Lucy Allen was not the type to pick fights without reason, insisting there must have been a cause behind it.
Arthur was in that last category.
He knew that Lucy Allen was not the type to pick fights for no reason, but more importantly, he understood why she had reacted that way.
Arthur recalled the moment Lucy stepped up. That moment when she insulted him and even his mother brought him to clench his lips in anger.
He was so close to losing his reason, trying to act on impulse when he heard a voice whispering in his ear.
The soft sound of footsteps sliding across the floor.
He could feel the slight rise in temperature in her breathing.
When Lucy treated Valian like a mere janitor and dismissed him, Arthur noticed she wasn’t doing it out of ignorance.
Her expression had become more straightforward since last winter vacation, revealing her concern for Arthur.
The moment their eyes met, Arthur unconsciously tightened his lips.
It was strange.
Arthur didn’t particularly like feelings of sympathy.
He thought those who cast sympathetic gazes were merely showing off their own pity rather than genuinely caring about others.
Yet oddly enough, Lucy’s gaze was different.
Her worried eyes easily shook Arthur’s emotions.
If Lucy hadn’t turned her gaze toward Valian at that moment, Arthur would have unintentionally revealed his feelings.
After Lucy turned her head, Arthur barely calmed himself, realizing all of a sudden how much she had changed from before.
Of course, it was natural for her to look prettier since a maid had come in to dress her up.
Lucy Allen wasn’t someone who was particularly obsessed with her appearance.
It was expected that a person who didn’t know how to dress would change when touched by someone else’s hand.
However, up until now, Arthur had tried not to acknowledge that change.
He didn’t want to end up blushing and becoming a laughingstock like he did at the end of the last semester, so he did everything he could to turn away.
Then today, coming face-to-face with her transformation, he found himself staring blankly at Lucy’s appearance.
Her eyes glimmered brighter than jewels.
Her skin was pure white without a speck of dust.
Her small lips.
Her face, said to be crafted directly by the goddess of beauty and art.
He couldn’t help but laugh when she insulted Valian.
He had completely lost his mind and failed to manage his expression.
Arthur regretted that moment even now.
If he had kept his lips sealed back then, if he had just left Valian and Lucy’s conflict as something caused by him, Valian wouldn’t have insulted Lucy’s mother.
During the last vacation, Arthur learned who Lucy’s mother was.
A person who had always supported Lucy, even as she was forced to speak awkwardly against her will.
Someone Lucy still misses so much that she could collapse crying decades after her death.
Though he had never met her, she must have been warmer than anyone else.
So, Arthur didn’t stop Lucy. He let her charge at Valian, despite being able to grab her shoulder. He turned a blind eye to the girl who stepped up for him causing chaos.
“Third Prince! What are you doing standing by without saying anything?”
Joy’s grumbling left Arthur speechless. Everything Lucy did this time was entirely his fault.
“I’m sorry.”
“…I don’t know what to say to that kind of apology.”
“It’s fine not to say much. This is definitely my fault, and so I’ll deal with it.”
He didn’t have to worry about the rumors circulating in the academy.
After all, it was impossible to prevent them, no matter how hard he tried.
He didn’t need to worry about the academy’s punishment either.
Considering how much Lucy Allen had contributed to the academy, they couldn’t possibly punish her severely.
Especially since there were countless mitigating factors in this incident, and the victim, Valian, was a washed-up nobody distanced from power, any punishment that might fall on Lucy Allen would probably be just a few days of confinement.
The conflict with the Clock family was no different.
If they weren’t out of their minds, they wouldn’t dare provoke the Allen family.
In his personal opinion, the Clock family was more likely to send a letter of apology, wanting to distance themselves from Valian.
After all, it was clear what would happen if one got on the bad side of the disaster that was Benedict Allen.
Ultimately, there was only one faction he needed to be wary of.
That would be the Second Queen’s faction, which nominally supported Valian.
“Hey, little brother. I didn’t expect you to come here first.”
The Second Prince, Cecil Soladin, welcomed Arthur’s visit.
Since the second semester began to change him, and whatever happened during this winter vacation, he had managed to shed most of his past violent temper. Now, he could genuinely smile at Arthur.
While Arthur faintly sensed this change, he accepted Cecil’s warm welcome.
“I apologize for not visiting more often.”
“Don’t mention it. I had my share of misdeeds in the past, so it’s only natural.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Skip the unnecessary words and sit down. I think I know why you’ve come.”
“Is that so?”
“Isn’t it because of what Lucy Allen did this time?”
Cecil’s chuckle had Arthur gulp as he soon let out a hah and sat down in the chair Cecil offered.
Well, that was obvious. Anyone could’ve figured out I’d come to my brother at this point.
As Arthur lamented his own foolishness, Cecil prepared some tea and offered it to him.
“To give you an answer, I’m afraid I have to say you came here for no reason. We have no intention of getting involved with Lucy Allen at all.”
“…Huh? But…”
“First off, we see Valian as merely a nuisance. Secondly, Lucy Allen has accrued many debts to our mother. Do you really think we’d want to provoke Lucy Allen in this situation?”
…Lucy Allen has a debt to the Second Queen?
Arthur’s face showed faint surprise at this unexpected news, eliciting a light laugh from Cecil as he sat opposite.
“Therefore, finish your tea and just go back. Tell Lucy Allen that one of our people will be sending an apology later. Ah, right. You won’t have to deal with Valian anymore, so know that.”
After casually finishing that statement as if it were nothing, Cecil grimaced after taking a sip of his tea.
“Damn it. Did I fail again? At this rate, I’ll never gain my mother’s praise.”
There was no trace of past worries or passion in his grumbling.
That surprised Arthur greatly. The Cecil he knew used to tremble in his voice whenever he spoke about anything related to the Second Queen.
“What happened?”
Arthur blurted out the question without thinking and immediately regretted it, but Cecil’s expression remained calm.
“It’s hard to explain the details, but I too owe Lucy Allen a debt. Thanks to her, I heard ‘I’m sorry’ for the first time from my mother.”
Cecil, who had been staring blankly at his teacup, suddenly leaned forward, thinking he had answered enough and wanted to ask a few questions himself.
“Hey, little brother. Have you heard any ridiculous rumors going around regarding Lucy Allen lately?”
“There are so many rumors concerning that girl, so I’m not sure which ones you mean.”
“No, I mean, did you hear she faced off against Lasha, the Strong Person Hunt champion from the Terisha Empire, and won?!”
Arthur blinked in surprise at the mention of the Terisha Empire, which he had assumed would be something serious.
“Most gossipers dismiss it as absurd rumors. Some say Benedict Allen defeated her, or that Lasha was taking it easy on her.”
“…Uh, that would be the normal assumption.”
“Right, that’s normal. I think so too. But isn’t there the possibility of an ‘if’ existing in this world? With Lucy Allen’s dazzling talent, who knows!”
Seeing Cecil’s sparkling eyes, Arthur recalled the story he heard during the last vacation while he stayed at the Allen family.
…That story about nearly dying because of some crazy girl couldn’t be true, could it?
“Have you heard!? Is it true!?”
“It’s not that she just fought and won; I heard she held out for about a minute.”
“That’s accurate! Hahaha! The rumors are true! How strong has that monster Lucy Allen grown over this vacation!”
Hearing Cecil’s boisterous voice, Arthur grimaced while drinking the tea he was given.
“…What kind of leaves did you use?”
“From the Promon Territory.”
“Isn’t that the top-tier tea leaves?”
“Yeah, but?”
“How can it taste like this?!”
Cecil averted his eyes at Arthur’s shock.
“…I’ll just brew more.”
“Oh, alright.”
The taste and aroma of the tea Arthur drank afterward were simply on another level.
*
Surprisingly, my act of slapping the professor caused no issues at all.
No punishments from the academy.
The Second Queen side apologized, saying not to worry as they wouldn’t deal with Valian anymore, and even compensated me in return.
Even among the students, those who disliked me shrugged, saying they expected it, while those who thought well of me simply brushed it off, thinking there must have been a reason behind it.
All that remained from this incident was the professors looking at me with cautious eyes.
…Actually, there was one more thing.
Joy’s nagging.
“Young lady, do you have any idea how much my heart hurts every time I hear bad things about my friends?”
“Joy, I’ve heard that story more than a dozen times already! Why are you repeating yourself as if you’re drunk?”
“Just please be mindful! Mind! Full!”
Trying to contain her frustration over her limits on controlling the rumors, I subtly avoided Joy’s gaze.
But still, I couldn’t just allow someone to spit nonsense uncontrollably.
I had just given a proper punishment to that jerk!
“Joy, wait a moment.”
Hearing Phoebe’s gentle voice made me harbor hope that I might finally escape Joy’s nagging.
“Emotions shouldn’t be mixed into sermons. Sermons aren’t reprimands but means of guiding us to what’s right.”
But that was my delusion. Phoebe was someone who could deliver a terrifyingly long lecture that would even leave Joy gasping.
After several hours of nagging from both Joy and Phoebe, I finally broke free and noticed the crowd bustling in the plaza, realizing the time had come.
The academy dungeon opening season was upon us.
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