Episode 34
Translator: RaidenTL
Episode 34
“This area is restricted. Please state your business.”
Just as she was about to open the tall, imposing doors of the Student Council office with her own hands, a servant standing guard rushed to block her path and demand her purpose.
His blatantly dismissive expression almost made her raise a fist, but somehow, she managed to hold back. For her, it was nothing short of a miracle.
“The Student Council President called for me.”
Elysia managed to get the words out without a single curse, only to be met with the servant’s derisive smirk as he scanned her from head to toe. She was dumbfounded.
“Dressed like that?”
He noted her disheveled hair and the top two buttons of her shirt, which were undone to reveal her collarbone. Just as he was about to openly humiliate her, Elysia scowled and muttered.
“You’re pissing me off. Forget it, I’m not going in.”
“...Excuse me?”
“He’s the one who begged to see me, not the other way around. If it’s going to be this bullshit from the start, I’d rather not meet him at all.”
The servant was utterly flustered. The Student Council was filled with such prominent figures that most students were even intimidated by him, the guard at the door.
Just as he was about to hastily reach for the girl, who had turned her back without a hint of regret as if she truly meant it, the door swung open from the inside, startling him.
“You came.”
The moment he saw the man with a gentle smile, the servant’s expression hardened with tension. Standing in the doorway was the young master of the House of Duke Ror—the family that held the entire economy of Alea, a central hub of international trade, in the palm of its hand. His sharp features were softened by a smile.
Who in the world is this woman?
Meanwhile, Elysia, who had started to walk away, turned back to glare at the man standing on the threshold.
He stood blocking the sunlight that streamed from within the room, obscuring his expression. In a voice that betrayed little emotion, Cain continued.
“Come in.”
“As you can see, I don’t think I can, given my attire. This is a restricted area, isn’t it? Should someone as shabby as me really be allowed in such a precious place?”
At Elysia’s sarcastic tone, the servant held his breath in suspense. Cain simply smiled, then threw the firmly shut doors wide open and gestured for her to enter. Beneath his shadowed face, his red eyes flashed.
“Don’t you have something you want to say to me, anyway?”
His languid smile held a strange allure. Elysia raised an eyebrow and, with steps that clearly showed her reluctance, grudgingly trudged inside.
The first things she noticed were the incredibly high ceiling and the massive, ornate chandelier hanging beneath it. Long strands of crystal reflected the sunlight, casting transparent shadows on the white walls.
As Elysia took in the luxurious interior, a harmony of white and gold, she naturally recalled the low ceiling and simple, wooden tones of the Prefect Office.
A sudden surge of anger flared up inside her.
I thought I didn’t care much for the Prefect Office, but seeing this is actually pissing me off. What are these extravagant bastards? Are they embezzling funds or something?
“Tea, or something else?”
“I won’t be staying long, so—”
“Then tea it is, if I want to keep you here longer.”
With a soft smile, Cain ordered tea from a servant who seemed to appear out of nowhere. He then leaned back in an armchair and simply watched Elysia.
As a light silence fell, a chill ran down her spine.
There it was again. Whenever she met this man, a strange sensation would creep over her body. It was the premonition of facing something incredibly dangerous. A feeling of being preyed upon, of being targeted…
Click. A cup of hot black tea was placed before her. Though the sound wasn’t loud, her body flinched, perhaps because she was already on edge.
Cain, who had been watching her with his chin propped on his right hand, smiled, the corner of his mouth lifting.
“Miss Hemming, you’re so sensitive about everything.”
“No, not particularly.”
She didn’t even touch the teacup. Her heart was pounding, and her already keen senses were running wild, making her feel nauseous.
Those intensely vivid, blood-red eyes. In that suffocating moment, as his sharp, persistent gaze felt like it was stripping her bones one by one, something brushed against her calf.
Lost in thought, she shot up from her seat with a start. The man, who had been sitting with his legs crossed, had traced a line down her leg with the tip of his shoe, pressing gently. He grinned at Elysia, who was now staring blankly at him with wide, startled eyes.
He slowly rose to his feet to match her, murmuring to her stiffened form as if he found it amusing.
“You freeze like ice just from making eye contact.”
The man who had been across the table was now approaching her in an instant. One step.
“And you flinch as if you’ve been cut by a knife from a mere touch.”
He was now standing right beside her. Her breath caught in her throat. As if mocking her, he took another step.
“You haven’t even touched the tea I offered.”
The man’s laugh, as he lifted the teacup meant for her, seemed to carry the scent of blood. He tilted his head slightly, and his face was now right in front of hers.
A languid voice, mingled with the sound of his breath, whispered sweetly.
“Anyone would think I’d poisoned it.”
The crimson tea in the cup he held out sloshed, releasing its aroma. Elysia, whose tongue had been frozen, finally managed to move it and glared at him.
“You’re the one being sensitive.”
Elysia snatched the cup from him and drank it down irritably. The tea, which had quickly cooled to a lukewarm temperature in the chilly air, went down her throat. With a loud thud, she slammed the cup back on the table, recoiled, and bit her lip.
Their eyes met.
Cain glanced at the now-empty cup, then stared intently into her wary eyes and murmured.
“Come to think of it, you’ve been like this from the start. Always observing me with those eyes… and now you’re lying about not being sensitive.”
The man’s breath ghosted over her tense cheek. His eyes, which she had thought were the color of blood, now seemed to burn like a blazing fire. He let out a short laugh and continued.
“Why are you so wary of me? It’s rather disappointing, you know…”
Biting her lip hard, she blankly absorbed his smile—a smile that no one else seemed to find the slightest bit strange—and thought.
Is it just me being overly sensitive, or is there really something about this man…
As if nothing had happened, Cain returned to his composed demeanor and sat back down. Elysia tried to calm her pounding heart and followed his lead, taking her seat again.
She pressed her eyes shut for a moment before opening them and speaking first.
“I heard you suggested that Siene Reve withdraw from the academy.”
The man silently lifted his teacup and drank from it elegantly. Instead of answering, he simply watched her with an amused expression.
Elysia, who had been waiting for his reply while tracing the rim of her empty cup with a fingertip, felt her patience reaching its limit.
“Forcing someone to drop out over something that isn’t even certain… what kind of scumbags are running this Student Council?”
“Not certain? There’s a testimony from someone who saw her entering the workspace. What more is needed?”
Damn it, that testimony is the problem. Elysia pressed her furrowed brow with her index finger as if to smooth it out and growled.
“Based on the knife marks on the canvas, the culprit is right-handed. And from the traces of Crea left on the windowsill, they’re wealthy enough to afford drugs. Siene Reve is left-handed, and… well, I feel bad saying this, but she’s poor, isn’t she? It’s not her.”
“She had a history of conflict and rivalry with Violante, so her motive is clear.”
“Are you kidding me? Are you even listening to me?”
Elysia openly scoffed at Cain, who kept ignoring her and saying whatever he wanted. She expected him to get angry, but the man’s expression was as composed as if he had anticipated it.
“I’ve always found your deductions amusing.”
“What?”
Elysia’s face hardened at Cain’s cheerful words. With a regretful look, the man lowered his eyes, smiled, and shrugged.
“It’s the best possible choice, one where no one gets hurt.”
It felt as if her non-existent low blood pressure was being cured. If there were ranks for bullshitters, this bastard would be a top-ranker.
Dumbfounded, Elysia shot up from her seat, sending her chair clattering to the floor. She bit her lip and let out a hollow laugh.
“That’s ridiculous. Someone is getting hurt, and you call that the best choice?”
The man looked up leisurely at Elysia, who had strode menacingly toward him, and answered.
“Siene Reve’s honor remains intact since we’re burying the incident quietly. Marianne Dupre isn’t subjected to any more shock, and as for Violante’s ruined painting, the school can compensate for it, since they failed to protect it properly. Is there a more perfect verdict than this?”
She burst out laughing with a sharp pfft. A moment later, the smile vanished from her face. She slammed her fist on the tea table with a loud bang and snarled.
“Hilarious. Who the hell are you to be making verdicts? Ignoring all the context and circumstances?”
Despite this level of insubordination from someone of lower status and school year, Cain’s expression didn’t falter in the slightest. Far from being offended, the man simply offered a placid smile.
“Such a foul mouth, our Miss Hemming.”
“In any case, you will withdraw the recommendation for her to drop out.”
“I’m afraid I can’t do that.”
Elysia ran a hand through her hair in frustration and challenged him.
“Do you have any proof that Siene Reve tore it?”
“And do you have any proof that she didn’t? Unfortunately, we have no choice but to judge based on the circumstances.”
Frustratingly, she didn’t. All she had was a theory about how the crime was committed and the fact that Siene Reve didn’t fit the profile of the culprit, which she had deduced from the way the canvas was damaged.
Since the means used for the crime was a wagon connected directly to the trash chute, she hadn’t been able to find any proper physical evidence.
Yes, it was true that what she had was not enough to clear Siene’s name. But still.
“What about you?”
The man, his long eyelashes fluttering, tilted his head as if to ask what she meant. She added in a confident tone.
“Do you have any clear evidence that Siene Reve is the culprit? You don’t. You and I are in the same boat, with nothing but circumstantial evidence.”
“What is it you want to say?”
“I’ll bring you the real culprit, so put a hold on that bullshit demand for her withdrawal.”
Cain raised an eyebrow as if to say her words were ludicrous and asked in a monotone voice.
“You’re going to find the real culprit?”
“Just give me a week.”
“Three days.”
He mercilessly cut her proposed time by more than half and tapped his fingers on the table as if in anticipation. Elysia caught a flicker of excitement on Cain’s face and frowned.
What was that?
“...Fine. I’ll give you three days.”
The man, having erased his fleeting excitement, grinned and looked up at Elysia.
“Go on. Run wild and do as you please.”
And as a bonus, he had to ruin her mood until the very end with his bullshit.