The Misandristic Con

Chapter 4: Collie's Plan

“S-sorry. I got lost..” Sir Klaus and the others turned around, only to see Zachary Pattinson desperately gasping for air. He was full of sweat and some dirt in his robe; he looks harassed.

Dave's face contorted seeing his brother's state. ‘Where the hell in the road did this i***t got lost?’

“Did you meet trouble on the road, Zach?” Zach inhaled deeply and calmed himself down. Hearing Sir Klaus' question, the girl in verdant sweater flashed in his mind.

Zach felt his cheeks reddened. He distracted his self by adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses more comfortably on his nose as he looked away from Sir Klaus' and the other four's scrutinizing stares. “It was nothing. I'm fine.”

Oddly, his four peers seems to be more distracted. He walked side by side with the two silent guys, the humble Second Prince Victor and Glace duchy's successor, Aries.

Sir Klaus sighed defeatedly, dismayed with his past moves. “If only I didn't call Vlak, that girl would probably won't escape. Tch. What a headache.”

Zach stopped and stared confusedly at his friends. Cloud who was walking beside Sir Klaus in front specially stopped walking to wait for him.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Cloud shook his head and encircled his arms around him, as if he was never taught etiquette as a noble. “How unfortunate of you my friend, to not witness the commotion by a young girl's scheme. Tsk, tsk, tsk. As your very good friend, I will tell you what really happened! Right? I am the best, right?!”

Zach scoffed when he heard his 'good friend's' rant about a con who was a young girl on her teens. “Ah, what a talent. To be able to scam such powerful pigs.”

Zach also found it almost too overwhelming. That kind of talent should enter academy.

“Then where is she now? Did Sir Klaus talked to her?” Cloud clapped his hands and chuckled.

“You're a genius, Zach! That's the problem! Sir Klaus didn't have the chance to talk to her since she escaped, all thanks to Sir Klaus himself!” Zach's face distorted due to Cloud's ridiculous overpraise.

Sir Klaus who has been depressed felt more depressed causing his face to contort as he was openly blamed by one of his naughtiest student.

Cloud, who is always talkative, has an unnoticed clever glint in his eyes as he scrutinized Zach's unusually dirty robe. He then asked Zach, carefully laying his manipulation. “Anyway, why do you look so messy? Did encounter 'something' while you were lost?”

Cloud indirectly put an emphasis, signifying if Zach had encountered 'someone' instead of 'something'. Zach didn't notice anything unusual with his question and thought, ‘Cloud is no stranger to me. He's my closest friend, so it's only natural to tell him what I really encountered back then.’

Zach then told Cloud everything, completely immersed with the details about the girl, didn't notice how he has stepped on the trap Cloud has laid on, and didn't even notice Cloud's unusual cold eyes and his eerie silence.

‘So Zach has already saw her?’

Cloud has heard a lot about Cologne Adams. He has asked his mother about her countless times but his mother won't even look at his eyes. Dying with curiosity, he found out that Cologne only has her mother who has passed away. Cologne and her mother once lived in Garte, the northern part of the Kingdom of Milliscen, where the duchy of Glace is located, where Aries lived and came from. According to Cologne's mother's friends whom they had met while they were still living on the other town, is that, Cologne's mother and father are divorced. It is said that Dahlia, Cologne's mother, caught her husband cheating on her, and even brought his mistress and illegitimate child who's three years older than Cologne. Due to heartbreak, Dahlia left the house bringing Cologne with her who's just three years old. Their background remains a mystery.

And after all those four years and months finding out all about Cologne Adams, that was the only informations his men could get. Though he only saw Cologne's face for once, it felt as if it was etched in his mind, and would sometimes remember it before he dozes off in sleep every night. He still could remember how he barged in to the room without caring much about his etiquette, where he met her cold eyes and heard her nonchalant voice talking casually to his mother. She was still small back then. Her height back then might be his current height below his chest. Her face were small and she was fairly good-looking but she still had a baby fat and chubby cheeks, still, her eyes were ruthless, like a wolf in a child's body. Her voice were cold, but he could still feel the heat he felt on his cheeks everytime he remembers her determined and low voice coated with milk and honey. Though it was only once, he could still clearly remember it even the slightest details.

Now, after all those years, Cologne must have grown taller. She was fair too, all those years wearing cape, she must have became fairer. Her small face must have been more detailed and her swan-like neck…

Thinking that Cologne were near him just awhile ago made him feel frustrated and desperate. If only he had known it was Cologne…

“Sir Klaus, where are we going now?” Cloud was so immersed with his thoughts that he didn't notice Zach had long finished his talks. He just also realized he has been so quiet. He blinked and cleared his throat.

“Sir Klaus must be thinking of ways how to find Cologne Adams, right, Sir??” on the spur of the moment, Cloud found his usual talkative and smiley persona again.

Sir Klaus stopped walking, the other five stopped too. He turned around and faced them. “Actually...we don't need to find Connie anymore.”

The four guys confusedly waited for him to talk again. Cloud, on the other hand, stiffened. Sir Klaus cleared his mind and decided after considering Connie's situation. “We don't need to find her anymore because she will definitely enrol herself in the academy.” Sir Klaus turned around again and walked relaxedly. “All we need to do, is to loosen up and rest. What about you, don't you want to go back to your homes? Your parents has been asking me all about your plans and are waiting for you.”

The five of them silenced. Second Prince talked first. “I came home last month. I only have a year to finish my studies now, I want to finish this in the academy and I also want to know more about our people especially the commoners and I want to take this chance to ask our commoner students.”

Sir Klaus nodded. The Crown Prince has his own tutor and is not allowed to enter the academy in the King's fear of his safety to be threatened. The Second Prince were also prohibited but still forced his way to enter the academy. He successfully convinced the King by using his brother's name, that it is his duty to help him in the time he sits on the throne. The Crown Prince and the Second Prince are biological siblings. They got along well.

Sir Klaus glanced at the other four. Truth is, he really doesn't know why and when did this five got close to him. ‘Maybe, because I am near their age?’

Sir Klaus snickered at his own thoughts.

“I won't go home.” Aries simply said.

“Me, too!” Cloud and the others.

Sir Klaus sighed. He waved his hands and turned around as he started to walk again. “Fine! You can do whatever you want. I have something to do. I'll leave you here now.”

He walked away and had taken a bit of steps when he heard steps following behind him.

When he turned around, he saw the five rascal following behind him like they didn't hear what he said just now.

“What are you doing?” Klaus felt his head throbbing. He was depressed when Cologne escaped and blamed himself. And now, unexpectedly, this five has this mischievousness well hidden in them.

Cloud laugh lightly. “Sir Klaus, are you going to Cologne Adams' house? We'll come with you!”

Cloud smirked. ‘I wonder what Cologne's house looks like...’

********************†***************************

Walking on the familliar road, Zach realized this is the road where he met the mysterious young girl.

‘Is it possible that the young girl and Cologne Adams are neighbor?’

As they walk in the road in the middle of the woods, they saw a small house. In that house, three girls with a familliar seal came out from it. Not far from the house is a girl with also the same seal with the other three. As they come closer, they heard their conversation.

“Where's Collie?” the girl said impatiently. The three looked at each other confusedly.

“We can't seem to find her in her own house, Joanna.”

Klaus stared at the girls. ‘They're freshmen in the academy. What are they doing in Cologne Adams' house? Did she…?’

Aries felt the wind to be weird.

“I never expected you all to be so nosy.” all of them turned to the left where Cologne is standing with both her hands on her hips, looking so arrogant and lazy.

Zach's jaw dropped. ‘Sh-she's Cologne Adams?!’

Though her posture resembles a cat, no one can deny her foxy face to be so attractive. Everyone swallowed.

‘Who would dare to look away at such a blessing?’ they thought.

“I'm asking you what are you doing in my house?”

Cloud woke up from his fantasy and tried to stop himself from staring at her from up to bottom.

Cologne was standing on a thick tree branch. Unlike when Zach saw her, she's now wearing a cream colored Victorian dress. Her hair is on a braid encircling her head, there was no single strand of hair left unbraided. Her face looked clean,but there was a hint of impatience on her beautiful face.

She jumped and safely landed right in front of the girls. After all, what all she saw is the girls near her.

On the other side, Aries furrowed his thick brows. The girl didn't even bother to cast them just a single glance.

Cloud stared at Cologne intently. ‘Cologne, I finally got the chance and saw you again.’

This time, he silently prayed to bump with her in the academy soon. He wanted to know more about her.

“We won't follow her, Sir? I bet they're going to the academy.” Second Prince Victor asked.

Klaus smilingly shook his head. “No. What we came here is her house. We will dig her background up.”

Cloud's smile stiffened. “W-we won't go after her? Sir Klaus, that's surprising!”

Klaus confusedly blinked his eyes at Cloud. “I don't understand what your talking about, My Lord. What's surprising?”

Cloud gritted his teeth unnoticeably.

“Well, since you came here with me, better help me out.”

Cloud sighed and came inside the house with them. ‘Alright, I'll see her in the academy, anyway.’

On the other side.

Cologne and the others rode Graciela's carriage.

When Cologne got inside the carriage, Joanna taunted her again. “Oh? What does it feel to ride in a carriage for the first time, Lady Cologne Adams?”

Cologne smirked. “Correction, commoner Joanna Jones. I ride the carriage as many times as your father pays his debts.”

Joanna almost vomited blood. “Y-you-you!”

Joanna only got accepted in the academy because she was smart and has a talent for alchemy. It was really impulsive of her to offend a talent. ‘But what can I do? She's so annoying.’

Lucy came close to her and told her things. “So...what will you do when you get inside the academy, Collie?”

Collie smiled with eyes closed. With cheeky smile, she told Lucy, “Don't come near me when we're in the academy. You won't see this face, anyway.”

Lucy stared at her confusedly. “Huh? What do you mean?”

Collie sighed, impatient. She then mumbled that only the two of them could hear. “I said, don't come near me when we're in the academy. You won't recognize me. I will disguise myself while in the academy.”

Lucy's jaw dropped. ‘D-disguise? Herself? Can she really do that?!’