Chapter Thirty: Question One
1849 Words
“You may begin the exams.” The head professor stated as he turned the sand dune.
I flipped through the politics section of the papers; there was hardly any demanding or beneficial, future wise, question.
The papers would never test who had the most potential to start a rebellion or who had the most money in the empire. These were all things one was expected to deduce themselves but never say out loud because the answer was never what one expected.
“Lady Arusei?” the professor called from beside me.
I had not even noticed he had approached me.
“Yes?”
“The head of the administration wishes to speak with you.”
“What about the exams?”
“You shall be tested separately, or your grades will be summarised with your semester’s general performance.”
“Understood,” I answered, handing him the exam paper then following him as he led me out of the room.
He led me straight to the Dean’s office, well, the former Dean’s office.
“You shall be instructed further from here, have a seat.” He pointed to the waiting room seats.
I nodded in acknowledgement then sat where he pointed. Less than three minutes later, a spectacled woman in her mid-forties approached.
“Greetings, my lady, the Grand Duchess Hyle of Central will see you now.”
Right, the princess was still the school’s largest investor.
I took a deep breath then walked to the familiar gigantic office door.
I was unsure if I should knock first, but seconds later, her secretary rushed before me and opened the doors, revealing the curly russet brown-haired dutchess with a gaze holding the stillness of the ocean.
She was upset; that much was obvious considering she preferred to deal with matters efficiently; however, whether she would show or tell me her mood was another matter.
“Hello, Lady Arusei Evergreen Alpensa, am I right?”
“Yes,” I said as I walked towards her large desk.
She was beautiful, if only because she still had the feel of a knight despite this being her fourth year of retirement.
“Sit.” She issued as she arranged some documents on the table.
Her brown gaze matched her brother’s, the Emperor, distinctively yet still; it maintained some hardness and understanding that his lacked. Perhaps the years she had served as a captain enlightened her on the workings of the world.
Still, we never interacted in the field in my past life.
“Now then, I understand you are the adopted daughter of Marquis Alpensa?”
“Yes, I am.”
“Why did you maintain the name ‘Evergreen’ rather than ‘Lione’.”
“The name was given to me by my birth mother.”
“Oh, did you know much about her?”
I flinched uncomfortably at the question.
“Your Grace, I would rather not discuss that topic.”
Her gaze turned sharply to the corner of her desk, so I followed it.
The crystal bell of truth, an artefact that basically works as a lie detector, meaning she was investigating me. The artefact’s design is miniature, hard to find; hell, if it had not been for her gaze, I would have missed it entirely.
Though the artefact has varying shapes, the bell and crystal were maintained.
“I see..” she responded curtly, as though it was meant as small talk either way. “I called you here for two matters, the first being you were the last student Dean Moses spoke to before his disappearance.”
Her Grace paused, then studied my face.
“The second?”
She smiled at my question.
“I will let you know the second once we are through.” She answered, then cleared her throat and readjusted her posture.
“Where were you during the time of the main investigation of Dean Moses’s departure?’
“What do you mean.”
The bell dinged, and her sharpness held my gaze.
Fucking hell, this is a bad start.
If I say Patum, the bell will sell me out as a liar.
“I think you know what I mean.”
“I- I was in school grounds.”
“Is that so?” The Duchess scribbled something on the sheets of paper she held, “why did you not respond to the summons sent to your room?”
“I was tending to an injured person.”
She quirked her brow.
“Who was injured?”
“I cannot say.”
“Why can you not say?”
“I-,” my mouth instantly shut itself.
“You signed a mute contract,” she stated matter of factly with a frown as she leaned in closer to examine the unnatural way in which my lips sealed themselves. “Well, this is interesting.”
“Do you want to tell me more about the contents of the document?” the Duchess asked, a smile now dressing her face.
“No.”
“Oh? But you realise that once we find a way to unbind you, we expect full co-operation.”
“Yes.”
“Will you co-operate with us?”
“For as long as I am a member of the Royal Academy.”
The Duchess looked genuinely taken aback by my answer.
“You are in your second year, the second semester, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You have at least a year and a half before completing your academic studies, at least if you do not seek higher education.”
“Yes.”
“Hah, you believe we will not find the former Dean before then?”
“Yes.”
“Are you an accomplice?”
“No.”
“You just find my team incompetent?”
“Yes.”
The Duchess laughed bitterly before her gaze turned sharp.
“Do you like the academy?”
“I like it more than I like being home.”
“Are you abused at home?”
“I would rather we keep the focus on the investigation.”
“Are you trying to insult me?”
“No.”
-Ding-
Fuck.
“I could take you to court and have you criminalised for that, you understand, do you not, Lady Arusei.”
Fuck.
“I do.”
“Have you ever intentionally harmed anyone in the academy?”
My mind flashed back to the pigtailed girl, then the princess's tea party.
“N- yes.”
“You have intentionally harmed my students?”
“Y-yes.”
“Do you realise you now have two counts of offences on your sheet?”
“In the most general form, most students have harmed each other as childish pranks.”
“While I am curious at your habit of downsizing your sins, I will continue.” She flipped her document, “Who can you tell about the contract?”
“Anyone who will not criminalise it?”
“Hmmm, perhaps a friend?”
“Perhaps.”
“You said you were tending to someone injured?”
“Correct.”
“Where are they now?”
“I do not know.”
“What do you mean you do not know?”
“It is as I say. I do not know their whereabouts.”
“What of their occupation.”
“They were a maid.”
“Was it your personal maid?”
“Yes.”
-ding-
“Okay, I don’t know why the bell chimed; she was a maid to the best of my knowledge.”
The Duchess stared at the bell.
“But was she your maid?”
“Yes, she-,”
-ding!-
“-took care of my….” I finished belatedly.
“What did you think of your maid?”
“I..” I began. “She was…chatty.”
“Ah, so you did not consider her your personal maid as most noble girls would.” The Duchess acknowledged as she nodded her head, “Then why in the world did you tend to her injuries?”
If I say she is my ‘people’, the bell will chime.
“She was useful to me.”
“Yet you know not where she resides at the moment. Has her usefulness ceased?”
“Yes.”
-Ding-
“Well, I miss warm baths and convenience, but that should be the extent of it.”
“Uh-huh…” the Duchess said, then proceeded. “The knights I investigated said that your room was vandalised. Is that correct?”
My mouth sealed itself.
“Huh…so that was the conversation topic that caused your meeting.” She noted down the observation, “Do you know where the dean is?”
“No.”
The Duchess sighed then placed her documents on the table, “You have helped this investigative process further along than we were, and it is for that reason that I would like to dishonour the request of the Marquis; however, I trust that everything will go smoothly.”
“The request of the Marquis?”
-ding-
Ah, fuck..
“You knew he was here?” she frowned.
“Just a hunch.”
-Ding-
Fuuuck!
“You knew with certainty that he was here.” She said matter of factly, then stood from her seat to walk to the window.
Ah…I hate that bell!
“I do not know if you can tell, but I quite dislike you, Lady Arusei.”
“I could not; the confirmation is much appreciated,” I responded.
“I quite dislike that I cannot read you. I find it utterly abhorrent.” She continued, “Your mannerisms, your actions, your words, your arrogance….”
“Everything about you…puts me in a foul mood.”
This was it, the sort of neutrality I, as Arusei, should expect in this world.
Sincerity from my end is treated more of a menace, so I prefer lacing my words with flowers.
Need I take her honesty in my dislike as respect, or should I wail? Should I fight her? Ask her to like me?
Should I break for her amusement?
Humble my words that they do not hint at my state of existence?
“Do not wear your claws too openly; it is provoking. Have you never been told that before?”
I turned my gaze to the wall, to a portrait of a field of Daisies and did the only thing I was trained to do, smile.
I said nothing for fear the device would chime at the proclamation of my own worth.
“The Marquis has ordered that you pull out of studies for a family emergency. I told him that I would be visiting over the holidays to further the investigation, this time with more concrete questions, so be ready.”
“I hope to see you for your third semester.” She said, then gestured to the door.
Two guards in familiar uniform stood outside the office, ready to escort me to the Marquis’s carriage; thank the gods I already pocketed what remained vital in my dorm.
- Writer
