Chapter 48
Paltis tried to say something, but Irix clamped his mouth shut and slammed him to the floor. Paltis disappeared under the desk in an instant. It was a full-fledged assault, but no one said a word.
The lady pointed at Mr. Tolt.
“Hey, you, staff member. I’m going to report this child for violating the Status Law. Go notify the authorities.”
She gestured toward Mr. Tolt.
I leaned slightly toward Irix and asked quietly,
“How can a parent not even know the dean’s face?”
“I don’t know,” he replied.
Even though parents usually possess the kind of authority that would make dukes and emperors bow, Mr. Tolt didn’t assert his authority. He simply said cheerfully, “There is no law called the Status Law,” and the lady didn’t listen.
“And I’ll punish you for hitting our child! Since it’s a Status Law violation too, the penalty should be heavier.”
Mr. Tolt said, “Well, that law doesn’t exist…” but she ignored him again.
“Wilhelmina Olgos fell on her own,” Irix said.
The lady turned her head sharply to glare at Irix.
“Willy said you hit her.”
“That’s a lie.”
“Are you saying my daughter lied to me?”
“Yes.”
The lady’s lips curled slightly.
“Only commoners do that. Parents and children from noble families are always honest with each other.”
The son of a duke, whose family was more chaotic than any in the Empire but whose social standing remained noble, answered:
“No, we lie a lot. My father lies a lot too, and I do as well.”
“Your father is an uneducated commoner who raises his children frivolously, but our family is not like that.”
Even though his entire family was insulted along with his father, Irix didn’t respond this time. Apparently, he can endure insults toward his father even if he can’t tolerate them toward himself.
Then the lady smiled brightly, as if a good idea had come to her.
“Oh, I see. This commoner girl has no parents, so we should at least meet yours. Call them immediately.”
She flicked her hand toward Mr. Tolt.
“Contact that child’s parents.”
“Could you repeat that? I didn’t quite understand.”
Mr. Tolt genuinely didn’t get her meaning. I understood him—after all, she was asking him to contact the Imperial Chancellor, who can only be met by prior appointment.
“Call her parents. Lady Olgos is summoning them, so tell them to come immediately.”
Even the Empress Dowager requires an appointment to meet the Chancellor.
“Master Irix’s father can only speak via a representative; is that acceptable?”
A sly smile appeared on the lady’s face.
“Oh, that’s fine. I can forgive that. It depends on how well that representative disciplines the student under his patronage.”
Ah—
I understood the situation. She probably already knew that Elpini sponsored certain students and assumed Irix was one of them. That’s why she referred to a “representative” as a “patron.”
Irix raised his hand.
“There’s no need to go that far. My father’s representative is here.”
He pointed at Zephyr.
Indeed, Zephyr had been here the whole time. Of course, Maimon was also present, but whether he was here or not didn’t matter; in fact, it was often better if he wasn’t—in the kitchen preferably.
This morning’s breakfast, made by Maimon, had turned into something harmful. The bread and sausages, sold to us without knowing they’d end up like this, were worse than eating expired food. Irix had eaten it all and quietly vomited after Maimon took the plates away.
“And Mr. Tolt, the dean,” I said.
“Yes, go ahead.”
“I request a retrial for the case where senior Elpini received 10 permanent demerits and after-school cleaning as punishment. I will call only Paltis Hains as a witness.”
I whispered beside him:
“You could leave the demerits as they are…”
“Shut up.”
Now it had become Irix’s war, not Elpini’s. His eyes blazed with the will to win.
“Elpini, will you accept it?”
“Well…”
Before I could speak, Wilhelmina shouted:
“Elpini, you stole it! Do you have evidence it wasn’t you?”
“Usually charges arise after evidence of theft, not just suspicion.”
Wilhelmina laughed.
“Why do you need evidence? I’m the witness. I saw it clearly.”
“What exactly did you see?”
“The earring in your pocket.”
A laugh escaped me.
Heh—
Not exactly a friendly laugh; Wilhelmina’s trembling legs showed she wouldn’t forgive easily.
I rested my chin on the chair back and said:
“You said it ended up in your bag eventually.”
“How could something from your clothes end up in my bag? You must have put it there.”
“Don’t you usually think your things stayed where they are? Why assume they went on a long, complicated journey?”
“Why should I explain that? You explain it! Because you stole it. The earring went from your pocket back into my bag!”
“Then why didn’t you report it while it was in my pocket, but wait until it was in your bag? Complicated.”
“I went to report it when it was in your pocket, but it ended up in my bag!”
The lady intervened.
“It’s true you stole Willy’s necklace. That necklace was a precious gift from her grandfather for the New Year. Speaking of her grandfather…”
Stop.
Completely irrelevant information.
Why are the nobles in this country like this? Is this why the empire falls? Maybe it’s only natural to let a doomed country collapse. No—other nations are involved too, so it must be prevented.
As usual, Mr. Tolt lightened the tense atmosphere.
“It says it’s an earring here?”
Indeed, he broke the tension again.
“Even if it says earring, it doesn’t have to be an earring.”
The lady stated confidently.
While everyone else was at a loss for words, Mr. Tolt cheerfully said:
“Understood. But first, we should decide how to handle today’s assault. That seems to be the priority.”
“It seems like mutual assault.”
Everyone looked around.
Vice Principal Poras stood there. Even though he had been gentle when pairing Irix with the duke, he remained calm in this mess.
“Paltis Hains, did Master Irix continuously harass or cause you distress?”
At his question, Irix and I looked at Paltis. He had to answer carefully. Fortunately, Paltis, knowing how to handle himself, quickly denied it.
“No! This is the first time this happened today. I could never be harassed by Irix Berkart. This will never happen again.”
“And Master Irix?”
“If you want to reconcile, you cancel it too, Paltis Hains.”
“Cancel what?”
“Cancel the nonsense you said to your senior. Never do it again.”
“What nonsense did I say?”
“You confessed.”
“No, it’s a confession, not an admission!”
Irix trembled.
“That word is too disgusting to say aloud. So cancel it. Never co—no, damn it, don’t confess.”
Irix stood up, hands on the floor, glaring at Paltis still seated.
“Never again!”
Paltis shrank in his large body, neck flat between his shoulders.
“Understood. I won’t do it.”
“Good.”
Irix sat back down.
“I accept the mediation. I will reconcile.”
“And Elpini?”
“Yes, I will.”
I raised my hand.
“Then let’s shake hands and reconcile.”
Paltis quickly stood and extended his hand. I extended one finger. Irix slipped between us, grabbed Paltis’s hand, and squeezed tightly. Paltis swallowed a scream. When Irix released, that hand would pay.
“And the retrial for the stolen earring and necklace case?”
The vice principal adjusted his glasses, reviewed the incident report, and said:
“The previous officer has transferred, so no further investigation is possible. But with this level of evidence and testimony, punishing Elpini as if for suspension is unreasonable. We will nullify both the incident and punishment.”
He set the report down.
“Due to insufficient evidence and impossibility of punishment, the case is dismissed. Demerits and punishment are canceled.”
Unfair.
I felt upset. This wasn’t a resolution—it was a cover-up. The school made a serious mistake, yet they erased the incident and expected everyone to quietly accept it.
Irix placed a hand on my shoulder. It’s unsettling when someone immediately senses your mood. You can’t fully vent your anger.
“Wait.”
But the lady stepped forward. The person who had the least need to intervene was stepping in.
This… is not good.
