HTNSA 73

Chapter 73

“C-Cadin… senior?”

Rosia’s voice trembled faintly.

The sound reminded Cadin of the sharp, vicious tone Rosia had used when she slapped Eila.

For someone who had just spoken with such venom to now pretend to be sweet and innocent—it was impossible to believe her sincerity.

“Stop acting like you’ve got me wrapped around your finger.”

Cadin spat those words coldly, turning his back on her.

He didn’t hesitate at all, walking away as if he didn’t care what happened to Rosia.

Rosia stood frozen, staring blankly at his retreating figure.

She couldn’t believe what he had just said.

“He might change his mind?”

Did that mean he might not marry her?

Would he abandon the alliance between their families just because of Eila, a girl who had fallen from nobility into nothing?

It was unbelievable.

And yet, she hadn’t misheard him.

Rosia slowly drew a deep breath.

But the storm in her heart was far from calm.

“This can’t go on. If I leave Eila alone any longer, my position will be in danger.”

Cadin’s warning not to touch Eila only served to provoke her further.

“I’ll make sure she’s too humiliated to even lift her head.”

Rosia’s eyes sparkled with resentment.

The headmaster anxiously waited at the academy’s main gate.

Standing beside him was Rosia, the student who had reported the incident.

He frowned deeply in thought.

“Why did the investigators from the imperial capital suddenly get involved? What a mess.”

When Rosia had first made the report and Eila was thrown into solitary confinement, he’d thought the issue would be quickly resolved.

He hadn’t cared much whether the commoner girl was expelled or not.

“I even thought I might use this to get rid of that irritating Felix too.”

But things hadn’t gone according to his plan.

Duke Agenta had passionately defended Felix.

As a result, even among the academy professors, rumors started to spread.

People were saying the egg Eila had was not a monster’s egg after all.

“Only Stephan’s excited about all this.”

Professor Stephan had been calling every monsterologist he knew to the academy, eager to study what might be a never-before-seen divine beast’s egg.

Of course, the headmaster didn’t believe any of it.

“These commoners must be making things up to avoid punishment. Maybe it’s a rare species, so identifying it is taking time, but she’ll end up in a cell eventually.”

His thoughts were interrupted when the imperial investigators finally arrived at the academy.

“Count Helio!”

The headmaster approached with a beaming face.

“Thank goodness. I was worried someone too strict would come poking around unnecessarily.”

The fact that it was someone he knew personally was a relief.

“It’s been a while, Headmaster.”

“We haven’t seen each other since that banquet. I hope you’ve been well.”

Count Helio offered a stiff smile before getting straight to the point.

“His Majesty was greatly displeased to hear about this incident. To think such disgrace could occur at the academy where Princess Peony is enrolled.”

“I’m deeply ashamed. If it hadn’t been for this student’s report, we would’ve remained unaware.”

“Well, it must be thoroughly investigated and resolved.”

As the headmaster nodded gravely, Count Helio’s gaze shifted to Rosia.

“So, this is the student who reported the incident?”

“Yes, hello. I’m Rosia Blanche.”

“There are many questions I’d like to ask you as well. We’ll need time to talk in detail.”

“I’ll do my best to cooperate.”

“I heard you lost your top rank because of the student in question. Don’t worry. You’ll get back what rightfully belongs to you.”

“Thank you so much, Count.”

The headmaster tilted his head slightly.

Something seemed unusually friendly between Rosia and the Count, despite it being their first meeting.

“He’s not usually one to show such favor to just any student… Maybe it’s because she’s from House Blanche?”

He didn’t think too hard about it.

He assumed it was just a case of a noble-born, clever student making a good impression.

“I’ll escort you to where the egg is being kept.”

The egg was currently in Professor Stephan’s lab.

With a courteous manner, the headmaster led the investigators to the research building.

Rosia was practically glowing with delight. It was the best day she’d had in a while.

“He really sent someone to take care of me.”

Soon, the case would be closed.

As soon as the investigators returned to the capital, they would declare the egg as a monster’s egg.

“Sure, maybe Eila and Felix are truly innocent.”

But the truth didn’t matter. The egg would be labeled a monster’s egg no matter what.

No excuse or defense would help them then.

“You should’ve taken the chance when I gave it to you, Eila.”

Even if Eila cried and begged for mercy later, Rosia had no intention of forgiving her.

Eila needed to suffer for daring to oppose her.

Just thinking about it lifted the weight off Rosia’s chest. A satisfied smile appeared on her lips.

Before long, the group arrived at Professor Stephan’s lab.

As Rosia entered, she wrinkled her nose.

“To prevent hatching, the egg needs to be in a cold place…”

But the lab was too warm — almost as if it had been intentionally prepared to encourage hatching.

The headmaster and the investigators noticed it too and frowned.

“Professor Stephan, what’s the meaning of this? At this temperature, the egg will hatch.”

“If a dangerous monster emerges, then what? You don’t even have proper guards posted.”

Professor Stephan was flustered by their sudden arrival.

“Headmaster, who are these people?”

“They’re the imperial investigators. They’ll be taking the egg and handling this case directly.”

At that, Professor Stephan quickly stepped in front of the egg.

“No! Please give me a little more time. This might not be a monster’s egg—it could be a divine beast.”

The headmaster scowled.

Recently, Professor Stephan and his fellow researchers had been acting strangely obsessed.

“You’re still saying that? You’re believing a student’s ridiculous claim and risking hatching a potentially dangerous monster? You could end up arrested for aiding them.”

“Please, just hear me out. I found something after listening to Felix’s testimony and researching some old texts.”

He spoke hurriedly.

“As soon as I saw it, I couldn’t let the egg be destroyed. If it had been left in the cold, it might’ve died. Then not only would we lose precious research data, but we also couldn’t prove Eila’s innocence.”

The headmaster wanted to yell — Who cares about some commoners’ innocence?

But he held his tongue.

Stephan wasn’t finished yet.

“According to Felix, the egg was much smaller when he first found it. Over time, it grew larger and its color darkened. That made me think of something…”