Chapter 79
Since the previous incident, Shial was no longer being bullied by Marinef and her group.
However, perhaps because he had experienced bullying himself, whenever he saw someone being harassed in the academy, he felt deeply upset.
Yet, despite wanting to help, he couldn’t bring himself to step in easily.
He was afraid he might become the target again, and that fear held back his courage.
Shial lightly tapped Estelle on the side and said,
“Estelle, stop looking. What if you make eye contact and something like last time happens again?”
Estelle nodded.
She understood Shial’s feelings very well.
And in truth, even knowing his feelings, she had no intention of stepping in herself.
“Whether they get bullied or not doesn’t really matter.”
After all, the reason she had saved Shial before wasn’t out of a sense of justice.
It was simply because seeing him reminded her of Reina.
If it weren’t for that, she wouldn’t have gotten involved in such a bothersome situation.
And yet, to voluntarily step in now?
There was no particular reason to do so.
“Claude also said something…”
Besides, Claude had told her not to cause a stir, warning that the noble faction’s family movements were suspicious.
Estelle didn’t want to throw herself into the fire on her own accord.
So, she turned her head, pretending not to see the child being bullied by Marinef’s group.
“But Estelle.”
“Hm?”
“Can I ask you something?”
What is he hesitating about so cautiously?
Estelle tilted her head, looking at Shial.
He moved his lips hesitantly, then finally closed his eyes tightly and asked,
“Um… what… is your relationship with Aris?”
“Oh, Aris?”
Huh, she thought it would be a more difficult question.
Was that all he was hesitating to ask?
Estelle felt her energy drain.
With a nonchalant expression, she looked forward, then shrugged and said casually,
“Just… we know each other a little.”
“Just know each other a little? Huh, really?”
It was at that moment.
She hadn’t noticed when they had come all the way from afar, but as soon as Estelle finished speaking, Marinef’s sharp voice rang right beside her.
Marinef, arms crossed, blocked Estelle’s path.
She snorted and began to scrutinize Estelle from head to toe.
“Miss Robel, Miss Baritas. Did you know? Commoners are really good at lying. From small lies to big lies.”
Marinef raised one side of her mouth in a sly smile and lifted her chin slightly, her gaze still fixed on Estelle.
Robel and Baritas, who had hurriedly followed her, were startled.
“Oh my, really?”
“Lazy, and now lying too? Oh my, heavens.”
They covered their mouths, looking at each other.
“Who could this liar be?”
“I wonder. What lie could have made Miss Marinef bring this up?”
“Curious?”
“Yes, very curious.”
“Please tell us quickly.”
Robel and Baritas pleaded with Marinef to tell them.
Marinef smiled with satisfaction.
It seemed she quite enjoyed being pestered by the two.
“Then I’ll tell you what the lie is.”
Straightening her posture as if about to reveal something important, she lowered her slightly raised chin and un-crossed her arms, placing her hands on her waist.
Then, glaring at Estelle, she shouted,
“She actually lied about being a precious, high-born noble!”
As if everyone here should hear.
“What did you say? She lied about being a noble?”
“Isn’t impersonating a noble a serious crime? Who on earth would do that…!”
Robel and Baritas widened their eyes in shock.
Their voices were genuinely loud, clearly startled.
Perhaps because of their reactions, people who hadn’t cared earlier when the three had bullied someone began to slowly gather around.
“Sadly, it’s all true. I was genuinely shocked. Honestly, it’s hard to believe.”
Seeing the crowd gather, Marinef relaxed her eyebrows and shoulders, clasped her hands, and made a disappointed expression.
If one hadn’t seen her bullying others earlier, one might have thought she was truly upset by injustice.
“That’s right! How could someone lie about the status God granted them? Right, Miss Robel?”
“Exactly!”
“Even I, if I had heard it from someone else, wouldn’t have believed it.”
Unlike Marinef, who planned her acting carefully, Robel and Baritas were simply astonished.
They had no idea that people were gathering or that Marinef was acting intentionally.
From Marinef’s perspective, it was perfect.
The reactions of the two made her performance seem even more realistic.
“Does that mean you, Miss Marinef, found this out yourself?”
“Rather than finding out… it was more like I happened to learn it by chance.”
Marinef slightly bowed her head and turned to the side as she answered Baritas.
To an outsider, it might have seemed as though she was trying to avoid answering.
But that too was deliberate.
Marinef hid her face so that no one except Estelle would see her smirking at her.
“Who could be lying like that?”
“Exactly!”
“Are you both… really that curious?”
Marinef straightened her expression and asked the two.
“Of course!”
“Tell us right now.”
Glancing back and forth at the insistent Robel and Baritas, Marinef forced a reluctant smile.
Yet internally, she was jubilant.
Looking around while pretending to observe them, she realized more people had gathered than she had expected.
She had intentionally delayed, but it turned out to be the right choice.
The longer she delayed, the stronger Robel and Baritas’ reactions would be.
And that would attract even more attention.
She was extremely satisfied with this situation.
Marinef decided to pause one more time before speaking.
This would heighten everyone’s curiosity.
It would make them focus more on her words, imprinting them in their minds.
She raised her index finger to her lips, shook her head as if troubled, and said,
“But here… there are quite a few ears listening, aren’t there?”
“What does it matter? Someone is impersonating a noble.”
“Exactly. Everyone should know.”
Yes, now.
Now, while everyone was focused on her words.
Now, while everyone’s curiosity had reached its peak.
“If you two insist…”
It was the perfect moment to speak.
“Then I’ll tell you. The person impersonating a noble is…”
Marinef raised her hand, pointing her index finger straight ahead.
“This woman right here.”
Marinef pointed at Estelle, who stood before her.
Estelle found the situation ridiculous.
All that build-up for just that statement.
‘She went through all that theatrics just to say that.’
She chuckled at the absurdity.
Of course, Marinef’s acting was excellent.
Someone who didn’t know her well would have been completely fooled.
They would believe that she was genuinely angry about someone impersonating a noble and sincerely worried that the liar would be severely punished.
Had one not seen her cruel side, it would have been believable.
‘Hmm. Maybe not?’
She corrected herself.
Looking at the expressions of those around, even seeing Marinef’s harsh side, they might have believed it if they hadn’t witnessed her usual behavior.
After all, everyone had seen her bully others, yet now she appeared empathetic.
In any case, Estelle wasn’t fooled by the act.
She had seen Marinef’s cruelty before, and her behavior was unusual.
Someone who normally had no hesitation to criticize others was now avoiding answering multiple times.
It could have been a sudden change of heart, but Estelle sensed otherwise.
Seeing Marinef bow her head and smile at her confirmed it.
Perhaps that was why Estelle found it unbearably boring.
