Chapter 47
As expected, the next day Lucas did not show up at school. Nor the day after that. Nor the day after that.
Did he really disappear just like that…?
For several days, Liet couldn’t get a grip on herself.
Though she managed to catch Lucas by the collar at the decisive moment, it was still the first time she had experienced such a devastating betrayal.
She had listened to his explanation, but trust had already been shattered completely—she couldn’t believe a word of it.
And that made it all the harder for her. The fact that she couldn’t even believe his final excuse.
“Looks like he didn’t come today either.”
Samuel, who had quietly walked up, tapped the seat beside Liet.
“Do you think something really happened to him?” he asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Samuel had once disliked Lucas, but since Lucas was the type to get along with anyone, he quickly grew friendly even with Samuel.
And yet…
How much of the Lucas she had seen was real?
Lost in thought, Liet suddenly remembered when Samuel had picked a fight with Lucas.
Oh, right… he told me to be careful of Lucas, didn’t he.
“……This might sound strange all of a sudden, but remember when Hemsworth said he saw Lucas in the back alleys?”
Back then, since Samuel and Lucas weren’t on good terms, she had brushed it off as a baseless claim. Lucas had even strongly denied it.
But now, maybe Samuel knew something about Lucas.
‘I might not look it, but I’m actually the successor of the guild called Broken Knife.’
Liet recalled what Lucas had once said.
“Samuel.”
“What is it, Liet?”
“Do you know a guild called Broken Knife?”
Samuel’s face stiffened instantly. He hurriedly asked:
“Why?! Don’t tell me you got involved with them?”
What on earth was this guild, for him to react with such alarm?
“No, that’s not it… Anyway, do you know them or not?”
Samuel stroked his chin in thought.
“Broken Knife… they’re the most powerful syndicate in the underworld.”
The most powerful syndicate in the underworld…? Lucas was the heir to something like that?
His warm smile and the bright energy he carried around him didn’t match at all with the words underworld.
“I have no right to say this, but the guys from Broken Knife are truly ruthless and brutal.”
Samuel shuddered exaggeratedly, as if he didn’t even want to think about it.
After all, Samuel himself came from a noble family that dealt in the trade of illegal weapons. He was well acquainted with the back alleys—and therefore also knew well about the Broken Knife guild. For even him to shiver at the mention of their name…
“Anyway, Liet. I don’t know why you’re asking, but if they’re involved, stay far away.”
Samuel quickly added that if Liet ever ended up in danger, he would come to her rescue no matter what. But she was already lost in her own thoughts.
So that guild really does exist.
Which meant Lucas’s claim of being their successor was likely true. No one would dare to lie about something so terrifying. At least it was a relief to know he hadn’t been lying to her until the very end.
Just as she felt a little lighter—
“Liet, by the way, isn’t this the final week of the chancellor election?”
“…What?”
Don’t tell me that much time has already passed…!
Thanks to that bastard Lucas, she had completely overlooked something crucial.
“I heard no one’s found the right answer yet. If it goes on like this, they’ll have to proceed with a show-of-hands vote.”
No, that couldn’t happen!
She already knew the right answer—it was like having a meal laid out before her, all she needed to do was lift the spoon. But if it came down to a vote…!
“If it’s by vote… then the student chancellor will probably be Evan.”
What?!
Liet’s expression twisted. That was an even worse outcome. She immediately jumped to her feet.
“I’ll be going first, Samuel!”
She dashed out of the classroom.
Now, all she needed was a partner to help her extract the Sunstone, and everything would be over. And she even had someone who had volunteered to play the role of decoy.
…Though the problem is, that someone is Evan.
Would he go back on his word?
If Evan suddenly decided he didn’t want to be her partner anymore, it might already be too late.
She had to secure his cooperation before he could change his mind.
He shouldn’t have left yet…!
Evan usually went straight home after class without stopping anywhere.
Just then, she spotted a familiar black-haired head in the distance. There weren’t many with such jet-black hair like his, and his impressive physique made him stand out easily among the others.
As she hurried closer, Evan turned around as if sensing her, and began walking toward her.
“Knew it was you, Liet.”
Knew it?
“I thought I caught your scent nearby.”
“…Scent?”
Liet froze, looking shocked.
Do I… smell?
But there was no odor at all.
While she sniffed her arm in confusion, Evan explained.
“You have a unique fragrance. That’s all.”
Ah—so he meant fragrance.
Then he should’ve just said that from the start, idiot!
“Were you looking for me?”
He smiled, eyes crinkling softly. No matter how much she hated him, that smile was impossible to hate. The sharp features softened into a different, gentle kind of beauty—it was almost breathtaking.
Ugh, this isn’t the time to be thinking that.
“Yes. I have something urgent to ask you.”
Liet grabbed Evan’s arm and pulled him along.
She led him into a quiet, secluded grove in the schoolyard. Only once they arrived did she let go of his arm.
“So, what was so urgent?”
Evan tilted his head slightly as he asked, his slanted gaze bearing down on her. Liet opened her mouth but faltered. She had rushed here because the election period was almost over, but…
She suddenly remembered that she had once outright rejected his offer to be partners.
Back then, I thought I had Lucas as an option.
Damn that bastard Lucas. If she ever met him again, she would never let him off.
“If you’ve got nothing to say, can I leave?”
“Ah, wait a second!”
When Evan started to turn away, she quickly blocked his path.
“…I was just about to say it.”
“Go on then.”
He nodded lightly, the corners of his lips curled upward in a way that, annoyingly, almost looked happy.
“Be… be my partner.”
“What?”
“My partner.”
Her heart pounded. It almost sounded like a line from a male lead confessing to the heroine.
“Oh, you mean like a decoy?”
“…Not a decoy. A partner.”
Don’t make it sound so insulting.
Liet stared at her would-be partner.
“But didn’t you say you had Lucas back then?”
“Lucas… was there. But now he’s gone.”
She glanced at Evan nervously. She hated having to lower herself like this, but there was no choice. Becoming student chancellor was the only way to restore her rank.
“So you’re asking me now, at the last minute, to be your partner?”
“Yes.”
She looked at him with hopeful eyes. Evan didn’t answer right away, drawing out the moment instead.
Then, after glancing up at the sky, he finally said:
“I’ll agree—on one condition.”
This guy… knows how to seize an opportunity.
Liet struggled to hide her displeasure.
“What condition?”
“When I ask you for a favor, someday, you have to grant it.”
The thought of what kind of favor he might demand later was worrying. But she had no choice.
“…Fine.”
She nodded reluctantly. Only then did Evan smile and ask:
“So, what do you need me to do?”
That night, under the darkening sky, the two of them stood facing each other before the clock tower.
Bathed in the quiet glow of the lampposts, they looked like an illustration straight out of the romance novels popular among noble ladies.
Two striking figures, staring silently at one another—it was romantic, if not for one odd detail:
The girl’s expression was far too grim.
“Evan.”
“Yeah?”
“If you betray me too, I’ll chase you to the ends of hell.”
While waiting for evening, Liet had dozed off.
In her dream, Evan had snatched away the Sunstone at the last moment. Liet had lost it right under her nose, and Evan became student chancellor instead.
As a result, she had fallen below third place and lost her claim to inherit her title.
It was a nightmare.
“Liet.”
Evan’s quiet voice broke her from her thoughts.
“Do you remember what I told you before we entered the academy?”
“…?”
“I said I’d never betray you.”
Did he really?
Liet thought back carefully.
“Though I don’t want to say this… in this school, don’t put too much trust in others.”
Suddenly, she recalled the words of Duke Kreut. Almost as if he had foreseen Lucas’s betrayal. Now, in hindsight, his advice seemed like uncanny foresight.
And then she remembered—
“You can trust me. I’ll never betray you.”
Evan had said that quite seriously back then, leaving a deep impression.
Yes… at least Evan…
He was someone who would never stab her in the back. Their families had shared ties for generations, and she herself had spent many years alongside him.
They might bicker whenever they met, but the long bond they shared was undeniable.
If Evan hadn’t accepted this proposal, he would’ve refused outright—betrayal was never in the cards.
“Let’s go.”
At Liet’s signal, Evan followed.
Since she had already been here before, she found the entrance quickly without wandering this time.
She pushed open the door and stepped onto the shadowy staircase. The spiral staircase seemed endless, but eventually another door came into view.
“This is it.”
When she opened it, a faint light spilled out just like last time.
Glancing at Evan, she noticed that even he seemed a little surprised by the scene—rare for someone who hardly ever showed such an expression.
She congratulated herself for having discovered all this on her own.
Evan scanned the space until his eyes landed on the Sunstone.
“…So that’s the ancient Sun.”
“That’s right.”
Liet approached the center and looked at the stone still firmly fixed in place.
“Evan, stand over there.”
She pointed to a spot on the marble-like floor. Without a word, Evan stepped onto it.
Ziiiing—
The clamp holding the Sunstone released.
It worked!
Liet reached out, her hand trembling with tension. As she lifted the stone, a heavy weight pressed into her palm.
A warm power radiated outward—just like its name, it truly felt like the power of the Sun itself.
“Congratulations, Liet.”
When she turned back, Evan was gazing at her with eyes warmer than the Sunstone itself.
“On becoming student chancellor.”
