Chapter 44
Actually, Riette hadn’t said it thinking of Lucas, but she nodded absentmindedly. Evan’s deep sigh reached her ears.
“Riette, your judgment gets clouded when your emotions get involved.”
“…….”
“Have you thought about who the culprit was who threw your book into the fountain?”
Evan’s eyes seemed to ask, You already know the answer, don’t you?
“Not Lucas. Not Samuel either.”
“Why do you think so?”
“They’re the kids I’ve been watching for a year and a half. I trust my own eyes.”
At Riette’s firm answer, Evan ran his hand through his hair.
“Are you sure?”
Just as she was about to answer that question, the carriage door opened.
“Miss, you must leave now. Otherwise, you’ll be late.”
At the coachman’s words, Evan stepped out of the carriage. Before the door closed, he spoke to Riette.
“I told you to make the judgment yourself.”
“…….”
“You should think carefully whether your judgment is really correct.”
Arrogant Evan. His words had been spinning in Riette’s mind all through morning classes.
My judgment gets clouded when emotions are involved?
In fact, it seemed like Evan was the one constantly speaking ill of Lucas, even though he knew the two didn’t get along.
So, was he really speaking solely based on facts, without any emotional influence? That was a reasonable doubt.
Since Lucas happened to be nearby, Riette asked without hesitation.
“Lucas, you still don’t get along with Evan?”
Lucas laughed at her sudden question.
“It’s not that we don’t get along… Evan just dislikes me unilaterally.”
Of course, that made sense.
But then she got curious.
“Then why does Evan dislike you?”
“There’s only one reason.”
“What is it?”
Lucas drew out a thoughtful “hmm…” and then pointed at Riette.
“You.”
Riette’s eyes widened.
“……Me?”
“Yes, you, this clueless lady.”
Riette’s eyes demanded more explanation, but Lucas shook his head.
“No more than that. No need to do Evan any favors.”
Muttering something incomprehensible, Lucas stepped closer to Riette.
“Riette, the answer you said you’d give me today?”
Ah, right. Because of arrogant Evan, she had momentarily forgotten what she wanted to say.
She had postponed giving her answer about the partner proposal, but if she had any conscience, she needed to be honest about the current situation.
“Lucas.”
“Yeah?”
“I actually figured out the answer.”
Riette glanced nervously at Lucas. Initially, he looked puzzled, but soon he smiled as usual.
“Congratulations, Riette!”
Riette smiled awkwardly at his sincere congratulations.
“So, I don’t think I can accept your partner proposal.”
“Why? What does finding the answer have to do with that?”
Hmm…?
Riette’s eyes went wide.
“I’ll be your partner. Even if I found the answer, if we’re not a pair, it won’t work.”
“……You’d do it even if there’s nothing in it for you?”
He should’ve worded that differently, but she blurted it out in surprise.
“Why would you say it in such a disappointing way? If I had found it first, you would have done the same for me, right?”
Hearing that, Lucas understood. Right, even if the roles were reversed, he surely would’ve done the same.
“So, what’s the answer you found?”
“It was in a familiar place.”
Riette stopped speaking when she noticed Lucas concentrating intently. His expression was subtly…
“Where’s the familiar place?”
Despite Lucas urging her, Riette remained silent for a moment, as if thinking. Then she slowly spoke.
“Lucas. If it’s okay, do you want to go get the old sunstone tonight? I can’t get it alone, so we have to go together. Let’s meet there.”
“I’m fine with that. Where should we go?”
Lucas agreed cheerfully.
Riette whispered quietly into his ear.
“As for where it is……”
Late at night, on the top floor of the school warehouse.
They heard the sound of footsteps climbing the wooden stairs in the dark. Soon, with a squeak of a metal door, the silhouettes of two people appeared.
Without turning on the lights, the two busily searched in the darkness.
“I don’t think there’s anything here.”
A calm female voice floated out. The man looked puzzled.
“I’m sure it’s here.”
“But……”
“Keep looking.”
Then—
Thunk-
Lights suddenly turned on in the dark space, revealing another person.
“No need to look further.”
The two squinted at the sudden brightness, looking at the newcomer.
“……Riette.”
“Lucas.”
Right.
Talking to Lucas earlier in the day, Riette had noticed he was getting anxious again.
That’s why. Since Evan had left her with an uncomfortable comment in the morning, Riette thought testing Lucas wouldn’t be a bad idea.
The method was simple: deliberately tell Lucas the wrong location and wait there. If he had any hidden motives, he would have arrived before the promised time and taken the sunstone for himself.
Just like now.
“I suspected it.”
Riette glared at Lucas with eyes full of betrayal. But the one who answered wasn’t Lucas.
“You tricked the young master.”
Young master?
The title sounded strange. The black-haired woman who appeared with Lucas was Anna, the cousin he had introduced.
Before Riette could ask who she was, Anna swiftly swung her leg like a wildcat.
What kind of person is this, seriously!
Dodging the sudden kick, Riette muttered inwardly.
As Anna tried to strike again—
“Stop, Anna.”
Lucas intervened. Anna paused mid-motion and looked back like a scolded cat.
“But……”
“Go back first.”
Lucas’ voice was shockingly cold. It sounded like an entirely different person from the Lucas she knew.
Anna glared at Riette, muttered “Yes, sir,” and disappeared like the wind. Only Lucas and Riette remained.
“I thought I fooled you, but I was the one fooled.”
Lucas let out a laugh of disbelief. This wasn’t the Lucas Riette was used to. The “young master” title earlier also hinted at something.
After spending a year growing close, Lucas now felt completely unfamiliar.
“Surprised, Riette?”
Surprised? That’s a question?
It wasn’t just surprise—something she’d half-feared had become reality. Even while testing Lucas, she’d hoped it wasn’t true.
But now wasn’t the time to let her emotions out. First, she needed to understand his true identity.
“Who are you really?”
Even without the name, she could tell by the woman guard’s punches and kicks. Even nobles rarely have personal bodyguards, and never ones with this level of skill.
“My name is Lucas.”
“Who doesn’t know that!”
“No, I don’t have a family name.”
…No family name? Surely not.
“I’m not a noble.”
“……What? Then how did you get into our school……”
This situation made no sense. A noble school wasn’t lenient enough for someone to forge status and enter.
“Samuel once mentioned it. He said Hamsworth saw me in the back alleys.”
“Yes. At that time, you said I’d never been to such a place.”
Lucas leaned casually on the window with a relaxed smile.
“Actually, that was me. Hamsworth saw me in the back alleys because that’s our family base.”
It felt like being hit in the head repeatedly. To process one shocking revelation after another, Riette struggled to keep her wits.
“You may not know, but I’m the heir of a guild called the ‘Broken Knife.’”
A guild in this world referred to a type of association. Some were legitimate business guilds, others were criminal guilds handling illegal tasks.
The one Lucas belonged to seemed closer to the latter.
“The woman earlier isn’t your cousin, but a bodyguard, right?”
“Yes.”
Her blonde hair, usually warm like sunlight, shone blue in the moonlight—almost icy.
“What else are you curious about?”
“Why did you want to become student council president even while deceiving me?”
Whether he wasn’t a noble or the heir of the shady Broken Knife guild didn’t matter. She just wanted to know why he aimed for the student council presidency at her expense.
“I had to be number one, no matter what.”
“……That’s it?”
“You might not understand, but it was a matter of life and death for me.”
She wondered if he was acting, but his gaze was utterly serious.
Wait, he tricked her to be number one…?
Recent events flashed through her mind.
“Don’t tell me… you were the one who threw my book into the fountain too?”
“Yes.”
Lucas confirmed without hesitation.
The betrayal stung further, but the situation was so absurd she laughed hollowly.
“You got close with me from the start with this plan in mind.”
“……That’s not true.”
Lucas’ voice lowered. But trust had already been broken.
“How can I believe that?”
Lucas let out a short sigh.
“Riette, listen carefully.”
He continued, his face extremely serious.
“I’m the heir of the guild, but I never wanted that position. So I made a deal with my father: I would find the spirit stone, and he should leave me alone.”
Spirit stone…?
The familiar word made Riette want to hear more.
“My father accepted my proposal, and I searched for all the information I could to find the spirit stone. Eventually, I heard it was at this school.”
“What…?”
“It was in the school’s artifact storage. It only opens once a year, and only the top graduate can visit it. One of the perks for being valedictorian. You’ll be able to verify my words when you graduate.”
She hadn’t known. Such a perk for the top student, and that the spirit stone sought by many was here at the school.
“In any case, I had to get that spirit stone. So I absolutely had to graduate as the top student.”
Even though the opportunity had passed, Lucas murmured quietly.
“Riette.”
And he gazed steadily at her.
“I’m sorry for deceiving you all this time.”
“…….”
“But I really liked you. I even considered abandoning plans I had worked on for years.”
For a moment, she saw the Lucas she knew. But what use was that now?
“I know it’s useless to say this now. I just wanted to be honest one last time. Deceiving you always made me feel frustrated.”
“……One last time?”
For the first time, Riette responded after staying silent.
“My chance to be number one is gone. There’s no need to keep playing student games.”
“……You jerk.”
Riette clenched her fist and glared at Lucas. He smiled gently as if nothing had happened. The familiarity made her resentment grow.
Lucas then stood up. Passing by Riette, he whispered quietly.
“It was fun, Riette.”
Take care.
With that, Lucas vanished in an instant.
