Chapter 40: I took away Yeju's first love.
The moment I saw the frame in Robert's room, I was furious.
The story about those two was conspicuously missing from the documents Daniel sent me regarding Robert.
As if he didn't want to tell me.
"Did Tatiana tell you not to tell me?"
"No, no. No, that's not it."
The flustered Daniel waved his hands in denial, but I couldn't trust him anymore after he had already lost my trust.
'I should have verified it myself.'
It was a mistake to trust Daniel and leave everything to him.
Thinking about it, Wilhelm, who was called the flawless knight, also lied for Tatiana, so there was no reason Daniel wouldn't do the same.
"Sorry. Just, being with you reminds me of the old days... If I had introduced you to Eric or Alison, we wouldn't have met like this today."
He still seemed to want to remain friends with me.
I sighed deeply and urged Daniel.
"Tell me everything you know about those two."
"That... Robert, Eric, and Alison worked together in Professor Gregory's lab."
All four of them were eccentrics, but their passion for medicine was unmatched.
Their papers always caused a stir in the academic world and received high praise.
They were revered as revolutionaries in the medical field.
"I know that around the time we graduated, Professor Gregory fell ill. Not long after, he passed away, and the three of them scattered."
"Scattered because the professor died?"
It was rare for a well-performing lab to be abandoned and for the members to scatter just because their mentor died.
"Why? They were doing well, so they must have had plenty of research funding, and the academy would have offered them professorships."
I tried to recall Daniel's ending in the original story, but no clues came to mind.
"I'll handle it from here. Thanks for the introduction."
Daniel's constant overstepping was starting to become a burden.
In response to my words, Daniel quietly closed his mouth. I turned my attention away from him.
I looked out the window, trying to organize my thoughts.
'If Robert doesn't become the hospital director, the ending might deviate too much from the original.'
It would be fortunate if it ended with just setting up the hospital, but I had to consider the possibility that it wouldn't.
I wanted to achieve an ending as close to the original as possible.
'I need a bait so irresistible that Robert can't refuse the position of hospital director.'
The problem was that, unlike Nivaria, I had no idea what could motivate Robert.
To understand a person, it's most important to know their past.
'The death of Professor Gregory must be related.'
Was it guilt over not being able to cure his mentor's illness? The clue was still vague, but it seemed to be taking shape.
I would have to visit the academy in person.
"Karina, are you planning to visit the academy?"
Daniel's expression darkened at my words.
Perhaps he was recalling how he had ruined my time at the academy.
Neither of us spoke, and the carriage fell into silence.
The sunset was gradually setting outside the window.
"I'll decide whether to go or not."
I didn't want unnecessary interference.
"Besides, I can't trust you anymore."
"I didn't mean to do it on purpose earlier."
"Every time, it wasn't on purpose, it was a mistake. Not intentional."
My voice rose without me realizing it.
"All those things you said were when you were wavering between Tatiana and me."
I was tired of hearing such stories.
"I'll handle my own affairs. Don't worry about it."
I brushed it off as if it were nothing, but the scars remained.
The moment I felt fear in this world when my family fell apart and my reputation was ruined.
It was the moment I sank into a sense of defeat and helplessness, neglecting myself.
"We have arrived at the Marphilion Manor."
The carriage had already stopped.
I opened the door to get out first.
We both now knew how difficult it was to forgive someone.
The Freins Academy, the setting of the original story, is a massive institution with high school and university departments.
As befitting the game's setting, it has distinct seasons, and festivals are held each season, making it a place full of love and romance.
Of course, for me, love and romance were nothing but fantasies.
"Welcome, Lady Pioneira."
The chancellor greeted me personally as I got out of the carriage.
He was the one who refused to give me my diploma at graduation, citing my dissolute private life.
I had to intervene with my mother to get the diploma.
In the end, I received my diploma secretly and left the academy like a fugitive.
The graduation ceremony was essentially a stage for Andrew and Tatiana, and I was an unwelcome guest.
"It's been a while, Chancellor. I never expected you to come out and greet me."
"Hehe. His Majesty specifically asked me to guide you."
I had mentioned to Aster in a letter that I planned to visit the academy.
I never imagined he would have given the chancellor a heads-up.
Seeing the chancellor, who was so obedient to power, made me realize how much my position had changed.
"Is that so? I hope you've been well."
"Hehehe. Of course. Thanks to your concern, I suppose."
"I've never worried about you, so that's quite surprising."
The chancellor's face turned pale at my words.
He wiped the cold sweat from his neck and face with a handkerchief, looking like he was trying to think of an excuse.
"Just a joke, Chancellor."
"Ah, hahaha! The humor of today's young people is really hard to keep up with."
The chancellor finally seemed to relax and led me inside the school.
He offered to have tea in his office, but I didn't want to spend much time with him, so I declined.
"Then, why did you visit the academy...?"
"Do you remember Professor Gregory from the medical department?"
"Huh? Ah... Yes, I do. He was a stubborn but brilliant friend."
"I want to see his lab. I heard it was closed because no one wanted to be assigned to it."
I had learned this through someone, hoping it might be true.
The fact that a lab closed three years ago was still intact was a golden opportunity.
"Ah, yes. Professor Gregory's lab. Yes, of course. I'll have someone guide you."
A brown-haired woman soon entered the room.
She had heard the chancellor's story and led me to the professor's lab.
On the first floor of the graduate building, in the farthest corner, was Professor Gregory's lab.
"Here it is. The chancellor said you can take anything you need."
She said this and unlocked the lab door with a key.
Creak, the hinges seemed to be rusted, making an unpleasant sound.
When the door opened, I saw a dusty lab bench. On the desk, experiment notes and papers were piled up haphazardly.
"Collect all the notes and papers. Don't miss a single one."
I instructed the servants I brought to collect everything and then went outside.
By now, the front of the lab was crowded with people who had come to see the door that had been closed for years.
And among them, I found the face I was looking for.
The large man, like a bear, flinched at my call.
Then he started running as if trying to escape.
All I did was call his name.
'Something must be bothering him.'
I asked the woman who guided me.
"Can I see Professor Foreman, who studied under Professor Gregory, separately?"
"Of course. Should I set up a meeting time and contact you?"
"No, I want to see him now. It won't take long."
"Then please wait at the campus café. I'll send Professor Foreman there soon."
The woman disappeared outside.
I instructed the servant again to make sure nothing was missed and went to the café.
I ordered a coffee and waited for a moment. Eric entered with a stern expression.
"It's an honor to meet you, Lady Pioneira."
"I'm the one who's honored to meet the famous Professor Foreman."
His face turned strangely red.
Compared to his past with Gregory, his current reputation was insignificant.
Eric, known for his prickly personality, was cautious with me.
There was one reason for this.
Fortunately, he was on the list of scholars sponsored by my family.
In other words, I was in the position of power, and he was not.
"Can you tell me everything you know about those two?"