Chapter 46

“Well, well, to be so scared to the point of hugging each other, that’s so cute.”

The one appearing from the other side of the door was Lucrecia Den Haag—the villainous noble daughter from the otome game and also the fiancee to the First Prince Andrew.

Behind Lucrecia, there were two other males. Looking closely, they were wearing the academy’s uniforms. It looked like they were students from the higher grade. The guys snorted in a disgusting way as they looked at Fania and Louie.

A luxurious feathery fan hid the area around Lucrecia’s mouth, but her eyes were arching in laughter. Exactly like a typical villainous noble daughter of an otome game.

“I never thought it was you, Lucrecia; did you plan for this to happen to us…”

“Well, a low-born really knows nothing about courtesy. I never allow you to call me by name. And without honorifics, st that. You really deserve the capital punishment.” In response to Fania, Lucrecia made a beeline to Fania as she folded the fan in her hand, and then she abruptly punched Fania in the face.

“Ughhk” The heavily-decorated fan was hard, it caused Fania to bend backwards.

His cheek might have been cut by the decoration on the fan; there was a small cut, blood oozing out of it.

“What are you doing!” Louie wanted to go against Lucrecia, but the chain on his feet blocked his attempt, he didn’t even get to reach Lucrecia.

Fania touched his hurt cheek and stared at Lucrecia. He never imagined that Lucrecia would resort to this sort of trick. He met Lucrecia for the first time during the ball, and had never met her again since. She was someone who he had almost zero contact with.

However, he was clearly targeted by the thugs. Their original objective had always been him, Fania. So what was going on here?

“Do you even know what kind of disgrace I experienced back then? I, a daughter to a Duke, was thrown into the lock-up, you know, and I was even apprehended in public. Do you know how terrible I felt then? It was all your fault! A commoner with a lowly status, you dared to humiliate me like that, you simply cannot be forgiven!” As if recalling a shameful memory, Lucrecia strongly grasped on her fan.

Her expression was so badly distorted that one could never imagine that she was actually a noble daughter.

During the ball, Lucrecia was apprehended in front of the students she had gathered. Her hands were bound at her back like a criminal and she was brought to the lock-up inside the academy. It was normal to think that she was going to receive punishment right away, but she was released on the next day following the intention of Alfred and the others.

To Lucrecia, rather than thinking of the reason why she was locked up, she greatly felt that the way she was treated was a total disgrace and that she was wronged.

She would never believe that Fania was actually Alfred’s fiancé since she thought that Fania was a commoner from Class 3. She thought that Alfred was merely joking at the time.

“If you say that you were humiliated by me, then Louie is not related at all. Release Louie!”

The chain stopped Fania from reaching Lucrecia, but Fania tried to approach her the closest he could. He couldn’t let the unrelated Louie suffer more.

“Hmph! That guy is also always around Prince Alfred, being such a pest and an eyesore. This is just perfect. I shall let him reflect on his actions together with you.”

Although Prince Alfred was not her fiancé, Lucrecia simply didn’t like the fact that someone other than the high nobilities was always around the royalty. Just because she didn’t like it, she’d do something cruel that couldn’t be undone towards the other without a second thought.

Or she simply didn’t think.

“Lucrecia, do you even understand what you are doing? This is a crime. If it’s now, you can still back out. Release both of us.” Fania tried to stop Lucrecia from doing what she intended to.

Alas, Fania knew. The thing Lucrecia had committed was already at the point of no return. Just the fact that she helped the thugs to enter the academy was already a big crime; they even hurt the guard, the knights and also the students. If Lucrecia was the main perpetrator, she could hardly be forgiven.

Lucrecia took a downcast gaze towards Fania and Louie who was chained and deprived of freedom, and she had a smile on her face. It was a smile full of satisfaction from being in an ultimate superior position.

“Fufufu, I’ll grant you two a punishment. Hmm, for low-borns like you two, no matter what you are subjected to, it cannot even compare to the humiliation I had felt.” Lucrecia hid her mouth with the fan and then she gave a signal to the guys behind her.

The two guys grinned as they came forward.

“I’ve brought over some acquaintances of mine. These people will carry out the punishment for you. Any boys, no matter how they resist at first, will be obedient once they are disciplined by these two. You commoners should be honoured that you’re being treated by nobles, high nobles to boot, that you can hardly say this is a punishment anymore.” Lucrecia laughed as if she was enjoying it to the utmost.

Whilst her eyes visible from above the fan didn’t have a hint of laughter at all.

“Do you think you can go off scot-free after you do something like this? Regardless if you’re nobles or royalty, it won’t be okay to involve yourself in a crime. Why are you doing this?”

“Well, is a commoner trying to admonish me? What a joke. The one who doesn’t understand is you. We, the nobles are different from the likes of you commoners. Thanks to us, the nobles, that you commoners get to live. You’re in the position where you’re allowed to live by us. Just why can’t you properly put that in your head. So dumb. This is exactly why I despise the low-borns.” Lucrecia opened and closed the fan in her hand as she looked down at Fania slumped on the floor.

Most probably, Lucrecia was saying what she really felt. To Lucrecia, that was common sense. Whatever Fania said wouldn’t get through her. Lucrecia craved to see the cowering face of Fania and Louie. She was truly looking forward to seeing the guys she had brought here to ravage them.

Fania believed that help was coming their way. Alfred would surely come. Therefore, until then, they had to somehow protect themselves.

In here, there were no thugs and the man in red who had captured them. Only Lucrecia and the two guys in academy uniforms. If they could handle them three, they could escape from this hut.

…However, what if the man in red and thugs are outside the hut? What if contrary to Louie’s assumption, they were actually brought to somewhere far from the academy? In that case, could Al find us?

Fania shook his head.

It’s not good to think negatively. I should only do what I can for now.

Fania looked back in Lucrecia’s direction.

“Lucrecia, it was not your own idea to bring the thugs inside the academy, was it? Well, for a noble daughter like you, Lucrecia, you couldn’t possibly know how to contact those outlaws. Who taught you about this kind of plan? He must be only using you, Lucrecia. You cannot just dance to their tunes.” Fania vehemently argued to make Lucrecia realize the actual situation.

“Hmph! How unsightly. Even if you say all that to distract me, it’ll just be a waste of time.” Lucrecia stayed the same as she was fully convinced that she had won. Fania’s words had no effect on her.

“Someone must’ve told you that they would lend some help. You were told that they can help you get even for the disgrace, or protect your pride or anything, but you shouldn’t have easily fallen for their tricks… I can’t understand why you let yourself be their pawn. Lucrecia, you are deceived. If you don’t come to your senses now, things will get really awry.”

Lucrecia had always thought that the cute-looking Fania was nothing but an existence always treasured by others; she couldn’t conceal her surprise at Fania’s argument.

“Who was the one who instigated you to do this? Do you even know their true name? You know where they are from? Can you still contact them? Haven’t they already disappeared from in front of you, Lucrecia? Even if you try searching for them now, you won’t find them anywhere, can you? Leaving no proof on themself, the blame will solely be on your head, Lucrecia.”

“SHUT UP!!” Lucrecia was enraged at Fania’s word; it might have hit the bullseye.

Totally ignoring her image as a noble daughter, she kicked Fania using her own leg. Fania who was hit on the shoulder by the high-heeled shoe groaned and crouched into a curl. Even then, he still tried to lift his head up and sent a fierce glare to Lucrecia.

“Just what do you know! I was hurt! My precious pride was hurt! In front of the public view, I was treated like a criminal, can you even imagine the humiliation I felt?!!”

“What humiliation? Do you think you’re some sort of a heroine of a tragedy? You are no heroine, you are a noble daughter! If you are a noble daughter, you surely know this—just what would happen when a noble commits a crime. The punishment does not only apply to the one who did the crime. Even their ‘family’ has to take responsibility! And your crime does not only belong to Den Haag. The main family, the other branch families would also be affected. Because of you, even the grandson of the main family, Prince Andrew, had to be liable. You’re putting your own fiance in a tight spot, just why couldn’t you understand that!!” Fania yelled.

There were two times where Fania had personally met Prince Andrew. Only those two times. But he knew that the Prince was a kind person. He was kind to even care about Fania who thrusted him aside.

When Fania pointed that out, Lucrecia halted for a moment. It was as if she finally realized what she was doing.

“I, I….” Lucrecia looked like she had something to say, but perhaps the words failed to come out, she closed her mouth again.

“Now, now, Lucrecia-sama. You cannot listen to everything this low-born was saying. From now, we will properly discipline them so they will not be able to say anything anymore. There is nothing that Lucrecia-sama should be worried about.” One of the guys who had been silent until now said those words to reassure Lucrecia.

“That’s right, Lucrecia-sama. These low-born cannot say anything more afterwards. No one will know that Lucrecia-sama is involved in any way with them. No need to worry.”

These guys were wearing the academy uniform, yet they didn’t look like students at all. They had a vibe like they had been leading a wild and dissolute life.

“Such great beauties, we’ll surely have a lot of fun.”

“We’ll have fun with them as much as we can, and then we can just sell them off once we get bored.”

The two guys were giggling as they talked in low voices as if only they could hear it, while Lucrecia next to them was brooding.

“So for what will come after, it’s better for Lucrecia-sama not to see it. We’ll properly make these people understand just what Lucrecia-sama had suffered. Moreover, there was no worry that this matter would leak outside. Because… they will not be able to talk about it to outsiders.” One of the guys kept smiling as he gently pushed Lucrecia’s back.

Just like that, Lucrecia was led to the door of the hut.

Lucrecia grabbed the door handle. The windows of the hut were small and full of dust, making it dim inside the hut. As the door opened, the sunlight streamed into the inside of the hut. Then, when Lucrecia fully opened the door, she realized that beyond the door was already crowded with people.

She saw that the crowd was rushing towards her.