“Oh, Sister, you probably don’t know—a woman nad Celineina.” Lianca recounted what Donny had told her about Orson and Celineina to Olivia.
“......” Hearing this, Olivia was montarily shocked, but only briefly.
After all, even if Orson truly had an affair with Celineina, she, Olivia, was still his fiancée.
Moreover, Celineina, as the head of the Antica branch of the Silver Moon Trading Company, needed to travel frequently for business. There was no way she could stay in Saint Roland City permanently. Olivia felt confident in her position.
“Sister, aren’t you angry? Orson’s been flirting with another woman behind your back!”
“A little.” Olivia nodded. “But there are more important matters to deal with right now.”
As she said this, a thought crossed her mind—her sister was in the sa class as Litte.
“Lianca, Sister needs your help with sothing.”
“Hmm? What kind of help?”
“Could you take a look at these nas and tell which of these classmates seem to have low presence in class and co from less wealthy families?”
“Oh.” Lianca nodded, glanced at the list, and pointed to one of the nas. “I think this one, Anya. She always wears the sa two sets of school uniforms, like she doesn’t have any other clothes. Her family probably isn’t well-off, and she’s not very noticeable in class.”
“Thanks, Lianca.” With this confirmation, Olivia was fairly certain who the victim was and began planning her next steps.
—
anwhile, in a café, Donny sat across from Manuel.
“Executive Director Manuel, it’s been quite a while since we last spoke,” Donny said, sipping his coffee.
“Indeed. I believe the last ti we t was at the start-of-term gathering. You offered a drink, but I declined and substituted it with water.”
“Yes, I rember.” Donny nodded. “Your reason back then was that drinking affects judgnt, correct?”
“Mm.”
“Haha, well, drinking doesn’t always lead to poor decisions. It’s only getting drunk that does. A little wine at a banquet is just a way to enjoy oneself—it’s inevitable.”
“You didn’t invite here just to chat, did you?” Manuel said, his tone laced with impatience as he stared at Donny.
“Of course not.” Donny shook his head. “I wanted to discuss the case you’re currently investigating.”
“Oh? Do you have any leads?” Manuel asked, curious as to why Donny had brought this up.
“Leads? Not exactly,” Donny said. “But as the Executive Director, known for your integrity and impartiality, you must ensure that this case is thoroughly investigated and provide the outraged students with an explanation.”
As he spoke, Donny pulled out a stack of banknotes, each worth 100 gold coins, and handed them to Manuel.
“This money is a token of my respect and a contribution to your efforts.”
“Please, ensure that justice is served for Anya and that Litte is held accountable.”
“I believe that during your term, fearlessly standing up to power and fairly judging the Student Council President’s brother will be a shining mont in your career as Executive Director. It could even serve as a stepping stone for your campaign to beco the next Student Council President.”
Manuel listened to Donny’s words, then smiled.
He stood up, raised the stack of banknotes, and scattered them over Donny’s head.
“Listen, Donny,” Manuel said, his tone firm and unwavering.
“If you know my character so well, then why would you insult by trying to bribe ?”
“I will see this case through to the end, regardless of whether the outco favors you or Orson. I will uphold fairness.”
“Your tactics might work on others, but don’t forget—I, like you, am the son of a duke. I neither need your money nor fear your status.”
“This ti, I’ll let it slide out of respect for our families. But if you try bribing a Student Council mber again, I don’t need to remind you that it’s explicitly prohibited in the academy’s regulations, do I?”
With that, he sneered, patted Donny on the shoulder, and walked out of the café with his head held high.
Donny clenched his fists, glaring at the banknotes scattered across the floor. In his frustration, he stord out.
But halfway out the door, he hesitated, unwilling to leave his money behind. Fuming, he turned back and angrily began picking up the scattered banknotes one by one.
—
The next day, as Orson was heading to the Student Council, he found his path blocked by a large group of students.
Orson’s comnts from the previous day had been deliberately spread and exaggerated by certain individuals.
Now, almost everyone in the academy believed that Student Council President Orson was biased toward his brother, Litte, and intended to use his authority to clear him of all wrongdoing.
A large crowd had gathered outside the Student Council building, skipping classes and severely disrupting the academy’s order.
The Board of Directors had also begun pressuring the Student Council, demanding a swift resolution to the investigation. Otherwise, they would proceed with a vote to impeach the Student Council.
Orson pushed through the protesting crowd and entered the Student Council building.
He imdiately looked for Manuel, who was overseeing the investigation in the Disciplinary Committee.
“Executive Director Manuel, has the Disciplinary Committee made any progress on the investigation?”
“No.” Manuel shook his head. “We don’t have definitive evidence to prove Litte guilty, nor do we have evidence to clear him of suspicion.”
“But there’s no doubt that if we proceed with the current information, Litte will be found guilty of violating the academy’s code of conduct. Given that his testimony contradicts the likely verdict, he may even face expulsion.”
“Right now, there’s pressure coming from all sides—not just from the students, but also from the Board of Directors. They’re demanding a resolution to this case as soon as possible,” Orson said, barely containing his anger. “And yet, your so-called investigation has made no progress? Aren’t you ashad to admit that?”
“...” Manuel lowered his head. “If it cos to that, we may have to hold a public trial.”
“A trial? What good would that do?!” Orson slamd his hand on the table. “Right now, there’s no evidence on either side. From a logical standpoint, Litte is already at a disadvantage. Do you think a trial will yield a fair result?!”
“We’re currently investigating the witnesses. It’s said that one of them was closely associated with Tyril,” Manuel said reluctantly, sharing what little information he had. “In the recording crystal footage Lianca provided, the witness was seen standing among Tyril’s group. But when we summoned Tyril yesterday, we didn’t get anything useful from him.”
A deep sense of helplessness washed over Orson.
If only there were video footage, he thought.
But unfortunately, not every sche is conveniently caught on cara.
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