Chapter 45

Classes resumed normally, but the atmosphere was still unsettling.

Some of the students who were at the exam site were absent.

“What’ll happen with your advancement exam?”

“Retake, probably. I wonder if it will take some time?”

Raynia sighed at my answer.

I stole a glance at the paper she was looking at with a very troubled expression.

[Estimated dividend: 1,000,000]

Regrets were showing in her eyes, which were looking at the headaching numbers.

The one who got her exam canceled was me, but she looked even sadder.

While I patted Rany’s back, someone called me.

“Marianne, the professor called.”

I saw familiar people showing stiff expressions behind her.

They all were faces I saw on the exam site.

Are they summoning me for investigation?

As I slowly got up and joined the group, I strangely felt animosity from the gazes of some of the female students.

We had never spoken to each other after the incident, and we didn’t even know each other until the test.

I lowered my gaze, flustered but pretending to not notice those gazes.

The whispering sound rang for a while and scattered into the air.

The professor who summoned us showed a tired face.

I could see that he couldn’t sleep properly because of this investigation.

“Trevor’s condition is more serious than expected, so the academy will also do its best to investigate this case for the time being.”

The students exchanged anxious gazes after hearing that firm voice of his.

“Although the cause has not been accurately identified, it is believed that there is a high possibility that he has received a serious level of attack from someone.”

I got curious.

Even if the academy did their best in this investigation, would they be able to find out that Trevor used a curse?

If not, perhaps . . .

Would they keep silent until this became clear, considering how serious this issue was?

“We haven’t found out much yet. It is still unknown whether the enemy is inside or outside.”

Everyone made a commotion at the suggestion that there might be another attack.

Their anxiety grew bigger.

The professor added to the scared students.

“Please cooperate actively in investigating and searching for the culprit for the time being.”

“. . .”

I see.

Since aristocrats could be reluctant to cooperate with the investigation, I wondered if he was trying to increase their anxiety so they would cooperate easily.

Looking at the other students shut their mouths while looking scared, it seemed like the professor’s intention worked.

The professor looked around the students before looking at me for a moment.

Then, he added slowly.

“Please keep in mind that . . . depending on the situation, there could be a summoning of a guardian or home visit.”

When the most unwanted situation was mentioned, I unconsciously flinched.

Someone then raised their hand.

“About the home, are you talking about our parents’ home?”

“That’s right.”

If it’s the parents’ home according to the family register, then mine is the Duchy?

I must do something about this home visit.

Leaving Orion that might be running in stocking feet, there were no normal workers there.

Other than me, some students also closed their mouths with frustrated faces.

After hearing the professor’s prior warning, someone bumped my shoulder with strong force on the way out.

The light brown hair somehow looked familiar.

I heard someone murmuring as I was watching her moving away quickly.

“She is . . .”

As soon as I looked back, the whispering stopped.

The atmosphere of those who turned their eyes elsewhere was bizarre.

I felt uncomfortable with that, but there was no way I could hold on to those who are moving away and ask what’s going on, right?

Instead, I walked to Rany while massaging my stinging shoulder.

I needed to know about my fake identity so that the academy wouldn’t find anything suspicious about me.

* * *

“Your personal information? I think I also need to check it out first.”

Rany opened the notebook that she had shoved it deep into the bag, so that it made a noisy sound.

“. . . Is my personal information inside that notebook?”

Even the letters look packed together and the notebook looks thick.

Rany answered proudly,

“I commissioned a novelist to make a synopsis of your possible situation. Something like your set-up book?”

“You commissioned a novelist to make a synopsis . . .?”

The red warning light flared up inside my head.

Come to think of it, she once gave me a necklace at the price of a house, saying, “I didn’t pay much because you hate it when I do that.”

“Erm, Rany.”

“Ah, here it is.”

She began to read my ‘personal information’ in a silvery voice.

“Marianne Hoven. 16 years old. She lost her parents at a young age and lives with her brother. Her only brother really adores and loves his little sister, but his feelings were so extreme that it is hard to differentiate between love and obsession.”

“Why’s there a portrayal of a character’s feelings within that personal information?”

“This way, it would sound realistic. Anyway, the brother lent money to provide you with a big and good house.”

Certainly, the mansion I was staying in was a sturdy building with good security.

But still . . .

“Why is there a set up where he borrowed money?”

“You asked to make it sound normal, right? If a normal person wants to live in that mansion, they need to borrow money.”

“. . .”

I didn’t think a brother borrowing money to buy a house for his sister was normal though.