CH 38

Pierre, who could barely understand Evan’s words, asked with a bewildered face, 

“So… Riett’s father is the top lord of Herman… faction?”

“More precisely, he is Duke Marren.”

Henry and Pierre were silent for a while, overwhelmed by confusion, and then they hesitantly spoke as if denying reality.

“That’s a lie… How do you know the identity of the top lord concealed by the veil?”

“As you both know, our household has had frequent interactions with the Marren family since ancient times.”

Evan, savoring the frozen expressions on Henry and Pierre’s faces like stone, struck them with a blow.

“If you can’t believe me, you can confirm it. It’s easy. Just casually mention Duke Marren to the deputy of the top lord and observe their reaction. Their expression will freeze instantly.”

Although Duke Marren has no connection to the top lord, and Henry and Pierre do not dare to confirm it, Evan had thought of informing the deputy in advance. As the next top lord, it wasn’t difficult to make such a request.

Henry and Pierre exchanged whispers once again.

‘I don’t think it’s a lie… His expression is too calm, right?’

‘And honestly, Evan isn’t the kind of person who would tell such lies.’

‘Now what should we do? If Duke Marren becomes displeased and our father suffers the consequences, our household…’

Even without hearing the conversation, one could read their sense of impending doom from their pale faces.

Evan sneered. Why did they engage in such an unbearable act?

“Evan… Honestly, we feel unjustly treated. Originally, we didn’t harbor any ill feelings towards Riett…”

Somehow, everything was going exactly as predicted. Their words and actions were concocted while wanting to indulge themselves and then resorting to other excuses in regret.

Concealing his disgust, Evan responded to them with feigned sympathy.

“Then why did you suddenly start speaking ill of Riett?”

“It’s because of them.”

Henry replied curtly, nibbling at his lips anxiously. Pierre chimed in, 

“That’s right, they were the ones who started spreading rumors about Riett!”

“Them?”

One of Evan’s eyebrows arched sharply. This part wasn’t predicted. Besides Henry and Pierre, other forces were slandering Riett.

Henry hesitated and continued, 

“Evan… As you know, from first place to third place, the same people keep monopolizing the rankings, so there have always been complaints.”

It would be strange if there were no commotion. After three exams with the same person consistently taking the top spot, and with fixed rankings repeating each time, it was evident that dissatisfaction would accumulate.

Grades are determined by studying, but with individuals who possess overwhelmingly superior abilities from the start, most children naturally couldn’t accept the exam results.

Just as rumors about Riett spread this time, it was natural to assume that there were also groups of people hoping for any flaws in the top-ranked students, aiming for an opportunity.

“But one day, I met a group of kids gathered behind the school, and they said that about Riett. That she was causing trouble for other kids.”

“…So?”

“To be honest, I didn’t believe it at first. Riett’s reputation was so good, especially after the dance party… But when three people said the same thing at the same time, it made me curious.”

Henry’s eyes wandered uncertainly as he gave a hesitant response. Evan’s pupils narrowed for a moment at his anxious appearance.

‘Is he lying to avoid responsibility?’

There was also a considerable possibility that these were fabricated words intended to mask the situation.

However, it was not entirely possible to exclude the possibility that what he said was one hundred percent true, so it was necessary to listen further.

“Just the day before, I happened to run into Riett while passing by the library, and because of that, my assignment fell to the ground and shattered into pieces. That’s when their words came to mind. Moreover…”

Henry swallowed his saliva with a gulp and Evan couldn’t wait and asked first.

“By any chance, did you meet the group you encountered behind the school again?”

“Yeah. I was walking confidently when the group approached me first. So, I told them about what I experienced, and they said it was a method Riett often used.”

So, he believed their words without a doubt… Henry trailed off.

This time, Evan’s gaze turned to Pierre.

“Pierre, what about you?”

Pierre followed up with an explanation of what happened to him. Although the details were different, the context was almost identical to Henry’s situation.

“…Actually, I was influenced more by Henry than that group.”

Pierre added quietly, and Henry looked at Pierre as if he was a traitor. While the two of them appeared foolish in their actions, Evan was lost in his thoughts.

‘It doesn’t seem like a lie…’

If it had been only Henry’s claim, it could have been a fabricated lie created on the spot.

But even though Henry and Pierre were consistently talking about similar things, neither of them seemed flustered or hurried in their responses.

However, it didn’t seem like they were able to create a situation on the spot and naturally exchange information as well. They didn’t have that level of friendship, and while they studied to some extent, they weren’t that clever.

After finishing his thoughts, Evan slowly spoke up.

“Do you know the name or have any memorable impressions of anyone from that group you met?”

“Well… let me think.”

“Think carefully. If you end up in an unjust situation related to this incident, you’ll need to mention that group to explain yourself. But it’s useless to mention a group that you know nothing about.”

Prompted by Evan’s probing, Henry and Pierre’s minds started working quickly. And then, Henry’s eyes widened.

“I remember! It was one of the three people, and his name was Paulhen… or something like that. It didn’t seem like a famous family name, so I forgot it since it was the first time I heard it.”

Paulhen…?

Names from the student roster passed through Evan’s mind one by one. However, after scanning through them, Evan’s brow furrowed.

‘We don’t have anyone with that name at our school.’

“Are you sure it was Paulhen?”

“Well, yeah! And he wasn’t as tall as you, but he had a pretty intimidating look with black hair… I’m telling the truth, right, Pierre?”

With Pierre’s frightened expression confirming it, Evan lowered his gaze for a moment.

If that were the case, the situation would become more complicated. Someone who wasn’t a student at the school had infiltrated and conspired against Riett, and they had brought someone to incite the students in their place.

It was probably no coincidence that Henry was the first target.

‘A fourth-place loser who couldn’t even make it into the top three.’

Henry Lerris, as judged by Evan, was such a person. And someone who set up this situation shared the same thought. People tend to see and hear what they want, so they approached Henry pretending it was a coincidence, and told him what he wanted to hear.

‘Riett was hindering other students to maintain her rank.’

Henry might have thought that too, despite his doubts. He wanted to believe it. And while believing it, he continued to look at Riett as a coward.

Then, by chance, an accident occurred at the library where they collided. And it happened to be Riett.

Out of Henry’s weak desire to blame his competitor and his feelings of inferiority towards Riett, fueled by someone’s malicious intentions, the current situation came to be.

‘Even if the accident with the assignment didn’t happen, the situation would have unfolded similarly, given that there was a hidden mastermind behind it all.’

If they had realized that more students than they thought had negative views of Riett, they wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to vilify her.

Once again, Evan calmly grasped the cause of this situation. The true source of the rumors, their intentions, and how things came to this point were now more or less understood.

Now, the final question remained.

‘Who was it? Someone who is not a student at this school?’

Even if that were the case, there must be someone on the inside. Someone with a keen eye for character, someone who accurately understood Henry Lerris’ personality.

“Um… Evan.”

Just as Evan was deep in thought, Henry called out to him cautiously.

When Evan focused his gaze and met Henry’s eyes, he saw Henry nervously wringing his hands. Evan had anticipated what they were going to say, but he pretended not to know and asked, 

“Why?”

“If… if this issue becomes a big deal later, please speak well of us to Duke Marren.”

Evan barely managed to suppress a burst of laughter. Ultimately, the reason they reluctantly spoke to him was for this request.

Although Evan had no intention of showing any kindness to these two individuals who were the perpetrators, he decided to calmly smile and say what they wanted to hear. It wasn’t the time for retaliation yet.

“Of course. You were also incited.”

Henry and Pierre’s faces brightened at Evan’s response.

“As expected! You’ve inherited the qualities of Duke Kreutz.”

Evan inwardly laughed at Pierre’s admiration. He was well aware that while they spoke like that in front of him, they still gossiped about themselves and their fathers as if they were spoiled children.

“Thank you. Although it’s quite a distance to follow in my father’s footsteps.”

Now, it wasn’t difficult for Evan to casually retort to such insincere praise. It was just the stress of having to continue seeing these repulsive individuals.

“Class will start soon. I’m going now.”

Having achieved his goal, Evan intended to leave without lingering any further. He didn’t want to see them whining anymore.

“Just a moment, Evan…!”

As Evan turned to walk away, he turned his head at the sound of Henry’s voice from behind.

“I’m grateful for your help, but can I ask you one more question out of curiosity?”

Evan raised an eyebrow at Henry’s cautious demeanor. Although he had considered ignoring it and leaving, he decided to summon the last of his patience, thinking that there might be a hint about the group behind this.

“What is it?”

“Just… I was curious. Why are you trying to help us?”

Only now did they find the leisure to ask such a question. Evan thought they asked too quickly and briefly pondered his answer.

“Well…”

Naturally, the fundamental reason was to uncover the truth of the incident, but…

“Oh, there’s another reason.”

Evan smirked as he recalled the most important reason.

“I wanted even your anger to be directed at me alone.”

Henry and Pierre didn’t seem to understand at all, but Evan had already left the scene.