## Chapter 157 – Unconnected Gears
“I heard the situation wasn’t good.
I’m sorry, junior, since it was a social gathering I brought you to.
If I had been there, the situation might have been different…”
“No, it’s okay, Senior…
No one was seriously hurt…
It was a good experience enough…”
How many days had passed since the social gathering ended and life returned to normal?
After dreaming, one must wake up.
As always, after the social gathering, Anne returned to the academy’s training grounds as usual, where she was receiving an apology from Lucia, whom she encountered there.
After all, Lucia hadn’t reappeared at the social gathering after suddenly popping up at the end.
In a way, Lucia, who hadn’t fulfilled her role as a patron for the social gathering, was sincerely apologizing to Anne and promising ample compensation.
“I heard that Retran’s Tears, which was supposed to be the reward, was also lost in the chaos.
It’s a shame the Wicked Game didn’t happen since I became a villain for once…
But this time, it’s my fault, so I’ll take responsibility and provide compensation equivalent to the prize’s value…”
“You don’t have to do that. I…
I wanted to say something else instead…”
But Anne smiled brightly, as if she no longer cared about such things.
The experience at the social gathering had been filled with so much.
The enjoyable time spent with friends for the first time, the tearful time of first loss, and the nightmarish times that remained like thorns, never disappearing.
Did the experiences and memories that made her who she was swirl around and break something within her?
Or, was it not broken, but twisted?
“I see. What is it?
Shall we talk about it slowly?”
Losing something, something that doesn’t return.
Is wanting to be compensated for all of that selfish?
If not, is something else needed to fill it?
“I like Professor Edward.”
At Anne’s words, spoken after what felt like a long but short thought, Lucia’s eyes trembled slightly.
“I… see… that’s possible…
But… I don’t understand the intention of your words?”
“I saw it. In the Paulo Hall.”
“……”
At Lucia’s sudden loss of words, Anne began to stare intently into her eyes.
“And this is just my opinion, but maybe…
That’s why you disappeared from the social gathering this time.
I don’t intend to cause you trouble.
I just… wanted to tell you.
I’m… Senior’s rival.”
To maintain composure even in this state.
Watching Lucia, whose expression never changed, Anne began to wait for her response.
But as expected, the words were still sudden, and Lucia, taking a deep breath, blinked and trailed off.
Anne, as if cutting off Lucia’s words by bringing up the topic at that timing, began to say what she had to say to her, regardless.
“Anne… that…”
“I… think I’ve realized.
I lack strength, I lack wealth.
So I can’t keep up with what others do.
I’m just a bad daughter who makes my parents suffer and my sister struggle.”
“What are you talking about?
You’re more excellent than you think…”
“What will happen, who will I hurt this time…
I don’t want to live in fear anymore…!!”
“Afraid?”
“I’m scared… I don’t like it like this…!!
It’s enough to just follow in Senior’s footsteps…
I won’t be greedy anymore… I want to get stronger…!!”
In the end, at Anne’s honest answer, Lucia smiled self-deprecatingly.
Where did the girl who was about to issue a challenge, declaring herself her rival, go? Instead, she was reaching out for help.
But at Anne’s words, “I want to get stronger,” Lucia slowly began to move.
Anne, following her as she stepped out of the training grounds as if it were the last interview, walked silently beside Lucia, who was silent for a while.
And the place they arrived at was the flower garden from before.
Lucia, as if organizing her thoughts while looking at the beautiful flowers, began to let her next answer flow out.
“‘Afraid’… I see… that’s right…
For a rival, you reveal your weaknesses quite confidently…
But that’s probably the kind of girl you are.”
“……”
“What’s there to be afraid of?
No, to be exact, it’s good to be afraid.
But you have to choose the right target to be afraid of.
Don’t think that I don’t have anything to be afraid of, right?”
“Does Senior have anything to be afraid of…?”
“Of course I do. I’ll give you a reward for being an honest rival.”
At Lucia’s action of gently placing her arm around Anne’s shoulder, unlike her usual self, Anne stiffened slightly and leaned towards her.
“Right now, I’m afraid of everything.
As you saw, I’m afraid of everything that makes me who I am now.
The virtuous young lady of the Duke’s family, a kind and righteous student.
A capable and reliable assistant in the swordsmanship department, and as his hidden woman.”
“Why…”
Lucia’s words, whispered softly into her ear, were causing Anne to feel confused.
“You know that our relationship isn’t normal, right?
Professor Edward has a fiancée named Professor Eloise.
So what will happen if our relationship is exposed?”
“But… if Professor Edward chooses Senior in the end…!!”
“The position of a duke’s daughter, which makes almost everyone look up to me, is just a shackle.
It stops me from devoting everything to him, even while craving his twisted love.
Not only me, but Edward is no different.
He also has a shackle called Rommenberg.
All of us living in this academy, in this country, have that shackle.
The important thing is whether we succumb to that shackle or resist it.”
“Senior has everything…!!
Everyone envies you…
You have the power to do anything…!!
How can that be a shackle…!!”
“The power you hold comes with corresponding responsibility.
Those in high positions must never have flaws.
The Borgia are even higher than that, only serving the king above them.
If the young lady of such a family can’t set an example, what will happen to others?
Someone who just wields power as they please is just a tyrant with a good image.
I’m trying not to become that, so…
I chose to bind myself to that shackle.”
Lucia, cutting off Anne’s words firmly, began to preach her beliefs while staring at Anne with unwavering eyes, as always.
Firm, upright, and sharp like a refined sword.
Just as it felt like Lucia’s usual self was returning here, Anne began to look at her differently, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long.
“That’s why I’m afraid of everything.
I’m… like a fish swimming upstream.
I’m going against my own beliefs, indulging in emotions.”
As her eyes began to waver after that, Anne couldn’t help but feel a sense of incongruity following the sudden change.
Even though her voice, her expression, and everything else didn’t change, only her eyes were losing their light.
Anne’s eyes were also wavering, as it was different from the Lucia she imagined, the one she wanted to break with everything she had.
“If you think about it like this, isn’t it interesting, Anne?
It’s a bit much to think about saying these words myself.
As the academy’s all-time best student in the swordsmanship department, I was respected and praised by professors and juniors alike.
As long as I have a sword in my hand, I’m never afraid of anyone standing in front of me.
I’ll break the strong and cut down the weak.
But when I put down the sword, I’m actually nothing, just a pathetic girl trembling at the gaze of others.”
As the atmosphere of the voice whispering in her ear changed, Anne, feeling a momentary sense of rejection, tried to push Lucia away to escape.
But Lucia, grabbing her by the nape of her neck, wasn’t letting Anne escape easily.
“So… like a pathetic girl, I approached the Professor with trivial lust!!
In an empty office, to that shining figure who was working late…
I offered my humble and wretched body, whose only pride was being a virgin.
I desperately seduced him to somehow hold me and desire me!!
Thinking that as much as he looked at me and gave me affection, it would become the courage of a pathetic girl like me!!
But… it wasn’t!! Yeah… maybe it wasn’t…”
At Lucia’s remarks, which were self-deprecating to the point of self-destruction, Anne, unable to bear this pressure, was about to scream to get away from her.
Lucia returned to her original voice, slowly releasing her strength from her arms and letting Anne go.
And this time, her voice was filled with the same dignity as usual.
“I’m a more pathetic woman than your honest and principled rival.
But even so… I have an ugly obsession and self-consciousness that I don’t have the slightest intention of handing over the Professor, who already has someone, to you.
What am I to you?”
At Lucia’s self-deprecating words, Anne was left speechless.
Lucia’s attitude, which had put down her honor, power, and wealth and only presented herself as a woman, was quite different from her own.
She cursed herself for having nothing.
Instead of focusing on improving her own abilities, the foolish self who had even sold her own purity for a few coins thought that she was being overvalued by Lucia.
It was rather embarrassing.
Even though she had called herself a rival, in this situation where the difference in class was so clearly revealed, Anne, biting her lip slightly, was finally able to choose what she had to say.
“Someday I’ll get stronger… and take Professor away.
I don’t care about Senior Lucia… or that… fiancée…
As a swordsman… as a woman…
I have nothing more to lose…
Senior is… my enemy… my goal…!!”
Silence followed after Anne’s words.
In the flower garden where the breeze was blowing, the two women were staring blankly into the air, as if trying to resolve the negative emotions in their hearts while looking at the beautiful flowers.
And that silence was brought to an end by Lucia, and the girls were finding a way to move forward to the next stage.
“A goal… someone like me… yeah…
I guess I have to struggle again to find my original intention.
Let’s go again, considering it as a supplement to this.
There’s still quite a bit of vacation left…”
“Go again? Where…?”
“Anyone who competes with me must become a great lady.
Otherwise, they won’t even be qualified to compete with me.
Well, do you dare to follow me, rival?”
In Anne’s eyes, which grabbed Lucia’s hand without any hesitation at her gesture of extending her hand, a cold determination of something firm, different from coldness, was shining.
“Please take care of me, Senior.”
The young girl, who was too ashamed to lift her face, but still didn’t want to back down, was preparing to chase after her rival again with a shameful declaration.
Because there were still so many mountains to overcome, the girl, shuddering between reality and romance, was following her goal with a lighter step.
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“Wait… what did you say?”
“As a result of comparing with a total of 25 types of dangerous drugs…
No results were found.
It’s completely pure blood, itself.”
“That can’t be… it doesn’t make sense.
The effects of the drug dominate the body for more than a month…
Didn’t the drug actually get detected from the surrounding underlings?
The test results must be wrong.”
At her firm voice, conveying the test results, the man in uniform, who appeared to be a subordinate, was sweating profusely and began to present the results he had desperately tried to produce in order not to be broken.
“Thinking that it might be the case, I asked the Royal Medical Center again…
But I only received confirmation that the test was correct…
I… this time… I wonder if you pointed out something wrong…”
At the subordinate’s voice, questioning with a trembling voice, Deborah, slamming the desk and getting up from her seat, walked to the opposite table, flipping her short but soft bobbed hair, and picked up the documents placed there.
“The lower guys are doing drugs, and the upper guy isn’t…?
There’s no way that could happen…”
Although she wasn’t showing it much on the outside, her eyelids were fluttering inwardly, and she was secretly furious.
The information of the suspects written in the documents, and the relationship chart found through the investigation.
And in Deborah’s head, whose eyes were on the name of the large boy, Serkov, located in the center, another name that was not written there was coming to mind.
‘Anne de Monehen…
Was it just an excuse to avoid the situation…?’
Deborah had made a deal to hear the whole story of the incident from Anne, in exchange for turning a blind eye to Anne, who was under the influence of illegal drugs, as a concept of judicial transaction.
She couldn’t help but feel extremely annoyed at the current situation where the expected results were not coming out.
Even though the circumstantial situation seemed to match, and she felt enough possibility for it, she responded to the deal.
The result that came out was only a distorted place like twisted gears that didn’t mesh with each other.
‘Someone is lying…’
Whether it was Anne, who had said that she had told her all the information, or the Royal Medical Center, which might have sent false information due to the interests of the nobles, or Serkov, who had deceived everyone in some unknown way.
‘If not, what could be the case?
Is something else intervening?’
The girl named Aurora, who was said to be the supplier of the drug, had already disappeared from the social gathering, as well as other places.
Even if you go to her address, which can be said to be her home, there is only a shabby shanty town where other people live.
‘Did you screw me over like this……?’
And how should she connect Serkov, who is denying all relations with her and has no material evidence of drugs?
At least until now, in the truth that has fallen into an unknown labyrinth, in Deborah’s head, which is starting to calculate numerous cases, only the constantly connected questions are biting their tails, where one connection is always empty.
‘I need to move myself.’
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