When Lillian was about five, she had begged and begged Gerald for a certain object. The object she had wanted so badly was a tape measure. Arriving in Turin, Lillian had learned her numbers and basic arithmetic faster than the other children her age; at five, she already knew how to measure area and volume. And so, she had asked for a tape measure because she'd wanted to find out the area and volume of the things around her.
Gerald's friend, who happened to be there at the time, was completely taken aback when he heard her request. But when Gerald heard her reasoning, he smiled gently and gave her a tape measure as a gift, just as she had asked.
Having acquired the object of her desires, Lillian lost herself in measuring all the furniture in the house, as well as the sizes of her own limbs and Gerald's.
For young Lillian, this had been an irrepressible source of joy and happiness.
I walked around with that tape measure until the division markings wore down beyond recognition, didn't I?
As her half-awake brain lingered on a dream of her childhood, Lillian turned over in bed, at which point the morning sunlight coming in through the window made her face scrunch up. Slowly, she rose. Last night, Lillian had completely forgotten to lower the curtains, giving the morning sun free rein.
Once Lillian got out of bed, the first thing she did—before even taking care of her appearance—was bring out her coffeepot out of the drawer. Then she used an unchanted spell to create water and filled the pot with it.
It was said that water fabricated with magic was unsuitable for drinking due to the mana it contained. A human body could retain only so much mana, so consuming a large amount of mana-rich water would lead to magic poisoning. But a little bit wouldn't hurt. As one of the Seven Sages, Lillian could store a higher amount of mana than normal people anyway. It wasn't easy for her to come down with magic poisoning.
She filled the pot with the water she'd created, ground some coffee beans, and set them up on the pot. Then she took out a small metal trivet, placed the pot on top of it, and used another unchanted spell to create fire. Because a caster needed to maintain the intensity of the heat as well as its position, even a small flame like this required an intricate spell and quite a bit of control.
Nero, who was lying on the bed in his black-cat form, looked at her with mild exasperation. "Using your skills just to make a cup of coffee? Isn't that a bit of a waste?"
"…Well, I don't want to wake Tanya up so early in the morning…" said Lillian softly in protest, pouring the coffee from the pot into the cup.
Nero jumped up onto Lillian's desk and gazed at her with his golden eyes. "Lillian, I want to try some of that."
"Really? Why?"
"I read it in a novel recently. Bartholomew, the protagonist, drinks coffee in silence—it's very cool and refined."
Lillian thought for a moment, then scooped up a little of the coffee from her cup with a spoon and placed it in front of Nero. Coffee probably wasn't the best thing to give a cat, but Nero wasn't a normal cat, so he'd be alright. Probably.
"Are you sure?" she warned. "It's pretty bitter."
"When a creature loses his sense of adventure, he atrophies."
"…Was that in a book, too?"
"You bet. Adolf Tylar is great."
After naming one of Castina's trendiest novelists, Nero gave the coffee in the spoon a quick lick. Immediately, the fur covering his entire body bristled. He cried out—a peculiar exclamation neither human nor feline—and began rolling around atop the desk. As she had expected, it didn't seem to be to his taste. Nero let out a ragged breath, like a warrior just returned from the brink of death, then looked up at Lillian.
"Yes, that certainly excited my sense of adventure. You must have some messed-up taste buds to be able to drink that and enjoy it."
Lillian ignored him and sipped her own coffee. Hot and bitter as it flowed past her tongue, the liquid woke her hazy mind right up. Suddenly, her mother's words came to mind: First, eliminate the unnecessary. Once you have done that, the remaining will be exceedingly simple.
But what's unnecessary? For example, morning coffee certainly wasn't unnecessary for her. It was important. But for those who hated coffee, such a custom may have seemed pointless. If only it were a formula. Then I could solve it right away. How difficult it was to suss out the unnecessary in a person's mind.
Still sipping her coffee, Lillian glanced at the ribbon on the desk. She'd never cared about her hairstyle before. Prior to yesterday, she would have said for certain that ribbons were unnecessary.
"Nero… Is there anything you think of as a 'necessity'?"
"Hm? What's this? Philosophy so early in the morning? Yes, I know the word philosophy. Am I incredibly smart and cool or what?"
"…Yes, you're amazing," said Lillian flatly.
Nero pointed his right paw straight at her. "That's it!" he said. "For me, your words of praise are quite the necessity. So, give me more! Praise me! Write a ballad for me, in fact! Or a novel! Or paint a portrait—leave something for future generations so they know my greatness."
That last part was definitely asking too much, but it gave Lillian a tiny bit of joy to know her words of praise were needed.
"Also, it's nice to enjoy things that aren't necessary," Nero continued. "Human life is full of unnecessary things, so why not enjoy it? That's another quote from one of Adolf Tylar's novels."
For Lillian, who had to try her hardest just not to stand out, enjoying the unnecessary seemed like a monumental task. Nevertheless…
"I'll give it a try," said Lillian, picking the ribbon up from the desk. As she did so, she remembered something else her mother had told her, her gentle voice replaying in her mind.
"It's the most difficult challenges that are the most enjoyable, Lillian."
......…
Lana Colette was sitting at her seat, her chin in her hand, flipping through a textbook. Once Lillian had found her, she managed to walk, anxious.
"…Um…"
"What do you want?" Lana kept her face toward the page, moving only her eyes to look at who it was, and was surprised to see Lillian standing there. Lillian pulled out the ribbon she'd borrowed yesterday and nervously held it out to Lana.
"Here. Um, thank you… I'm sorry I couldn't say it yesterday."
Remembering her regret the night before, Lillian was determined to thank her. She was still so nervous, like she was about to die. However, when Lana looked at the ribbon in Lillian's hand, she gave a dismissive sniff and turned away.
"I don't need that. It's not in style anymore," she stated brusquely, as if to say the conversation was now over.
Normally, Lillian would have withdrawn, but instead, she held herself firmly in place and desperately spoke her next words. "Would… Would you show me how to do it like you did, p-please?"
She'd stuttered the last word. Her ears turned red, and since she was self-conscious about it, she couldn't see that the corners of Lana's mouth were twitching as she tried her best to hold in laughter.
"Well, I suppose you've given me no choice! Sit down, okay?" said Lana haughtily, gesturing with her chin toward a place beside her. Lillian put her textbook on the desk and sat down. Lana speedily undid Lillian's hair. "Really, how on earth can't you do such a simple hairstyle?"
"I tried doing it but it just ended up looking like a bird's nest…"
Lana sighed in exasperation, then took out her comb. It was made of silver, with intricate openwork on the grip. Upon closer inspection, small jewels were embedded in it in the images of tiny flowers.
"Not too long ago, goldwork combs with bird motifs were in fashion," she remarked. "But ones like this are much trendier right now. The smaller number and size of the jewels make it very cute. The craftsmen in Alme are particularly skilled, so if you want the best, you have to get one from Alme…"
Then, for some reason, Lana trailed off and began combing Lillian's hair in silence. Why did she suddenly stop speaking? Wondered Lillian, mystified. Then Lana whispered something so only she could hear.
"It's boring, isn't it? What I'm talking about, I mean." Lillian's eyes widened. It sounded like Lana was sulking. Lillian turned to look up at her. Lana's lips were turned in a frown, and she looked hurt. "My family bought their title, after all. I know you're thinking that the things I say are vulgar and not worth listening to."
"Um…well…" Flailing her arms pointlessly, Lillian frantically worked her mouth. "I…I get told I'm boring a lot too… Well, because like to talk about subjects that no one is interested in… However, it is also because of those interests that I can do what I do."
Lillian could talk about anything related to academic subjects. But she'd forget to pay attention to her listener's reactions and keep talking for too long. Louis Miller had scolded her for it more than a few times. The handsome mage would sometimes twist her ear without mercy, smile, and ask, "Have you returned to this world, my fellow Sage?"
Lana gave a short laugh. "You're so weird."
"…I-I am?"
"Yes. Now face forward."
With practiced motions, Lana tied the sides of Lillian's hair into braids. Once she had two, she bunched them with the remaining hair and braided them into a single long braid and tied them with the ribbon.
"There, finished. It's not so hard."
"Wow… That was so fast… Then the positions and angles of the braids are the key? No, wait, I should also consider the ratio of the different clumps of hair—"
"It's not about that! You learn with your hands. Now, undo it and try it again yourself."
Lillian's expression changed at Lana's words. "What!? But it's so pretty… Do I really have to undo it?"
When Lana heard the words "it's so pretty," her mouth twitched—the compliment seemed to have put her in a good mood—and then she cleared her throat, playing the big sister. "You can't learn it if you don't do it yourself. If you mess up and run out of time, I'll redo it, so give it a try."
However, before they could get to that, the handsome young professor entered and started their lecture.
When Lillian finished her class and entered the academy, Theodore had been waiting for her.
"Could you come to the lab, Lillian? he asked with a smile.
Lillian nodded, however, upon entering the lab she sensed the soundproof barrier surrounding the room. As soon as the door clicked shut, the seren expression fell from Theodore's face.
"So, Lillian, I'll get right to the point. Could I ask what exactly your interest is in Aaron O'Brien?" Theodore inquired.
Interrogation...meaning something must have been wrong when he checked on him.
"First of all, Uncle, I'm sorry I had given you more work when you're already so busy."
"I can't judge the action until I've heard the whole story. Start from the beginning."
"Okay. I was informed of a strange occurance that happened the day before the entrance ceremony. When I learned how the man named Aaron O'Brien acted, I concluded that he was in his right mind. As such, I assumed that he was either on the drug that has been spreading through the capital, as it is said to cause some behavirious changes as its side-effect...if not that, his symtoms aline with the side-effect of mental interference magecraft. It was then that I asked you to check on him."
"I see..." Theodore let out a sigh before asking, "I'll just ask you point-blank, Lillian. You don't have any connection with the man in question, do you?"
"I hadn't even known his name before yesterday. Did something happen?"
"Apparently that boy had embezzled funds from the student council...But an incident happened shortly after."
It was the day before the opening ceremony. Felix had passed judgment on Aaron O'Brien only that morning, and he was working with the other council members to clean up the mess Aaron had left.
The most troublesome aspect was having to review the accounting records. Aaron had altered several items in the process of embezzling funds. Then, to conceal those alterations, he'd fiddled with other numbers—and he'd repeated this process several times.
As a result, the ledgers were in a pretty terrible state. The student council members were all working together to review them, but it would take considerable time to fix all the numbers. That day, they didn't end up progressing very far. Time, however, continued to tick on, and with the opening ceremony coming up the next day, they couldn't afford to devote all their time to revising the ledgers.
Around three in the afternoon, the student council adviser, Mr. Thornlee, made an appearance and said, "We need to prepare for tomorrow's opening and entrance ceremonies."
Felix would have to take charge of setting up for the ceremonies and had to go. He'd need the other male students to help him move things around, too. So he left the record reviews to one of the secretaries, Bridget, and the officer of general affairs, Neil, and took the other two, Vice President Cyril and Elliott, the other secretary, with him to the hall where the ceremony would be held.
The chairs for the new students had already been placed in rows, and a hanging sign was set up near the entrance. With the decorations mostly complete, Felix and the others would just be doing the final checks. Still, as they were running down their list, they noticed small things here and there, such as chairs missing, which needed to be dealt with.
"Let's put the new-student ribbons into boxes according to their class. That'll make the day go more smoothly than if—"
As Felix was giving Elliott instructions, Mr. Thornlee looked above Felix's head and suddenly paled. "Look out!" he cried. A moment later, Cyril called out, "Sir!" his voice almost a scream. Hearing Mr. Thornlee and Cyril, Felix moved before his mind could even process what was happening. A few seconds later, something crashed down where he'd been standing—the sign that had been hanging over the entrance.
This sign had been affixed to an anti-fall grating on the second-story window of the ceremony venue using metal clasps. In other words, someone had reached through the window and unclasped them. They looked up and saw that the second-story window was slightly ajar—and in the window, they caught sight of a figure, just for a moment, before it quickly withdrew, shoving Bridget Grayham on their way out.
"Wow..."
Lillian couldn't belive such an inciident happened on the very day she arrived...
"So, did they found out who was behind it?"
"Unfortunately not."
When the sign had fallen, three people had been with Felix: Mr. Thorn, Cyril, and Elliott. Mr. Thorn, being the only teacher present, had entrusted Felix's protection to Cyril and gone with Elliott to chase down the culprit. Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to find anything—even after splitting up to cover more ground.
Theodore gave a relaxed sigh and shrugged a little. "It happened a few hours after they found Aaron O'Brien guilty. It's natural to assume the two events are related, isn't it? But when the sign fell, O'Brien was confined to the boys' dorm. That means someone else must have dropped it."
He narrowed his blue eyes slightly, then gave Lillian a meaningful look. "O'Brien implied he'd had an accomplice in the embezzlement. It's highly likely that person was the one who dropped the sign."
Felix had interrogated Aaron, but by then, Aaron had lost it and could only mutter, "It's their fault… Their fault…," over and over again. He didn't seem to be in a state to talk about his collaborator.
"Later, when I checked on him, it is as you suspected. He is suffering from the side-effects of mental interference magecraft. And when they learned that I checked on him, the student council started accusing you of being an assassin."
Despite having come to this academy to protect the second prince, Lillian was now being treated like an assassin. If Louis Miller was to hear about this, he'd probably laugh; say, Ah, everything you do is so unexpected, hahaha; and then clench his well calloused fists.
"I told them that you are a relative of mine to shut them off. Besides, you were in the infarmary treating students during the first incident and in class during the second incident so it's obviously couldn't be you."
This academy has many students connected to the underworld...who, obviously had much more interests and resources to investigate it than just some death threats.
"Wait, second incident?"
"Ah, yesterday, they set a trap in the Old Gardens..."
Thinking that if Felix was alone in the empty back gardens, the culprit would be highly likely to make another attempt. Their plan had been for Elliott to hide--they would wait for the villain to go after Felix and then Elliott would restrain them. However, no one appeared. Instead, someone used wind magecraft to throw an earthen pot from a distance. Although Felix managed to avoid it, they still don't know who the culprit is.
"In any case, now the disciplinary commit is looking into it." Theodore informed. "Someone from there will come to ask you some questions."
Lillian agreed to those terms adjusting her glasses. The reason Lillian wears this glasses with illusion magecraft is not just to maintain her cover. It is so that she could avoid being recognized by a certain someone.
The night before Lillian came to Serendia, someone had unfortunately spoted Lillian late at night, something she very much wished had never happened.
There are rare people in the world whose appearance changes drastically with or without glasses. Lillian, as it turned out, is one of them.
The reason I was out that night, she thought to herself, was because Uncle asked me to gather some moonflowers...She'd simply been helping her uncle, the brilliant, hopelessly absorbed research fanatic, and a harmless late-night errand had snowballed into a deep troublesome misunderstanding.
A simple favor. A research-loving uncle. And now, a young noble man who suddenly appeared out of nowwhere and wanted to talk to her. It was, in every sense, a very bad situation. Lillian sighed to herself as she walked down the hallway.
"Oh, what are you doing here?"
As Lillian was climbing the stairs, she heard a familiar voice from below her. She stopped and turned around. Lana, the classmate who had done her hair in braids earlier, was starting up the stairs, her own flaxen hair swaying.
Lillian immediately greeted her with a simple dip of her head. Lana looked at her, holding thick books in her hand. "After you left the class, I couldn't find you anywhere. I was worried."
"...Huh?"
A classmate had been worried about her. That was all it took to make Lillian's heart do a little leap. Before she realized it, her expression had softened. Trying to stay calm she said, "I...I'm sorry. I am usually either in the infarmary or the library when I'm not in class...Professor Islar asked me to run a little errand..."
As Lillian's gaze swam around the hallway, Lana looked at her, confused. It was probably strange for a professor to ask a student to run an errand but Lillian isn't just a student, she is also the assistant medical officer.
"Oh. Where are you going?" Lana asked.
"To the fouth floor. The second classroom from the end..."
Before comeing here, Lillian went to the old garden where the second incident occured. The pot hadn't been cleaned up after the previous day's incident; its shards lay scattered across the ground, probably in the same position as before. Tilting her head as she transfereed the shards in her hand to her other palm. With just what she was able to stack on one hand, she could make a good guess as to the flowerpot's weight. By looking at the scattered shards, she had calculated the pot's approximate size, shape and weight. No, dirt on the pot's shards. It was empty--either unused or cleaned in advance...
Envisioning the flowerpot before it had broken, Lillian looked at the school building. Serendia Academy had many flower-adorned balconies, so most of them were lined with flowerpots. In fact, one without them were fairly rare. There was little to no wind yesterday. And taking into account the air resistance... Lillian gauged the school building's height with her eyes, then calculated the flowerpot's rate of descent. The balcony's handrails were somewhat high, so it would have been difficult for someone to thorw it down with force. It seemed fair to assume that they had leaned over the railing, them simply let go. The pot landed on soil, which would have cushioned it somewhat. But the resulting shards are this small, and they're spread out over a large area…
There would be a margin of error, but her look at the flowerpot's remains had given her a general idea of which balcony it had been dropped from. Right there. Fourth floor, the second balcony from the right.
"Oh, that would be music room two. You'll want to come this way, then."
Lana started back down the dairs, beckoning for Lillian to follow. Why was she going down? Didn't they need to climb the stairs to get to the fourth floor? Lillian thought it was strange but followed the other girl, who gave a sniff of pride.
"At this time of day, this hallway gets crowded because classes are all switching rooms. It's faster to go this way."
Had she surmised how bad Lillian was with crowds or was this a coincidence? Either way, Lillian was extremely grateful for the proposal. "Thank you."
Lana couldn't help but start laughing. "You're so weird!" she giggled, clearly entertained, somewhat teasing but still familiar. There wasn't any nastiness in her smile. "You're welcome!" she replied, walking off again with a lightness in her step. "If you need to use the stairs at this time of day, you're better off using the ones to the east. The powder room on this side also tends to be much less crowded."
It didn't make much sense to Lillian, but apparently Serendia Academy had several rooms for the female students to go and fix their makeup. It struck her yet again that this was a school for the children of nobles.
Though they'd supposedly been about to climb those very stairs to get to the music room, Lana was looking up at the landing and scowling, her face sour. On the landing were a few female students having a conversation. One of them seemed to be surrounded by the others.
The one in the middle, eyes troubled and downcast, was the girl with hazelnut-colored hair, Selma Karsh. She was the class health officer who came to meet Lillina on the first day she arrived. Around the petite Selma were three other femle students. The apparent leader, a girl with caramel hair, had a voice that carried above the others.
"Hey, did you hear the rumors? They're saying Aaron came down with a sudden illness and has to leave school. I heard he used to visit all sorts of nasty shops. I'll bet he got some horrible disease from one of them, don't you think? That's just awful, Selma! And after everything you've done for him!"
The other two girls put their fans up to hide their mouths and repeated, "Oh, I feel so bad" and "Yes, how terrible for you." But though they said those things, their lips were turned up in disdainful grins behind the fans.
Lana, looking at the caramel-haired leader, murmured sourly, "That would be Caroline." Apparently, Lana knew the girl, but it was clear from her expression that their relationship was not a friendly one.
"Hey, Selma. My family is hosting a ball soon. I'll be sure to invite you."
"Oh my! That's a wonderful idea, Lady Caroline! The scars of lost love can only be soothed by a new one, after all."
"And your engagement to Aaron has failed through anyway, right? You should look for someone else, Selma. Someone good!"
At that suggestion from one of her followers, Caroline waved her folding fan and laughed as she gazed at Selma's face.
"Then why not my uncle, perhaps?" she said. "He's looking for a new wife. He's more than thirty years older than you, but he's handsome and rich."
Selma wasn't saying anything at this point. She simply clenched her gloved fists, stayed silent, and looked down. Lana turned back to Lillian and whispered in her ear. "Best to walk right past them and not get involved. Let's go, okay?"
Lana took the lead, swiftly moving up the stairs and Lillian hurried after her. Once Lana got to the landing, she said to Caroline, who was blocking the stairs, "Would you mind letting us pass?"
"Oh? Well, if it isn't Lana Colette, daughter of the new baron. Awful manners, as usual. My family is much higher in rank and has a much richer history than yours, you know. I'd think someone like you would at least greet me properly."
At Caroline's provocation, Lana's slender eyebrows shot up. "I had no idea blocking the stairs to have a lengthy conversation was proper manners for a high-ranking family. Anyway, would you mind getting lost already? Ugh, even a fleeing cow moves when its master tugs on the reins...Oh, but I apologize. Your butt is probably so heavy, you don't want to move."
"Who did you just call a cow!?" Caroline, now furious, raised a hand and pushed on Lana's shoulder. Lana gave a small yelp and teetered. But since she was already near the landing, she got through with just that, a teeter.
She did, however, bump Lillian behind her, knocking her off-balance. The next thing Lillian knew, her body had titled and she was falling through the air.
"Lillian!" Lana turned and held out a hand, but she couldn't reach.
I'm falling...At that moment, Lillian's thoughts started racing at an amazing speed. If I use wind magecraft inside, they'll discover I'm a mage. Should I use a defensive barrier around myself? No, I can't. The fall would look too unnatural… Then… Then I…
She immediately put up an invisible defensive barrier without using a chant—but not on her own body. Instead, she used it to fill in the spaces created by the steps. By using it to make the stairs into a simple slanted plane, she wouldn't suffer much damage even if she hit the ground. She'd used every bit of her precise mana control, said to be the greatest in the empire, to extend the barrier over the staircase, and it was onto that barrier that she fell.
As she'd calculated, because she was falling on a flat plane, it didn't hurt that much. It didn't hurt, but...Stairs had different levels—but her slanted path had none. Which, then, would result in greater momentum?
…It went without saying that the answer was the latter. And as was to be expected, Lillian ended up rolling, quickly and with great force.
"Hee-yaaaahhhhhhhhh!"
It was a miracle she didn't bite her tongue at the speed she tumbled down the stairs. The momentum carried her past the stairs and across the floor until she collided with a passing male student.
Lillian gave a mufflled yelp, which overlapped with a low groan, the voice of whoever it was she'd crashed into. Eyes welled with tears, she got up and apologized profusely to the male student, who was now seated on his rear.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Are you alright!?"
The person she'd struck was a young man with silver hair tied behind his head. Lillian had seen him once before, but her mind was too panicked to process such things at the moment.
"...Are you hurt?" he asked, holding a hand to try and help her up.
Lillian, not even noticing the hand, continued rattlign off her apologies. The male student wordlessly looked down at Lillian. Eventually, his fingers reached for her head. Out of reflex, she put her hands over her head in defense, thinking he was going to hit her. But instead, all his fingers did was gently part her bangs.
"Your forehead is a little red. Did you hit it? Does it hurt anywhere else?"
Lillian squeaked out a few incomprehensible sounds, then finally realized the young man wasn't trying to attack her. Far from it, he was worried about her. She felt his fingertips on her forehead; they were just a little chilly.
Ice magecraft? But he hasn't chanted...Wait, then is his mana leaking out unconciously?
As Lillian was considering this idea, Lana rushed down the staircase toward her. Lillian was glad she'd undon the barrier on the stairs so quickly. Otherwise, Lana would have slid down and fallen right after her. She breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey! A-are you okay!?" exclaimed Lana.
"Ah...yes," Lillian nodded.
Lana heaved a deep sigh of relief. She'd been worried about Lillina's safety too.
"What's going on here anyway?" the silver-haired boy asked, frowning.
Lillian finally remembered who the boy was. He was the one she met while looking for the moonflower.
"That's the vice president of the student council, Lord Cyril Ashley," whispered Lana into her ear.
"Can anyone here explain what's going on?" asked Cyril.
Caroline, who was still on the staircase landing, descended the stairs with a relaxed gait, her expression an easy, confident smile. "Lady Lana Colette here was goofing off and pushed a fellow student off the stairs."
"What!?" shouted Lana, aghast. Not only did Caroline show no sign of guilt, she was trying to foist the blame onto someone else. "You were the one who pushed me! Right into Lillian!"
"Oh!? Are you trying to shift the responsibility onto me? That's some nerve for a child of the nouveau riche."
The two girls with Caroline voiced their agreement. Reassured, Caroline raised the corners of her lips and cast her upturned gaze at Cyril. "Naturally, Lord Ashely, you would believe me, a member of the historic and respectable House Devilla, over this newcomer girl, right?"
Devilla...so she's the step-sister who took my former identity...Lillina thought so calmly, seen the resemblence between her and the man who threw her out when she was ill.
Lana ground her teeth at Caroline's words. Lillian knew that even if neither she nor Lana was in the wrong, if someone with a higher position said they were at fault, it would be taken as the truth.
"...Excuse me," called Lillian.
Cyril's eyes swiveled over to Lillian, his arms now folded. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but the air around them seemed to have chilled. His gaze caused her to cower and look down. This young man had been worried about Lillian after she'd fallen down the stairs, but if she was to accuse Caroline of wrongdoing, it would probably cause problems for the future. Moreover, this young man is a member of the student council, meaning he is partly in charge of keeping order in the academy. This school reflected noble society and that meant social status was something that can't be overlooked. However, that does not beat documentation.
"The young lady has made it impossible for me and Lady Colette give proper testimony regarding the incident. If you wish to know the truth, it would be efficient for you to ask the other students who witnessed it from afar."
"How dare you question my words!?" Caroline exlaimed angrily.
However, Lillian simply asked, "You stated that Lady Colette pushed another student down the stiars. Pry tell, where is that 'student'?"
"What a foolish question...obviously it's..."
Caroline paused upon finally noticing Lillian's labcoat. Her silence was answer enough. Lillian isn't a student, she is the assistant medical officer. If Caroline can't differenciate between a student and school staff, her statement holds no credibility.
If Caroline had claimed not to know what happened, if she'd only played the innocent, Lillian would have simply let it be. But she'd laid the blame on Lana instead. If she did nothing, Lana would be treated as the instigator. She would be accused of a crime she didn't commit, which is something Lillian cannot let pass. Like Father like daughter, I suppose...
Lillian turned to Cyril and apologized once again as if Caroline wasn't even worth spearing a second glance. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this when you're already so busy, sir," before she left the scene.
After flying up the stiars, Lillian paused to check the materials in her hand. She brushed a little bit of dirt off her skirt hem from when she'd fallen down the stairs. For now, she wanted to focus on searching for the assassin who was after Felix. The flowerpot incident had clearly been premeditated. A true assassination attempt. As his bodyguard, she couldn't over look it.
But why was the culprit after the prince? Felix and the others appeared to believe that an accomplice of Aaron O'Brien's, who had committed an injustice, was acting out of spite. That didn't sound quite right to Lillian, though.
Aaron O'Brien had implied that he'd had an accomplice. Why, then, would that accomplice now have attempted to get rid of Aaron instead, to make sure he didn't talk?
It's like an incomplete equation, full of holes...She needed more information to fill in the gaps. She told herself that for now, she simply needed to gather that information. When she reached the room she had been seeking, music room two on the fourth floor of the eastern building, she came to a stop.
She could hear the notes of a piano from within. Someone was playing inside. WOuld they get mad at her if she entered without asking? Still, she wanted to carry out her investigation as soon as possible. After some internal conflict, she lightly knocked on the door, then opened it.
The music room was elegant, like a little salon and had a fine-looking piano inside. The piano was an instrument for the upper classes luxury. Sitting at that piano, her fingers sliding over the keys, was the female student with blond ringlets Lillian had treated on the first day, Bridget Grayham.
Bridget stopped playing, then said to Lillian without shifting her gaze, "I'm using this room at the moment. If you need something, please come back later."
"I'm sorry for disturbing, Lady Grayham. However, I need to check the roster."
Bridget simply flipped through her scre, then said, almost as if to herself, "Make it quick, please."
Lillian thanked her and checked the roster before rushing out onto the balcony. As she'd expected, there were a number of flowerpots there. They looked similar to the one dropped in the rear gardens, too. Three pots have been planted with things already and...Just one of the flowerpots was empty and it was sitting upside down near the edge of the balcony. Lillian squatted to look at it. She picked it up, but there was nothing inside. It really was just an empty flowerpot turned upside down.
Why would this flowerpot be upside down and the others right side up? she wondered, returning the pot to its original position. The upside-down pot was filthy, and the dirt got onto her gloves.
She brushed some of it off, but the rest stuck fast. She'd have to wash her gloves as soon as she got back to her dorm room. She didn't have a spare pair. Worrying about her dirty gloves, she looked over at the balcony railing.
Since it was meant to prevent people from falling off, it was pretty high. Lillian would have had a difficult time trying to lift a heavy flowerpot over the railing to drop it from up here.
Wait. What if…? Lillian stood for a while in thought, and eventually the sounds of the piano ceased. Coming to, she looked back toward the music
room. Bridget who had been sitting at the piano was
now looking at her, expression cold.
Lillian thanked her before stepped out. Bridget's amber eyes remained fixed on her back as it disappeared down the hallway.