Chapter 82: The Curtain Falls
The grand hall doors closed behind the royal knights with a heavy thud, cutting off the last sounds of the armored scraping and the breeze stirred by the princess’s gown.
The deathly silence lasted only for a brief mont, before being swallowed by a more overwhelming wave of voices.
Shocked, fearful, and excited discussions erupted like a beehive that had been hit, buzzing across every corner of the hall.
People watched as Andre, Wood, and Hank were dragged away, but inevitably, their gazes returned to the young man standing alone at the center of the hall.
Ryan Velt.
Just a few minutes ago, that na had been tightly bound to the image of a scheming villain, a heartless scoundrel who disregarded human life.
Just yesterday, rumors had been swirling through the academy—about the terrifying explosion, how it wasn’t an accident at all, but a carefully planned conspiracy.
And the one with the most motive, and the most likely candidate to commit such a thing, was none other than Ryan Velt.
After all, he was already seen as the notorious villain in everyone’s eyes.
Arrogant, harsh, and ruthless, it seed almost natural that the bla would fall on him.
When the rumors had reached their peak, Ryan had even ordered Cosette to stay in the dormitory and not leave.
That girl had sharp ears and a keen mind; he didn’t want her overhearing the cruel gossip that was circulating.
But so things couldn’t be hidden. Just before lights out the night before, when he opened her door, he found her sitting by her bed, hugging her knees. Her eyes were red like a rabbit’s, her face wet with tears. Upon seeing him enter, she hurriedly wiped her eyes, but the more she tried, the worse her tears beca.
Ryan had remained silent for a while. He wasn’t good at handling such situations, and in the end, he simply ruffled her hair awkwardly and, with as steady a voice as he could muster, told her it had nothing to do with him, and that they would win the trial the next day.
He spoke with such certainty, and Cosette looked up at him, trying to find more reassurance in his emotionless face. In the end, she nodded and buried her face in her knees, muttering a quiet "mm."
But later that night, Ryan still heard the sounds of tossing and turning from the next room, the faint sniffling like a little kitten stifling her sobs.
Silly girl.
He had thought to himself in the darkness, at least she wasn’t completely ungrateful.
And now, the truth had broken through all the fog in such a dramatic fashion.
The students who had earlier followed Andre and Hansen with righteous fury, eager to pin Ryan to the pillar of sha, now looked like pale shadows, shrinking into the crowd, wishing they could turn into a painting on the wall and never speak again.
More ordinary students were left in an awkward daze, looking at Ryan with complex expressions.
Just yesterday, they had all naturally believed that this villain deserved what was coming to him, even secretly hoping for his severe punishnt. They had gathered today to attend the trial, showing their support for Andre.
But now... the hard evidence was undeniable. The real criminals were the two n who had seed so refined and well-liked among the students.
Not only had they swapped the goods, nearly killing a classmate, but they had also tried to shift the bla onto soone else. The malice behind their actions was chilling.
And what about Ryan Velt?
It seed... he really had been wronged?
This realization left many people feeling confused.
Apologize? They couldn’t bring themselves to, especially since this was Ryan Velt.
Pretend nothing happened? But the dramatic confrontation that had just unfolded was still fresh in their minds.
Soon, the academy’s official announcent was posted, black and white, sealed with the office of the Academic Affairs. The announcent detailed the sequence of events, imposed severe punishnt on Andre Garcia and Hansen Wood—expelling them and transferring them to the Empire’s Public Security Bureau—and cleared Ryan Velt of suspicion.
A crowd gathered in front of the bulletin board, and after reading the notice, they quietly dispersed. When the topic ca up again, their tone had changed completely.
“I didn’t expect... it was really those two.”
“They always acted so well.”
“Ryan Velt... was it really just an innocent victim this ti?”
“Heh, even if this ti it wasn’t him, does that an everything he did in the past is forgiven?”
“That’s true... but he still seems a bit different now.”
“Different how?”
“...I can’t say.”
No one could pinpoint exactly what had changed.
The fear was still there, stemming from his past actions and his cold, unapproachable deanor. The disgust was perhaps still there, after all, his personality was not likable.
But the darkest label of being a malicious scher had been torn away by the facts.
In its place was a more complicated perception—he was still soone to avoid, soone not to be trifled with, but it seed he wasn’t without a bottom line. At least, this ti, he had stood in the position of being wronged and retaliated.
This shift was subtle, like the faint change in the flow of water beneath the surface, even though the surface remained calm.
Ryan himself had no interest in this. Whether the public opinion was churning or silent, he didn’t care.
His reputation had already sunk to rock bottom; he didn’t care whether it sank deeper into the mud or into a gutter. As long as he wasn’t actually treated as a criminal and sent to the pyre, and as long as it didn’t affect his future studies and plans to make money, let others think what they wanted.
After the trial, he went straight back to Silver Fir Dormitory.
When he opened the door to Room 207, the air inside seed to still carry the lingering tension from the night before.
Almost as soon as the door creaked open, a small door inside the room was gently pushed open from within. Cosette leaned out, her steps quick and light, barely making a sound on the wooden floor—she was only wearing white socks, not even her shoes, and was lightly curling her toes as though trying to find so stability on the cold floor.
Her dress was a little disheveled, the collar turned slightly, and several strands of her flaxen hair had co loose, sticking to her damp neck.
Her small face clearly showed the traces of a restless night, with faint blue circles under her eyes and swollen eyelids. Yet, her hazel eyes were incredibly bright, burning with all the worry and hope she had, locked tightly on Ryan’s face.
She tilted her head up, her lips slightly parted as though she wanted to say sothing, but then stopped herself, her fingers nervously tugging at the hem of her dress, waiting for a judgnt-like answer.
Ryan removed his academic jacket, hung it up casually, and glanced at her.
“Perfect ending,” he said, “I told you, we would win.”
Cosette stood frozen, staring at him. Then, her eyes quickly reddened again, and she lowered her head in a hurry, gripping the hem of her apron tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly as she struggled to hold back her tears.
Ryan paused, walked over, and, like the night before, gently ruffled her soft hair.
“Go wash your face, put your shoes on,” he said, “Then find my magic tool blueprint books.”
“...Yes! Master!” Cosette replied, her voice thick with her sniffles. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, then hurried to the bathroom, her steps so light it seed like she might float.
Ryan walked to the window, looking down at the tree-lined path below, which was slowly returning to its usual order.
After this incident, the pure villainous label had cracked open a small, subtle fissure in his reputation.
Though no one dared to approach him easily, those glances, aside from the usual wariness and rejection, seed to carry sothing else—sothing the observers themselves might not even realize...
A sense of newfound respect.
The sunlight outside was just right, stretching his upright figure and quietly casting his shadow on the clean wooden floor.
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