Finally, he twitched slightly. As I thought, knightly codes were the same in this world. The moment he loosened his grip, I wrenched myself from him and stood.
“You, a frail girl? Don’t even joke.” My younger brother, Berne Darshi Armelia, snorted. His chocolate-brown hair and sharp eyes always made him stand out in a crowd, and on the whole he resembled our father. Now, he looked at me with eyes of ice, a corner of his lips twisted in sarcasm.
He really ticked me off.
That said, no matter how screwed I was, I had zero intention of letting my irritation take control. I wouldn’t make things worse for myself. “I’ll admit, I was not exactly kind to Ms. Yuri Neuer, daughter of a baron,” I said.
“That was easy.”
“Quite. After all, you instigated this mock trial, taking up everyone’s precious time. Thus, I shall endeavor to show sincerity.”
“And why did you bully her?”
Alas, his question set me off. “Why? You’re asking me why?”
My tone was somewhat icier than usual. For a second, Prince Edward’s fury faltered. He knew the reason for my ire. Or perhaps, after being bewitched by the game’s protagonist, his brain had turned to mush—the lovestruck fool. At least, this was how Iris’s memories framed the situation. She had massaged the facts in her mind to give Prince Edward a little credit.
For my part, I had no patience for this farce. Ultimately, this entire showdown was simply a way for Prince Edward and his merry band to unleash their pent-up frustrations. It was also a way to legitimize Yuri’s victimhood. If I accepted this lying down, I was doomed.
There was nothing more I could do, though. All that was left was to see if I could avoid being effectively exiled. The details of my fate would depend on my negotiations with my father. In any case, I would never again set foot in high society, nor would I return to this academy.
“In any case, I doubt I shall ever see any of you again. Would the good prince allow me to say my goodbyes? Everyone, thank you for all you have done for me thus far. I cannot begin to express how grateful I was to attend this academy as a student and to be treated so well by so many of you. Take care.”
I finished my speech with as much grace as I could muster and made to leave, but Prince Edward stopped me.
“Iris, wait!”
Couldn’t he read the room? Honestly, what had I ever seen in him?
“Before you leave, apologize to Yuri.”
Seriously, why did I love him, even for a second? Ugh. I gave it a second to make sure I hadn’t misheard him, and an awkward silence filled the air. “You wish for me, the daughter of a duke, to apologize to the daughter of a baron in public?” I said primly, though I wanted to shout.
It wasn’t just pride fueling my anger. I might have been “just” a duke’s daughter, but every one of my actions impacted not only my father’s name but all of noble society. If I apologized, the House of Armelia would in effect be bowing its head to a baron’s house. It was absolutely unheard of for the leader of a country to stoop in such a way. It would destabilize the ranks of every noble from marquis to earl. It might even instigate a full-scale revolt from those newly minted “nobles” and threaten the balance of power throughout our nation.
He really was a lovestruck fool. And was this really any way to address one’s former fiancée? Put your hand to your heart and think carefully! I thought.
The crowd seemed to share my sentiment, and the bed of nails beneath me softened as a number of them murmured in sympathy with my argument.
I couldn’t let this chance escape.
“I shall not apologize. It was the preservation of my dignity that led me down this path, and even if it leads to my destruction, I shall not bend.” My implication: I was prepared for this outcome.
“Ms. Yuri. What more do you wish to steal from me? You’ve taken my fiancé, my position…” Here, I started to tear up, envisioning myself in the role of a tragic heroine. Oh! Alas!
As I did, the mood of the crowd swung ever further in my favor. The girl who had once been seen as an utter villain became, to them, the victim.
“No, all those things that make me who I am are mine alone—my dignity included. To apologize to you would be to crush myself under my own boot. So, no, I will not apologize, and I will not let you take anything more from me.”
Nailed it. Ah, that feels good.
Thus, riding on cloud nine, I left the dining hall for good. Prince Edward still appeared dissatisfied, while Yuri looked on in blank confusion. I exited the building and left campus, trusting in my father, who had a habit of being prepared for the oddest situations. As expected, he had already sent someone from home to retrieve me.
What a luxurious carriage… The Armelian coat of arms sat in gold upon a wine-red body, and I boarded it alone. More people would be sent later to gather my things and either bring them back to our estate or dispose of them.
This was my goodbye to the academy. I would never again return, no matter if my fate followed that of the story and I was stripped of my status and locked away, or even if I managed to wrangle some other option. My father would wish me to distance myself from this place.
I sighed. The act was over. Thus far, I had only followed the narrative as I knew it. There was no plot left for me to chase. Most pressingly, I was about to face the last boss, so to speak: my father. Honestly, I was even more nervous than before. As the carriage gently set off for the Armelia mansion in the capital, my feelings couldn’t help but grow heavier.