Haunted Duke’s Daughter - C118

C118

・・・・・

Chris paces down the hallway while a female student follows behind her, crying. Her arms are still bound by the maid.

“Christel-sama, why, why am I the only one……!”

The female student shouts as she cries out. Chris stopped with a sigh and turned back to the female student.

“You’re the one who pushed her.”

“Liliane must have done it too!”

Chris’s eyebrows twitched. Seeing her eyes narrowed in a grimace, the female student hurriedly rephrased her statement.

“Liliane-sama should have done the same thing.”

Chris looked at the student with emotionless and very cold eyes.

“The reason is simple. The difference is that Ms. Tina has testified that she was victimized.”

“What do you mean?”

“In the case of Ms. Liliane, she insisted that there was no evidence that Ms. Tina was pushed down but in your case, when I went to talk to her, she said she might file a report.”

The girl student’s face pales. Chris says nothing more and about to walk away.

“Miss Christel!”

Her name was called from the end of the hallway, and she turned again, suspiciously.

“Alisa-san, is something wrong?””

She smiled at Alisa, who came running toward her. Alisa bowed and handed her a piece of paper. She took it with a furrowed brow and read what was written on it. Her eyes widened slightly and she sighed in dismay.

“You’ve gone soft, Lilia.”

She muttered, noticing the three of them looking at her, and coughed hurriedly.

“Good for you.”

She said to the female student, who looked dumbfounded and bewildered,

“Liliane has asked for a lenient treatment.”

The female student opened her eyes wide. However, Chris continued.

“She asked me to respect Tina’s opinion. I’m glad to hear that. If you bow down and apologize sincerely, she might forgive you.”

Without looking at the female student, she turns on her heel and begins to walk. Behind her, the female student seemed to be bowing her head to Alisa, but she walked on without paying attention. Soon the female student came running towards her panicked.

Tina would probably forgive her. As for Chris, she would like to expel her from the social framework, but if they say so, she has to compromise.

“I’m not going to say you’re innocent.”

When Chris said this, the female student nodded her head in a muffled voice, “Yes.”

・・・・・

“First of all, I need you to promise me something.”

Lilia opens her mouth as she looks at the female students lined up in front of her. All of the female students looked at Lilia with a nervous look on their faces. Unlike earlier, they look into Lilia’s eyes, which surprise her a little. Not letting such feelings show on her face, Lilia continues.

“From now on, don’t ever touch Tina again. I may not blame you if you talk behind her back, but I will not allow you to touch her directly.”

The girls nodded gravely but when I looked at their expressions, everyone looked disapproving. Slightly irritated, I tapped the table with my finger. The girls cowered and slumped down.

L—Sakura, do you have any idea how to do this?

S–You’re being very reckless, aren’t you?…….Do you want to ask them why?

L–Reason?

S–Yeah. Well, I can guess, but if we hear it from them, we might be able to see something.

Lilia nodded and turned her gaze once again to the female students.

“Let me ask you something.”

Lilia’s voice made all of them tremble as if she was the bad guy.

S–Lilia is the bad guy, no matter how I look at it.

L–I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’m the bad guy. No one is more compassionate than I am.

S–Are you serious?

L–I’m joking.

Lilia opened her mouth while exchanging pleasantries with Sakura.

“Why are you guys being so hard on Tina?”

When the female students heard this, they rolled their eyes in surprise. When Lilia raised her eyebrows in suspicion, one of the female students said,

“Liliane-sama doesn’t think anything of it?”

“What do you mean?”

“That the daughter of a baron, no different from a commoner, is being favored by His Highness.”

“It is unthinkable that such a little girl should be favored by His Highness! She should know her place!”

Lilia understood and agreed. At the same time, she felt very distressed. These girls were just like the old Lilia. Lilia was also feeling jealous because she felt that the prince had been taken away from her, but it was probably the same feeling.

The first time Sakura approached Lilia, when she was shut up in the mansion, Sakura may have had the same feelings as Lilia does now.

S–Ahem…

L–I don’t mean that as a compliment. But yes. I’m grateful.

Lilia sighs and says quietly.

“Nonsense.”

Lilia sighs quietly, feeling no small amount of anger at her former self and those in front of her.

“Pathetic.”

She taps the table repeatedly with her fingers, unconsciously.

“You are such fools.” Lilia said.

“Why? Aren’t you frustrated?”

One of the female students stoutly glared at Lilia and said. The person next to her tugged at her clothes, and she immediately came to her senses and paled.

“I’m sure you’re right. I did feel frustrated at that time, didn’t I?”

Reflecting on the past, Lilia nodded.

“His Highness is favoring Tina, so let’s get rid of her.”

Lilia snickered.

“Pathetic. If His Highness likes Tina, it means that he thinks highly of her. Then why don’t you think about improving yourself?”

Lilia stood up and approached the female students. Everyone swallowed hard and looked at Lilia with frightened expressions. What are they frightened of?

“In the end, you are all annoyed that His Highness favors a Baroness instead of you. Then make an effort and try to get His Highness to look at you.”

The schoolgirl in front of her looked up as if she had noticed something and stared at Lilia intently. Lilia tilted her head and seemed to hesitate, but then opened her mouth.

“Perhaps Lady Liliane has had that in mind before……?”

“Well…….I doubt it.”

She turns away from the female student and returns to her chair. Indeed, Lilia’s original goal was to make the prince regret his decision, but now….

Thinking to that point, Lilia tilted her head. What would be her purpose now?