He was right. She canât blame everything on men, as not all of them are the same, and she was also the one who keeps perceiving herself as inferior.
Believing that she had to walk the extra mile just to be on the same lane as them, and thinking she can only call herself worthy if she had walked past them. No matter the achievement, no matter the honor and high numbersâ¦.
It was never enough for her as long as a man was higher than her.
And so, before the whole incident with Don, she was a nervous panicking wreck for the Scholastic exam tomorrow.
In fact, had it not been for Calla distracting her, she would have studied until morning and lost sleep, turning all her effort to naught.
A few hours earlier before nighttime, she was in her room forcing herself to digest every single word on her textbooks back to back.
Suddenly, there was a rap on her window.
When she opened it, Calla Lily was grinning, and said:
É´[0)á´ á´Ê âPrincess, letâs go have some fun and have a stroll around the school!â
Edelweiss blinked. âAt this hour? Calla, you know I have exams tomorrowââ
âYou have a tendency to overdo things because of your anxiety, Edel.â Calla Lily told her. âAnd that wonât do, thatâs just as self-destructive as doing nothing at all.â
âBut the examsâ-â.
Calla had already dragged her, pinching her cheeks. âPretty please~ Just so you can have a breath of fresh air! Alsoâ¦â
âI saw Rabuka sneak into the Student Council office earlier. Iâm dying to know what sheâs up to.â
Edelweiss narrowed her eyes. âThe Student Council?â
âYes, specifically her loverâs old office, the Headâs.â Callaâs tone become grave and mysterious, hushed and quieter than before. âSheâs scheming something, even a blind person can see it.â
Edelweiss could not lie and said this does not concern her even a bit. After all, going inside the Student Council office at this hour was suspicious enoughâ¦..
But the fact that it was someone like Rabukaâ¦. Itâs bound to be something malicious afoot.
And so, she followed Calla as they proceeded to tail this conniving rose-colored girl.
Rabuka had entered without a problem, and was not noticed since everyone had went to their dorm rooms before the curfew comes and the night patrol guards roamed.
She chose the perfect moment to sneak about. She must have been planning this for a long time.
When she arrived at Pavoneâs former office, which was now the office of the Simian party Head that won the electionsâ¦..
She took out a key, and easily unlocked the door, grinning.
âAh, the Council should have changed the locks now that Pavone was gone.â Calla whispered. âI canât believe they made such oversight.â
Edelweiss frowned. âWhat do we do now, should we call for helpââ
Suddenly, Callaâs voice turned a few octaves lower, as she spoke with a certain tone and cadence:
âCouncillor Verita suddenly arrived in the roomâ¦..â
She herself walked forward, causing Rabuka to jump in fright.
âH-Head C-Councillor!â She exclaimed, the files she was holding falling down the floor. âHowâ¦.. Youâre not supposed to be hereâ¦..â
Calla crossed her arms, copying Councillor Veritaâs mannerisms.
âWhat are you doing here, young lady? Who gave you the permission to rummage about Student Council office?â
Rabuka tried to pick up the fallen papers. âI can explain! There is very good reason for this, I am saving the Academy from a threatââ
Calla did not hesitate to take the files from her, and raised her eyebrow.
âYou are stealing the files of Ronin Willowe?â She scanned the papers herself. âAnd what about him would make you risk to commit something that would get in you into major trouble?â
âHe is not what he seems, Councillor.â Rabuka gritted her teeth. âPavone sent me here to look for the only Commoner student in this Academy, and everything related to him.â
Sure enough, everything about Roninâs basic information was there. His age, Mage Type and Focus, address, performance analysis since his Triannum test up to his latest academic involvements in his present school yearâ
âZafeiriâ¦.â Calla mumbled. âNow where did I hear that beforeâ¦.â
Edelweiss was just watching by the door, unseen thanks to Callaâs Theater of the Mind. She knew where she had heard that.
It was the new family of the Gridiron protege, that Don Asuli.
Calla rubbed her chin, and then turned to Rabuka.
âVery well, we may discuss this somewhere more private, possibly in my office. Come along.â
Rabuka sighed in relief that the Head Councillor had trusted her. âThank you. This is a dire matter than concerns everyoneâ not just the Academy but Magecia itself!â
Magecia itself? Both Calla and Edelweiss wondered what she meant.
Calla lured her to the girlâs dorm room by using her Theater of the Mind skill, and not to the Councillorâs office.
Rabuka began to frown, noticing that they were walking more than usual. âCouncillor, I never expected the walk to your office to be this long. How much longer?â
âWeâll be there, child. But first, I would like you to elaborate further on this âdire matterâ about Ronin Willowe.â
Calla added: âAnd do not think of lying, as I can use my powers to scour the truth from you.â
Rabuka weighed her options, her confliction obvious in her eyesâ¦.
Until, she eventually said:
âIâm sorry, Councillor. But Pavone asked me to be quiet until we confirmed that he really wasââ
Edelweiss accidentally slipped on a wet path on the floor just when they were about to reach the girlâs dorms.
Rabuka blinked. âWhat was that sound?â
âCouncillor Veritaâ just shrugged. âI do not hear anything, child.â
Rabuka turned to Edelweiss direction, who had fallen on her bum on the floor.
Edelweiss was in great pain, but stayed quiet as much as she could to not break the Theater.
As Rabuka went closer and closerâ
âCouncillor Veritaâ took her by the wrist, and her face contorted into a ghastly monstrous form!
âLooking for this?â
She said with her blackened eyes and large opened mouth that can swallow her Rabukaâs whole!
Rabuka panicked and screamed, using her Cordial Surge to push her backwards!
âAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!â
The Theater of the Mind was broken, and Calla grabbed Edelweissâ hand and ran while Rabuka was still busy closing her eyes and screaming and screaming like a banshee.
And as they ran, they bumped into Don Asuli, who had just jumped down from the boysâ dormitory window.
That was how this sleepover came to be.
Ronin Willoweâs file was still in Callaâs hands the whole evening, and Edelweiss wondered what she planned to do with it.
Eventually, after dressing up Don with several dresses, Calla suddenly brought up the question:
âDon, dearie⦠Just how powerful do you reckon your servant Ronin could be?â