22 Chapter 22: Relationships (2/2)
”I'll take you up on your offer then.”
”That will be great.” Alicia looked delighted. ”I'll get the necessary paperwork done, so you'll be able to begin using the room today, after school.”
”Thanks again.”
I watched as Alicia left, and then sighed before opening the door to my classroom. To my surprise, there weren't many students in there today. Right…I saw many of my classmates crowding around the courtyard to watch the departure of the Crowley Academy students.
”Ah, there you are, Richard.” Teacher Fielding looked up from inspecting a couple of students who were exchanging techniques. ”I assume the students from Crowley's Academy have already left our campus?”
”Not yet, I think.” Teacher Fielding was obviously wondering when the other students in his class would return. ”I managed to escape.”
”Ah, right. The promise.” Cecilia was such a high-profile celebrity that practically everyone in the field knew of her declaration. Teacher Fielding certainly was aware of it. He grinned at me mischievously. ”Escaped, did you? Then I assume you rejected her outright.”
”Yeah.” I shuddered. ”I would rather not get involved with her or the Stuart family.”
”Wise choice.” Teacher Fielding nodded. ”Now, go get paired up with somebody. We'll be doing a bit of light sparring today.”
”Yes, sir.”
I hurried to obey, searching out for a group with three people in it and joining them. With me evening out the numbers, we could split into pairs.
The rest of the lesson resumed without incident…and in the end, none of the absent classmates showed up for the lesson. Their loss.
*
”Captain Cecilia, are you just going to let them go like that?” Nick asked, astonished, when his leader said nothing and merely watched Alicia Violet and I leave the scene.
”What do you mean?” Cecilia asked indifferently. ”Are you saying I should stop them or something?”
”Uh…” Nick was caught off guard by the question, and spluttered wordlessly.
”How dare he humiliate you?!” Hal Gunther was seething. ”I've never seen a person so thick-skinned and arrogant!”
Wow…the idiot just didn't realize the irony of his own statement, did he?
”That's enough.” Cecilia's voice was sharp. She then softened her otherwise glacial expression. ”At least I somewhat understand the situation now.”
”…that he's already in a relationship with someone else?” Doug Daniels offered, just in case his denser teammates didn't get the hint. He probably knew Alicia was faking it, but he decided to help me out this time.
”So what?” Elena sneered. ”Who does that girl think she is? What's a small little family like the Violet clan compared to the Stuart Clan? There's no way she can compete against Cecilia!”
”That's enough, Elena.” Cecilia's voice had grown so frosty that Elena actually jolted and shrank back in fear, shivering nervously. ”Alicia is a friend of mine. I will not allow you to speak that way about her.”
”S…sorry…” Elena had collapsed to her knees and was weeping. ”I didn't mean to…”
Chang Cheng stepped in and helped her to her feet, while keeping his gaze on Cecilia. ”What will you do now, Captain?”
”Nothing.” Cecilia stared at her teammates blankly. ”What exactly are you asking me to do?”
”Ugh…this will cause quite the outrage online, you know?” Louis groaned as he glanced at his smartphone. ”The public will accuse you of breaking your promise and going back on your word. Already they are wondering why you didn't just straight up declare him as your lover yesterday.”
Mostly because Cecilia was unconscious and in the infirmary for most of the time…but nobody cared about logic. They just wanted an excuse to go on a witch-hunt and burn people at stake.
”What do they expect me to do?” Cecilia demanded, genuinely bewildered. ”Force him to break up with his current girlfriend just to go out with me?”
”Well…as the young mistress of the Stuart Clan, you have every right to break them up…” Elena whimpered softly, only to fall silent when Cecilia glared coldly at her.
”Then I will exercise my right to refuse that right.” Turning away, Cecilia proceeded toward the luxurious bus that was awaiting them. ”This topic is closed. I don't want to hear anything more about it.”
”Yes, Captain.”
Complying obediently, the rest of the Crowley's Academy students joined her aboard the bus.