In a random road on academy grounds leading to the common dorms, a crowd had gathered to encircle a poor soul. The crowd was led by a light blue-haired man named Markus, along with a high-class lady named Ravilenna.

The poor soul? Why, none other than me, of course.

“Just say it already!” Ravilenna demanded, her earlier “shock” faded away like it was never real… Assuming it was in the first place. She pointed her finger at me like one would thrust a blade. “You stole it! I don’t know what you’re planning on doing with it, but you stole it, plain as day!”

“Yeah, what kind of a man are you to steal a lady’s privates?” a girl in the group said.

“Don’t tell me he does this with Lady Carine, too?”

“What a disgrace to the Royal Knights' name…”

I stood still, eyes narrowed at each and every single one of them, holding back a tired sigh the entire time.

I wanted to stand up for myself, believe me, I did. But I could tell these guys made up their minds hours ago. Facts or not, they were going to have me guilty no matter what. They wouldn’t have framed me otherwise.

Not only did I have to deal with the rumor about me abusing myself, but now this, too?

I’m hit from all sides, huh?

This time, not only would Carine’s reputation be misconstrued to all hell. Feyt would be labeled a creep, and honestly, that seemed like the best case scenario. If this went all the way to the higher-ups, I had no doubt I’d be expelled.

Still, it wasn’t like I was going to take this lying down. There was still one more thing I could try.

Even if I couldn’t stand up for myself.

“I” could.

…

I took one more sip of the exquisite tea before placing the cup down with slightly more force than usual, causing a sharp clink to echo inside the pavilion.

The sound pulled Nicholas and Alishia's attention enough to stop their monologues and had them turn to me, their eyes widened slightly.

Without any delay, I stood up from my seat with my usual grace, though at a slightly faster pace than usual.

I need to help myself out quickly.

“Lady Carine?” Nicholas said. “Is something wrong?”

“Is the tea not to your liking?” Alishia followed.

“I shall leave this gathering. I have other urgent matters to attend to,” I said bluntly. “Please, excuse me.”

I moved away from the chair and turned my heel. The two monologuing enthusiasts behind me sat still for a moment before they eventually rose from their seats as well.

“P-Please wait, Lady Carine! Could you not bother us with a minute more of your time?”

“We were just about to discuss the tournament rulings too, haha,” Alishia added awkwardly.

I didn’t answer any of them and continued down the steps. Thankfully, their servants pivoted to open a way for me. They almost felt like an automatic gate at this point.

I walked briskly, heading towards my other self.

—

Before I knew it, a massive crowd had formed around Feyt as Ravilenna and her accomplices continued to question and berate me.

I had tried several times to explain that this was all a misunderstanding, specifically to the students who had just arrived, students who probably had nothing to do with this staged framing. But every time I tried, this Markus fella wouldn’t shut up.

“Please, I’ve been framed! That bag was given to me by another student—”

“Save your lies for the court, you scum. Do you know how much distress you have caused Lady Ravilenna?” he said with his booming voice. Then, he scoffed. “Though I suppose your uncouth nature prevents you from seeing that. How pathetic.”

This guy, I swear.

Eventually, I arrived at the crime scene as Carine. Amongst the large crowd crowding over me, I spotted a familiar set of faces. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

They’re pulled in by the crowd, too, huh?

I approached them.

“Villius, Clarissa,” I called out.

They both jumped, worry practically leaking off them. Clarissa looked like she was about to faint from the secondhand embarrassment, while Villius looked ready to jump in himself.

“Lady Carine!” Clarissa said, surprised. “We came here as soon as we saw the commotion. I didn’t expect to find him, though…” she said, her voice as soft as I remembered it.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

“Lady Carine! Thank goodness!” Villius stepped forward, his voice a frantic whisper. “It’s Feyt. They’re trying to pin something on him, but there’s no way he—”

I placed a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I know.”

Thanks for believing in me.

But I can handle this.

I cleared my throat, which caught the attention of several students near us. After a small, glaring contest, they all seemed to realize that I wanted to go through and began making way.

And so, I stepped into the ring.

Markus was staring down at me, with Ravilenna hiding a subtle smirk behind her fan, their dozen or so lackeys surrounding them.

“What is all this commotion about?” I asked despite knowing full well what this commotion was about.

Everyone turned to me, and almost immediately, I saw dread wash over Markus and Ravilenna’s faces.

Safe to say, neither of them expected my arrival.

They quickly turned to each other, whispering in a futile effort against Feyt’s ears.

“Why is she here already?! I thought Nicholas held her off?” Ravilenna said.

“I don’t know, why ask me?!”

“What do we do now?”

I internally scoffed. I knew there was more to that meeting than just exchanging information… even though no information was exchanged.

I folded my hands and kept my expression cold and irritated, letting my true feelings show. “Explain yourselves,” I demanded.

Markus was the first to regain his composure and approach me.

Markus recovered first, dropping into a bow that was just a bit too deep to be sincere, and more so, done out of panic. “Your Grace! It is fortunate you’ve arrived to witness this. We have discovered something truly... abhorrent regarding your retainer.”

He shot Feyt a rather nasty stink eye. I answered in kind by shooting him a sharp glare from both sides.

“He stole Lady Ravilenna’s... private garments during the break. We caught him red-handed.” He held up the brown bag like it was evidence in a court trial. “He even dared to claim it was for your eyes only. Not only is he a degenerate, but he is dragging your noble name through the mud to cover his tracks!”

“I-It’s true!” Ravilenna chimed in, her once clear yet frustrated voice now trembling with manufactured terror. “I saw him lurking by my dorm. When I checked my drawer... one of my items was missing!”

The students who just got here probably heard of this for the first time. Immediately, their comments repeated like an echo chamber.

“Is that true? No way, right?”

“I mean, there’s the bag…”

“I wouldn’t put it past a commoner to do such things.”

My grip tightened slightly in irritation at how easily they believed this dude.

I took in a sharp, deep breath. The crowd went silent.

I pulled my chin down and stared directly into Markus’s eyes. I watched him begin to sweat slightly as he took that tiny step back.

“How about you drop the lies, Sir Markus?”

Markus froze, his mouth hanging open for a fraction of a second too long. “Y-You know my name?”

I gave a slow, deliberate nod. “Of course, I know your name. In fact, I know more than just your name.” I took one step forward as I continued. “Alishia. Nicholas. Meeting at the western garden… I know it all since the beginning.”

…Not really. I just assumed that Markus, Ravilenna, Alishia, and Nicholas were banding together to do… whatever this was. Hearing them whisper to each other earlier was just the final nail in the coffin.

The effect was instantaneous. The smug confidence that had been slowly propping up Markus’s smile vanished, replaced by a visible, creeping dread that turned his face near pure white.

“W-Whatever do you mean, Lady Carine?” Ravilenna stammered, her fan fluttering at a frantic pace.

I scoffed at them as I eyed the bag Markus was holding.

“I willingly played along just to see what kind of grand, sophisticated maneuver you had conjured up to mess with Feyt,” I continued, tilting my head slightly. “I expected a challenge. A bit of wit. But this? A panty heist?”

Seriously. Out of any tricks they could do, why this? It just makes everyone involved look like an idiot.

“Feyt is my personal attendant. He is under my direct supervision and, more importantly, he is someone I have personally vetted and trusted.”

A strange flutter bloomed in my chest. Standing up for myself always felt great to do, and doing it to combat this flimsy excuse of a framing job? All the more satisfying to do.

“I have an absolute, unwavering faith that Feyt did not do this childish thing you accuse him of.” I stepped forward, the crowd parting like a wave. I snatched the brown bag from Markus’s limp fingers before he could even blink. “A man who has stood beside me in the face of death more than once has no reason to throw his life away for a scrap of… this.”

I walked up to Ravilenna. She looked like she wanted to shrink into the pavement as I dropped the bag into her palms.

I turned my gaze toward the students in the back—the ones I knew had been whispering behind my back for a while now.

“And while we’re on ‘childish things,’ let’s end these rumors of my ‘mistreatment.’ It’s insulting. I don’t abuse those who work for me; I protect them. If Feyt were truly a victim of mine, would he still stand here by my side?”

Inside, pride and relief washed over me. Finally. I had been looking for a way to kill that pesky rumor, and these idiots had handed me the perfect stage. I killed two birds with one stone.

“Let me be clear. Feyt is not just my future bodyguard. He is an expression of my will and an extension of my House. To insult him is to insult my judgment. To frame him is to treat me as a fool. And any further attempt to harm him...”

I let my gaze sweep over Markus and Ravilenna.

“...will be handled as an act of aggression against the House Sareid. Do I make myself understood?”

Markus swallowed hard, his throat bobbing as he offered a jerky, terrified nod. Ravilenna looked reluctant to do the same, but eventually, she offered a forced nod as she gritted her teeth.

“I’m glad you understand.” I turned to the rest of the crowd. “The show is over. Leave.”

The "army" that had looked so formidable minutes ago began to fracture, students shuffling away with their heads down, whispering in hushed tones. I watched them go, feeling awesome for standing up for myself… while technically having someone else do it for me.

I spared one last glance at Markus and Ravilenna.

“Both of you are dismissed,” I said.

They didn't say a word. They simply turned and retreated, their silence loud considering how chatty they were moments ago. Yet, as they walked away, I could feel the heat of their glares burning into me.

I sure made some enemies today.

At least they would think twice about messing with me now.

I began to turn back toward Villius and Clarissa, who were approaching us, but a flash of movement caught the corner of my eye.

Near the corner of the main building, distinct figures of Nicholas and Alishia were watching us. They hadn’t noticed that I had noticed, as they began to whisper to each other.

“So… the rumors about her being one of us aren’t true after all,” Alishia said. “What now? Do we let Markus and Ravi take the fall for this mess?”

“No need to worry,” Nicholas said, his tone as pretentious as ever. “The social fallout was only the secondary objective. I’ve already had a formal report of the 'incident' drafted and delivered to the directors through an associate. Even if she defends him publicly, the paperwork is signed. At the very least, the commoner will be expelled.”

I froze.

He planned that far ahead?

For a panty heist?!