Chapter 415 136 - Back to the Aspakeony Academy (part 6)

*knock* *knock*

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

As the blue-haired teacher was about to begin her lecture someone knocked on the door to the classroom getting everyone's attention – especially the dark-haired girl who straightened her back and stared wide-eyed at the entrance in complete disbelief.

"...what are you doing...?"

The first-prince Horeo raised his brow and leaned toward his fiance in confusion.

"Your air emperor smells danger or something...?"

He asked cautiously. Looking between the girl and the door.

"Enter."

The blue-haired teacher, Rokiana Grea Perserios breathed out and called out, clearly preferring to have any possible nuisance out of the way as soon as possible.

*click*

The door opened and a tall, devilishly handsome black-haired boy supporting himself on a crystal cane walked inside, unable to hold back a smile when he looked at the surprised teacher.

"Good morning. Please excuse me for being late – I had to show myself to the headmaster first."

Zoemi nodded his head apologetically while his eyes inadvertently ended up on the blue-haired woman's left hand's ring finger when a simple but elegant engagement ring was sparkling with her every move.

"Oh, my! Young lord Banemor! I've heard that your health improved and was expecting you to show up sometime soon. Take your seat."

Rokiana noticed Zoemi's gaze and had a hard time holding back a proud smile but in the end, her professional expression didn't even budge as she motioned at the free spot – that not by coincidence was right in front of Miriette and Horeo, a position that the black-haired boy would always take before he had to leave the Academy.

"Thank you for understanding."

The black-haired boy smiled brightly as the blue-haired teacher's words indirectly confirmed that his father took his words seriously and talked things out with her, unintentionally making a few hearts skip a beat before casually going to his seat as if he wasn't absent for almost a full year.

"Cousin."

"...?!"

Zoemi smirked kind of menacingly at the first prince, shocking the gold-haired boy with that attitude quite a bit - before turning to the awestruck young lady Espine.

"Miri."

*chu*

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

*clack*

Zoemi's devilish smile demanded absolute and undivided attention from anyone lucky enough to catch even a glimpse of it, and the black-haired boy reached for Miriette's hand, taking it gently and placing a light kiss on top of it, making Miriette blush so hard as if her head was about to explode, as the quill she dropped rolled off the desk and fall to the floor making a shockingly loud noise in the absolutely silent classroom.

"I see you are still betrothed to that justice-loving goody-two-shoes even though I am right here. We should change that as soon as possible."

Zoemi added in a tone of casual chit-chat, before turning around and taking his seat as if he didn't just literally say that he will take the first prince's fiancee...

...and did so in front of their entire class worth of people...

"(Master, master...! Weren't you supposed to be good?)"

"(Evil master is so cool~!)"

As Zoemi put his crystal cane against his desk, the two sentinels in his shadow called out to him, the first one sounded very worried as if it thought that the black-haired boy suddenly started feeling sick, while the second one was absolutely ecstatic because of the turn of events.

|The original plan had to be altered. Haven't we seen enough to support my decision?|

The black-haired boy took out a handbook, a quill, and ink and acted as if he focused on the blue-haired teacher trying to start a lecture – even though she too was actually shaken over the sudden wild behavior of her soon-to-be step-son – and responded to his sentinels.

|The animosity towards Horeo is on an all-time high because of his support towards me – we saw it while we passed this classroom earlier. At the same time since four dozens of people actually wanted to pick a fight with me, we can assume that I am straight-up hated, truly vilified even.|

Zoemi explained – but it wasn't like his sentinels really understood where he was going with it...

"(Then... why are you making things worse, master...?)"

historical

"(Evil master is the best~!)"

Their stance on the subject didn't change a bit.

|As I said, I am altering my original plans, originally it was to slowly clear up my reputation – and by proxy Horeo's – instead of that, I can play along with me being evil. Evil enough to trick the kindhearted, justice-loving first prince into putting his faith in me. Do you see my point? Clearing my opinion will be really bothersome afterward, but as long as we bring back Horeo's support and secure his ascension to the throne, everything will be alright in the end.|

The black-haired boy tried to clear things out some more.

"(...but... my mind is too small to work that out... I need someone smarter to talk you out of this, master... THITREEEEEEEEEN!)"

"!!!"

The first sentinel responded in a pitiful voice before it suddenly raised its voice, and even though Zoemi was receiving the words through magic, he still flinched at what was basically the equivalent of a shout.

"[I can't talk right now, as long as master's life isn't in danger do not contact me.]"

One of Zoemi's puppets responded in a bothered voice but it cut off the connection immediately after scoffing at the sentinel who called him.

"(...uuu.... master is overthinking things again...)"

"(I know what master is doing! Master wants to take the prince's fiance! Master loves her and is changing his plan because he doesn't want her to marry the prince!)"

|!?!?!?!?????!|

The scolded sentinel cried out pitifully, but all of a sudden, the other sentinel called out triumphantly, and Zoemi almost fell out of his chair because of the ridiculously perfect prediction that he honestly didn't expect from the sentinel that seemed to be less bright than the first one.

"Student Banemor? Is everything alright?"

Rokiana turned around and asked in genuine worry sing the sudden change in Zoemi's expression.

"I didn't fully recover yet, but it's nothing major. Sorry for being a nuisance and thank you for worrying. Please, don't mind me."

The black-haired boy smiled awkwardly while bowing his head apologetically as everyone's attention was focused on him again.

"(Really? Then our master isn't trying to sacrifice himself?)"

The first sentinel asked in a relieved voice.

"(Nope~! Master is evil, and being evil is cool! And cool people have harems!)'"

"(EEEEEHHHHH?! Master, you will have a harem?!)"

|...I... wha...? You know? You actually had something there but then... how in the world did you come to THAT conclusion?! No, I will not!|

The sentinels began talking to each other without excluding Zoemi from the call, making the black-haired boy close his eyes and breath out in disbelief.

"(...you won't...?)"

"(But if you will, other students would believe that you were tricking the prince this whole time just to get close to the girls!)"

|...where did the two of you get all that knowledge from, anyway?!|

The sentinels asked, Zoemi only groaned internally and decided to actually focus on the lecture.

He will have plenty of time to clear things up with his resident sentinels later on.

"..."

Teacher Rokina was speaking about tactics commonly used during battles at the northern border and the importance of the supply lines, but something different was bothering the black-haired boy whose face was becoming more and more grim...

|...it would make it more believable though...|

"(Master...?!)"

"(Master~!)"

He ended up sighing as he thought to himself in defeat, making the two sentinels gasp for two different reasons again...