“It’s a secret, Sister.”

‘..Heinrich, you’re keeping secrets from me. You’ve never done that before.’

Heinrich winked playfully.

Then I put my hands behind my head, leaned back, and vaguely smiled.

‘Sometimes, Heinrich, I don’t know what you’re thinking.’

Although I thought I knew everything about Heinrich, if the boy was determined to hide his heart, there was nothing I could see.

“It’s sad.”

I said it like I was complaining.

“There are some secrets that I can’t tell even you, Sister.”

Heinrich replied calmly, but my mind became a little more complicated.

‘Heinrich, is it really you?’

If it’s him, then I must find out more.

For his future.

“....”

I clenched my fists, placing it above my knees.

After all, the situation of having to doubt Heinrich like this would soon be over. The true culprit would eventually come out. If only the little devil stole a second time.

I waited quietly like a fisherman who casted a line, and immediately the opportunity came.

***

It was around the afternoon of the next day when Robert called out that his toy was missing.

The object was still found in Sislin’s locker.

I wondered if Sislin would be able to endure being under suspicion again, but as if he had already expected it, the boy calmly accepted the situation.

Sislin was stronger than I expected.

“I’m sorry, Annette.”

Julius acted like he was rather pleased about this situation.

“What did I say? I said problem children keep causing problems. You said you were going to reveal the true culprit, how funny.”

‘What, this guy is so childish.. He’s seriously trying to keep a 12-year-old in check.’

I said with a smile.

“I still believe in Sislin, sir. And I believe that ring will be mine too.”

I believe you will be my slave?

—It was the same as saying this.

Julius let out an “Ugh” for a moment before turning around with a cool face.

“Do whatever you want. I’ll have to tell Madam Mimosa about this first.. She will not be so merciful the second time.”

Then Julius left the place.

Then, in this slightly chilly atmosphere, Robert opened his mouth.

“Did Sislin really take my toy..?”

“No. I did not.”

Sislin calmly opened his red eyes that were under his black hair and answered.

But Robert, with his head bowed, whispered in a trembling voice.

“..But..”

I knew the words that would follow, it would be something like, ‘My stuff came out of your locker.’

Robert was a child who sided with Sislin in the first case of theft, saying, ‘Sislin couldn’t possibly have done it.’

However, when the incident repeated, and he lost his own precious belongings, he could not easily cover Sislin again.

‘That kind of reaction is normal.’

Because that toy was Robert’s favorite.

The little devil was deliberately framing Sislane by stealing only the children’s ‘most precious’ things.

To isolate him from the children.

“....”

The first time could be seen as a joke, but the second time was considered a habit and theft.

It was a situation where everyone could not easily excuse Sislin, so the atmosphere in the classroom was strained, which was rare.

“I said it’s not Sislin. Let’s trust Sislin.”

I interjected.

At that moment, the atmosphere was reversed and a cheerful voice rushed in.

“Hmm, it looks like Annette is on his side again this time. Aren’t you covering him too much?”

It was Vivian.

A pretty little lady with platinum blonde hair and turquoise eyes in a pink dress. But now, her eyes were narrowed in disgust.

“You never know. I heard he’s a slave?”

Her long eyelashes swept down softly.

“The eyes of slave children turn when they see expensive things.”

“..Vivian!”

“Why? I was just saying what I heard.”

Vivian crossed her arms and looked at Sislin.

“It’s a shame that such a child is a Tree. How are we supposed to live in the forest with a child who steals?”

‘She obviously hates Sislin.’

This, too, was a huge find.

She might hate a child who stole because she was a model student, but besides that, I felt very vivid hostility from her.

Probably because of Heinrich. During our water play last time, he publicly showed that he dislikes Sislin.

I tried to put up with it as much as I could.

“Vivian, it’s not quite clear yet, so will you be careful with what you say?”

“Guys!”

Vivian said to the children who had their heads bowed.

“Everyone, in the future, put your valuables in a box under your bed and lock them.. He could steal again.”

“....!”

Bang! I knocked on the desk

It wasn’t my intention, but a tremendous force came out, almost like thunder.

Vivian had a startled look on her face.

“Apologize.”

As I glared at her, the little lady stuttered in embarrassment.

“W-What?”

“Apologize immediately for calling him a slave and treating him like a thief.”

“I don’t have anything to apologize for?!”

Just when Vivian responded sharply with trembling turquoise eyes, the teacher came in.

Even as I sat down,I constantly gave strength to my eyes and glared at her whenever our eyes met,, while she pretended not to notice and looked down at her book.

I continued to shoot lasers at Vivian and fell into thoughts.

‘‘You’ did the same thing again.’

‘Yes, ‘you’ dug your grave.’

Thanks to you, I could use this method. I was rather thankful.

Although it was said that the accusation of the hideout was simply the spirit of accusation, the act of contacting a slave trader and driving him as a thief showed viciousness.

It was clear what the little devil intended by framing him as a ‘thief’.

Isolate Sislin from the Forest.

Even Robert, who had initially covered Sislin, could no longer cover him when his own toy was gone. So, who would be the target the little devil would salivate over the most in this situation?

‘That’s right, it’s me.’

If even I turn away, Sislin would become a complete loner.

If there was an opportunity to separate me from Sislin, I was sure the little devil would never let it go.

***

I went to see Madam Mimosa before she came to the classroom.

As soon as she saw me, Madam Mimosa said,

“I can’t overlook it twice. Sislin should be punished according to the rules. He has to go to the Temple of the Forest.”

The Temple of the Forest.

It was really a place where really terrible children would be sent, and the ‘educational’ teachers there were famous for being vicious.

No matter how problematic the child was, he or she would become an angel after going there.

Day and night, one could hear the child’s cries.

“But, madam, the culprit isn’t Sislin.”

“How are you sure?”

Cold golden eyes stared at me. I was nervous, but answered as calmly as possible.

“He put a stolen item in a locker once and he was caught, but he put it in a locker again?”

The woman’s eyes narrowed.

“If it was me, I would hide the second one under the mattress of a bed or in a secret place so that it wouldn’t be noticed. But it was placed in the locker. As if he wanted it to be ‘discovered’ soon. As everyone would be able to find it.”

“..Hmm.”

Madam Mimosa seemed to listen quietly to my story.

‘I’m so glad I’m a good student.’

She was really listening to the words of a 12-year-old child.

I was affected by the hideout incident last time, but my clean image was still valid. In addition, trust was restored to a certain extent after I had resolved the ‘water trauma’.

“It makes sense, Annette.”

My face suddenly brightened.

“But.”

..But?

“It is not fair to overlook this twice. Usually, in such cases, the punishment is severe.”

“This is the last time. If you give me one more chance, I’ll catch the kid who did that naughty thing!”

Madam Mimosa looked at my earnest eyes for a moment without saying a word. Then, with a slight wrinkle on her forehead, she sighed lightly and asked.

“..Do you have a plan?”

“Yes! Madam!”

I clenched my fists tightly and nodded my head hard, my eyes twinkling.

“You need two things to catch a criminal. But it has to be something the kids have never seen before.”

“What the children have never seen?”

Madam Mimosa’s expression turned into one of interest.

***

I got Madam Mimosa’s permission and went to the locker room.

And I borrowed two things.

They were a fountain pen and a compass.

“Both of these things are old, and these are things that the current Trees have never seen before.”

Madam Mimosa said it had never been shown to the children before.

I looked down at the two objects and murmured.

“..This will be your fatal trap. You naughty child.”

I informed Sislin of my plans in advance, and he vacated his seat at the right time.

Finally, after all the classes for the day were over.

I walked nervously to Sislin’s locker.

And took a small but deep breath.

The object inside would determine who the culprit was.

I closed my eyes, counted to three, and then, pop! I opened the door.

‘It’s the compass.’

I expected it, but a huge shock hit my head.

..It was you, little devil.

***

Without hesitation, I dragged Vivian to the auditorium.

All the Trees and teachers were already gathered there at the call of Madam Mimosa.

Heinrich, Reina, Robert, and other children of the Forest. Of course, Sislin was also there.

Vivian screamed and struggled.

“Let me go! Why do you think I’m the culprit? Sislin stole it!”

I released the strength from the hand that was holding Vivian. Then Vivian tumbled away.

Vivian, whose breathing became rough from anger, stared intensely at me.

“Confess, Vivian. Now.”

I calmly said to her. Vivian wore an expression of absurdity.

“Your compass was stolen by Sislin. Wasn’t it in his locker?”

Then, with her characteristic nervous expression, she folded her arms and glared at me.

“Are you taking your anger out on me because you can’t believe that Sislin stole your precious thing? Annette, you are the worst.”

I leaned towards the angry Vivian and brought my face close to hers.

And I said something..

Shake– Vivian’s face became terribly distorted as if she was shocked.

“....?!”