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~Chapter 50~
“Father, it’s true that I tried to get in Marciela’s way, but I didn’t do it during the exam! And I absolutely did not cheat! I studied hard on my own and earned the right to take the test!”
Early in the morning, Lerazie’s cries echoed from Chase Belmore Marquis’ office.
The notification about Lerazie losing her exam eligibility, decided by the inspector and the head marquis, had already been delivered to all participants.
“Just wait a bit. I’m having the assistant check things out.”
“Can’t I retake the exam, please…?”
A memory suddenly flashed through Lerazie’s mind.
“I didn’t cheat. I’ll prove it if I get a second chance!”
She remembered how Marciela was once suspected of cheating at the academy.
At that moment, the assistant came in, looking uncomfortable.
“Sir, according to the ‘Official Exam Law,’ using illegal items or drugs is forbidden. There were so many black market goods being used at the academy that it’s strictly regulated now…”
“But isn’t the family’s exam run by the Spirit Domain itself?”
“Well… The head marquis registered the exam with the Central National Testing Office.”
So that’s why they brought in inspectors from the central government—to supervise and evaluate in the name of “fairness.”
The marquis gritted his teeth. If he brought Lerazie back on his own, the whole parliament would criticize him.
“Father…”
Lerazie, her eyes red and angry, glared up at him.
“It was Basilie who used the black market item, not me.”
If both the direct heirs lost their eligibility, even her father would have no choice but to find another way.
“Stupid Elizabeth probably cheated too. And William is suspicious. You should investigate everyone.”
If cheating by others was exposed, maybe the whole exam would be canceled.
The marquis’s face grew stony and he called for Basilie at once.
When Basilie was called into the office, he wasn’t nervous at all. In fact, he acted boldly.
“Yes, Lerazie gave it to me. She said if I lost, it would be embarrassing for the heir. She blamed it on us being born from commoners.”
The marquis’s lips tightened at the words “born from commoners.”
“Just cover it up and let’s move on. Lerazie, you weren’t going to win anyway, right? Or do you want to be a government worker or something?”
Lerazie’s blue eyes turned even darker with anger.
“So you want me to just accept being accused of cheating and lose my chance?”
“It’s not like you never cheated. Unlike you, I have to carry a heavy burden. If you marry Count Wignite, you’ll be fine.”
“What? Are you saying I’m just another girl looking to climb the social ladder? Look who’s talking, you drunken fool!”
Suddenly, Basilie’s gaze turned cold as he looked at Lerazie.
“Were you trying to become heir instead of me?”
Lerazie had always hoped that if Basilie lost his right to be the heir, maybe it would be her chance.
“Lerazie, enough. Your brother will be the heir. Just accept it this time. We’ll tell people you gave up voluntarily.”
“Father, how could you do this to me?”
“Then you shouldn’t have gone to the black market! How many times have I warned you? You’re not a commoner anymore!”
At her father’s shouting, Lerazie covered her mouth in shock. He soon calmed down and spoke gently.
“Nothing good comes from making a fuss. I’ll let you join as Basilie’s assistant. That way, you might get another chance later.”
Tears streamed down Lerazie’s face. She knew better than anyone that she was powerless alone.
“Marciela. You have no one on your side, you fool.”
Why does all this bad luck keep coming back to me?
I only fought to keep my place—was that so wrong?
Lerazie bit her lip and looked down, thinking about Edell, who might be Duke Sinclair’s lost child.
She decided she would never tell Basilie or her father about it.
I made a paper airplane out of Lerazie’s disqualification notice and sent it flying out the window.
“She really did study hard. She must feel so wronged.”
She always followed Lexion around, asking questions—she put in the effort.
She’ll probably face more unfair things in the future, so she’d better get used to it. Now that the Sarah’s Flower incident reached the higher-ups, it’s only a matter of time before the real culprit is found.
Suddenly, I thought of the platinum-blond masked man I’d met before. Who was he, really? Was he helping me, or was I getting scammed?
He’d been so strange, but after that day, I hadn’t seen him again.
I put my hand to my chest and sighed.
If I ever meet him again…
Should I use violence?
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
Knock, knock.
Usually, the servants would bang on the door like invaders, but this was a polite, well-mannered knock.
It couldn’t be Edell—he never knocked. Curious, I hurried to open the door. Standing there was the inspector, wearing a white goat mask.
His mask was different from the wolf mask of the platinum-blond man.
“Miss Marciela, may I come in for a moment?”
“Yes, it’s a humble place, but come in.”
“It really is humble.”
“Well, what brings someone so distinguished to such a shabby place?”
I looked up at him, putting a little revenge into my words.
He stared at the pile of burnt-out candles and asked,
“You’re a direct descendant, so why are you treated like this?”
“You know the rumors, right? I was never accepted as a real child.”
The inspector tilted his head.
“Still?”
If they admit I’m a spiritist, the whole succession order would flip, so my family does everything they can to deny it.
Basilie could lose his title with one change in the inheritance law, once the head dies. This man had only come after the exam started, so maybe he didn’t know the family politics.
He asked,
“So are you working hard to be accepted as family?”
“No. I just want my status back. I’m an exile.”
He dusted the furniture with his gloved hand and nodded.
“You were expelled from the academy for a similar reason, weren’t you? I thought it was odd when someone else showed up for the imperial department job you were meant to get.”
His mask moved closer, and his golden eyes shone like the summer sun.
“Strangely, every student I pick gets caught up in some trouble and leaves the academy. It can’t be a coincidence.”
He was hinting about the academy’s corruption. Many talented people were buried by powerful families.
He was definitely someone high up, and I knew not to reveal too much.
While I hesitated, he changed the subject.
“If you’re an exile, then you lived in Yudes, the underworld, right? That’s part of Belmore’s territory.”
Why was he asking that?
“Yes, it’s a dangerous place because nobody takes care of it. But I adapt well. There are good people there, too.”
I answered politely, watching him carefully.
He seemed to be trying to lead me into talking about grudges or revenge. Maybe he was suspicious after catching us burying beans the other night. Or maybe he came to investigate Edell’s shadow magic.
I kept my face blank and stayed alert. But he just shook his head and got to the point.
“The head marquis is looking for you. I have business there, too, so let’s go together.”
“Alright, I understand.”
Could the head marquis be suspicious of me too?
I tensed up and followed him out.
