I Will Return My New Brother

The rumor itself was a foolish story, but when it began to spread from the mouths of many people, even lies became powerful.

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I calmly refuted Abigail Frey.

“First of all, I submitted the application earlier than Trevor.
Since I had no way to know of his topic, it was a coincidence.
Second, Trevor was the one who chose to sit next to me.
There were enough empty seats back then.
He was the one who chose that seat, so why did that become my problem?”

Next to me, Raynia quietly set the food on her plate to one side.

I pushed back Raynia, who was rolling her shoulders as though she was about to throw the plate.

I had to clear this situation before Raynia, who had a hobby of breaking trees in alleyways in her childhood, chose to do something violent.

As a cracking sound came from Raynia’s neck and shoulders, Abigail faltered.

However, the eyes filled with tears were still fixed on me, and they didn’t look so rational.

“Your grades were always B- on average!”

“.
.
.”

I flinched at her shout.

All the students who found this to be interesting turned into questioning faces.

Gosh, this looks bad.

“It was clear you would lose if you chose the same topic as Trevor whose grades were always straight A’s, so you must have done something! In the first place, it was strange for you to take the advancement exam with such grades!”

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The whispering voices grew louder.

There was no doubt that this was something that amplified the suspicion.

Even if there was no evidence, this would aid in shifting public opinion.

Rany, who was listening to the conversation, asked her coldly.

“How come you know her grades so well?”

“What?”

“It would be difficult for anyone to know the average score of a student unless you’re a professor.
Students’ grades in the academy are confidential, save for the student themself and their professors.
When it comes to Trevor, you can tell his grade because he’s always on the top for scholarship and everything, but Marianne’s grade is B-.
Completely inconspicuous.”

“.
.
.”

“How did you even find out about her grades?”

Abigail, after being questioned, faltered and took a step back.

Still, seeing how she kept staring at me with bloodshot eyes, she didn’t seem to want to end it like this.

Even the academy students around me have begun to stare at me.

It didn’t matter to them how she knew of my grades or whether what she did was illegal or legal.

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It was more important for them to see the motives behind the usually ignored friend of the ‘nouveau riche’ Raynia Rocke and a ‘commoner’ with low grades who apparently wished to harm Trevor Beryl.

“My grades .
.
.”

Right when I was about to open my mouth to refute, someone interrupted my statement with loud claps.

As I turned my head, a professor with a sharp face looked at me and her.

“What a good job in the cafeteria.”

“.
.
.”

The voice was reprimanding and cold.

His dark eyes narrowed.

His cold eyes trained on me for an exceptionally long time.

“Marianne Hoven.
How dare you create disturbance in the academy?”

Raynia was furious at the unjust reprimand toward me, but I grabbed her hand.

That professor was famous for his aristocratism.

It was clear if we talked back to him, we would become his subject of hatred.

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And .
.
.

There was no doubt he was purposely joining in now.

He clearly intervened right when Abigail instilled the suitable doubt at the students so I couldn’t refute and to make trouble for me.

“Both of you, follow me.”

If I just left like this, of course, rumors in the academy will be ‘confirmed’ as I was the culprit.

However, if I opposed the professor’s order, it would also appear as if I were a person who felt ashamed of Abigail’s statement.

I followed the professor and whispered to Rany behind me.

“Rany, gather intel on any news of the Beryl family as well as public opinion about me within the academy.”

She must have already been looking into it even though she didn’t answer, but I felt that I needed the data sooner.

By the looks of it, the ongoing situation was grave.

As we walked following the professor, Abigail, who had a quarrel with me, reproached me with a pale face.

“What a vulgar and nasty girl.”

“You’re the one who’s nasty.”

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I said quietly to her from behind the professor’s back.

“You broke the Academy’s basic rules twice by revealing my scores.
You read my scores, as well as announced them publicly.”

“.
.
.”

“I won’t let this go.
As you know, the Rocke family that you claimed to be so vulgar is capable of hiring very expensive lawyers.”

The scale of Rocke family’s merchant guild was so large that they were respected by a pretty large number of nobles in the capital.

Not only were they dominant in the mining industry, they also completely controlled the distribution of raw materials of luxury goods in every region.

And Rany also doesn’t fall when it comes to her ability.

Her face looked flustered for a moment, but soon turned fierce.

“If you get kicked out of the academy, that mere legal problem would amount to nothing.”

Her voice sounded very confident.

Confident that I wasn’t only the culprit, but I would also be expelled from the academy.

Looking at her made me feel a strange premonition.

A feeling that I was missing out on something.