CICN 77

Chapter 77

The front of the professor’s office was in utter chaos.

Breathing heavily, Izriella stood there, hair in disarray and her uniform buttons torn. Opposite her was Irene, glaring just as fiercely, her appearance no better.

But compared to Evie, both of them looked pristine.

Clutching a dented cardboard box to her chest, Evie trembled behind Irene. Her hair was a wild mess, the buttons of her academy vest ripped away until it hung in tatters.

Yet what was truly miserable was her face.

Her small cheeks bore vivid red handprints, and blood was smeared across her nose and lips.

“She stole something!”

Having long since thrown away all pretenses of propriety, Izriella jabbed a finger toward Evie and shouted.

Irene immediately spread her arms, shielding Evie with her body, and shouted back.

“Without proof? And you dare to gang up on her like this? Beating someone like this—are you all insane?”

Her voice rang louder than Izriella’s, fierce and unyielding. The other students who had joined Izriella in striking Evie flinched and stepped back.

“You know the Academy’s rules—if you attack another student, do you know what happens? And five of you, against a seven-year-old child?”

Irene’s voice shook, her eyes burning red—not with sorrow, but with rage she could barely contain.

It had started when Izriella suddenly cornered Evie, demanding she hand something over.

When Evie clutched the box tighter to her chest, Izriella accused her of hiding it there and tried to snatch it away.

But Evie refused, curling her small body around it.

Unable to wrench it free, Izriella lost her temper and slapped her across the face.

The blow was too much for her tiny body—her nose began to bleed instantly.

And that was when Irene arrived, grabbing Izriella by the hair and tearing her away from Evie.

Now, Izriella sneered triumphantly.

“That only counts if the other person’s a student. But she’s a thief—she should be expelled! And once she’s no longer a student here, who cares if we hit her? She’s nothing but a charity-case beggar from the orphanage!”

“Watch your mouth!”

“You’d better think carefully, Irene! Keep defending a thief, and you’ll get punished right alongside her!”

Whipping around to the ring of students surrounding them, Izriella shouted even louder:

“You all saw it, didn’t you? That box Evie Alden is clutching! That’s where she’s hiding it!”

Behind Irene, Evie shook her head desperately.

“No… I didn’t take it!”

“Liar! Then show us what’s inside that box!”

At her demand, Evie only hugged the box tighter.

Izriella smirked knowingly, while Irene’s face twisted in frustration.

How did it even come to this?

Earlier, Irene had been studying quietly in the cafeteria when a group of students burst in.

“Izriella went to catch the thief!” they cried.

“A thief?” Irene frowned.

“Remember when Selena said she lost her bracelet? She’s been looking for it all week. Izriella says she knows who took it.”

“And who’s that?”

“Evie Alden. That little kid. Things are a mess right now.”

The moment Irene heard, she leapt to her feet.

Ever since their last big clash, Izriella had been keeping quiet. In truth, it was less that she was quiet and more that she had been crushed—forced into submission after her defeat.

With Arsel and Ruska backing Irene, her reputation had actually risen, and those who once ignored her now bowed their heads to greet her first.

Izriella would often glare from afar, seething in silence. But that was all she could do.

So Irene had thought the matter settled—until now, when Izriella suddenly tried to brand Evie as a thief.

Has she completely lost her mind? I won’t let this go.

Irene had raced toward the professor’s wing, only to find a crowd already gathering.

“Move! Out of the way!” she barked, forcing her way through.

What she saw made her blood boil: Evie, huddled around her box, while others kicked at her small body.

Irene saw red. She flung herself forward, ramming into the nearest girl, then yanked hair and kicked legs until the others scattered.

She didn’t care about her image.

These brats? Ganging up to beat someone—Evie, of all people?

They were pampered noble daughters, unaccustomed to real fights. The moment Irene shoved and kicked, they tumbled, crying as they scrambled away.

That was how things had reached this boiling point.

“Ivie.”

Fighting to keep her voice steady, Irene called softly.

“Can’t you just show them what’s inside that box?”

It was such a simple solution. Just lift the lid and prove there was nothing inside.

But Evie shook her head furiously. She would rather die than show them.

And because of that, the surrounding stares only grew sharper.

“If she didn’t steal it, why not show us?”

“Yeah—just prove it. What’s so hard about that?”

Her refusal only made them more convinced she was hiding something.

Emboldened, Izriella lunged again for the box—but Irene blocked her once more.

So Irene’s the obstacle. If I don’t deal with her, I’ll never win.

Izriella smoothed her hair and straightened her clothes.

By now, the commotion had drawn an enormous crowd. Students filled every corner, eager eyes and ears ready to spread whatever they saw.

Perfect. The more witnesses, the better.

Just then, the students began to part, murmuring.

Arsel and Ruska had arrived.

“What’s going on here—Evie?”

Ruska was the first to push through, his expression hardening at the sight.

“Who did this?”

His voice, low and cold, made the students flinch and step back.

Ruska, always cheerful and playful, had never once shouted at anyone before.

This was the first time they had heard his anger.

“Ivie? Irene?”

Arsel followed close behind. He didn’t ask questions. He simply strode forward, helped Evie to her feet, and used his sleeve to wipe the blood from her face.

Seeing them shield Evie, Izriella raised her voice so all could hear.

“Don’t be fooled! She didn’t just steal—she lied about her guardian too!”

“Her… guardian?” Arsel asked coolly.

“Yes! She claimed Professor Cyan Roshen was her guardian.”

“And what exactly is the problem with that, Izriella?” Arsel’s tone turned frigid.

Seeing both Arsel and Ruska openly against her, Izriella rushed her words.

“The professor coming and going as her guardian—it’s all fake! He’s an impostor!”

Gasps rippled through the students. A fake professor?

“I followed him for days. That young man using this very office—he claims to be Professor Cyan Roshen.”

Izriella’s gaze bored into Evie, trembling behind Irene, Arsel, and Ruska.

That pitiful act. Pretending to be the victim, after such a monstrous lie.

No—she was the victim. She had sacrificed her dignity to expose this orphan’s lies.

If she left things like this, Arsel and Ruska’s hostility toward her would only grow. She had to expose the truth—now.

“Don’t even think of denying it!” Izriella pressed on. “I watched him with my own eyes—he’s an impostor!”

Ruska interjected.

“Wait. You’re saying the professor using this office is a fake?”

“Yes! I investigated it. The real Professor Cyan Roshen isn’t here—he returned long ago to his hometown, too ill to travel. He’s over seventy years old! My brother confirmed it himself—he checked the identification papers, even spoke with the family. I swear on my family’s name!”

Her certainty left Evie paling.

“N-no… Dean Seraphina delivered his letters herself—”

“Another lie! Do you think the dean has time for such errands?”

“It’s not a lie!”

For once, Evie screamed back.

And then—heavy footsteps echoed from behind the crowd.

The students turned. A tall man strode forward, his handsome face unfamiliar, but his presence so commanding that they instinctively stepped aside to make way.

He said nothing, but the sheer weight of his aura silenced the crowd.

“Who is he?” students whispered. They had never seen him before.

Then Evie looked up, her face lighting despite her tears.

“Professor Xian!”” she cried.