Chapter 280: Seeking the truth

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A few minutes earlier

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Well, right now I’m on a mission to see if what Astrid said is true or not. So, as soon as I left Astrid’s office, I ran in search of Cordelia.

But I didn’t have far to go; around a corner, a pair of hands appeared and held me down and abducted me.

Sure enough, in the dark corner of the hallway, under the stairs, was Cordelia, who had caught me.

I knew she must be close by, for I felt some time ago that someone was following me… or, rather, that Seraphina was being followed.

After a long time, I realized it was Cordelia.

She was very cautious, and I noticed that she was difficult to detect with normal detection methods.

She had no concealment, but her presence was naturally low, and even more so if she used stealth spells.

It took me a while to figure it out, but I deduced that it was simply another of her ploys to hurt Seraphina, seeking out her weaknesses.

So, I left her alone. It was better that than her actively pestering me.

It started right after their meeting, when she started looking for my weaknesses. The good thing is that When I would get to my room, after ten minutes, she would leave and since I wasn’t doing anything particularly suspicious like Seraphina I didn’t think anything of it, I wasn’t going to get anything.

I didn’t see a problem with it. But if it wasn’t to look for weaknesses and, as Astrid says, it was interest, that means she…

’No, I’m not going to think about that. First, let’s see if it’s true or not.’

“What’s going on because all of a sudden they all went to instructor Astrid’s office.”

“￣へ￣”

Yes, I had also thought of the possibility that I had inadvertently dodged all signs of connection between them, but it doesn’t seem like Cordelia wants to be linked to Astrid, it’s a lesser issue, but if I may I will ask Astrid the reason for her lack of connection.

“what’s the matter why are you looking at me like that, why did Seraphina and the rest of them come in with you?”

“uhm…oh yes, Cordelia, as you asked, I was watching Miss Seraphina and I found something important.”

I need to get the truth out of Cordelia. Whether or not what Astrid said is true, I’ll find out right away.

“Apparently, Miss Seraphina has a boyfriend and was seeking advice from Instructor Astrid because… apparently she got pregnant.”

Yes, I lied and exaggerated, but I needed to get the whole truth out of her. Depending on how she reacted to such shocking and disturbing news, I would find out if Astrid was right or wrong.

“What!!!, what do you mean she’s pregnant, she can’t be, who’s the bastard, I’ll kill him!”

“….”

That’s the reaction I expected if what Astrid said was true. But the prejudice was so ingrained that I wasn’t convinced.

I always believed it was best to find the reason and resolve the conflict, but apparently I couldn’t accept that there wasn’t even a conflict in the first place.

’Damn, I alternate, did you give me filtered memories on purpose or something? No, I lived it myself, so…Astrid!!, what kind of parenting did you do?’

I don’t even know who to blame at this point. It seemed to be something decisive from her reaction, but I had yet to be completely sure.

“No, wait, this is no place to talk. Follow me.”

When I was going to keep probing apparently she decided to change the venue although , well we could just put up a veil of Silence.

But what difference does the venue make, so I let myself be dragged, the angry Cordelia dragged me all the way across the school to the female dorms.

Men aren’t totally forbidden there, they’re just not allowed past a certain time.

Still, a lot of girls don’t like the presence of men, so if you came, you’d have to put up with the pressure stares on you.

But Cordelia didn’t mind my situation and dragged me straight to her room. Luckily, since classes had just ended, few people were still returning to the dorm.

We arrived at her room, which was just for her and as big as mine with a kitchen, bathroom, living room and two personal rooms.

“Okay, it’s safe here. Tell me who it was that did it, I’ll kill him! Was it her fiancé the prince, or was it another bastard with no status? No, it can’t be. It shouldn’t happen like this.”

“Wait, stop, Cordelia, calm down.”

“How do you want me to calm down, this… this is not good at all, not at all!”

She began to panic and babble nonsensically. He had never seen her like this. He knew she acted like a second rate villain when it came to Seraphina, or rather compared to how she always was, flat and emotionless, she was relatively normal and emotional.

So the fact that I reacted this way for her did not surprise me. Now, what I wondered was the reason and emotions behind her reaction?

’Okay, I’ll get all the doubts out of the way and leave no more room for misunderstandings.’

“Cordelia, why are you acting like this? In the end, isn’t it a good thing?”

“Huh? Did you just say what? Have you lost your mind?”

“No, but it’s just that you hate Miss Seraphina, right? So her being kicked out for being pregnant is a good thing, right?”

Yes here, pitifully, you would get expelled from the academy for being pregnant if you were a woman.

After all, we who are insured don’t notice it, but those lower down are in a constant competition of overcoming and fighting to secure their place by being among the representatives, gaining honor, recognition and power.

So for you to deviate for carnal pleasure or anything else is frowned upon, and they will not hesitate to expel you from the academy.

It’s not very fair, since it’s only the women, but as bad as it sounds, getting pregnant at a critical period is very bad, even for someone like Seraphina.

And if Cordelia really hated her like I thought she did, then she’d be more than happy.

“What are you talking about, I don’t hate her!”

But it looked like she wasn’t and she was looking at me angrily.

“… Hum, I want to clarify something, Cordelia. You can forgive me if I’m wrong, but all your actions so far can only be described as hatred for her.”

“What!?, what do you mean?”

’Really, it wasn’t on purpose?’

That doubt on her face seemed sincere, and I could even see traces of accusation of being a crazy person who is talking nonsense, which offended me more than I thought, I already want to believe that I am on the side of reason in this case.

I needed a full explanation, so I started listing all her actions, either because she wants to clarify her point or I have gained her trust unlike the first time. She did answer my questions.

Her harassment and follow up was just interest and curiosity in what I was doing, which I didn’t think was right no matter how you look at it.

Things like stealing my notes, it was because she wanted to help me and see if I had done well.

Apparently, she wanted to take the opportunity to approach me, since she was good at knowledge, but since I never let her take my notes she didn’t dare to approach me.

The time she approached me with the soup was because she wanted to eat with me but she tripped and messed it up, and told me she was glad that at least I was able to dodge the hot soup.

Although she didn’t answer me why she wanted to steal my clothes or my things like pencils and erasers from time to time.

In fact, he would send me, as Chris, to do it, which I did to earn points and which I didn’t care about to begin with.

I mean, it was just pencils and utensils. If she was satisfied with that little act, I was fine with it, but if it wasn’t harassment, then….

’Why am I shivering, why is it cold all of a sudden?’

I ignored that and kept asking. Oddly she also didn’t answer me the reason for what happened on our first day and I found she only seemed embarrassed, but I can deduce a little.

Suddenly, I also remembered the difference between the line of my alternate self and the current one and the reason why her harassment started later this time.

I mean, the first month she was quiet and it was only when the month was about to end that she started, unlike my alternate self, which was from day one.

“Uh?… I thought I could be like Alice and Elena and be close like them and…”

“…/_ ”

For some reason, I feel like I’m getting a headache. I have so much to say and opinion, but at the same time, nothing is coming out of my mouth to refute what she is saying.

I’m trying to remember the events, if she was serious or just messing with me, but as far as I know, from her personality she wouldn’t do that, which leads me to not even know what to think of this mess of a person named Cordelia.

Come to think of it, it was around that time that I got Parallel Thinking and started actively controlling my doppelgänger. Up until then, she was literally a doll who didn’t talk out of turn.

Maybe that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to approach me. Or rather, that attempted approach that seemed like stalking was only because when I started flirting with Elene and Alice again and actively talking, since Alice had also found out about my secret, I encouraged her to do so.

So, she brought us together to get information, which rather than for harassment, was to get closer to me.

The reason she maybe harassed my alternate self earlier is because he, who was just Seraphina, started flirting and looking for opportunities with the girls at the academy, including Elena from day one.

If I think about it that way, it makes sense and is the reason why I see his status from day one, his interest was not in Christian it was in Seraphina.

So far Cordelia makes it sound like seeking friendship with Seraphina, but it seems like it’s like Astrid says and Cordelia, more than friendship, she came to me with love interest.

Now, if I took everything she said as true, one could only conclude that she was a misunderstood mess.

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