The news of Lucy Allen’s actions spread quickly throughout the academy.
Because of her recent achievements, she had monopolized the attention of everyone, so the news of her stomping on the head of a professor, once a prominent figure in the royal court, was incredibly provocative.
Some were pleased that the wild child had finally revealed her true nature, while others, who had thought she had changed, expressed their disappointment. Still, others believed that Lucy Allen wasn’t the type to cause trouble without a reason, and speculated that there must have been some underlying cause for her actions.
Among them, Arthur belonged to the third group.
This was because he knew that Lucy Allen was not the type of person to pick fights without reason, but more importantly, he understood why she had acted.
Arthur recalled the moment when Lucy had stepped forward in anger, not only insulting him but also his mother. The moment when he had clenched his lips in fury and was about to act impulsively.
At that moment, a voice had gently reached his ear.
The small footsteps that had resonated on the floor.
The slightly heated breath he could feel instinctively.
When Lucy had treated Valian like a cleaning maid and ignored him, Arthur had realized she wasn’t really doing it out of ignorance. He had understood that she wasn’t belittling Valian, but was instead responding to the situation. After all, the look in Lucy’s eyes when she turned to him after her outburst clearly showed concern for him, especially after everything that had happened during their winter break.
The moment he had met her gaze, Arthur found himself tightening his lips without even realizing it.
It was an unusual feeling.
Arthur had never been fond of sympathy. He believed that those who offer sympathy were mostly just trying to show off their own perceived goodness, rather than truly caring about others.
But strangely, Lucy’s gaze was different.
Her caring eyes had shaken Arthur’s emotions with an intensity he hadn’t expected.
Lucy, unaware of Arthur’s turmoil, had quickly turned her attention back to Valian, sparing him from revealing his emotions.
After she had turned her head, Arthur had managed to calm his racing thoughts and realized that Lucy had changed quite a bit.
Since the maid had started taking care of her, it was only natural that she looked more beautiful than before.
Lucy Allen was never someone who cared much about her appearance. It was only natural that someone else’s touch would bring out a transformation in someone who had no idea how to style herself.
However, until now, Arthur had tried to ignore that change.
He had been afraid that if he acknowledged it, he might blush, just as he had done at the end of last semester, and end up becoming the target of teasing.
But today, facing her transformation so directly, Arthur couldn’t help but observe her appearance.
Her eyes, shining brighter than jewels.
Her flawless, pale skin.
Her small lips.
Her face, sculpted by a goddess in charge of beauty and art.
The reason he had laughed when Valian insulted her was because of this. He had completely lost his guard, failing to manage his expression.
Now, Arthur regretted that moment.
If he had just kept his lips tightly pressed together and let Lucy and Valian’s conflict remain something caused by him, then Valian would never have insulted Lucy’s mother.
During the last vacation, Arthur had learned more about Lucy’s mother.
She was the person who had always supported Lucy, even when she had to say harsh things.
Even though Lucy’s mother had passed away many years ago, she was still someone Lucy missed deeply, enough to collapse in tears when she thought of her.
Arthur knew that Lucy had been positively influenced by this woman, who had always been warm and comforting. Even though he had never met her, he knew her importance in Lucy’s life.
Because of this, Arthur didn’t stop Lucy. He had allowed her to rush toward Valian, even though he could have intervened and stopped her. He had stood by, letting the girl who had stepped forward for him make the mess herself.
"Third Prince, what were you doing, standing there and letting it happen?"
Arthur couldn’t answer Joy’s grumbling. He knew that everything that had happened was his fault.
"Sorry," he had said.
"...Saying sorry like that doesn’t help," Joy replied with a raised brow. "You should have stopped her before things escalated."
Arthur had to accept that he couldn’t have stopped Lucy. She was too independent, too determined. But even if he couldn’t stop her, he had to help with the consequences, which were bound to come.
The rumors circulating around the academy didn’t matter much to Arthur. After all, there was no way to stop them.
As for the academy’s punishment, there was no need to worry about it either.
Lucy Allen had contributed too much to the academy for them to punish her severely. Moreover, there were countless reasons to show leniency in this case, especially since the one insulted, Valian, was a has-been with no real power left.
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Even the conflict with the Clock family wasn’t likely to amount to much. No sane person would pick a fight with the Allen family, and if anyone did, it was more likely that the Clock family would end up apologizing, cutting off Valian in the process.
However, there was one faction Arthur needed to be cautious about—the second queen’s faction.
"Brother, I didn’t expect you to come see me first," Second Prince Cecil Soladin greeted Arthur warmly.
Arthur was taken aback. Since the start of the second semester, Cecil had changed considerably, and whatever had happened during the winter break, he had successfully shed most of his former violent tendencies. He now smiled sincerely at Arthur.
Realizing this, Arthur accepted Cecil’s hospitality.
"I’m sorry for not visiting more often," Arthur said.
"It’s fine. Given what I’ve done in the past, it makes sense," Cecil responded. "But I know why you’re here."
"Is it about Lucy Allen?" Arthur asked.
"Well, that was obvious," Cecil chuckled.
Arthur smiled, realizing it was quite predictable. At this point, anyone with half a brain would have figured it out.
"Don’t worry," Cecil continued. "We have no intention of doing anything to her."
Arthur blinked in surprise. He hadn’t expected that Lucy had any debts to the second queen’s faction, let alone that she had earned Cecil’s respect in such a way.
Cecil smiled lightly as he explained that Lucy had accumulated a debt to the second queen by doing something that had made her mother apologize to Cecil. Because of that, Cecil had a sense of gratitude toward Lucy.
"Just finish your tea and go. Let Lucy know we’ll send someone to apologize to her. Oh, and Valian? You won’t have to deal with him again," Cecil added casually.
Arthur was stunned. He never would have guessed that the second queen’s faction would treat Lucy this way.
"You don’t have to worry about anything. Just tell her we’ll make amends," Cecil concluded, laughing lightly. "Now, I’ll drink my tea."
Arthur shook his head in disbelief. It was clear that Cecil’s attitude had changed dramatically.
As the conversation shifted to small talk, Arthur thought about the rumors circulating regarding Lucy’s recent victory in the Teresha Empire’s arena. At first, he had assumed it was just an exaggerated rumor, but Cecil seemed to believe it wholeheartedly.
"I’ve heard she fought Lasha in the arena and won! Isn’t that amazing?" Cecil said, excitement in his eyes.
Arthur was taken aback. He had heard stories about Lucy nearly dying during the last vacation, but this was something new.
"Is it true?" he asked, unable to contain his curiosity.
"Not just a victory—she held out for a full minute against Lasha," Cecil grinned, clearly impressed.
Arthur couldn’t believe it. Lucy had grown stronger than anyone could have imagined.
As the conversation continued, Arthur couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. Lucy Allen had truly become a force to be reckoned with.
Surprisingly, nothing serious came from Lucy’s actions.
The academy didn’t punish her.
The second queen’s faction even apologized and offered compensation, stating that there would be no further issues with Valian.
And in terms of reputation, those who had disliked her before simply shrugged it off, while those who had respected her assumed there must have been a good reason for her actions.
The only result left from this was that the professors were now watching her more carefully.
Well, that... and Joy’s constant nagging.
"Lady Allen, do you know how painful it is for me to hear bad things about your friends?"
"Joy, I’ve heard this speech like fifty times now. Why do you keep repeating yourself?"
"Please, have some self-awareness! Self-awareness!"
As Joy’s nagging continued, I quietly avoided her gaze.
But then, I heard a soft, calm voice. "Lucy, please stop."
It was from Faivy, and it seemed I might finally escape Joy’s endless lecture.
"Don’t put emotions into your scolding. A lecture is about guiding someone, not criticizing them," Faivy added.
But, to my surprise, Faivy, too, was capable of incredibly long and annoying lectures.
After hours of being stuck listening to both Joy and Faivy, I managed to escape and realized the time was drawing near.
The academy’s dungeon would be opening soon.