Chapter 10: The Weight of Rumors.

“Ah…”

Amelia let out an involuntary gasp.

There, at the entrance, was her own figure captured in the scene.

The image showed her expressionless face glancing over the crowded cafeteria before lining up at the very back.
Then the three young ladies approached, trays in hand.
As soon as they drew near Amelia, their faces twisted with contempt, and they began to giggle.

“How pathetic, all alone.”

“You’re just getting in the way of true love. Serves you right.”

“If you had any sense, you’d back off already.”

Even the words she hadn’t caught at the time came through crystal clear.

(True love…?)

Amelia tilted her head in confusion at the phrase she hadn’t heard before.

What on earth could they mean?

The reproduction continued faithfully—right up to the moment the girl in the center deliberately let the cup of hot tea slip from her fingers.

“Oh my, how clumsy of me.”

At their own recorded words, the three young ladies turned deathly pale.
Julius’s and Sarju’s expressions grew even harder.

In the image, Sarju extended his arm to shield Amelia as she braced herself with closed eyes.
Amelia hadn’t noticed at the time, but he had already been standing quite close.
A tall male student had blocked the girls’ line of sight, so they hadn’t realized Sarju was there until he moved.

“…I see.”

After the reproduction magic faded, Julius let a long silence hang before murmuring those words in a chilling tone.

His cold voice was frightening enough, but what truly sent a shiver down everyone’s spine—including Amelia’s—was Sarju.
The gentle smile he usually wore had vanished completely.

Sarju, often said to resemble his beautiful legitimate mother the most among the four brothers, possessed an appearance that stood out even among them.
His features were so perfectly sculpted they seemed almost doll-like; even his usual calm expression carried an overwhelming presence.

When that expression disappeared entirely, his beauty only sharpened into something intimidating—enough to make one’s blood run cold.

Even Amelia, who had not been the direct target of his hostility, felt it.
The other three young ladies were so terrified they couldn’t even make a sound.

“It does seem you had no intention of harming Sarju directly. However, claiming ‘my hand slipped’ is clearly a lie. Speaking falsehoods in this room, and deliberately attempting to injure another student within the academy—these are offenses we cannot overlook. Your punishment will be announced later. You are dismissed.”

“S-such a thing—”

“Please forgive us, we—”

The moment the word “punishment” registered, the young ladies frantically tried to offer excuses—but Julius’s guards swiftly dragged them out.

Amelia, unsure of when she should leave, let her gaze wander helplessly.

“That must have been awful for you.”

Once the girls and guards were gone, Julius’s tone softened into something almost friendly.

“I’m glad you weren’t hurt. Still… why would they harbor such malice toward you?”

“…I don’t know. They were complete strangers to me.”

Her honest answer made Julius furrow his brow.

“Lately there have been some rather unpleasant rumors circulating within the academy. I had already been thinking an investigation was necessary.”

“Unpleasant rumors…”

Amelia was certain they were connected to her current situation.

“Now then, Amelia.”

Julius’s voice shifted—carrying the weight and dignity of royalty once more.

“Yes, Your Highness Julius.”

Amelia immediately straightened her posture and bowed her head, awaiting his words.

“There are unsettling rumors spreading through the academy. To verify their truth, I have a few questions I must ask you.”

“Yes. I understand.”

When she raised her face again, she noticed Sarju looking at Julius with visible puzzlement.

“What sort of unsettling rumors?”

He even asked his brother directly.

“…You really knew nothing about them, despite how widespread they’ve become?”

Julius sounded almost exasperated, but Sarju merely nodded.

“Then why did you approach Amelia?”

“I saw her at the welcoming party. She looked so lonely standing alone, so I wanted to help. That’s why I spoke to her.”

Afterward, he learned she was the daughter of Count Renia.
There were things he wanted to ask her—things he hoped she could help with.
Moreover, he had genuinely enjoyed talking with her at the party.

“…So in other words, you didn’t approach her to investigate the rumors. You simply wanted to become her friend?”

Sarju nodded.
For a moment Julius looked stunned—then he muttered something under his breath.

“This might actually be an opportunity. If he keeps slipping away from his guards like this…”

“Brother?”

“It’s wonderful to see you making a friend, especially when all you ever do is bury yourself in magic and botanical research.”

Julius quickly shifted into the concerned older-brother expression, looking back and forth between Amelia and Sarju.

“However, Amelia currently has a fiancé. If the two of you are seen alone together too often, it will only worsen her reputation. Whenever you meet her, make sure to bring your guards.”

“I understand. I have no intention of causing Amelia any trouble.”

Julius had likely used Amelia as a convenient pretext to rein in Sarju’s habit of wandering off without protection.

Yet after that exchange, Sarju had looked at her with genuine apology in his eyes.
Considering how dangerous it was—even within the academy—for a royal to walk around unguarded, she actually felt grateful to serve as an excuse.

Thinking that, she offered a small smile.
Julius’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment before his expression softened.

“Thank you, Amelia. Please continue to look after Sarju.”

“Eh—ah, yes. The pleasure is mine.”

She felt the weight of responsibility, but when asked directly by Julius himself, she could only answer that way.

“More importantly, Brother—I have something I’d like to ask you.”

Sarju’s expression turned serious as he addressed Julius.

“What is it? Whenever you make that face, the young ladies get frightened. I’ve told you to keep your usual gentle smile, haven’t I?”

Sarju started, then quickly looked toward Amelia.
He tried to put on his customary gentle smile—only for her to slowly shake her head.

“I’m fine. You don’t need to force a smile.”

“…I see. If Amelia says so.”

The smile that appeared on his face in that moment was completely natural—and therefore breathtakingly beautiful.

“When you think about it, there’s really no problem if unrelated young ladies are afraid of me.”

“No—there is a problem. At the very least, try to maintain the minimum courtesy.”