Chương 16: This is Already Polite

Her surprise was sincere as she looked over her shoulder and saw three students near the steps of the administration building, red-faced and appearing out of breath. Tori furrowed her brows.

"Is something wrong?" The last time she spoke to Headmaster Laurent had been when they returned to campus from the excursion and he asked about the down vest as her group mates still wore theirs. She had told him that she and Henrik had plans to go into business and would let him know when they were ready to start production. The headmaster had appeared pleased and said he would be happy to support his students' fledgling business.

Perhaps he heard that they were going to the Merchant's Guild recently and wanted to ask. The weather was getting cold; it was a good time to sell.

"He wants to see you in his office." The student in the center was glaring at her and didn't answer her question. Tori looked over at her friends. Ilyana's eyes were wide and she could see the disbelief in them. Tori turned back to the student calling for her and she gave them a nod.

"I'll be right there," she said. She glanced at the others before she moved.

"Do you want to wait for me here or come with me? You'll probably have to wait in the hall."

"We'll come with you," Henrik said. He turned towards the twins.

"Can one of you get Ewan?" The two siblings looked at each other and seemed to have a silent conversation before JP gave Sonia his equipment bag and turned around. Tori walked towards the administration building and started to notice the unsettling gazes on her. Earlier, she thought people were just staring at her in surprise since she ranked so well. But now, there was hostility in their gazes. It was just one exam that barely counted for anything; there was no need to be upset.

"Do you know why the headmaster wants to see me?" Tori slowed her pace to walk beside Ilyana and leaned in to ask her in a quiet voice. Her roommate inhaled and exhaled deeply.

"Someone was complaining that your rank jump is impossible and went to complain." Tori drew her head back and frowned.

"To the headmaster? Is it that unbeliev...." Her brows shot up.

"Did they think I cheated?" Ilyana looked upset, but nodded.

"Many people didn't believe it, but I didn't think they'd immediately assume you cheated." Tori gave Ilyana a regretful look. Ilyana always neglected Tori's reputation as a factor in how people reacted to her. Yet, it was touching that she openly rejected and considered it incompatible with the Tori she knew. It seemed that even with her slightly more positive reputation lately, most of their classmates still didn't think all that highly of her.

As they walked into the administration building and turned into the corridor leading to the headmaster's office, there were numerous students along the walls, watching. Their judgmental eyes looked her over. A few sneered and others shook their heads disapprovingly.

"Cheater!" Someone coughed as she passed.

"Oh, grow up." Tori walked past without so much as a glance. Ahead of them, the door to the headmaster's office was open and Mr. Legaspi, his assistant, was standing by the threshold, blank-faced as usual. The thin, graying man caught sight of her approaching.

"Miss Guevera," he said with the same enthusiastic politeness as always.

"Headmaster Laurent is waiting for you."

"Thank you, Mr. Legaspi." Her friends could not follow in further and lingered by the door. She gave them a nod.

"I'll be out soon." She was confident she would be; she just didn't know if she'd still be in the mood for dinner afterwards.

"Good luck!" Sonia mouthed before Tori walked in. She passed the desk and shelves in the antechamber that was Mr. Legaspi's office and stopped in front of the wooden door with a neat metal engraving that said "Octavio Laurent, Headmaster". She lifted her hand and gave a firm warning knock before twisting the handle and stepping inside. Directly in front of her, behind a large hardwood desk that screamed education administrator of a wealthy school, was the headmaster.

There were two chairs in front of his desk and standing just to the side of them were the three top homeroom instructors that taught most of the academic students, including her own: Instructor Rosemund, and her electives instructor, Instructor Ignatius.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster, Instructors," Tori said as she gave a slight nod of her head and closed the door behind her.

"I was told you wanted to speak to me."

"Have a seat, Miss Guevera," Headmaster Laurent said as he motioned towards the seats. Tori sat across from him attentively.

"Do you know why you've been called here?"

"I do not." Well, I have a slight idea.

"Miss Guevera, there have been multiple accusations that you cheated on the review exams." Instructor Burnett of the science department crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her with a critical gaze.

"They say that your rank jump is suspicious."

"I would like to remind the instructors and headmaster that while I entered at rank 78, it was still a near perfect score. I'm not stupid." Tori kept an impassive expression. Instructor Rosemund let out a low breath.

"Miss Guevera, no one is saying that you're stupid. It is just that the other students are suspicious because you scored far beyond expectations and, coincidentally, sit next to one of the top ranked students of your year." Tori narrowed her eyes.

"That's not a coincidence. Ilyana is the only person in our class who is willing to sit with me. Instructor Rosemund, you know this. There is an entire empty row between Ilyana and I, and the next students."

"Miss Guevera," Instructor Ulrich, the middle-aged math department subordinate, gave her an impatient look.

"Can you prove that you didn't cheat?" She met his eyes with a cold glare.

"Can you prove I did?" He frowned at once and his voice hardened.

"Numerous other students have reported it."

"Where is their proof?" Tori asked.

"I am being accused and I would like to see what evidence they have to make such an accusation. Otherwise, aren't they just defaming me? Have you asked them how they saw me cheating?" Instructor Burnett ran a hand down his tired face, as if he didn't have time for this.

"What would that prove, Miss Guevera?"

"You're a science teacher. You should know about patterns in a data set and probability." For the moment, she forgot she was a fourteen-year-old student and not a 40-year-old calling out someone's bullshit. Fuck it, I'm being wrongfully accused. This is already polite.

"Miss Guevera," the headmaster frowned at her sharp words and Instructor Burnett looked taken aback.

"We only called you here to talk to you about these allegations."

"It is Instructor Ulrich who is telling me to prove my innocence, implying that he already believes I cheated," Tori said.

"Without any actual evidence."

"Multiple students making the same accusation is no coincidence."

"Multiple students also have been biased against me since the beginning of school and I have legitimate reason to believe that their bias is fueling these accusations rather than actually witnessing me cheat." Tori leaned back against the chair.

"Each student who made an accusation should be interviewed properly and questioned on how they saw me cheating, when, and from what vantage point did they see it happen. If the 'how' and 'when' are consistent, and their position allows for them to see such an occurrence, that would be considered telling. However, students should be questioned individually and not allowed to interact with each other until all of them have been seen, to prevent collusion.

I am happy to step out and wait while the interviews are done."

"That is not necessary and is a waste of our time," Instructor Ulrich said with a scowl.

"Then, what is going to happen?" Tori asked, looking at each adult in the room with a demanding expression.

"If no evidence is provided, does the accusation stand? Do I have to accept it and be slandered and have my fair results questioned?" She fixed her gaze on the headmaster.

"Or will the school punish me for something I didn't do because a handful of students don't like me and believe I'm incapable of scoring well by myself?" She narrowed her eyes.

"Is this going to happen every time I score outside of their expectations?" The academic instructors all looked at a loss, clearly having not expected her to not only not deny the accusation, but demand proof of her guilt from the suspecting parties to show their bias against her to clear her name completely and avoid such a case in the future.

"I believe in Miss Guevera." Instructor Ignatius stepped forward and faced the headmaster.

"She is an excellent student. In my class, she also sits alone in the back row, yet she is at the top of the class. I believe she earned her results fairly and support her request to question the students who accused her."

"Instructor Ignatius!" Instructor Burnett and Ulrich both called out, disapprovingly.

"This is for the benefit of the students and Miss Guevera. If this issue isn't cleared up now, it will likely be repeated and Miss Guevera will carry around the stigma the rest of her time at Lycée." Instructor Ignatius had an uncharacteristically firm look on his face.

"Putting her in such a position because she was targeted by other students is incredibly unfair to her and lowers the integrity of the school." Tori's face was still unmoving, but inside, she was praising her electives instructor. He sometimes appeared undependable when it didn't relate to crystals, but he was being supportive of his student when she needed him and she respected that. For this, she quietly promised to work harder to meet his expectations of her.

"I agree." Headmaster Laurent didn't seem to hesitate, as if he had been considering her request from the start. He tapped the desk, a pensive look on his face.

"Miss Guevera, please go and wait in the outer room and send in Mr. Legaspi. I will have him call in all the students who made accusations to get a better grasp on the situation." She let out a low, quiet breath of relief and rose to her feet. She did as he instructed and sat on a hard leather sofa in the antechamber. Mr. Legaspi sent in one student at a time, making sure they didn't interact with any who were waiting to ensure legitimate testimonies.

Each student who came out looked flustered and awkward, avoiding her eyes as they passed. When the last of the five students who were sent in came out, he dared to look at Tori and she couldn't help but look back with contempt. The door opened once more and Mr. Legaspi had her return to the office. Her first instinct was to look at the faces of the people present to try to figure out what the verdict was.

Instructors Burnette and Ulrich had complicated looks on their faces while Instructor Rosemund and the headmaster looked relieved. Instructor Ignatius was smiling and she knew the verdict was in her favor. She took the seat in front of the headmaster once more.

"All five students who accused you had no conclusive evidence that you cheated, especially with Miss Agafonova," Headmaster Laurent said.

"Four of them would've had to turn around to watch you while you took the exam. One of them wasn't in your class. It seems that their only reason for suspecting you was the large jump in rank." His earlier tense expression eased and he sat back in his chair.

"As the students cannot provide sufficient evidence, the accusations are dismissed and I will have Instructor Rosemund address the class regarding this-""Your Highness, please stop! The headmaster is in a meeting right now-" The door swung open and Tori looked over her shoulder. Mr. Legaspi had a frustrated look as a silver-haired youth stormed in, scowling, and sending glares at Tori the moment he saw her. She narrowed her eyes and cursed her luck. Not this asshole. C'mon, I do not have time for this.

"Mr. Soleil." The headmaster rose from his seat, frowning.

"What is the meaning of this?" Gideon seemed to unwillingly calm himself as he faced the four instructors and headmaster. He stood up straight and lifted his chin.

"I was told that Lady Guevera cheated on the exam and demand that she be punished accordingly." Every day, Tori felt he became stupider and stupider. She didn't bother to hide her exasperated scorn.

"Your Highness, every student who accused me has been questioned and none have legitimate proof that I cheated. Their accusations stem from their disbelief that I had a significant rank jump." I'm not even going to get into how they think so badly of me that they automatically believe I cheated. Gideon sneered.

"I saw you cheat with my own eyes. Aside from the exam booklet and writing instrument, you had another object on your desk at the time." She felt her skin crawl and she drew her head back. Why was Gideon watching her? Was he just waiting for her to fuck up? You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"What did you see on her desk that was out of the ordinary, Your Highness?" Instructor Ignatius asked.

"I sit in the front row, opposite from her and Agafonova, so I don't know what exactly it was." Tori snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Yet you have such confidence...," she said under her breath. He shot her another glare.

"It was small and white, about this big." He made a vague shape of a small ball in his hand and Tori couldn't stand it. She rose to her feet and turned to face him.

"You mean my eraser made from compressed bread? The one that I got permission from Instructor Rosemund to use before the exam?" With each sentence, her voice was raising and at this point she didn't care. Instructor Rosemund looked at her male student with some embarrassment on her face.

"Your Highness, Miss Guevera did indeed show her writing implements before class and even asked me to check them before the test to assure me that they were only tools. There was nothing on her eraser."

"And everyone knows that she always writes with a pencil! That eraser is always on her desk!" Ilyana's voice came from the doorway and Tori craned her neck to see Sonia and Ewan trying to hold Ilyana back from running into the room after Gideon stormed in. Tori gave them a slight smile. Despite his evidence failing, Gideon was not swayed and looked at the instructors.

"Does no one think it's suspicious that she ranked so high after testing in so low?"

"78 is still a near perfect score!" Tori threw her arms in the air as she looked at him incredulously.

"Why do you cling to the idea that I'm stupid? I scored well on my exams because I continuously reviewed the subjects. In addition, a quarter of the exam was an essay portion and just comparing that would make it clear I didn't copy off someone else. Are you upset because I beat you in both homeroom and electives? Don't think I didn't see you rank seven in MetaCrystals!"

"This matter has already been clarified," the headmaster said in an even voice.

"The accusations are nothing but defamation. Miss Guevera did not cheat, but rather performed spectacularly well in this round of exams." Tori looked at Gideon defiantly as she watched his face redden, embarrassed.

"I believe you," a soft voice said behind him. Tori looked past her 'favorite' adversary and saw a pretty, youthful face peering into the room with a shadow of determination. Everyone's attention turned to Alessa as she stepped forward, holding her arms up and close to her chest. She looked up to meet Tori's eyes.

"I believe you, Lady Guevera." Somewhere in the back of her mind, an alarm was ringing. She tensed as she tried to hold back her suspicion.

"Oh... thanks...."

"I'm just worried that the entire class won't be convinced." Alessa lowered her eyes, distraught.

"So many of our classmates think you cheated." All right, you are treading into gaslight territory here. I do not like it. Tori narrowed her eyes and Alessa let out a little gasp and shrunk behind Gideon. The second prince noticed her reaction at Tori's look and frowned. He stepped in front of Alessa to shield her from Tori's gaze. Fabian had entered behind Alessa and his face darkened. He moved closer to Alessa and stood at her side like the faithful knight the game made him out to be.

"Instructor Rosemund, you should address your class sooner rather than later regarding this," the headmaster said in a low voice. Before Instructor Rosemund could agree, Alessa spoke up.

"I don't think simply telling the class will convince the others," she said.

"It's already gotten out of hand." Tori didn't like where this was headed. Despite her hesitance, she wanted to know what was going through the protagonist's head.

"Then, Miss Hart, what do you think should be done?" Alessa knit her brows and paused for a moment.

"I heard the other students talking and thought that during midterms, Miss Guevera should take the test alone in front of the class - to prove to everyone that she's not cheating!" She looked up at the instructors and headmaster, earnest. The corner of Tori's lip curled up another sneer. Today was really fueling the reaction.

"You want me to sit there and prove my innocence for something I'm not guilty of."

"I think it's fair." Fabian spoke up with conviction.

"Doing so will ease the class's mind. No one will question her again."

"You should do it." Gideon looked haughty.

"Alessa believes in you, so she suggested this to help you prove you didn't cheat." At that moment, Tori wanted to lift her soft, fourteen-year-old noble daughter's hands, wrap them around Gideon's neck, and squeeze until his face turned blue.

"Then until midterms, you want to allow everyone to believe that I cheated?"

"Everyone already does and you haven't proven otherwise," Gideon retorted. Tori took a step forward and Instructor Rosemund spoke up.

"That's enough! Your Highness, it has been decided that this was an act of defamation. I will address the class tomorrow."

"The class is stubborn, Instructor Rosemund," Alessa said.

"I really believe that Lady Guevera can convince the class that she didn't cheat if she takes the midterm exams in plain sight." Convince! Tori's hands began to shake. I shouldn't have to convince those bitches of shit. To think, I wrote out an entire essay about excursion safety concerns only to have these little shits call me a cheater!

"Miss Guevera," Instructor Rosemund looked at her.

"What are your thoughts?" Tori drew her lips in and bit down. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her homeroom instructor.

"Instructor Rosemund, it is your class," she said.

"I will follow the procedures you put in place; however, this matter should still be addressed to the class." Perhaps Instructor Rosemund wanted her to refuse, as she frowned a bit. She inhaled before giving Tori a nod.

"Then, on the two days of the midterm exams, you will sit at the front of the class."

"In addition, I would like you to make it clear that I will take the midterm exams in front of the class not as an admission of guilt, but as a favor to them." She looked over at Fabian with a slight smirk.

"To... ease their minds, as Mr. von Dorn says."

"This is acceptable," the headmaster said. His lips were in a tight line and he didn't look pleased that the situation turned out how it had. He didn't seem to want to single out a single student, but insisting she did nothing with no other action would likely upset the other students. Since Tori agreed, he decided to go along with it to placate both the students and, to an extent, Tori.

"Do you have further concerns, Miss Guevera?"

"The students who accused me should be held responsible for defaming me."

"That's fair," Ilyana said. She had somehow made it into the room and glared at the back of Alessa, Fabian, and Gideon's heads.

"If they made a claim and can't prove it, and it does harm to another student, they should be held responsible for their words and actions."

"Miss Agafonova...." Alessa looked concerned.

"They were just afraid that someone was breaking the rules."

"Children are afraid of monsters, too, Miss Hart. It doesn't mean they exist." Tori turned her head away and looked back at the headmaster.

"Is this arrangement acceptable, Headmaster?" He gave her a small, conceding nod.

"I will arrange their punishments. Students are dismissed." Tori turned around and walked out the room. Her impassive expression turned cold as she passed Alessa and her love interests. Alessa shrank back even further and Fabian held her shoulders to steady her. Tori shot them a disgusted look and walked out of the office with Ilyana at her heels.

"Tori!" Her friends surrounded her as she came out.

"Are you all right?" JP asked, searching her face. Tori was still.

"Ewan. Is there anyone left in the practice grounds?" The other five looked at each other, uncertain. Ewan nodded.

"Yes. Most of the upperclassmen like to stay later."

"Tell them to wait for me. I'm going to change and get my helmet." Her voice was uncomfortably calm. Despite his worried look, Ewan nodded and rushed off. Tori pulled away from her friends and headed outside.

"Tori!" Ilyana ran after her. Tori stopped on the steps just outside the administration building.

"Ilyana, I need to let off some frustration," she said.

"And calm down. If possible, I don't want to talk to anyone right now." She didn't look back to see Ilyana's hurt and worried expression.

"We're here if you need us." She heard JP's voice reassure her before she continued forward. By the next morning, word had spread that Tori was accused of cheating and would be forced to take the midterm exams in front of her homeroom class. Negative news, as Henrik told her when they first met, always spread fast. Tori was not reconciled in the least, even after sparing every upperclassman who crossed her line of vision the day before.

Because she had been skipping practice lately to deal with her and Henrik's business, other students forgot she was a part of the association. A few weren't there the day she disarmed the captain, either. They had no reservations about sparring with her until one after another, they were beaten. No fancy disarming tricks. No showy, dramatic hits to the face. Just a series of practical cuts and thrust that did not end until her stunned opponent yielded.

When she returned to the training grounds the next day, everyone seemed to either look at her in fear or actively avoid her. This wasn't lost on Tori.

"Tori, can I speak to you for a moment?" Captain Patrick approached her when she arrived. For a while, everyone in the association addressed her as Lady Tori, except for Ewan. Since he was an underclassman and called her by her name, without a title, Tori told the association that they could also call her Tori. So far, it was fifty-fifty and depended on how familiar people felt around her. Captain Patrick removed his helmet and had creased brows and an uncertain frown.

Tori knew what he wanted to talk about and admitted to herself that she did too much the day before.

"Captain, I'm sorry about yesterday. I was very angry and took out my frustrations on the association." The older student took a deep breath.

"Ewan told us what happened yesterday, Tori. You have every right to be angry. It's just that the rest of the association is hesitant to spar with you today...." She nodded, having expected that.

"I understand, Captain. I planned to just go through my forms today." He gave her a small thankful nod and seemed to hesitate. He thought for a moment and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Tori, we know you didn't cheat on the exam. I know that you obviously know you didn't cheat, but I want you to know that your fellow swordsmen support you. If you really need someone to spar with... let me know. I may not be your best opponent, but I will try to give you a decent fight." Her lips curled up with a small smile and her eyes softened.

"Thank you, Captain. It's been a rough couple of days. I appreciate the kind words." She chuckled and patted the hand on her shoulder.

"But don't worry. I'm still just going to do my forms." The captain chuckled as well and stepped back.

"Tori!" They looked towards the voice and saw Ewan rushing forward. His elective was clear across the campus and he was almost always the last person to get to the grounds.

"Tori, someone's at the front gate for you!" She furrowed her brows.

"Who is it?" She ran through a list of possible people; from guild members she'd met to the mercenaries she hired to be security guards for her two stores. She hoped it wasn't Auntie Lucia, as she'd only come if there was some sort of serious family emergency. Comcrys weren't allowed in class, so she left hers in her dorm all day. Ewan was panting as he reached them. He hunched over, hands on his knees, and looked up.

"Sir Nassaun!" Several reasons filled her head as to why Axton had appeared. She hadn't seen him since they bumped into him at Cafe Fortuna and inadvertently given him information to pass to her brother. Perhaps he wanted to check in? He could've just called. The tall young man was chatting with the guards by the gate when she arrived. He gave a nod and excused himself before turning towards her. His eyes studied her and lingered on the bag that had her helmet peeking out of it.

She was dressed for practice and he grinned.

"Are you planning on rampaging through the Sword Association again? Connor is the best they've got and I heard he's no match for you," he said with a mischievous look.

"No, I'm not going to beat up my fellow swordsmen. Today, I'm going to do my forms until I get tired," she replied as she reached him. She watched him step forward and reveal a bag with the hilt of a wooden practice sword sticking out of it. He tilted his head.

"Do you want to try your skill against a La Garda alumni?" She stared at the bag and a small, appreciative smile reached her face.

"Thanks, Axton." The weather was growing colder and the colder it was, the more he hated leaving the warmth of the indoors. However, he had to eat and Axton had left his comcry in his room, so Piers couldn't call him and tell him to bring him food. He entered through the door of Cafe Fortuna and took a moment to relish the immediate warmth. Across the room, the hearth was roaring and keeping the space, as empty as it was except for one other customer reading by the counter, nice and warm.

Piers looked across and made eye contact with Tobias. He gave him a small nod; a silent acknowledgment that he wanted to order his usual. He then began crossing the room to get to the stairs in the back, to the left of the counter, when he caught sight of a familiar set of dusty black boots hanging off the edge of the chaise. Laid over the back was a dark gray, padded jacket with scuffs. His footsteps were quiet as he walked over and then peered over the back of the chaise to see if it was who he expected.

Axton was laying across the cushions, eyes closed with an arm over them, as the other rested over his stomach. An empty cup of coffee was on the table next to him and the bag with the spare wooden swords and his helmet was on the floor. Piers rested his arms over the back of the chaise and leaned over.

"Is Tori feeling better?" Axton's arm didn't move and his lips tightened into a line.

"You ask about Tori when I'm the one laying here?" Piers raised an eyebrow. Axton was La Garda's prized alumni and he'd seen real battle when he went to the border with his uncle. Why would he worry about Axton?

"Then, what happened to you?" he asked, but wasn't really curious.

"I thought you were going to spar with Tori so she could let her anger out." It was Axton's brilliant idea to do so after a call from their esteemed senior. Someone informed Kasen of the situation with Tori over the review exams and since Tori didn't call him about it and had already accepted the arrangement, he couldn't do much except call his two juniors and order them to make sure his 'precious baby sister' wasn't too distraught. A cold chuckle left Axton.

"Oh, I sparred with her all right." He lifted his arm off his eyes and narrowed them.

"She's fast and fights close. It was difficult to respond with a sword at that distance."

"It's because she's small," Piers said.

"She's not going to give you a chance to be within your comfortable striking distance." Axton looked over.

"I underestimated her. She's definitely Senior's sister...." Piers rounded the chaise and took a seat on one of the plush chairs on either side of it. He leaned back.

"Did she beat you up?"

"No, she's not a monster. But she was relentless and went after all the vital points. Hard hits. Fast and consistent. It's surprising." Axton remained on his back, staring at the wooden beams above them.

"I wouldn't put it past her that she has fought against opponents larger than her. That's to be expected since she must've practiced against larger opponents at home, but her reaction times were almost instantaneous, if not already expecting my movement."

"Everyone makes telling movements. It's just that the severity often differs." One of the servers approached and handed Piers a cup with a small plate.

"Thank you." He gave the server a nod to dismiss him.

"I didn't expect someone as young as her to be able to read me so well." Piers took a small sip of his drink and let the heat settle into his bones.

"Is she at least feeling any better?"

"I think so. We stopped by a pastry shop on the way back and she bought snacks for the Sword Association and her friends. She bought us two meat pies, but I was hungry, so I ate them." Piers narrowed his eyes. Axton let out a heavy sigh, not noticing the glare, and continued.

"This really isn't fair to her. She didn't cheat and yet she's being treated as if she did."

"What is the school doing about it?" Axton snorted.

"They're going to make her take the exam at the front of the class, under the teacher's nose, during midterm." Piers frowned at once. He narrowed his eyes.

"That doesn't sound like something they'd make someone who didn't cheat do." Axton swung his legs off the side of the chaise and sat up.

"Piers, I talked to that Ewan kid when I went to pick her up. Your brother is one of the people who accused her. Something about an eraser." The corner of Piers' eye twitched and he lowered his cup.

"You know I try not to get involved or influence him."

"I know. You don't want to control him or make him feel like he's inferior," Axton said. Piers nodded. It wasn't that he and his brother had a bad relationship. He simply didn't consider himself close to Gideon, who was much more outgoing and had a stronger personality than him.

"But he can't go around accusing just anyone. He's a prince. His words have weight."

"Why hasn't Tori said anything about him?" Piers asked as he crossed one leg over the other.

"I don't know. Maybe she doesn't want to cause trouble or upset you. You know how hesitant she was to call about the excursion supplies. She even asked me not to tell Senior Kasen about the Golden Cow because she didn't want to bother him. She's a good girl." Piers looked down at the dark drink in his hand.

"I know."

"I'm just saying that if Gideon gets out of hand, it'll become a problem. You know how he is when he thinks he's doing the right thing." Axton rolled his eyes. Piers released a conceding sigh.

"If it continues, I will speak to him."

"Good," Axton said as he raised his legs and laid back on the chaise.

"Because that so-called gifted knight that follows your brother around like a dog can't beat her."