"I've already told you my name. It's Sully. Not Silly," Sully gave her the bombastic side-eye as he spoke. "I'm not a wizard. But you can say... A magical creature? I'm here to repay your kindness. I'm not human. You've seen me before. You just can't remember."
"I see." Zadhea nodded her head understandingly. "But what did I do to you? I really can't recall it."
"You gave me... Wait, orange juice!" Sully took her half-empty glass and gulped the remaining juice in one go.
"Hey, that's mine, idiot!" Zadhea pursed her lips angrily.
"What was I saying?" Sully wiped his mouth using the back of his hand. "Aaah, yes. I ran out of cabbage and you gave me your half-eaten cabbage, saying that you had enough."
"Wait, what?" Zadhea's jaw dropped to the floor. "Did I really do such a thing? To a stranger? Was I drunk or something? Actually, I don't even drink alcoholic stuff!"
"You weren't drunk. I really didn't mind it." Sully clicked his tongue. "I love cabbage, and I appreciate your kindness. That's why I'm here to help you reduce your stress. If it were someone else, I'd still do the same."
"Why?" Zadhea couldn't understand his intention behind that. Was he also a traitor like Dewinn? She knew she had to be cautious to avoid unnecessary troubles. "It's a simple thing. Moreover, it must have been a long time ago."
"Not that long." Sully shook his head. "I know you don't believe me, but it's fine. I was busy with something else. I only got the chance to meet you today."
"Whatever." Zadhea rolled her eyes. "I don't need you anymore. Thanks for the concern. Now leave my room, Mr. Cabbage."
"Wait, no. I can sense that you are still stressed. I won't go until I make you feel better," Sully uttered firmly.
"A boy and a girl alone in a big room. It sounds inappropriate." Zadhea squinted her eyes. "Don't stain my reputation any further, please."
"Okay." Sully turned into a round, fluffy, white kitty and sat on her lap. "Meow!" He looked at her with his big purple eyes and blinked. "Meow! Meow! What about now?"
His action made Zadhea think of her own cat, Lillian. Whenever she felt sad or angry, she took Lillian to her lap and expressed her thoughts.
She missed Lilly!
"You're not my Lil," Zadhea said curtly before picking him up.
"Since you can turn into anything, be a bird and fly away without bothering me." She opened a window and mercilessly threw him out.
Before she could completely close the window, a white cockroach quickly entered the room.
"Are you for real right now?" Zadhea gritted her teeth and grabbed a thick book, hoping to crush the cockroach to death. The cockroach landed on her bed, obviously testing her patience.
"You, cabbage guy! You think I won't kill you?" Shouting, Zadhea jumped onto her bed and started hitting him using the book.
'Okay. This way, you can vent all your frustration.' Sully happily thought in his mind. 'I'm glad I could help another human being.'
Lucy knocked lightly on Zadhea's door and waited for her to open it. When she didn't get a response, she ran out of patience and directly opened it. Fortunately, it wasn't locked. When Lucy poked her head inside, she was greeted with such a crazy scene that she gasped loudly, making Zadhea turn her head in her direction.
"Hee, hee, Hi!" Zadhea gave her an awkward smile and threw the book away. "Just a cockroach."
"Whaaaaaaaat? A cockroach???!!!" Lucy screamed and turned to run away when Zadhea quickly stopped her, saying, "Don't worry. I killed it!"
'Wow! So talented.' Sully rolled his eyes and turned into a house lizard again before leaving her room.
"Why are you here?" Zadhea climbed down from the bed and approached the door.
She knew Lucy was a bright student in the academy. After Stella, she was the one in charge of many things. Maybe she was even better than Stella. At least, Zadhea thought so. Honestly, to her, anyone was better than that Stella.
Lucy hesitated for a while as she fidgeted with her fingers. "That..."
"Yes, tell me." Zadhea could guess more or less as she observed her expressions. It mustn't be a good thing. That's for sure!
"The Headmaster, he.. He wants to meet you."
Zadhea took a deep breath and released it slowly as she knocked on the door to the headmaster's office, her heart throbbing. She couldn't help but feel nervous after witnessing Lucy's strange behavior. Lucy was usually emotionless, but that day, she acted like a completely different person, much to Zadhea's distress.
Furthermore, Evelyn had warned her that the headmaster was strict.
"Come in," she heard his raspy voice from inside.
"Okay, I can do it," Zadhea mumbled to herself and pushed open the door, trying hard not to make a sound. Despite her efforts, the door still made a loud noise.
"Dwam!" Zadhea cursed in her mind.
"Oh, Edwina princess, please sit," the headmaster put his pen down and motioned her to take the chair before him.
Zadhea nodded and sat down, intertwining her fingers on her lap.
"Good morning, sir."
"Hmm."
"You must also know about your reputation in the school," Mr. Richard quickly entered the topic without beating around the bush. "I've checked the evidence. It's really you."
"What?" Zadhea's eyes, which had been fixed on her lap, finally met his amber eyes as she blurted out, shocked.
"Look at this letter and this diary. They belong to Dreva. She clearly stated that you were the reason she left."
The headmaster handed her a diary and a letter. Zadhea checked them and her eyes narrowed.
It was true. The letter was from Dreva!
"It's not the only thing," Mr. Richard paused for a few seconds and continued, "You're setting a bad example for other students. Do you remember your fiancé's speech? The one he gave on the day of your arrival? He said this school isn't a place for inappropriate behavior. Yet, his own fiancée broke the rules, moreover, with another m..."
Zadhea cut him off. "It's not true."
She felt terrible. Hateful tears began to fill her eyes. She didn't want to cry, but her tears didn't obey her orders as they stubbornly struggled to escape.
"An anonymous student told me they saw someone kiss you on the cheek," the headmaster gave her a disapproving look.
Zadhea could sense his disgust as his gaze bore into her. She felt uncomfortable sitting there any longer.
"I kindly ask you to leave the school voluntarily. I won't expel you myself because I know it'll affect your future."
Zadhea wanted to laugh at his ridiculous words. Her reputation was already massively ruined. If she were to leave, it wouldn't make things any better; quite the opposite.
Despite everything, Zadhea knew she had had enough. She didn't want to stay there any longer.
"Okay, sir. I'll leave the academy."
The headmaster sighed, giving her a small smile for the first time. "Good."
_____________________
"Zadhea is about to leave! Please stop her!!!"
"What?" Heidith stood up from his seat instantly.
"Can you come with me? I'll tell you what happened along the way."
Evelyn told him everything about Zadhea's visit to the headmaster's office and her decision to leave the academy afterwards.
"Where are we going?" Heidith's question made Evelyn stop in her tracks. They had been roaming around the school for fifteen minutes.
"I... I don't know. Maybe... To talk to her? Can you ask her not to leave?"
Heidith shook his head and said, "It's useless now." Then he thought for a moment and asked, "When does she plan to leave?"
"Probably tomorrow morning." Evelyn nodded to herself.
Heidith nodded as well. "Then we have only a few hours to prove her innocence."
"What?" Evelyn was shocked. "Prove her innocence? How can we do that?"
"Mmm, first of all, answer this question of mine."
"Yes?"
"Do you remember someone who got offended by her?" Heidith asked in a serious tone.
Evelyn pondered and shook her head. "Only Aisha and Deera. I don't know anyone else."
"These two girls... How did she offend them?" Heidith interrogated.
Just like that, Evelyn found herself telling him everything about how Zadhea saved Dreva from getting bullied by them, and the way they bullied her too.
As Heidith listened to the entire story, his lips curved into a smile.
"You're smiling?" Evelyn asked, feeling angry. "You like the fact that she got bullied?"
"No way!" Heidith quickly denied. "It's not the reason. It's just I think I know what to do. Tell me one more thing."
"Hmm?"
"Aisha and Deera, right? Are they art students? Like drawing..?"
Evelyn frowned, confused. "Yeah. Deera knows how to draw. But what does it have to do with this?"
"Okay." Heidith clicked his tongue. "If you believe Dreva hundred percent, the only possible thing is... Nah, I won't waste time to explain things now. Firstly, we have to meet these two girls for an interrogation."
"Do you think they'll cooperate with us?" Evelyn asked doubtfully.
"They will." He smirked.
As they turned around, they bumped into Derek.
"Oh, greetings to Lady Evelyn." He smiled at her and reached out to kiss the back of her hand.
"Don't break the rules here." Evelyn rolled her eyes and avoided his touch. "You go away. I booked your friend."
"Yo, what!" Derek became upset and turned to Heidith with a pout. "Bro, this is unfair! I couldn't talk to you for a week! I miss you so much."
Evelyn rolled her eyes again, mimicking his words in her mind.
Heidith chuckled and tapped on his shoulder to console him. "I'll meet you later. I have something very important to do now. Wait." He raised his eyebrows as something clicked in his mind. "Do you know Aisha and Deera?"
"Mmm... Aisha and Deera... My girlfriends? Hey!! Aisha!!! Yeah, I know that shameless woman! I met her in the library. She looked hella suspicious."
"Wait, what?" Heidith was surprised. "Does it mean she is the one who spread rumors about Zadhea meeting Lucas?"
"What?" Evelyn gasped. "It does make sense. But what if it's not the same day? What if she went to the library for something else?"
"We can only have one way to solve this." Heidith squinted his eyes. "Let's ask them."
"Can I join? Maybe I can help you guys," Derek offered.
Evelyn wasn't too happy to hear that, but Heidith nodded in agreement. "Before that, you have to meet the headmaster and ask for Dreva's diary and letter. Can you do that?"
"What? I have to meet that man?" Derek felt troubled. He knew that the headmaster knew about his whereabouts. He just turned a blind eye to it for years.
"Yep. I hope you can do that for me." Heidith flashed a smile at him. "Right?"
"Aysh!" Derek realized he had no choice.
"As for you," Heidith turned to Evelyn. "I think you should go and meet Zadhea. Try to console her..."
"But," Evelyn pressed her lips. "I thought I could come with you."
"Zadhea needs you."
"I see." Evelyn lowered her eyes. "I'll take my leave then."
"Wait, Evelyn!" Heidith stopped her.
Evelyn turned her head towards him. "Yes?"
"Thank you." He flashed a genuine smile at her. "Thank you for telling me."
"I can do anything for Zadhea." Evelyn smiled back and left.
Heidith whispered softly, "Me too."
_______________________
"Sweep the floor! Harder! See, I can still see how dirty it is." Aisha gagged and snatched the broom from the trembling girl's hands before hitting her back using it. "You useless trash can!"
Deera crossed her legs and yawned. "They are truly futile. What about your two maids?"
"They won't be here. They took two days off."
"Gosh! What a disaster!" Deera shook her head, feeling disappointed. "I pity you."
"No, I can still train this bitch!" Aisha kicked the girl's butt.
She hissed in pain but didn't dare to say anything, fearing that she might offend them.
"Lady Aisha, I have a class now," After a while, she spoke very softly in a shaky voice.
"You!" Aisha moved her hand to hit her. As a result, the glass close to her dropped to the floor and shattered into pieces.
"Ugh, what a mess!" Aisha barked loudly, "Pick them up."
"But..." The girl hesitated.
"DO I NEED TO REPEAT MYSELF?!" Aisha roared.
The girl quickly squatted near the broken pieces and started collecting them slowly, her hands shaking.
"Too slow!" Aisha stepped on her hand, making it rub against the broken glasses.
The girl winced in pain.
"You dare to shout, bitch?!" Aisha put pressure on it, adding further pain as the girl began to cry.
"Wow!" Deera giggled. "I'm impressed. Lemme do it with my maids too."
"Ehem!" They heard someone clear his throat, and the three girls looked in the direction where the sound came from.
"Vice president!!"
A/N:
Guys, help me to decide their punishment. 😌