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"WE'RE GOING TO USE Historical-biographical criticism on the short story that I will be sharing with you after class. But before that, I want us to begin with the very definition of Literary Criticism and why it is important when it comes to analyzing Literature," an English professor says to a class that's finally full of students who are eager to listen.
During the time Kim Hee-Joon implemented the Brotherhood Customs, the white uniforms stopped going to their classes, afraid that the Brotherhoods would kidnap them. But after the chaos ended, things returned to normal, meaning regular classes resumed.
Other than the fact that most of the abusive professors were removed, the quality of their classes changed drastically, and after so long, Stefan and the other serfs finally had chairs to sit on. Gone are the days when they had to sit on the floor
"Do you have the notes from last week's lesson?" Xander asks Max who was busy writing something down in his notebook.
Max, who's probably the only student in this entire school who continued studying despite their circumstances, stopped what he was doing so he could hand Xander the notebook he used last week.
While everyone was busy listening to their professor, someone suddenly knocked on their door, interrupting the class. The professor stopped his lecture as the Saints' president, Justice Thorndyke, opened the door, holding his chest briefly as a sign of respect.
"I apologize for interrupting your important lesson today, but Reverend Mother Margaret would like to speak with Maximilian Sinclaire in her office," Justice suddenly says, surprising Max and the others.
The professor turns to Max and nods his head as a sign of approval. Max then turned to his friends who could only shrug their shoulders in similar confusion.
"I'll tell you the details later," Max whispers to Keigo before finally heading out of the room with the council president.
"Follow me."
The two were completely silent the entire time, unsure of what to say to each other since this was the first time they were left alone together again since the public arrest of the Ministry. Max thought they were just gonna ignore each other, but when the two got out of the cathedral, Justice finally turned to Max and said, "It's strange how the first time I walked with you like this was the first day you arrived. Everything was still a mess at that time, but now...things have changed drastically. You're like a saviour sent from the heavens, so as the council president, I want to—"
"Please don't thank me. Everywhere I go students and even teachers are thanking me like I'm some kind of saint. It feels wrong," Max says, making the president laugh.
"Wrong? What's wrong with that? They just want to show their appreciation."
"But there's nothing to be appreciated for. I mostly did all this for my selfish reasons and you know that. And it's not like I was the only one who did something to help. St. George Academy. I didn't have to be in the spotlight," Max then explains, and this time, Justice sighs. He understands that Max isn't the type to take credit for every little thing he does, but Justice would be glad if he did.
Max was the reason why everything came to be. He started with the serfs' division, and then everything else just rippled in place. Max had such a huge impact that he was able to influence others as well. If Max could only be more selfish, Justice wouldn't feel so bad as the Saints' president.
"There must be a way for us to show our appreciation. Not being able to thank you feels wrong somehow," Justice then says.
"Just let your house know that J.S High did it. It was the House of Kings who helped this school. It wasn't me. It was Kim Hee-Joon, Hedeon Stallion, Gavriil Alexeev, Charles Justin Mills, and everyone else who put effort into making sure change could be possible. So I'm sorry, I still won't accept your gratitude," Max firmly says, and Justice finally gives up. Max has only been here for a couple of weeks but he already knows how stubborn the heir can be. Fortunately, Justice is persistent.
"And here I thought we can at least make a monument for you. Maybe even just a small statue to commemorate your excellence and zeal," Justice sarcastically says next, and the two finally laugh in response.
"I would burn this school to the ground if you do something so embarrassing. It's already strange enough that I share the same surname as J.S High," Max truthfully says.
"Oh stop being so humble. You could have ignored the situation here and just continued with helping PHD, but you didn't. You still helped with whatever you could. Your reason may have been selfish, but for us, it wasn't."
"Can we just move on from this?" Max insists.
"No, not until you accept my sincere thanks."
"You got to be kidding me."
"Just say you're welcome. It would be awkward if you help us again and we still haven't even thanked you from the last one."
"Don't worry, there won't be a next time. Like I said back in the atrium, I will no longer help this house. I only have a week left before returning to the King's Castle. I have already wasted so much time here," Max then answers.
"So helping us was a waste? I didn't know you were this heartless," Justice responds.
When Max hears the comment that would obviously lead him to a trap, he grins at the president and tells him, "I said what I said."
"Yet you put so much effort into something you believed was a waste. How foolish," Justice says back, and this time, Max chuckles.
"You're not gonna make me change my mind."
"Come on. Why is it so hard to just accept the fact that you greatly helped our school? That you helped implement the White Uniform Protection Code, and that you stood up for us when no one else did. You're not like any other student Max and that's not something to be ashamed of. Why are you trying so hard to—"
"It's because I don't want people to think I'm acting like Grey," Max suddenly admits, and the answer surprised Justice to the point where he instantly stopped walking. This was definitely a response that he did not expect to hear from Max.
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't...I don't want them to think I'm acting like him, or replacing him by saving a school and getting all these praises when I haven't even done half of what he has done in the past. People keep saying they remind me of Grey but..." when Max realized what he was saying to someone whom he wasn't even that close to, he immediately stopped himself and looked away from Justice. He laughs at himself and then slowly reaches out to the Lemieux necklace that he was wearing. "Sorry, that was unnecessary and way too inappropriate to share. Please forget about what I just said."
"N-No it's fine, I—"
"You know what, you're right. It would have been easier if I just took your thanks. So let me stop being difficult and say it now. You're welcome. I hope this will be the last time we can talk about this so we can move on. I have more important matters to worry about, and that's getting PHD back to J.S High. Helping this school was just something I wanted to do. That's all there was to it," Max says as he starts walking.
Justice stares at the heir and gives out a loud sigh. He never knew that Max would have such sentiments. He didn't even expect that he would be worried about the fact that people associated him with Grey.
Has Max even told anyone about this before?
"Hey," Justice calls out, making Max stop.
Justice takes a step and approaches him until he is only a meter away. "For what is worth, I think you're nothing like Grey. And the thanks I'm offering you...I'm offering it to Max Sinclaire, the boy who one day will stand by me as the council president of the strongest house—the boy who got smothered in red paint and got beaten by a nun with a stick. I'm thanking you, who despite not even being a student in this school, decided to make a difference. I may not have known him well, but I'm certain even Grey wouldn't have done something so selfless."
Max was surprised by what Justice said because the president wasn't the type to lift someone's spirit like that. But as Justice was trying his best not to feel shy about his compliments, Max smiled, finally appreciating the saints' kind words.
"Thanks."
"And now you're thanking me when I've been desperately trying to thank you. Something is wrong with you, Sinclaire," Justice says, and the two of them start laughing again.
After the unexpected exchange, the two finally arrive at the convent, heading straight to the office of their new house president. When they arrived, Max fixed his uniform and arranged the brooches in his collar before finally knocking on the door. Max enters alone as Justice stays outside to give them their privacy.
When the door closes behind Max, Max finds an 82-year-old woman with dark eyes sitting at the very desk that Fr. Lucas Ivory once sat on before he got arrested.
"So you're Maximilian Leigh Sinclaire," the abbess, and the new president of St. George Academy, Reverend Mother Margaret, says with a smile, immediately making Max touch his chest as a sign of respect.
"Mother Margaret," Max greets.
"Please sit down child," she tells him next, and Max bows his head and sits on the chair in front of the desk. He adjusted himself in his seat and ended up staring at the new school president with awe. Fr. Lucas had this aura around him that felt strained like he was cautious. While Mother Margaret felt motherly and warm. The two were completely different.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mother Margaret," Max says to her.
"The pleasure is mine," Mother Margaret replies. "I apologize if I wasn't able to meet you sooner, Maximilian. Things were a bit hectic when I arrived."
"Oh, no, there was no need for you to meet me at all. It would be too imposing of me if you had to seek for me first," Max says, making Mother Margaret chuckle this time.
"How courteous of you. But of course, I would still want to meet the person who helped save St. George Academy and personally give him my thanks," the president says, making Max awkwardly laugh. But unlike his talk with Justice earlier, he didn't say anything about it.
"I've heard so much about you, Maximillian. I'm not the type to drown myself with 'celebrity' news so I'm not familiar with your face, but seeing you now like this made me realize that you have such kind eyes. Janet was right about you," Mother Margaret says, and this time, Max gives a genuine smile.
"That is very high praise. Thank you. You have kind eyes yourself."
"You have a way with words. I like you, Maximilian," Mother Margaret says back with a chuckle. She then turns at the window on the right and stares at the wonderful view outside. "When I heard about the news of what the supposed Ministry did to this school, I was saddened. I couldn't believe they let something like this happen. I couldn't believe they let the Ministry become tyrants for this long."
"They? Do you mean the Brotherhood Association?" Max asks, and Mother Margaret turns to Max and nods her head.
"I met the twins around three decades ago. They were practically kids when I first met them, so when I spoke to Janus and Janet, they explained their side like children explaining to their parents how the window broke. They told me how it was difficult for them to make a move. They said they always tried their best to make things right, which I understand. But while I was listening to them, I realized that the reason why it took so long for them to stop Lucas Ivory, is because it took so long for them to accept the fact that the person who is betraying them is actually among them," Mother Margaret suddenly explains, which Max surprisingly agreed with.
It's obvious that the Brotherhood Association is also at fault here. If Max hadn't pushed through with their plan to take down the Ministry, nothing would have happened. But at the same time, he kinda understands what it feels like.
Max would never know Janus's real relationship with Father Lucas, but what he does know is that President Janus chose his most trusted friends to build the five houses with him.
Maybe he was in denial. Max couldn't help but compare the situation and look at it from his perspective. If Max felt like Krist, CJ, or maybe even Gavriil was betraying him, would Max instantly do something about it? Would he try his best to still trust them and give them the benefit of the doubt? When Max thought about these questions, he couldn't even give an answer himself.
Maybe this is what his uncle felt. Janus might act like this wasn't a big deal to him, but Max can only guess that the school president was deeply hurt when he first heard of what Lucas Ivory was doing.
"I was a bit hard on the twins. I told them that they're the ones who decided to create this world, these houses, so it is their responsibility to carry the burden. They are responsible for every single student who is enrolled in their schools, so when something falls, they must be the one to catch the debris and rebuild it much stronger," Mother Margaret continues to say, "But of course, there is another side to it, and I hope you listen to this carefully as well, Maximilian."
Max, who was already listening to the abbess attentively, leaned even closer so he wouldn't end up missing even a single word.
"Adults are just kids who were forced to grow up," the reverend mother says, surprising Max because this isn't what he was expecting to hear. "Janus and Janet...there is a reason why they created these schools."
"What was it?" Max asks, and Mother Margaret smiles and reaches out to Max's hand that's on top of the desk so she can gently pat it.
"I grew up in a wealthy family too, so I understood what Janus and Janet were going through. But as much as I want to say more, I think it's best if they told you personally," she answers before finally opening her drawer, pulling something out and handing it over to Max.
The mysterious item was an enclosed envelope.
"Let's talk about those matters some other time. For now, I want us to go back to the issue regarding St. George Academy," Mother Margaret says, making Max furrow his brows in confusion.
"I'm sure you're aware that there's still a missing piece in this story, correct? You might have solved the issue with the Ministry, or even the implementation of the White Uniform Protection Code, but there's still one thing left, and that's the Division Program," Mother Margaret explains, which still confused the serf.
"Wait, are you planning on removing the Division Program?" Max asks, making Margaret shake her head in reply.
"No, I'm not talking about that. I'm talking about the person who created it. I'm talking about the person who seemed to know the connection of the Ministry with the Secretary of Education. The only person outside the Ministry, who might know who this school was sold to. I'm talking about Klyde Vitus Von Hatzfeld," the president finally reveals, leaving Max's eyes wide in shock.
"Are you...are you telling me—"
"We found him," Mother Margaret finishes for him. "Or rather, he found us," she adds before gesturing at the envelope that she handed to Max.
Max looks down and breaks the seal, ripping the envelope open. He was expecting to see a letter, but instead, it was an address.
"Someone reached out to us after the news regarding Lucas Ivory broke out. It was the person who had been taking care of Klyde since the Hatzfeld family got arrested. She told us that Klyde wanted to speak with you personally and privately. Janus, Janet, and I didn't open the envelope. No one did. So you're the only person here who knows where he is now," Mother Margaret explains while Max continues to stare at the address.
"The gates will be open for you. Would you like to speak with this boy or not? Because if you don't want to, I suggest you burn that paper now and we can all pretend like this conversation never happened. You can let this case go and we can all move forward..." the president seriously says, making Max gulp.
"Or you can leave now, bring your most trusted person, and hear this boy's story. Discover what those people were so afraid of. Know how things came to be. This will all be your call."
"W-wait, why are you making me choose something so important? Shouldn't you be the one choosing? Shouldn't my uncle?" Max asks, finally turning away from the address so he can look at Mother Margaret.
The abbess stares back at Max's ocean eyes, and the warm and motherly aura around her instantly changes into one that better fits her new title. She was definitely someone Max did not expect to be intimidating.
"You want to become the Elites' president, don't you? Then these important decisions...it's time you start making them. Like Janus and Janet, let's see how dignified your values truly are. Let's see what kind of justice you're clearly seeking here. "
- END -