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Chapter 37: The Little Cotton Jacket is Still a Little Cotton Jacket

Before Douglas could respond, a member of the South Sea faction suddenly stepped forward to bow.

After receiving a nod of approval from Jason, this person leaned in to whisper a few words.

The matter of Roy secretly meeting Leanna couldn’t possibly escape the eyes of the South Sea faction’s spies.

However, while most students would just see it as gossip, to the faction leader, it carried a different weight.

The South Sea prince first showed a flicker of surprise, and then a once-lost fervor resurfaced in his eyes.

He smiled gently at Douglas and said with interest, “Forget my previous remark, this junior does indeed have some charm.”

“I’m curious to see just what kind of junior could earn such high praise from the head of the Gold Sand.”

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“So, you want to join the student council?”

Charlotte placed her teacup down a bit too forcefully, her calm demeanor almost unnerving.

The slightly furrowed brows and her stiff expression exuded a regal air of authority that gave Roy some satisfaction.

This girl has quite the kingly aura, huh?

If only it wasn’t directed at me. Roy silently complained, managing a weak smile.

Roy defended himself to the princess sitting opposite him, “Nothing’s set in stone yet; it’s just a possibility.”

The elven girl sitting next to Charlotte suddenly chimed in with a strange tone, “Oh, just a possibility? Just being all lovey-dovey with a pretty senior in the same organization?”

Roy was momentarily speechless.

He expected some discontent from Charlotte, but he didn’t think Nia would be so miffed about it.

“No, that’s not it at all! There’s nothing between me and Leanna!”

Charlotte crossed her legs, mumbling sulkily, “If there was something, would you still have a chance to explain?”

Nia, leaning against the corner of the couch with her chin on her hand, muttered softly, “Not yet, I guess.”

Ever since that night Leanna and Roy met privately, Charlotte’s mood had been increasingly sour, and Nia’s remarks were never-ending.

Roy thought he could just let them vent since he was in the right, but after a few days of it, even he started to feel annoyed.

Especially since he had already explained the whole situation, including his misunderstanding of Leanna’s good intentions.

Am I Roy so easily swayed by beauty? It was just a meeting; is it really worth your fuss?!

Straightening up, he put on a stern face and returned the judgmental gazes of the two girls, asserting, “Let me be clear, I’m only in contact with Leanna for the Certificate of Kingship; I have no ulterior motives whatsoever!”

Being stared at by Roy’s clear, dark eyes, both girls felt a shift in their demeanor, becoming a tad less aggressive.

Right, how could my Roy ever abandon me for another girl…

Just as this thought crossed their minds, both girls caught sight of each other, and their mood suddenly turned a little strange.

However, they also understood how important the Certificate of Kingship was to Roy.

For other extraordinary beings, it might mean inheriting a family business and just coasting along, but for Roy, who was being hunted by a cult, it was a matter of life and death.

Now that Leanna likely held clues about the Certificate of Kingship and was even trying to be nice, he couldn’t just ignore her.

Even someone as strong-willed as Charlotte found herself looking down and sighing slightly, “Fine, I won’t pry into this matter any further.”

“Yeah, after all, it’s about the Certificate of Kingship. Just don’t get too cozy with the pretty senior, okay?” Nia nodded in agreement.

Roy sighed in relief at Nia’s words, but then she suddenly smiled and said, “So, those rumors are all false, right?”

“What rumors?” Roy asked while picking up his teacup.

Nia hesitated for a moment, wanting to say something but stopping before she finally looked away and mumbled, “You know, the rumors about you meeting her on the sly and doing… that kind of thing…”

“Pfft!” Roy sprayed his tea all over the table.

Honestly, Nia was just asking casually.

Both Charlotte and Nia understood that these so-called rumors were mostly fabrications—anyone believing them would be foolish.

As for the supposed insider scoop on the passionate night between the student council president and the first-year junior, that was pure nonsense—if anything was going to happen, it would have been with them first, not with Leanna.

However, seeing Roy’s over-the-top reaction made the two girls instantly anxious.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes coldly and demanded, “Roy! What exactly did you do with her that day?!”

“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t scare me like that! You’re not seriously saying you were seduced by her and took her to bed, right?!” Nia’s face paled, her ears perked up in shock.

“No, no, you girls can’t actually think I would do something to hurt you?!”

“Then why are you panicking?” Charlotte pressed, her voice sharp.

“Uh, well…”

With a guilty conscience, Roy broke out in a cold sweat, “I swear to the Holy Light, I didn’t do anything with Leanna!”

Charlotte’s expression softened a little, but Nia once again caught a hint of something and asked, “Could it be that she did something to you?!”

Remembering that moment when Leanna had him pinned down, Roy felt guilty and went momentarily silent.

But his vague response seemed to confirm Charlotte’s suspicions, causing both girls to become even more agitated.

As they looked ready to launch an interrogation, a panicking Roy threw an SOS look towards the corner where the little maid stood.

“Alice! You were there that day, help me explain…!”

Halfway through, Roy suddenly stopped.

Recalling Alice’s cold demeanor that night, he realized asking her for help was probably the worst idea ever.

But having already started, he couldn’t take it back now. Both Charlotte and Nia turned their attention toward Alice.

“Right, Alice, you were there too!”

“So what exactly did Roy do that day?!”

Alice, who had remained silent all along, finally looked up and directed her gaze towards Roy.

Her expression was devoid of any emotion, like an unfeeling angel passing judgment on sinners.

“That day, my master and the student council president were alone together for quite a while.”

Upon hearing this, Roy’s heart nearly stopped.

But then Alice sighed softly, shifted her tone, and calmly explained to the two girls, “However, they were just talking; nothing inappropriate happened, so please don’t worry.”

With Alice’s assurance, Charlotte and Nia finally eased their suspicions.

And Roy sighed as well, wiping the cold sweat off his brow, relieved that the little cotton jacket was still just a little cotton jacket and hadn’t put him in a tight spot over nothing.

Otherwise, he’d really be wronged.

However, recalling the alluring scenes he had witnessed that night, Alice couldn’t help but tightly clutch her skirt, her head hanging slightly.

As a maid, it was only natural to keep her master’s secrets.

 

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