Pride and Sanctimony

Chapter 61 | Graduation

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[Erhein] “So they refused.”

Within Erhein’s hands was an official message from the Imperial family, written immediately at the start of which was the name of Count Reston.

[Count] “I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve been more helpful.”

Erhein checked the message from the Imperial family penned for the Count as if he were the intended recipient, and then roughly tossed it back down. The Count bowed his head, continually apologizing.

In comparison to the Count, who was well beyond his middle age, Erhein was a young nobleman in his mid-twenties, and yet the Count spoke incredibly formally towards him.

Though that was to be expected. The Count was on the side of the Marquis, and as the Marquis only son, it was a reasonable course of thought to understand that Erhein would become the next Marquis himself one day.

The reason why Count Reston agreed to give up property equaling eighty percent of his income as a dowry was because Marquis Hayden agreed to compensate for damages. This was all done with the intent to understand the Prince’s whims when it came to the idea of marriage.

Count Reston agreed because he would lose nothing as a part of this deal, but at the same time, his opinion was never considered during this process.

[Count] “Truly, I am most deeply sorry.”

Erhein didn’t really have many expectations to begin with. This whole plot was done purely to use the Count to gauge Imperial response.

Naturally his young sister, Permat, was enraged. Again, she became inconsolably hysterical, asking why he would present the daughter of a count before the Imperial Prince rather than herself.

The reason why Erhein didn’t use the name of the Marquis for this little plan was because rejection was most certainly assured, and he didn’t wish for the name of Marquis Hayden to be humiliated for no reason like that.

It would bring unbearable shame to the noble name of the Marquis, who lived and died with honor, to have a marriage proposal rejected, only to present a second request later on down the line.

And although this plan went just about as perfect as he thought it would, he still felt unsatisfied. If the Imperial family were to actually accept this marriage, this all would’ve been much easier to deal with, since they would all be tied through an engagement.

[Erhein] “You may return now.”

[Count] “Yes. If you need anything else, please call me again.”

[Erhein] “If the time comes.”

Though the marriage proposal went nowhere, Count Reston didn’t feel disappointed on account of Erhein’s handsome payment.

Once the Count was gone, Erhein ordered one of his subordinates to bring in a certain man.

[Erhein] “Feed him to the dogs.”

If he wished to bury things, confusion was better than silence.

The very next day, a newspaper that specialized in third-rate gossip devoted their entire front page to a published article. How did that article start, you ask?

—’Who is the Imperial Prince’s woman?’

* * *

Staring back at him was the reflection of a man with bright blond hair and piercing golden eyes.

Though it was a face that others looked upon with awe and elation, he had lived with it his entire life, but unless he looked in the mirror, he rarely had the chance to peer into the eyes of a god himself.

He always dressed neatly, but today, he was paying extra special care to his appearance, but something didn’t sit right with him.

[—] “Is there a problem?”

Considering how much the Prince was looking at his own face with an expression of dissatisfaction, naturally the person that was helping him prepare his hair and clothing had no choice but to ask if everything was alright.

[Lexus] “Don’t I look a bit tired today?”

[—] “N, no, of course not! You’re as handsome as ever.”

[Lexus] “In other words, I look the same as ever.”

The idea of looking the same as he always did right on the day he was trying to meet up with a woman he considered himself serious about was a terrifying thought.

[—] “No, that’s not it! You look even more handsome today.”

The attendant spoke with assurance, but for the first time ever, Lexus was starting to lose confidence in this reliable face of his.

But right now, he had no choice but to not. It was too late to change his clothes, and he’d already done all he could with his hair, skin, and pretty much everything else about him that he could feasibly improve on.

[Lexus] “Then let’s go.”

Yusef was busy taking care of other work, so Lexus sent another servant out with the ring to ensure he wasn’t late.

Once the graduation ceremony was over, a celebratory banquet would be held. He was planning on persuading her to leave it early with him, and take her to a place he had prepared.

Then, he would make his serious intentions known.

If he failed in that, well, shit. He didn’t even want to think about that possibility, but if it did end up happening, he didn’t plan on just giving up and leaving it at that.

[Tex] “Ack.”

[Lexus] “What?”

Arriving at the Academy, Lexus immediately responded with abject harshness at Tex’s response.

[Tex] “You look too bright today, Your Highness.”

[Lexus] “Is that so?”

Those were words he normally pretended not to hear whenever they passed through the air, but this time, the corners of Lexus’ mouth curved slightly upward.

[Ruth] “Wow, we see your face all the time, but I think my heart was pounding for a second.”

[Arthur] “Who was your fitter? Mind introducing them to us?”

[Lexus] “Do you really think you could pull something like this off just because I introduce you to the same person?”

Lexus’ figure was undeniably perfect. He had broad shoulders, a handsome face, a strong and muscular upper body, and long legs. It stood to reason that many experts in design wished for the chance to work with such a specimen.

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[Tex] “Anyway, how have you been? Even when I asked about you, you didn’t move an inch at the palace. What, were you hiding from something?”

[Lexus] “Not really.”

[Tex] “Want to chat with us for a while?”

[Lexus] “I don’t have time for that. I’ll see you some other time.”

It was clear that if he entertained them for even a second, those three would just want to head off to a club or some other untoward place.

[Tex] “You’ve been so cold these days, Lexus.”

[Ruth] “Even when we ask you to hang out, you just ignore us.”

Hearing their grumbles and complaints, Lexus glared at them with a tinge of contempt in his eyes, and they immediately shut up.

[Tex] “Why are you looking at us like that?”

[Lexus] “Like what?”

[Tex] “I don’t know, but it wasn’t good.”

They were quick to catch on.

[Lexus] “Today’s the graduation ceremony. You should live more honorable existences from now on.”

After that, he quickly left them behind, heading off towards the lounge to take a breather before the ceremony began.

Lexus was the first to enter, and seeing how empty and messy the place was, he nearly left immediately before something on the ground caught his eye, and a disdainful frown grew on his face.

Since this was the Academy, the general areas that allowed for public access required courtesy from everyone to keep clean, but with how many people that passed through, it was bound to get messy time and time again.

Thanks to the article about the Imperial family that was going around, there were so many of these damned newspapers floating around that he could burn all he could and still not get rid of them all, so obviously, the remnants that had not yet disappeared were still scattered around.

That’s what caught Lexus’ eye.

[Lexus] “That shitty newspaper still hasn’t had enough.”

—’Prince Lexus, a free spirited man who could be tamed by no one, has secretly commissioned a diamond ring worth upwards of five karats.’

—’Who is the lucky lady meant to receive this ring? This reporter has an insider scoop that the daughter of Count Reston is the most likely candidate. Though he was once the lover of all, will Prince Lexus finally belong to just one woman?’

It was such a trash article. They even made up the story that he and this woman were attending the same Academy and were in frequent contact with one another.

And of course, the Imperial family did not bother fighting against this by publishing a counter article. Responding to the gossip was the quickest way to add to the fire, and would undermine the Imperial family’s honor.

Rumors were bound to die down if they had nothing to feed off of, so the intent was to just ride this out and wait for it to disappear.

The article listed the jeweler’s dealings with the Imperial family as one of its sources, but they didn’t seem to know about the dress he’d commissioned. But since the ring was discovered, the story naturally began to spiral using that as a central point.

Whether it was the jeweler or one of their employees that couldn’t keep their mouth shut didn’t matter. The fact that information about an object commissioned by a VIP was leaked was a fatal thing for their business.

This publication was utter nonsense, but if the damn thing was spreading like wildfire, then the validity of its content hardly mattered. Lexus crumpled up the newspaper in his hand and roughly threw it into a nearby trash can.

If it were possible, he’d find a way to collect every single newspaper, burn them to ashes, and then set fire to the publishing house that even bothered with writing this kind of garbage. With a bitter frown on his face, Lexus turned and left the lounge.

The time was fast approaching anyway, so he headed off towards the building where the ceremony was supposed to be held, and already, there were crowds of students gathered. There, among the sea of people, Lexus recognized faces that were somewhat familiar to him.

[Lexus] “Hello, Miss Aigis.”

Aigis and the others turned and looked at Lexus with a look of shock, which was understandable. He was not someone who would normally call out to them, and yet not only did he do that, but he also greeted them and even approached them.

Hiding her embarrassment, Aigis greeted him first.

[Aigis] “Hello, Lord Lexus.”

[Lily] “This is the last time we’ll be able to call you like this.”

Aigis and Lily both spoke with a voice of regret.

Lexus was a Prince, and so they would need to call him by his appropriate title if they ever came across him in society. To call him by his name like this was a luxury they were only afforded while attending the Academy.

And for those who could not build a friendship with him while they were at the Academy, then it would be incredibly hard for them to act personal with him afterwards.

[Lexus] “That won’t do. Please, continue to speak to me comfortably.”

[Aigis] “….That’s quite the honor, but is that possible?”

Their families weren’t that big and they were women, so they were very far from the type of people who would normally become friends with Lexus.

So hearing that kind of offer from him, it was only natural that Aigis felt a little confused and flustered, but it was also natural that she felt a small sense of joy at the fact.

[Lexus] “Any friend of Valentia is a friend of mine.”

[Aigis] “Good friends, indeed.”

[Lexus] “But I don’t see Valentia anywhere. I was hoping I could see her before the ceremony, but I guess not. It’s too bad.”

[Aigis] “I understand that feeling. The ceremony is being hosted by the preparatory committee, so as the top student, perhaps she’s just a tad bit busy at the moment.”

[Lexus] “Yes. It wouldn’t surprise me if she were on the committee. I think the ceremony will start soon, so we should take our seats.”

[Aigis] “I will see you later at the banquet, Lord Lexus.”

Entering the hall, each of them went their separate ways, heading off to their assigned seats.

Considering Valentia was graduating as the top student of the Academy, she would be scheduled to receive a myriad of scholarships and awards, so it was a little strange that no one had seen her face around yet.

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During his entire time at the Academy, not once did Lexus wield his power to get what he wanted or attempt to get preferential treatment. If he tried to visit Valentia as someone that was not on the preparatory committee, it would be no different from using his power like that.

And besides, even if he wanted to, his chance had already come and gone.

[—] “Calling all graduates. Please be seated.”

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