Before returning to the academy, Lawrence had already deduced the reason for the knight's appearance.
The queen might not be present in Valeria City, but her intelligence network was not to be underestimated.
The matter of him skipping the ceremony should have been spread to her the moment it had happened. Hence, the appearance of Carmen in the academy.
Of course, the queen might have ordered Carmen to simply teach Lawrence a small lesson that there are things that he shouldn't do— such as undermining the academy that she placed a lot of dedication in.
However, that kind of small lesson would not be enough to garner the queen's interest in him, much less get an audience with her.
Therefore, Lawrence wanted to provoke the knight being sent here to escalate the matter to an uncontrollable rate.