Progress and Setbacks

The start of the next week signaled the start of many changes. Rumors exploded all over campus after accounts of the ruined proposal spread among the student population. Backlash towards the conservative faction was intense.

Those that joined due to the perceived Forolan support of the faction quit by the hour. Realizing that they had been tricked by false rumors, the enraged progressives began to repay the suppression that the conservatives inflicted.

The headmaster didn't even bother to hide the investigation any more. Security worked at lightning speed to secure evidence. The final results were released the day just before the second exams. Unfortunately, not everyone was punished.

Several problematic professors were found, but only the professors who meddled with Daren's engagement were fired outright. Many more had their tenure stripped away, demotions, pay cuts and other punishments. Those who weren't fired were placed on probation.

As for the students, several of the underlings who had harassed Daren's real friends and spread rumors concerning him were suspended. All of the temporary restraining orders were made permanent until graduation.

The Forolan Family was extremely bitter about these results, but there was little evidence that they could use aside from Daren's testimony and the gremlins' 'accidental' recordings. Most of the harassment occurred in the classrooms, which was not recorded.

That being said, the relationship between Halcyon and Landrienne turned ice cold. A subtle political and economic war started in the southern province of the Chinebar Republic. A war that Halcyon soon took the upper hand in after Vanessa's latest stunt was revealed to noble society.

Anxiety and despair spread across campus during the second spring exams. Originally expecting to soar towards new heights, the former oppressors now suffered embarrassment and harassment from their former victims. The formerly suppressed students enjoyed cutting off their shackles.

The second exams went even worse than the first ones. Most students suffered from a depressed mental state and lack of proper studying due to bully at one time or another over the past weeks. The non-probationary professors seriously discussed dropping the second round of exams entirely.

Ultimately, they just decided to add a massive curve again. Aayla was ecstatic since she scored all 'S' grades this time. She beat out other students to reach the top of the curve. So, Aayla earned those grades fair and square.

To celebrate his freedom from Vanessa, Daren invited the entire Residence Council and his Halcyon friends to a nice café on campus. He even reserved the entire place. Unfortunately, Aayla was the only one who could make it due to last minute conflicts.

"Congrats on avoiding that unwanted engagement. Sorry that no one else could really make it though."

"It's fine. Getting such a large group together when the factions are still fighting each other was going to be difficult anyways."

"So, that's why everyone else couldn't come?"

She could have sworn that she saw Theo dragging Junius and Renee away from the door, though.

"Probably. I'm just happy that I have someone to celebrate with."

Aayla sipped on her glass of water while she struggled to find something to talk with Daren about. Preferably something not related to Terra.

"Deputy Heston mentioned that the restraining orders are permanent now?"

"Yeah, they aren't allowed to contact me at all. That woman's not allowed to get within 100 meters of me. The disciplinary chair has been handling the idiots who still try to bother. Honesty, it's been such a relief to have some time to myself for the past few days."

"In that case, you don't have to keep an eye on the gremlins any more. I can remove you from gremlin babysitting duty, if you like."

"NO!" Daren yelped as he jumped from his chair.

He nervously coughed and sat back down.

"I mean, I would rather keep doing that job. I'll make sure to stay out of your way. The gremlins have grown on me a bit, and I would like to have an extra safe place just in case that woman goes crazy again."

"That's fine with me. Just don't spend all day down there."

"Don't worry, I'm not."

Once again, the conversation started to go stale. The two shared an appetizer in silence. The staff peeked out from inside the kitchen, arguing if they should intervene to liven up the atmosphere. Only one of the young man's guests had shown up after all.

"So, where did you get your bracelet artifacts? They're very unique."

"Oh, you mean these?"

Aayla lifted up her wrists to show the silver and black bracelets.

"Well, it's a long story, but I can't take them off. They're very helpful with my condition though."

"So, you can't take them off or you'll die?"

"Oh, no no no! I physically can't take them off. There's literally no way to."

"Surely there's a button or something. All wearable artifacts are removable. Well, all of the ones not meant to kill you."

"Not even Deputy Heston could find a way. She said that they should be the 'user killing' type of artifact."

"Meaning no disrespect, but you and Deputy Heston aren't specialists in artifacts. The headmaster could probably remove them."

"Meaning as his student you probably can? Fine. Here, take a look for yourself."

Aayla held out her hands on top of the table. Daren cautiously grabbed her right hand to take a look at the silver cuff.

"I will take a look for myself. Let's see, if I can remove the artifacts… how about I get any of your desserts if you buy a meal from the dining hall? For all of next week."

"Sounds good. But if you can't, then the situation is reversed and I get all of your desserts for a week."

"Deal."

The conversation between the two slowly warmed as the minutes ticked by. Some students would peek inside the windows from time to time. They would giggle and hurriedly walk away after discovering that the entire restaurant was rented out. Who would want to stick around with juicy gossip to report?

**********

In a private office, a formerly beautiful young lady in rags kneeled in front of a group of furious professors. Marc Lupton and several other students kneeled beside her with their heads down. The room was filled with silence.

After a week, the students had been released by the Student Council and the university investigators. The key leaders of the conservative faction finally summoned the causes of the fall from grace of the conservative faction for an in-depth report. Jerome Foryl coldly looked at each and every student before he spoke.

"I'm sure that you are aware of what's been happening in the university despite your relative seclusion for the past week. I only have one question. If we are not satisfied, then you will no longer be needed. Now, what happened to lead you all to believe that a public proposal would be a good idea?"

The students fidgeted and shifted on their knees. None of them knew how to explain. None of them wanted to go first. Marc decided to take the risk and hopefully set the narrative in his favor.

"There were three miscalculations, professor."

"Just three?"

"Only three main ones, sir. First, we assumed that the teachings of the former Eldest Lord and Lady Forolan, now Mr. and Mrs. Golding, had remained instilled in their son. After he stopped trying to push away his old friends from the faction, we assumed that he had warmed up to us."

"Yeah! He would never turn down any new friends! He always had time to chat in the hallways."

"He only warmed up to us actual nobles, not you upstarts! Clearly, you shameless leaches must have pushed him away with your dirty, blatant social climbing ways!"

"SILENCE! We will question you all in detail about the extra 'friends' that wormed their way into his proper friend group that we already set. Marc, what is the next miscalculation?"

"The other two are improper surveillance and the failure to capture Sir Forolan's heart. I've received a reliable report that Sir Forolan is dating another resident advisor named Aayla Glowery."

The ragged girl raised her head in bewildered shock.

"A student reported that Sir Forolan asked Ms. Glowery out on a study date after the failed proposal. Earlier today, they were spotted holding hands in a café on campus. Also, Ms. Glowery apparently assigned him to supervise the gremlins in the basement as a favor. Sir Forolan and Ms. Glowery probably fell in love while working together there.

"This is the real reason why he disappeared for long periods of time, not because he was on a date with a certain someone like what we were told. Additionally, a certain someone also went blabbing around the residence hall about her impending engagement which may have tipped someone off."

Marc fiercely glared at the girl, who seemed lost in her own world.

"I shouldn't have left Vanessa alone while distracting Mr. Vear. That was my failure, professors. We let our guard down, and someone else capture Sir Forolan's heart first."

Marc kneeled even lower to the flow, but all of the professors' glares were aimed at the girl in ragged clothes.