Chapter 23 : Heartfelt Words

"Did Mr. Gilbert do something to you?"

Mrs. Victoria stared at me intensely. Her hand reached out to mine and grasped it firmly between hers. I could tell she was trying to encourage me somehow. She must have thought I was scared to reveal the truth. In reality, I was just wondering how I could make use of this opportunity.

Mr. Gilbert was a formidable opponent. If I wanted to get rid of him, I needed allies whom I could trust. I had some ideas in mind, but I was still unsure of how to start. Not to mention, Mr. Gilbert was a sly person, so the normal method won't work on him. One mishap and he will turn the table on me.

He was dangerous. I had to find his weakness as soon as possible before he found another chance to harass me again.

I bit my lips before looking at Mrs. Victoria with wistful eyes. "If I tell you, would you believe me?"

She held my hand tighter as she nodded her head slowly. Her mouth curved upward in a reassuring smile. "I believe you are a good student and won't tell me any lies. Could you believe in me too?"

Her gaze was so earnest I was stabbed with guilt. I kinda feel bad to do this to her, especially when she was being nothing but caring and supportive of me since the first time we met. If Mrs. Victoria didn't come in time, I didn't know what would happen to me. I had given up at some point, but she kindly reached out to me without hesitation.

Initially, I planned to make Mrs. Victoria be my shield as I confronted Mr. Gilbert. What Mr. Gilbert did was a crime and he would be shunned in society if the rumor got out. While she was not exactly a witness, her testimony would be proven useful if I could get her to cooperate somehow.

If Mrs. Victoria said something about this matter, then even due to some luck and Mr. If Gilbert got away with it, his reputation would still be affected. At that time, I would deliver the final blow.

However, based on Mr. Gilbert's nonchalant reaction earlier when Mrs. Victoria came into the counseling room, I had a feeling that Mr. Gilbert might already have predicted that. Considering how calm his reaction was, I assumed he was confident that no harm could happen to him. Either he had prepared some counterplan, or he was so sure that he would be protected by his backing.

Whichever it was, it was a very dangerous move to fight against him directly. That's where Mrs. Victoria came in. If I was the one to spill everything, I'd dig my own grave. No one would believe anything came from my mouth, but that was not the case if Mrs. Victoria was the one who did it.

If I could get her to be my support, I'd be saved from the impact of direct confrontation, but it'd risk Mrs. Victoria. She could be his next target, or worse.

From short interaction with Mrs. Victoria, I could tell she was an upright and sympathetic person. She was the type that would take in an abandoned cat left in the rain. That's why I was sure I could get her to 'cooperate' with me if I could just correctly push her button.

Or so was the plan…

I pressed my lips in a thin line, before answering in an aggrieved manner. "Mr. Gilbert called me to the counseling room and gave me and scolded me for misbehaving. It's so unfair!"

"What do you mean? Please explain it in detail."

"It's just as I said. He called me, questioned me about how I accidentally injured Harry Michelson and offended Mrs. Gabrielle. He didn't believe me when I said I regretted my action and wanted to apologize to them. Then when I was about to get out of the room, I got dizzy and had to lean on the wall. Maybe the scolding stressed me out more than I expected." The words flowed out of my mouth smoothly as if I was reading a script.

Even if I lied and said nothing happened, Mrs. Victoria wouldn't buy it. I needed to persuade her in a way that won't put her in danger. I owed her, after all. This was the least I could do for her.

Mrs. Victoria's face loosened a bit, but she still had some doubt in her face. "Are you sure that's all? You looked frightened earlier."

"Did I look like that? You must be imagining things, Mrs. Victoria. I was just worried I'd need to take a sick leave again from my part-time job today. It'd cut down my salary even more and I don't like that."

I sweated a bit since the excuse was kinda far-fetched. However, from the eased expression on Mrs. Victoria's face, it seemed my excuse finally convinced her. "So it's like that. I thought something bad had happened to you since the situation earlier…" She stopped for a moment to look at me, then she shook her head. "Nevermind. Let me check on your condition."

She examined me for a while, checking my body temperature with a thermometer, asking me a few questions about what I ate, and stuff like that. After examining me, she concluded I might still feel weak after resting for three days, so she gave me some supplements and vitamins to drink.

"Say, Eirlys. Actually I… know now," She said after making sure I had taken my vitamin. Her face looked unsure, anxious, and sympathetic at the same time.

"About what?"

She paused a bit before replying in a barely audible voice, "About your situation. And your parents as well."

Ah, so it's about that.

I shrugged my shoulders. "So you found out already. I'm pretty sure whoever informed you about that added one or two nasty words about me as well right?"

Mrs. Victoria appeared upset, but she didn't rebuke me. I smiled amusedly. "Now you understand what I meant. Nothing would change even if I said something. Nobody will care, and it'll be bad for you if you were spotted with me."

"That's not true! You are nothing like what they said. I… never knew you had such a past. I.. am sorry."

I chuckled. "Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong. It's the truth, and I had long accepted it as my identity."

Mrs. Victoria hung her head low as she spoke softly. "I didn't know anything, yet I said something insensitive like how you should rely on adults. That's why you looked in pain when I suggested that. You tried before, but they didn't listen to you, right?"

Did I look like that in Mrs. Victoria's eyes? Must be because my eyes were glistening due to my fever that day.

"You don't have to feel guilty. It's my problem after all. No one should help me with my problems. It's not their obligation."

"No one is obliged to do that, yes that's correct. But does that erase the fact that you need help? No."

"What difference does it make? No one will help me anyway."

Mrs. Victoria held both of my hands in hers. Her eyes were blazing with determination. "There is one here. One who will help you."

Her enthusiasm startled me. I never had an amicable interaction with females other than Nina. Especially the one who already knew about my origin. Because usually, people would automatically keep their distance from me after they found out about it.

"Eirlys. I understand you had suffered so much in the past years, and you had long lost your trust in other people." She gripped my hand tighter as if she wanted to send her positive energy that way. "But at least believe this. None of this is your fault. You are just a victim of unfortunate circumstances. That's why you should lift your head and walk confidently. This world is not as cold as you think it is. Now that I am here, I want to be friends with you."

I was taken aback hearing her heartfelt words. She held my hands warmly, and no trace of deviousness in her face. There was only tranquility and sincerity in her eyes, and her smile was gentle and comforting.

Maybe because she gazed at me so strongly and gently at the same time, I suddenly remembered Grandpa. The only one who stood by my side even when the world was against me. I never expected I would find another person like Grandpa. Especially within this school which was full of my enemies.

'Can I trust her?'

I gazed at our intertwined hands, and a warm feeling surged inside my heart. Her words touched me deeply, making my chest tighten comfortably. It's been a while since I felt so safe, and alive. From behind my closed eyelids, I felt like my future started to become clearer.

At that time, I knew I had made a decision.

'Let's try again, once again. I want to trust this person in front of me.'