Bad Born Blood - Chapter 36



Only Noblemtl

036

Calesa Cano was waiting for us in the chess room.

I looked at the chessboard and pieces neatly stacked along the wall. The nobility often enjoyed old-fashioned cultures. Chess was one of them. It was a game of skill, but it was not about winning or losing, but rather a means of socializing.

“If it weren’t for Giselle’s request, I wouldn’t have met you like this.”

Calesa spoke from her chair with her back to the window. Two schoolgirls stood on either side of her like maids. She seemed to want to play queen in this small chess room. Her power-oriented personality was evident.

“If Giselle hadn’t been here, I would have kicked you in the face before we started talking.”

I said with a smile. Calesa’s face hardened.

Kuk.

Giselle stepped on my foot and glared at me fiercely.

“… … Since you agreed to my request, does that mean you both want to reconcile?”

Giselle stood between me and Calesa and said.

“If that person apologizes to me, I’m willing to accept it.”

Calesa glanced at me with her arms crossed.

“Apologize? You have to do something wrong to apologize. I was just helping the dormitory director.”

“You got in on the act without even knowing it. Barbara, that bitch was flirting with my boyfriend.”

This is what I heard from Enrico.

‘The reason why Calesa started to harass Barbara.’

Calesa’s boyfriend became close to Barbara and got caught up in the ‘Android Runaway’. Because of that, Calesa hates Barbara. That’s the superficial reason.

“Even if I were your boyfriend, I’d run away from a woman like you in fear. I’d rather have the friendly Barbara.”

I deliberately provoked Calesa. Calesa slammed the table and jumped up.

“A baby like this burstie!”

Calesa’s sharp voice pierced my eardrums.

“Calm down, Calesa.”

Giselle spoke quietly. Calesa glared at me with a bloodshot face.

“But this fucking kid… … .”

However, Calesa was speechless at Giselle’s cold expression. Calesa avoided Giselle’s eyes and broke out in a cold sweat.

“Are you going to ignore what I’m saying now?”

Giselle overwhelmed Calesa.

‘I see.’

That damned Calesa can’t say anything to Giselle.

‘In the end, Calesa will reconcile with me while maintaining her pride to some extent.’

Calesa cannot go against Giselle’s will. I wanted to confirm this.

‘Something was off from the moment Giselle said she would mediate. Given Calesa’s personality, she would not accept mediation easily.’

But Giselle confidently stepped forward to mediate, because she was confident that she could crush Calesa.

‘A hierarchy so obvious that I even had to put down my damaged pride.’

My guess was correct. I pursed my lips for a moment.

Suddenly, I remembered what Detective Jillian had said. She said that users of the Archieus combat technique were also qualified as investigators because of their unique insight.

‘That’s true.’

I was very focused right now. I was paying attention to every word and action of Giselle and Calesa.

“I feel like I’m being rash as an outsider. It seems like Barbara’s curse is real. Let’s stop fighting over such trivial things when people are dead.”

I said it calmly. I already knew everything I needed to know. There was no need to provoke Calesa into fighting.

Giselle and Calesa seemed quite surprised by my sudden change in attitude.

“I have no intention of causing any friction with the Royal Guard cadets. Let’s just pretend this never happened.”

Calesado also spoke in a softened tone.

Once the waters were cleared, mediation proceeded smoothly. Kalessa and I shook hands for the last time. The grudge was not completely gone, but we would not touch each other at the Academy from now on.

“You go out first, Luca.”

Giselle sent me out of the chess room and spoke a few more words with Calesa. I had no intention of eavesdropping, so I went out into the hallway.

I leaned back against the wall and collected my thoughts. As the pieces came together, a few assumptions emerged in my head.

‘Detective Jillian is in trouble. She won’t be able to hear the circumstances from the noble children.’

Not long afterwards, Giselle came out into the hallway. She looked at me.

“I covered this up, so don’t cause any more trouble. And don’t approach Barbara. The reason there were deaths this time is because you ignored my warnings.”

“Do you really believe in Barbara’s curse? Such superstition?”

I said with a grin. We walked side by side down the hallway.

“It doesn’t matter whether you believe it or not. If you actually become close to Barbara, you’ll have an accident.”

“That none of this is a coincidence… … means it’s the work of people, and there’s a culprit, Giselle.”

“Do you want to be a detective?”

I felt a little stung. I guess I was too blatant.

“That’s not true, but I too am a victim of an attack. It’s only natural to wonder who caused the android rampage.”

“That’s not your job. This time, there’s a death, so the investigators will be getting serious.”

“The investigators must be really good at investigating noble children.”

Giselle stopped walking.

“Are you complaining right now?”

“I was telling the truth. By the way, if it were up to you, Calesa wouldn’t be able to move.”

“In aristocratic society, the family’s halo is important. Calesa is not in a position to ignore what I say. That’s all.”

I paused for a moment and then opened my mouth.

“… … So you had Calesa harass Barbara?”

Giselle’s pupils wavered. I watched her reaction, trying not to miss any of the emotional signals flowing out of her exterior.

“Didn’t you hear the story earlier? The reason why Calesa is harassing Barbara is… … .”

I cut Giselle off before she could gather her thoughts.

“Because of your boyfriend? Do you think the man who dated Calesa really became intimate with Barbara of his own free will? Given Calesa’s personality, if she became intimate with another woman, it would be a mess. If I were you, I wouldn’t approach another woman even if it was because I was scared.”

“What are you trying to say now?”

“Calesa needed an excuse to harass Barbara, and she did it on purpose.”

Giselle tilted her head up, her hands on her hips, and looked up at the sky. She let out a long, angry sigh. It seemed to me that she was avoiding eye contact with me.

“Are you suffering from delusions of grandeur? I heard that one of the side effects of high-performance prosthetics is brain dysfunction. It’s a mental disorder caused by overload of the brain’s nervous system. Why don’t you get a thorough examination while you’re at it?”

Giselle said something that seemed to indicate she was upset and left the room. I just watched her disappear.

I stood alone, dumbfounded. This situation can be one of two things.

Either I’m really delusional or Giselle hit the nail on the head. Of course, I’m pretty sure it’s the latter.

I sent a message to Detective Jillian on my terminal. Kalessa’s boyfriend had already graduated, so I had no way of contacting him. I thought I’d leave the investigation to Jillian.

* * *

I’ve been researching Barbara’s Curse diligently. I’m surprised at my own enthusiasm. It’s more interesting than I thought.

It was lunchtime again today, and I went to my usual bench. There, a girl with bright red hair, Barbara, was sitting ahead of me.

“Oh, it’s a lunch box. I packed it myself.”

Barbara handed me her lunch box. It seems that word has already spread that I eat a tasteless snack every lunch.

“Barbara, thank you, but what does it mean?”

“You helped me. And, maybe because of that, I got caught up in the android rampage incident. I’m glad Luca is safe.”

“Someone else died instead of me.”

I answered coldly. Barbara looked intimidated.

“Uh, um. While you’re staying at the Academy, can I pack Luca’s lunch?”

Barbara said, mustering up her courage. I also wondered if she liked me. I was worried if she had romantic feelings for me.

Because I don’t like Barbara.

The lunch box I opened looked pretty good. It was a sandwich that was perfect for eating on the bench.

“I think you like simple meals… … .”

Absolutely. I hated the hassle of eating.

“It’s delicious. But I’m not going to make it a lunch box. It’ll cause misunderstandings among people around me.”

I took a bite of my sandwich and said, “There were a lot of eyes on us. By this evening, there will be rumors going around that Barbara and I are dating.

The bullying towards Barbara has been going away for a few days now. Barbara’s curse has come back for the first time in a long time and there have been deaths. What’s more, I, a cadet of the Royal Guard, have been helping Barbara as if I were protecting her.

Unless you’re a person who’s out of the liver, you wouldn’t approach Barbara.

‘At least until I leave the Academy, no one will bother Barbara.’

Barbara hesitated after hearing what I said. I didn’t like her stuffy attitude.

“I don’t mind being misunderstood by others.”

There was a blush on Barbara’s cheeks. I ate my sandwich without even knowing what it tasted like.

“I have a question, Barbara.”

“Speak, speak!”

Barbara answered with a startled look. At times like this, it was kind of cute.

“You know that if you become close to me, you will be caught up in the android’s rampage, so why do you keep contacting me? Do you want to make me an attacker?”

Barbara’s rich emotions disappeared for a moment. I could see her expressionless face for a moment. I couldn’t quite figure out what that expression meant.

“I-I’m sorry, Luca. I, I didn’t want to believe that I had a curse. As expected… … Luca believes in curses too.”

“I don’t believe in curses. But I’m sure that if you become close to me, you’ll get into trouble. I’ve experienced it myself.”

“I don’t know either. Why, why does this happen… … .”

I tried to read Barbara’s mind. But it wasn’t easy. I needed to be more explicit about her emotions.

“The reason Calesa has been harassing you so persistently is because she was instigated by Giselle.”

I wanted to bring out Barbara’s nursery rhyme with this.

“… … I already know that.”

Barbara said calmly. I was the one who was surprised.

For once, my prediction was wrong.

“Do you know why Giselle hates you?”

I spoke as if I was interrogating her. Barbara looked up and smiled. At that moment, I felt a chill down my spine.

“Luka, is there a reason why I should tell you that?”

Perhaps Barbara is a character with a deeper sense of depth than Giselle or Calesa. I felt a strange chill toward Barbara, who was a head shorter than me.

‘But among them there are monsters in sheep’s clothing. They are strange monsters that are much scarier than wolves.’

This thought came to mind. The monster might be closer than I thought.