Chapter 24: Her Mood Suddenly Dropped

What the heck?

What are you guys doing?

At this very moment, Christine was on stage, discussing the Papal States’ ten-year development plan—specifically, the ambitions of her faction’s leader, Cardinal Ron.

She talked about the future job openings expected in Saint Louis, predictions about next year’s Saintess election, and even speculated on the following year’s papal election.

Every single point was crucial for the hundreds of students seated below her.

Those with information could control the future.

Everyone was taking notes, planning their post-graduation paths.

Everyone, except Himan—who was paying way too much attention to Hall and Leticia.

She was thinking: What exactly are Hall and Leticia doing over there?

She’d already noticed earlier that Leticia’s face had flushed red. And now… she was blushing like a boiled shrimp.

Thankfully, because of Leticia’s special status, the Vice Principal had moved some chairs during the opening ceremony, placing her group right in the front row.

From the back, Leticia’s flushed state was entirely hidden by Hall’s body.

And from the front, the only one onstage was Christine, lecturing to the crowd.

Meaning—if Hall was doing something shady to Leticia, no one would notice.

Otherwise, why else would Himan have insisted on sitting here?

She was here for one reason: to supervise Hall and make sure he didn’t cross the line.

But now…

He actually—

What the hell is he doing!?

Himan stared at Hall’s hand, which was not on Leticia.

So that wasn’t the tool of the crime.

Then… what exactly was making Leticia’s face so red?

Could it be…?

“?!”

AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!

The moment she thought of that possibility, Himan nearly lost her mind.

She wanted to draw her sword and slice Hall’s thing right off.

No—calm down.

If she chopped that off, wouldn’t that mean the end of the Faxtius family line?

But still! Hall, that bastard, had the audacity to pull something like this—in front of so many people—doing that to the Child family’s little princess?!

If Leticia decided to hold him accountable after Theological Day…

Wait…

Didn’t Leticia herself start things by flirting with Hall?

Did that mean the little princess was a willing participant?

Could it be her cousin’s charm was just that ridiculous?

Even incubus-level men didn’t have this much magnetic pull, right?

They’d only met a few times, and this had to be the first time they were physically close—yet Leticia was just letting him do… that to her?

Himan suddenly felt her mood dip.

And then, she remembered when she and Hall were younger…

Fragments of the past surfaced.

She recalled them sitting at the same table during one of the adults’ banquets. Hall sat beside her.

Compared to her outgoing younger self, Hall had been quiet—like a tiny grown-up.

When the kids fought over the strawberry cake, Hall had calmly taken a plate and divided the dessert evenly by the number of children—minus one.

That minus one… was him.

The boy in black didn’t eat any cake.

Himan had said, “If you’re not gonna eat it, give me your share!”

Hall didn’t respond. He just glanced at her, then silently handed her a slice of already-cut watermelon.

He said, “If I give you extra, the others will complain. Just eat this instead.”

“Hmph! Then just give me your piece. I’m mad! Unless you call me ‘Big Sis.’ Hall, call me big sis!”

“Nope.”

Back then, Hall never called her “big sis.” But, in fairness, he never made her call him “brother” either.

Himan had tugged at his bowtie, pressing him again to say it.

But Hall still wouldn’t budge. He just told her to hurry up and eat, or her parents would scold them both.

Himan, being the stubborn little devil she was, refused to let it go unless he complied.

And when all the other kids had left the private room, leaving just the two of them, she dropped the ultimate threat:

“If you don’t say it, I’ll tell everyone you molested me.”

And Hall hit her with:

“You’re just a little brat—what’s there to molest? You don’t even have pubes.”

“You’re the brat!”

At that age—around twelve or thirteen—no one wanted to be called a child. And that was the year she got her first period. Her body had started developing.

Among noble girls, the talk was always about whose chest was bigger.

Whoever knew more about “men and women stuff” got more status.

Back then, Himan had desperately wanted to be seen as an adult.

So when Hall coldly dismissed her as a “brat,” refused to call her “big sis”…

Himan had snapped.

She mimicked the courtesan moves she’d overheard from her older cousins—how to seduce a man.

She tilted Hall’s chin up, got close with her freshly makeup-enhanced face, and awkwardly tried to act like a grown woman.

She even slipped off her shoes and placed her small foot on Hall’s leg.

“Honestly, I don’t really go for baby chicks. But don’t push it, Himan.”

That line had confused her.

What was a “baby chick” supposed to mean?

She remembered Hall was sharp even as a kid, always charming the adults with weird words.

But she didn’t care. She just kept leaning closer, trying to get him to say it—“big sis.”

Now that she thought back, she cringed hard at how embarrassing that was.

Eventually, Hall had said:

“If you’ve got the guts, lift your skirt. Then I might consider calling you big sis.”

And… she actually did it.

Hall kept his word.

That moment—that was the origin of all her current emotional turmoil.

It made Himan wonder if Hall had been playing hard to get from the start.

But thinking deeper, it really did seem like Hall had wanted to reject her at first.

Back then, he’d acted like a little grown-up. So why was he regressing as he got older?

Or maybe he hadn’t changed at all.

Maybe she had just been in denial, struggling to accept the way his reputation had collapsed so suddenly when the scandal broke.

At first, she’d been thinking about Hall and Leticia’s situation.

But halfway through, her mind had wandered to memories of her and Hall.

No, this was not okay—even if it was consensual, they couldn’t do that in the middle of the auditorium!

Wearing her red-and-black plaid school uniform blouse, Himan glared at Leticia’s apple-red face.

She saw the subtle motion of Leticia’s hips shifting slightly on Hall’s lap.

She made up her mind—she had to stop this.

But before she could speak, Christine’s crisp voice rang out from the stage:

“Now then, I’d like someone to summarize my speech just now—and share their thoughts on the rise of the Black Knights over the past twenty years.”

“Let’s see… How about you, Hall? As the captain of the Black Knights’ Third Squad, who better to answer?”

“And if you can’t, I’m sure the Black Knights’ sponsor, Miss Leticia, wouldn’t mind taking your place.”

Christine was absolutely doing this on purpose.

At that moment, Hall—who had been trying his damnedest to keep his “rifle” under control—felt like Christine had just dropped a mountain on his back.

He hadn’t listened at all—he knew Leticia hadn’t, either.

He met Himan’s eyes. The pressure from this “big sis” hit like a truck.

Add Leticia’s… pressure from his lap…

If he blew this, he’d be screwed from every angle.

No one in the hall expected a spoiled noble brat like him to give a decent answer.

But Hall had one thing they didn’t:

The knowledge of a former player who had once seen this entire world.

He was hiding a trump card.