While Adira was back in her hometown catching up with the others, Casimir was back in school catching up with work.

It was too long a break and so work piled up, but he never regretted a second of it. This work was well worth it.

"What happened to his highness?" Leon, who sat on the sofa also buried in his own work, sneaked a glance to Casimir.

He was as indifferent as usual but the wintery atmosphere that usually coated his entire presence was missing. Now, if you actually look at him, he was as amiable as possible.

"Probably the Lady Adira again." Alexander shrugged his shoulders as if it was as obvious as the sun shining outside.

"Don't you think it's really amazing how this Lady Adira can affect his highness so much? I mean, how can a woman make this mountain move on her will?"

William, who overheard what they were whispering, chimed in with a laugh. He really can't imagine what Adira did to wrap the first prince so tightly around her finger.

"Roman might know. He's been by his highness' side since they were young. They practically grew up together!" Leon said and they all turned to Roman, silently doing his own pile of paper works as the Council's Vice.

"Pst! Hey Roman!" William softly called him.

Roman looked up from the papers and gave William an inquisitive stare.

"We have something we'd like to ask."

Thinking that it was council stuff that they wanted to ask him about, he placed the papers down and gave them all of his attention and asked, "What is it?"

"You and his highness have been together since you were children, right?" Leon started and waited for Roman to nod before William added,

"How did Lady Adira capture that snow mountain?"

Roman paused, unprepared for that question and unsure what to say.

True, he was there when they visited the Sylveris fief and accidentally discovered the Lady hurrying back to the castle after she caused such a huge mess that made the duke mobilize the Silver Knights.

But if he had to say what the Lady did to capture the black-hearted prince, all he could tell them is, "Nothing. The Lady did nothing."

Leon, William and apparently Alexander, who was slightly interested and had been waiting for Roman's answer, all looked at him addled.

That was such a vague answer!

Leon, "What do you mean nothing?"

William, "How can it be nothing? Surely, she did something!"

While Alexander was just speechless.

"No, really. She didn't do anything. If I remember it correctly, when we first saw her, she was just staring at his highness." Roman told them as he recounted what happened that day and narrated it to them.

It was puzzling them more! The more they heard what happened, the more they were confused.

"How can it be..?" William muttered under his breath and struck a thinking pose.

"How can it be what?" They all heard a deep and cold voice behind them and they all sat straight like straight pins.

"Your highness!" William panicked and turned to Casimir, who was standing behind them with papers in his hands. "Wha-What's wrong?"

"What is it?"

"They're wondering what the Lady Adira did that you are so invested in her, your highness." Alexander immediately sold them out and, of course, made sure he wasn't caught in it.

"You have a lot of time, Will." Casimir simply said and passed him the papers with a sticky note on top of it with written instruction. In short, it was more work.

William had black lines over his head and turned to Alex with a cheated and aggrieved look.

He was about to just silently return to his work when Casimir added,

"But if you must know, she did nothing."

As simple as that. And he left them more confused than when Roman told them. They were still deep in their own thoughts about it when a knock reverberated in their silent room.

Everyone looked up, already expecting the person to pop in that door, when what graced them wasn't ash-grey locks but salmon pink ones.

"Umm.. excuse me." Iris timidly and cutely spoke.

Everyone had a question mark above them and wondered why this student was here. Maybe a grievance complaint? Or an emergency?

After all, it wasn't that easy to just drop by the council's room without prior arrangement or agenda.

"Yes?" Leon, who was closest to the door, politely and affably answered her with a smile.

"Umm, I have something to say to his highness. Is it a good time?" She asked in her sweetest voice.

The others thought of her as nice and cute as well as pretty and they all turned to the person asked to see what he would do.

Casimir only nodded his head and she stepped in while closing the door behind her. After, she proceeded into a low curtsey and finally spoke,

"Your highness, I came here to ask for forgiveness. I really didn't mean anything with my words, much more cause a fight between you and the young Lord.

I didn't know that the Lady Sylveris would take my words as such and hurt her. I really didn't mean it, your highness! I am very much hurt with all the gossips surrounding me because of Lady Sylveris' words.

But I do not blame her, your highness. The Lady Sylveris was hurt as well so I cannot blame her. I only hope your highness will forgive this humble me for causing trouble for the three of you."

She spoke in rapid succession and kept her head low. There were tears streaming down her dollish face now and all of them pitied the girl. Except Casimir.

No one can ever move his heart the way Adira does. No matter who cries in front of him, he cannot feel anything but emptiness.

But it's a different story when it's Adira's tears. He doesn't know what he'll do if that happens.

"Mm." Was his curt reply and he returned to the pile of papers in his desk.

He couldn't be bothered by some unknown woman's tears. If she didn't mention that time he, himself, made his beloved cry, he wouldn't have remembered her at all.

Even now, he doesn't even know her name!

Roman, who saw his cold insouciance, hurriedly tried to pick after Casimir's lack of words to say to anyone that isn't Adira and said, "It's fine, My Lady. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding on everyone's part.

Lady Adira clearly didn't mean to cause trouble for you. And about the rumors, we will do something about it so rest assured."

Iris, her face finally regaining some color, thanked Roman and Casimir over and over again while smiling brightly although with dried tears before excusing herself and went out of the council's office.

"Well, a few tears should do it." She whispered, wiping the stains from her crocodile tears, before walking away and whistling a happy tune to herself.

"What did the Lady Adira say that triggered so much hatred to be directed towards that Lady?" Leon looked away from the closed door and turned to the only person who could answer them.

But as usual, Casimir turned a deaf ear to their questions.

"Surely, that infamous Lady Adira couldn't be as careless as incriminating someone because of her words, right?" William mused.

"Who was she anyway?" Alexander also chimed in.

Although the other lady's words didn't really implicate Adira's name as the culprit that started the rumors but they way she said it, she was practically saying she incited it.

"She's Lady Latifolia, Baron Latifolia's adopted daughter. She's Lady Adira's classmate."

"It can't be that Lady Adira did it on purpose, right? She knows the weight of her words after all." William expressed his thoughts and even as he said it, he, himself, can't even believe what he was saying.

So they all set it aside and just formulated a plan to take care of the rumors.

While the man involved in all the skirmish and rumors, paused in his work briefly while he tapped his pen in a stable rhythm.

His thoughts were on the woman who still hasn't returned to school after three days and wondered what she was doing.

Notes:
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