7-year-old Tiffany Ashbridge has a stereotype villainess reputation among her peers.

Haughty, vain and beautiful, she usually is able to keep her composure unless anyone brings up about her elder sister's engagement to her first love, or something idiotic irritates her. Even when she schemes for anyone's downfall, she is usually able to keep her cool.

So, the fact that she had been reduced to shouting at a 3-year-old in a Fox mask, now that was something.

To Tiffany, it felt like an affront to everything she had come to know. Why would someone so beneath her, so small and inconsequential, dare to challenge her authority like this? She had tried to shake her off, used every scheme she could think of, but nothing worked. The Fox, as the child had been called, refused to budge.

That was the thing that stung the most. Tiffany was used to controlling everything around her — she had the power, the status, and the resources to have everything bend to her will. But this child? This child had done the impossible: she had made this unfortunate Tiffany feel helpless.

She could already hear the whispers.

"Did you see Tiffany? Shouting at a little kid?"

"She must have really lost it. I've never seen her act like that before."

The words stung, but they also reminded Tiffany of something else. The mask had slipped, even if just for a moment. And though she'd never admit it, a small part of her was terrified of what would happen if her cracks kept showing.

This wasn't just about being embarrassed. No, it was about control. Tiffany's control.

And right now, she had none.

So to flee away from The Fox, as well as their gazes, she did the one thing logical: Coop herself in the classroom with her nose to her book. And Tiffany would continue to do so for the several days that lay ahead.

.........................................................................................

Around 2 weeks into this, Ophelia had a shock of her life when she heard this from her classmates.

"Have you guys heard? That Ashbridge girl who kept on crushing hard at her sister's prince....I heard she became the top of her class again."

"Hah!? How can it be!? I thought her grades were slipping ever since her sister got engaged?"

"Shocking, right?" The other student nodded, just as confused. "I was certain she would be getting expelled. But now... she's back at the top? How is that even possible?"

"I wonder.....if that rumour so happens to be true?"

"Like what?"

"That some girl in a fox mask kept following around her around so much so, when that fox girl was standing outside the hallway waiting for Ashbridge to leave the classroom, she decided putting her focus on the studies so that it could bore her to leave."

Ophelia's attention snapped to the conversation as her classmates exchanged rumors about Tiffany's recent turnaround. The mention of the fox-masked girl immediately caught her interest, and she leaned in, eager to hear more.

"Hi, hold on one second," Ophelia interjected, her voice low and calm as she approached the group. "Just now....about that fox girl...what is that all about?"

"Ah Ophelia, you haven't heard about it, huh?" One of the students nodded enthusiastically, clearly excited by the gossip. "Some of our siblings who happen to be at the grade 1 block had reportedly swore they saw that fox girl standing there, watching her—until Tiffany finally gave in and started to study more. They say it's almost like this fox girl is... forcing her to study."

"I heard Tiffany was getting so frustrated with the girl just standing there, she couldn't focus on anything else but her work."

Ophelia's eyes narrowed. This was certainly not what she had expected to hear.

So that is what he meant when he said he will find a way to cover her face, huh.....

The last time Ophelia spoke to 'The Boy', he had shared her the plans on doing so. Initially, she was sceptical that he would be capable to get 'that girl' to do a thing given her reputation, then again, he isn't the marquis's son for nothing.

"You know? I should do the same with my 13-year-old brother," The classmate suddenly decided on a whim, "His results has been poor to the core, it wouldn't hurt to pay someone to just follow him to his death, if that is what it takes to get him to study."

The teenager's eyes darted to the student while she raised an eyebrow, her calm demeanor faltering for a moment. "You really think paying someone to just watch him could make a difference? That's... a bit odd."

The student shrugged nonchalantly. "Well, maybe not just watch, but if he's constantly aware of someone, even a little kid just standing there, I bet he'd start working harder too. If nothing else, it'd definitely annoy him into doing something productive." She grinned, clearly amused by the thought.

"And it's about good time that her grades went up, or else she would've been expelled due to yesterday's incident."

Ophelia felt a chill run down her spine at the mention of Tiffany's grades and the recent incident. She knew exactly what they were referring to—the outburst in the hallway, when Tiffany had snapped at the little girl in the fox mask. That had been the talk of the academy, but Ophelia had never imagined it would have such a profound effect on Tiffany's academic performance.

She crossed her arms and leaned in slightly, her curiosity piqued. "Expelled? What happened yesterday?"

One of her classmates, a girl with wide eyes and an eager expression, leaned closer. "Oh, the most messed up thing happened, that is what."

The classmate leaned in, her voice hushed with excitement as she whispered, "Do you know the Fendwick family?"

Ophelia raised an eyebrow at the mention of Fendwick.

The Fendwicks are a family of Earls, also well known for their connections and influence, a rank higher than Tiffany's family. They were the sort of family that everyone respected—sometimes even feared—yet no one ever expected them to get involved in something like this.

"Yeah? What about them?"

The classmate glanced around, ensuring no one else was within earshot before continuing in a hushed tone. "Apparently, their only child, their daughter who happens to be Tiffany's bestie, allegedly played the victim when she falsely accused Tiffany's sister for 'bullying' her."

Ophelia's brow furrowed at the mention of the Fendwick family's only daughter, Christina.

She'd heard rumors about her—everyone had, really. Similarly to Tiffany, Christina was known for her beauty, charm, and wisdom beyond her years. She grew in popularity due to her optimism in life, after battling illness due to a premature birth.

That's right, both of them met in the same hospital while recuperating, which is why they later became best friends. They are times when other kids would share titbits that they would be present in each other's birthday parties, or occasionally attend charitable events that revolve around battling children illnesses. In addition to that, she and Tiffany's family got along well, including Tiffany's sister so to speak. Though she favours Tiffany more obviously.

By all accounts, no one has a bad thing to say about Christina. Even when Tiffany was spiralling out of control after failing to get engaged to a prince, she was in the eyes of many the 'Friend of the Century' for not giving up on Tiffany. A saint of a friend if one might ends.

So to hear that Christina would be involved in something like this....seemed so out of character.

"Wait, you mean that Christina?" Ophelia interrupted, her voice calm but was at the same time, confused, "Are you sure it is her?"

"It's her! Without a doubt!" The classmate insists as they rambled on, "You see, the prince Tiffany's sister is engaged to will be heading back to his hometown, he is after all on our school's exchange student program. Traditionally the engaged fiancé has to follow back and forth in between his family and hers, so in a good mood, he decided to throw a private function on school grounds. That is when shit hit the fan, when Christina literally clung onto His Highness's limb while pointing fingers at Tiffany's sister for bullying her by abusing her status as the Crown Prince's fiancé!"

Ophelia's breath hitched as the tale unfolded, her mind racing to process the implications. No way, she did that? At such a high-profile event? No, that can't be right.

"Wait," Ophelia interjected, trying to make sense of it all. "That sounds like a wild story."

"And it's gets worst," The classmate laughed softly, a hint of awe in her tone. "You know what did Tiffany's sister has to say about all of this?"

".....that she denies this?"

"Well, she admitted it to be the case."

"What?!" Ophelia blinked, completely thrown off by the sudden twist. "No way, really?"

"Dead serious," the classmate replied with a dramatic nod, savoring Ophelia's reaction. "Everyone was shocked. I mean, who'd expect someone like her—graceful, perfect, the future queen—to actually admit something like that in front of the prince? I mean she is so timid to the core!"

Ophelia's brow furrowed, her mind racing. Tiffany's sister, everyone looked up to, confessing to something so scandalous? It didn't add up. This is a child who won't even want to hurt ants, because there were times that whenever Ophelia walk past the grade 1 block on her way to the canteen, she would see the little girl bending down to squat and watch ants walking around all day. At times even for 10 minutes after returning from the canteen, she would still remain there watching them!

Then she remembered The Boy having mentioned that she hates the engagement.

At this point, Ophelia didn't had to think hard as to why that little girl would admit to something she probably didn't do: she wants to break this engagement, since she has no romantic feelings for him. After all, legally, anyone who committed serious offences, even bullying for instance, will not be eligible to become queen.

"Here is the kicker," the classmate continued, eyes gleaming with excitement. "When all of this shit was going down, Christina clung onto His Highness's arm as she pleaded with him in puppy eyes to punish his fiancé."

Ophelia's jaw dropped. "She what?"

Now it may not sound like a big deal for a girl to cling onto someone's arm, much less so onto children, since the people involved in this were all 7-year-old children. But this is aristocracy, and though it is now the 21st century, even the kids here as young as three are trained to uphold proper etiquette, decorum, and boundaries—especially when it came to interactions with royalty. Clinging onto the Crown Prince in such a manner, especially when everyone is aware that he is engaged was not just childish; it was practically scandalous. Much so onto Christina, since she isn't born a commoner unlike Ophelia.

"Why would she do something as stupid as this if that is truly the case?" Ophelia couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Are they....do Christina and him knew each other? It would probably make sense if that is the case." she pressed, sensing there was more to the story.

"Surprisingly, they do actually."

"Really!?"

"It was during the event that it was revealed he was a family friend of the Fendwicks."

Ophelia's mind reeled as the pieces started to fall into place. A family friend? The Fendwicks always used to deny being associated with them at the social events she was in.

"And there is more," The classmate was clearly relishing the drama as they rambled on. "His royal highness actually agreed with Christina that this punishment needed to be placed onto his fiance."

Not surprising to Ophelia, since he had this reputation on being fair and just.

"Then....the plot twist thickens when he began to question his fiance as to who are the names of the girls she was with when the allege bullying towards Christina took place."

".....how is that a plot twist?"

"That is the funniest thing: She barely was able to name names! Especially since she admitted to the 'bullying'!"

Eyes narrowed in disbelief, Ophelia goes, "How can one easily 'bully' someone without knowing names!?"

"And that is when all of the things were falling apart, the evidence collected began to suggest that Christina was the one who falsify all of this, just so she could end up marrying The Crown Prince."

With her eyes blew wide opened, the classmate's grin grew wider, "That is when the second plot twist of the century came about."

"A second plot twist?" she echoed. "What could possibly top all of this?"

The classmate's eyes gleamed with excitement, as if relishing the suspense. "Here's the kicker: Christina who was being cornered by His Royal Highness, then claimed....Tiffany staged all of this for her sister, just so she could escape the engagement."

Wait, what?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, unable to comprehend what she was hearing. "Tiffany's bestie....accused her? Am I....am I hearing this right!?"

As much as Ophelia believed that was a possibility since her sister dislikes the prince while Tiffany does, to hear that Christina would simply do so to win The Crown Prince's heart as the next fiance is....unsettling.

Throwing the name of her bestie just to score as the Fiance? That is a all time low!

 The classmate leaned in, her voice dropping even lower, almost as if she couldn't believe what she was saying either. "This is how the third plot twist of the century....later took place, which involved the expulsion part."

The classmate leaned in even closer, her eyes wide with excitement, as if she couldn't wait to reveal the final blow. "Okay, get ready for this. So, you know that girl in the Fox mask has been following Tiffany non-stop, right? Ever since her twin sister hired her to....you know? Follow Tiffany?"

As if she savouring every second of the drama she was unfolding, Ophelia prodded, "What about that?"

"You see, as I mentioned earlier, since Tiffany was unable to flee from The Fox following her, she put all of her focus onto her studies. Her grades, which has been suffering shortly after her first love picked her sister as Fiance candidate, skyrocketed. And this has been going on leading up to this event....you see where I am heading with this?" 

Ophelia's mind raced as she processed the implications of what her classmate was saying. The excitement in the other girl's eyes was palpable, and Ophelia couldn't help but feel the tension rise as the story unfolded.

"Wait," Ophelia interjected, her curiosity piqued. "Don't tell me....The Fox has become Tiffany's alibi?"

"Exactly! You're getting it now. Since Tiffany was under constant surveillance by the Fox, with her studying everything and stuff, do you think she has the time to simply stage all of the nonsensical stuff just so to end up as her first love's fiance after removing her own sister? I mean, sure, she has that reputation since everyone in the entire school is aware of this, but come on, the truth is far from the rumors, right?" The classmate's voice grew even more eager, her eyes sparkling with glee. 

"But surely....Christina could claimed that The Fox is secretly working for Tiffany, right?"

"Ah, that's the beauty of it," she said, her voice dropping to a near whisper. "Everyone in that school block had personally witness Tiffany committing all sorts of atrocities to ensure The Fox doesn't follow her, so what makes her think otherwise!? Also, everyone in that campus overheard their conversation about Tiffany attempting to bribe her off from stalking her, but it backfired. The Fox has nothing to gain out all of this. Plus, everyone is also aware that her sister was the one who hired The Fox to follow her. If Tiffany were to be the one to have hired The Fox to follow her around, that is one thing, but everyone in the campus is aware that Tiffany hates her sister to death because of this engagement, especially The Fox part. Which is why there is no possibility for The Fox to just simply jump ship."

"Then....surely Christina would've said something like 'Her sister paid the Fox' to lie, right? After all, it was no secret that Tiffany's sister still dotes on Tiffany despite her hatred towards her."

"With her sister's reputation on being too timid to do a thing? Even her own classmates doubted it."

Ophelia sat quietly for a moment, reflecting on the twists and turns. Then, she recalled something, "Hang on a minute, where was Tiffany when all of this was going on?"

"At the same event of course. Every single first grader child is invited to the event." 

"How did...she react to all of this?"

"That is where the forth plot twist began," The classmate grinned, her excitement building. "With all of the signs going awry, Christina knew she was in deep shit. I mean her plan was crumbling and everyone could see through her lies. Then she tried to make it as if Tiffany hired her to do the deed, since Tiffany is her bestie after all. But uh....how should I put this? Maybe because her lies were so pathetically stupid to the core, or perhaps the fact that her attempt to frame Tiffany's sister as the bully has ultimately ruined her poster child image of being 'charitable'....Tiffany was more furious directly at Christina than at her sister's attempt to break the engagement to be exact. So, to the shock of everyone but not really....she threw the glass cup directly at Christina out of anger."

"Wow," Ophelia said, shaking her head in disbelief. 

"I think she even jumped onto Christina and shook her hard angrily, and who could blame her? I too would if my so-called best friend did this to me, let alone, find out at the last minute that she too had a crush on the prince. Which Tiffany has genuinely no idea about it."

"Jesus."

"Yup, indeed," the classmate admitted with a shrug. "Anyway, the school staff had to get involved. Since Tiffany's sister is the Crown Prince's fiance, the sister was only let off with a warning sign about 'lying' to break an engagement. Tiffany herself was also spared, some would say it is because she is the fiance's sister, but it was more on the fact that the adults pitied her situation than anything else. And as for Christina..." The classmate paused, clearly savoring the moment. "Considering she deceived a royal to marry into the royal family, she was in much deeper trouble than anyone could've predicted. Especially considering the rumours over what the Crown Prince is like...."

Of course Ophelia was complete aware of the rumours. He was said to be a borderline Yandere who is obsessed with Tiffany's sister, now she deeply thinks about this. There is no way breaking this engagement would ever be the option he would be willing to pick. Also, the Prince was never the type to be swayed by Christina's accusations, cause if that was truly the case, he wouldn't be a good candidate to be King back at his hometown.

Even so....

"Aren't they all 7-year-olds? Also, we ain't technically living in a feudal era anymore, so how is it that the punishment for expulsion is even feasible? Ain't that too harsh onto them?"

"That is when the sixth plot twist, the last one came into play, " The classmate's eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint as they shared, "Do you remember the part that Christina revealed she used to grow up together with the prince?"

Ophelia's eyes widened as she nodded slowly, remembering the detail that had been buried in the gossip.

"Well....that part....landed the Fendwick family into serious trouble."

"Why? It's normal for noble families to be hanging out with royals."

"Yeah, but that's the thing....she wasn't suppose to disclose this in the first place."

Ophelia blinked, still struggling to understand. "What's the problem?"

The classmate let out a soft laugh, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "The Fendwick family....did you forget who they are currently working for?"

"The Marques family, which is the Ashfords." Ophelia answered.

"Exactly," the classmate said with a sly grin, clearly enjoying Ophelia's dawning comprehension. "And did you forget their son is engaged to who?"

"The Royal family in the U.K. But I don't see how is that a problem." Ophelia frowned, "The Crown Prince that Tiffany's sister is engaged to is from another country, not here."

"That's exactly the issue, Ophelia. You're not seeing the full picture."

Ophelia frowned in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Since you are born from an average family, I will give you the full scope of things. When you work for a noble family who is set to become family officially with the royal family here..." The classmate paused dramatically, making sure Ophelia was paying attention. "One must not have ties with the other royal families in general."

"Why?"

"Because, Ophelia, that is considered 'insider trading'."

Ophelia's eyes widened in realization, her frown deepening as she tried to process the weight of her classmate's words. "Insider trading? Are you saying....?"

"I am not clear over what role do the Fendericks have for the Ashford family," the classmate continued, their voice dropping to a near-whisper, as though they were sharing state secrets. "But what I do know is that Christina's family....let's just say they won't be working for the rich community anytime soon.....and I am expecting mugshots to end up on the news eventually...."

Ophelia's stomach dropped as the implications of her classmate's words sank in. "Then....their Earl title-"

"Gone, in an instant." The classmate gave a slow nod, their face serious. "In this world, titles mean everything."

"Wait, but that doesn't justify-"

"Yes, Christina could continue her studies here. But let me ask you something, Ophelia, picture this moment. You at the age of 7 decided to frame some Prince's beloved girl while playing a victim, only to get caught in your own web of lies. Adding the fact that you come from a family of Earls, deciding to dump the crime onto your bestie, who is a daughter of a Viscount, which is a rank lower than an Earl....plus she just go about telling everybody that she shouldn't be telling as to where her family could've possibly gotten their additional wealth for....you see where I am heading with this, right?"

Ophelia's eyes widened as the gravity of the situation began to truly sink in. She hadn't realized until now just how tangled and dangerous this whole situation was.

"Since Christina's family is higher rank than Tiffany's, it was a no brainer to see that there seem to be possible power abuse for Christina's side of the family to say the least," Her classmate leaned forward, voice dropping to a whisper as though they were sharing a deadly secret. "Remaining there minus the title means it is a life worst than death. Also the fact that her parents were found guilty by the court for....inappropriate use of funds....you know what to make of this."

The weight of her classmate's words felt suffocating.

"So... what happens to Christina now?" Ophelia whispered, dreading the answer.

"Normal school, though I wouldn't say that the grass would be greener there if I were to be honest," the classmate said softly before revealing, "Anyone who gets expelled by Edgewood Academy is basically marked a life full of hell for life."

Ophelia's heart skipped a beat, the weight of the words sinking in slowly.

"If you failed your academic results is one thing, transfer is another thing, but to be expulse due to misdemeanour like Christina did....even if she were to keep quiet about it, somehow those kids would find out and bully the crap out of you."

"But she's only seven... How can they do that to her?"

"Age doesn't matter in this world. Once you're associated with something as big as an expulsion from Edgewood, no one cares how old you are. The stigma sticks with you, especially when you come from a family like hers. Her name will be synonymous with scandal, and that's something no one can escape from."

"But is that really fair? Just because of one mistake, she has to suffer forever?"

"Realistically, she is born into a noble family. ," the classmate continued, their voice becoming more serious. "And in a world like this, being a noble means you're held to a higher standard. In other words, a good example of a noble. What she did to Tiffany....if the people had bought what she said, do you think Tiffany can continue her studies here? Let alone, do you also think the engagement between her sister and that Crown Prince will remain intact? Let alone, the family's privileges as Viscount could have remained?"

Ophelia sat back in her chair, processing the harsh reality of it all. 

"Anyway, Tiffany needs to attend lots of therapy after that incident. As much as I agree the situation with Christina was harsh, at the end of the day, Tiffany is a victim of circumstances. As much as it pains me to say that Tiffany will never end up becoming the fiancé of her first love, and I am not sure whether that resentment towards her sister will remain after this incident, I can confirm one thing straight about is this:  She can at least look forward to her family's upgrade in status once she recovers."

"Upgrade in status?" Ophelia blinked in confusion.

"You didn't know? Her family is now upgraded from Viscounts to Earl, in a way....it was a form of compensation ordered by the secret court in our school-"

"Wait, court!? What court!?"

"Ah right, you are probably not aware of the secret court here in Edgewood, huh?" the classmate repeated with a slight smirk, clearly enjoying Ophelia's confusion. "It's an unofficial body within the school, but its influence is... considerable. The court is made up of the most influential figures in Edgewood, including certain professors, administrators, and a select few students who hold power within the aristocratic circles. They're the ones who decide how scandals should be handled behind closed doors, far away from the public eye."

Ophelia's brow furrowed as she tried to wrap her head around what she was hearing.

"Well, let me put it this way," the classmate explained. "Considering a lot of the kids here are in arrange marriages, let alone, come from influential families with tons of money involved, the stakes are high. This 'court' exists to maintain the image of the families involved and protect their power. If something embarrassing happens—like a scandal involving a family name, especially when it comes to marriage or status—they step in to control how it gets handled, make decisions on what needs to be done, and issue punishments or compensations."

"And you're telling me Tiffany's family got upgraded in status because of this court?"

"To be fair, if Tiffany was found guilty of attempting to break this engagement because of her love towards the Crown Prince, thanks to Christina's lies, there would have been financial penalties inflicted onto the family. It was an attempt to break an engagement that involves two parties with a fuckton of money," the classmate said, using an exaggerated hand gesture to emphasize the point. "That kind of thing would destroy not just Tiffany's family, it will also ruin their chances of working within the wealthy community for life. Especially since they work for the royal family."

"But that's... wait a minute, but she is still the twin sister of the Crown Prince's fiance, no? Surely the royal family wouldn't do that?"

"Not to the parents unless they aided Tiffany behind-the-scenes," the classmate replied coolly, almost as if they had expected her reaction. "She only just got lucky, because her sister had The Fox followed her nonstop as perfect alibi. Though...." The classmates frown, "I wouldn't know how Tiffany can get her life back to normal once her therapy is up."

"Hah?"

"Cause if you think about it, their family had upgraded to Viscount. And with this... situation, the family's only option is to set her up with an arranged engagement with another boy of the same age, cause there will be tons of families would be pushing their sons to be engaged to her, now that their wealthy status reached an upgrade," the classmate continued, their tone almost detached, as if they were explaining a cold, hard fact.

Her eyes widened in shock as she processed her classmate's words. Not before crossing her arms, her expression unreadable. "That is sad," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

"But in a way....I think it is good that this happened."

Ophelia turned her head sharply toward the classmate, her brow furrowed in confusion. "How is this good? I would've been traumatized if I were Tiffany!" she asked, her voice tinged with disbelief.

"Cause if you think about this properly, before, there was no way in hell that Tiffany girl was going to last in Edgewood, especially after that humiliating incident that she didn't get chosen as The Crown Prince's fiance having been taken over by her elder twin. Hell, her grades was slipping a lot at that time. Now, thanks to this incident, not only she gets to remain here, the kids here now wants her to spill the tea. You know what this means, right?"

".....no."

"I mean in the arrange marriage market...she is now considered to be one of the top-tier marriage candidates."

"What?! How can a girl who kept on behaving like a villainess in the way of her sister and fiance would end up being that valuable!?"  

"Because, Ophelia, you are not seeing the bigger picture," the classmate explained patiently, clearly relishing the chance to lecture Ophelia on the intricacies of social politics. "While it's true, that would've dampened her chances of getting married of way back then, we are now living in the 21st century. Nowadays, people tend to seek out marriage candidates that will go through all the means to obtain love, even if it was 'cruel' in your standards."

"But it is cruel, is it not? Tearing of the pages of text books and stuff?"

"Yes, but did Tiffany went as far as to get her sister expelled? Knowing that anyone who ended up getting expelled here usually don't fair out well later in life?"

After a long thought, Ophelia was stumped.

"Exactly, there are worst things one could've done. Sure, Tiffany did many terrible things such as speak ill about her sister's character not befitting His Royal Highness, which is true by the way, as well as the fact that Tiffany berates her sister constantly skipping the lessons of becoming a future queen, which is also true.  Even surrounding herself with unsavoury kids of such shallow minds to gang up against her own sister, but at the end of the day, she didn't go as far as to ruin her sister's chances of no longer remaining in Edgewood Academy. Which could've been way worst."

Ophelia was speechless, trying to process the magnitude of her classmate's words.

"In fact, I ain't going to lie that she is a vain person, since she constantly applies sunblock up to 5 times a day. Even so, the fact that she was hardworking enough to simply make an attempt to be by His Highness's side and now this...I don't know about you, but....at least if one ends up marrying her, you life won't be boring anymore to be exact."

"I mean now that you mentioned it...." Ophelia ponders about her classmate's statement, "I do hear some of the kids here having whining that their fiances are boring."

"Yup, so in a way, yes, it may be sad to say that she may end up being a trophy wife to someone who will enjoy her antics, but given her brains and everything....especially after this incident, if she gets to choose her arrange marriage candidate, who knows she may end up scoring someone who will end up pampering her for her? Rather than to be stuck in that marriage of her first love who she knows will never love her back? Also, her twin sister is no longer here. That will help her gain the confidence to start over, which is what she really needs."

"That does make sense." Ophelia nods.

"Of course, I wouldn't say that Tiffany's life will be smooth sailing. Especially after her bestie incident, people here are not to simply trust her easily since they will assumed Tiffany to have been easily swayed by sweet praises and stuff, then again, given her intelligence, I am certain Tiffany wouldn't have any issues turning things around in her favour."

"I can't argue with that."

"Anyway, as much as there was no innocent party within this chaos, I can only hope that Tiffany....matures from this."

"Yeah, me too," Ophelia nodded. "I hope everything works out for her."

"And hopefully, this spells the end of 'breaking engagements' in Edgewood. I swear to you, if there is another incident like this, I will literally burn down the entire campus. Cause people need to understand this can't work in real life like those dating sims games in Japan, it....it just won't do."

Ophelia smiled weakly at her classmate's lighthearted joke, though she has a gut feeling that thanks to 'The Boy', not to mention, his little Fox, this won't be the first or last incident in the coming years ahead.

.........................................................................

"Here is a gift from the Ashbridge family, I can't thank you enough for saving me from getting expelled."

The little girl in the pony tail said to The Boy donning a Deer mask, sitting opposite her in his little office, a large box of chocolates and a bouquet of roses. 

"I was too stupid to see the bigger picture just thanks to my so-called bestie's lies, I almost lost my reasoning over why I worked hard in Edgewood in the first place, let alone, fought through my childhood illnesses."

She paused, looking away momentarily.

"To be honest, if not for you, I would have gone down the same path as Christina, let alone, continue to stupidly blame my sister. So, thank you.....from the bottom of my heart."

The girl bowed deeply to him. 

"It's alright, between a little girl who is doing all of this to self-benefit herself by forgoing her own friend, and a girl who was working hard to achieve her goals even through malicious means without implicating innocent people, it was a no brainer that I took in your sister's request in the first place. Also, had we not done it, Christina would've given other people the reason to shut down Edgewood Academy within decades down the line."

He explained, a hint of concern in his tone.

This statement got the recently turned daughter of a viscount to perk her ears, "What is....that suppose to mean?"

He sighed, his eyes narrowing as he gazed out over the horizon. The weight of his words lingered in the air before deciding to pose her an unexpected question, "Tiffany, in your personal opinion....do you know who I truly am?"

Tiffany blinked, taken aback by the sudden shift in the conversation. Her mind was still grappling with the gravity of what he had just said about Christina's plans and Edgewood Academy. But now, he was asking something different—something more personal.

She glanced at him, trying to gauge his expression. His face was unreadable, his gaze intense, yet distant, as if he were searching for something in her response.

"Who you truly are?" she echoed, her brow furrowing. "I...personally, I ain't too sure. But when I was officially given the clear to leave the hospital and start enrolling in Edgewood....I heard rumours through my classmates, that a Marques's son acted unruly 2 years ago, because he fancies another girl while being engaged to the niece of the royal family here. Since everything was done through the proxy of The Fox, the way things are organize has lead me to believe that...you are that son of the Marques."

Her words felt empty, as though they were just surface-level observations. But it was all she could think of, all she had known until now.

The Boy in the deer mask, never confirmed her suspicions, even so,  he didn't deny them either. Instead, he remained silent for a long moment, his eyes flickering as if he were weighing the consequences of revealing more. The tension in the air grew heavier, and Tiffany could feel her pulse quicken under the weight of the unspoken words between them.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he spoke, his voice steady but carrying an undertone of something deeper—something she couldn't quite place.

"In your opinion, what do you truly think of those rumours?" he said, his tone measured.

"What I think of this?" she repeated, her voice tinged with uncertainty. "I suppose...after checking around here and there....it didn't sound like you are the type to do so," She paused, then added, "It felt like....your fiance is the one who did so instead of you, but I could be wrong, right?"

There was a brief flicker in his eyes, almost imperceptible, but it was enough for her to notice. His expression didn't shift, but his stance subtly changed—his posture straightened, as if her words had struck a chord.

"You're observant," he said, the tone of his voice betraying a hint of something closer to respect than mere indifference. "But why would you think that?"

"Well, the other day, when I spoke to The Fox-I mean, to you through The Fox's mask, my impression think otherwise," she said, her voice steadying as she spoke. "You sounded....very put together."

The Boy in the deer mask didn't react immediately, but his eyes flickered with a subtle change, as though he was processing her words in a way that was more revealing than he had intended. He stayed silent for a moment, then spoke again, his voice carefully controlled.

He studied her for a moment, as if weighing her words before replying, "You're sharp."

The admission was so unexpected that Tiffany couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy, though she didn't fully understand it. What had happened to him? What had he been through that had caused him to retreat so far into himself?