TPCF 38

CHAPTER 38……..

The man’s eyes flared sharply. When he took a step closer, Anita instinctively backed away. Things had been almost settled, but now it felt like everything was collapsing.

“That’s the kind of nonsense only clueless idiots spout. You and I—we’re—”

His arrogant face suddenly froze. His gaze slipped past Anita, who was standing right in front of him, and fixed on something behind her. She tried to turn her head.

But it was pointless—someone had already draped an arm over her shoulder.

“So it really was you. The stalker.”

He wasn’t wrong, but the situation wasn’t that straightforward either, so Anita kept her mouth shut.

“Why don’t you mind your own business and move along?”

Ignoring the man’s irritation, Edmund turned to Anita.

“You forgot we had lunch plans?”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I did forget.”

Anita did her best to look apologetic.

“What’s going on between you two?”

Judging by his tone, the man wasn’t genuinely curious.

“Between us?”

Edmund, as if he’d been waiting for that question, repeated it brightly. He pulled Anita a little closer.

“Hard to sum up in a single word. Let’s just say… closer than you are.”

The truth was, the reason their relationship was hard to define was because there wasn’t one at all. But the man didn’t know that. His face flushed red, then paled, then flushed again—changing colors faster than a chameleon.

“You! One wasn’t enough, now there’s two of you?”

Suddenly, he jabbed a finger at Anita, who had been standing quietly all along.

“Whether it’s two or ten, it’s none of your business.”

“Mistaking zero for one seems worse to me. That’s incredibly rude, you know.”

His face, which looked squashed even at the best of times, contorted even further. Anita wondered if she’d said something too harsh and replayed her own words in her head.

Not really. He was just overreacting.

“You—you, do you even know who I am?!”

“Who else? Charles Bennet. This is your third year at Aberdeen, and you’ve caused your fair share of trouble, haven’t you?”

Charles Bennet. Anita was hearing his name for the first time.

“Your father’s Dierre Bennet, from a distant branch of Baron Bennet’s line…”

Anita looked up at Edmund in surprise. How could anyone remember things like that?

“Just last year alone, the student council got over five complaints about you. No wonder your face looked familiar—you do resemble the baron a bit.”

“…Yeah. I’ve heard that before.”

“As student council president, I’m asking you—try living quietly for once. Do you know how many times you’ve ruined my naps?”

There was a trace of genuine anger in Edmund’s voice. Clearly, the complaints had worn him down.

“Because of people like you, I—”

Edmund’s voice dropped low, chillingly so. Anita couldn’t see his face since she was standing beside him, but Charles began backing away. He must have looked terrifying.

“What did you just say…?”

“Leave.”

It would’ve been wise to take the chance and walk away, but pride still had him by the throat. He stubbornly held his ground.

“I won’t let this slide! Let’s see if a so-called student council president can get away with blatant threats like this without consequences!”

Anita was speechless. A man who had acted so threatening toward her was now swallowing Edmund’s childish provocation whole and blurting out something so foolish.

And in that moment, she realized something. If you want to catch someone, don’t bait them with obvious suspicion. Act silly. That works much better.

“Ah, if I’d been elected by choice, you might have a point. But I was appointed directly by the Count of Aberdeen, the headmaster himself. So… want to see who gets expelled first?”

After all the times he’d cursed his grandfather, he sure knew how to use him when it suited him. Anita looked at Edmund with a conflicted expression.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

Because Edmund was not only the president but also striking in appearance, more and more students had gathered to watch.

At first, Anita thought about stopping him to protect his reputation. But then she decided otherwise. Since he wasn’t chosen by student support but appointed by the headmaster’s authority, public image didn’t matter all that much.

Before she knew it, she’d been swept up in the mood of the crowd, just another spectator to the fight. She quickly pulled herself together. This wasn’t the time to be standing around.

She had expected some stares when dealing with Charles Bennet, but she’d never planned on drawing this large a crowd.

Or… should she use this chance to expose his crimes in public?

It didn’t sound like a bad idea.

But the more she thought about it, the less realistic it seemed. Yes, he had stalked her, and yes, he’d even admitted to it—but she still had no hard evidence.

After scattering the powder, Anita had scrubbed down her room with a wet cloth to make it breathable again, destroying any fingerprints, footprints, or hair that might have been left behind. She’d obliterated the evidence with her own hands.

She sighed quietly.

At least now she knew his name. That was something, wasn’t it?

“Who are you calling a stalker?!”

Charles Bennet’s furious shout shattered her thoughts. It seemed Edmund had labeled him the stalker.

“Quiet. Stalking’s an expellable offense, so take note.”

“You think cheap scare tactics like that are going to work on me?”

Charles’s neck bulged with veins as he shouted. Anita instinctively took a step back, worried the sparks might hit her even though she’d done nothing.

“Scare tactics? I’m just stating facts. Why so defensive?”