房客(糙汉)何璐程曜坤

The blue-haired girl ended up not taking the bait at all and instead breathed out and smiled shyly with relief...

"...?"

But that seemed to have an opposite effect on Burushi, who tensed up and straightened her back.

"I wouldn\'t say that... I tend to put conscious effort into erasing people who bullied me from memory while treasuring those who were nice... if we indeed met in the past and I don\'t remember you, I have some bad news."

"...!"

She declared, now genuinely angry without forcing herself to make a scene.

"O-oh... I see..."

The blue-haired girl flinched and cowered a little bit, lowering her head apologetically – visibly feeling guilty, by what she basically admitted that she was one of the people who did bully Burushi when she still attending the academy.

"If it\'s okay, I will do the introductions..."

"O-okay..."

Surou managed to shake off the initial surprise and said after clearing his throat, to which the blue-haired girl nodded timidly.

"Miss Burushiitto, lord Zoemi. My sponsor, and partner in crime of saving people from slavery – miss Sifra, formerly from the house of Ralia."

"H-hello..."

The blue-haired boy stepped to the side to give all the spotlight to the blue-haired girl who lost all the confidence she had to take the first step through the shadow gate.

"...hello..."

Zoemi who had recognized her from the start closed his mouth and had to take a deep breath before even uttering back the greeting.

"Sifra... Ralia...? Hold on – is that you? The moron who tried to accuse Zoemi of raping her and got both banished from her family and was forced to leave the kingdom?! It\'s you?!"

Burushi twitched and asked, taken aback so much that she almost dropped the glass that she picked up to take another sip.

"Y... yes... that would be me..."

The blue-haired girl cowered even more, so much that it was hard to even qualify her current position as standing up and confirmed, clearly feeling terrible about it all.

"We all made some mistakes in the past, wouldn\'t it be best if we just forgot about it all and focused on the future?"

The blue-haired second prince spoke up hurriedly and stepped in front of Sifra, shielding her from the looks of the other two.

"Bold of you to say that, how about the ones actually affected by her actions will decide?"

Zoemi was about to say – but Burushi was not only faster, but she also delivered the line even more viciously than he was about to.

"I... I\'ll have you know that Mrs. Sifra has already helped a lot of people and..."

"And! And none of those people was Zoemi, was it?"

Surou straightened his back and spoke in a serious tone- but was talked over by the pissed-off blue-haired girl.

"Listen here, mister Royto, or whatever name you have chosen for yourself, no one is doubting that she changed her idiotic ways. Considering what she went through, ending up wishing to make a difference is really admirable, honestly. The problem lies with your sorry white knight ass shielding the new lady of your heart the very second her past faults are brought to light."

Burushi, scoffed, straightening her back and crossing her amrs under her chest, this time to not accentuate it but just because she was furious.

"You are not completely right, Burushi. I am still quite mad here about trying to get me in serious trouble like that. Were you informed that I turned out to be the missing heir to the Banemor family? You do know that after receiving the title of a high noble I have full rights to pursue and punish anyone of lower status than mine for any serious slander or other breaches of etiquette?"

"?!?!?!"

The black-haired boy reached out his hand in front of Burushi\'s face and declared in a cold voice, looking past Surou and glaring down at the cowering Sifra.

"Z-Zoemi...?"

Even Burushi was shocked by the reaction of the youth beside her and asked in a worried voice.

"Sifra... do you have any idea how I felt when I got accused of raping you? My friends and even the girl I love all heard about it... I was really holding back, back then, just because I was so worried sick about getting her in toruble..."

"!!!!"

"Lord Zoemi...!"

The blue-haired girl started shaking in pure fear and was on the verge of tears, and the blue-haired boy\'s face became pale as a sheet but he still stepped to the side to completely hide Sifra from Zoemi\'s glare.

"Don\'t you lord Zoemi me now, Surou... You have no right to tell me what I should think or feel in my own home."

*WHOOOM*

The black-haired boy stared at the blue-haired former second prince – and before others could react, the shadow gate on the wall disappeared making the well-known sound for others to know that it is no longer there

"Wh-what do you expect from her, then?"

Surou who felt directly responsible for bringing his sponsor to the Banemor mansion without informing Zoemi about her identity asked biting his lips while trying to find the best exit from this rather terrible situation.

He was the one who insisted on not revealing Sifra\'s identity – he thought that it would be a surprise that would ease up the possibly tense mood - and now that very way of thinking came right around to bite him in the bit.

He never expected that the supposed perfect attendant was just holding back the whole time and wasn\'t just as peaceful and obedient as the others see him...

At least not to that point.

"I want an apology."

"...!"

Zoemi looked into Surou\'s eyes and answered his question in a deadly-serious voice, to which both of the blue-haired youths flinched.

"An apology... but I was told that she did apologize back in the Academy..."

Surou gulped down his saliva and furrowed his brows, slowly moving his head and glancing at Sifra in suspicion.

"B-but I did...! I even kneeled and..."

"No."

The shaken Sifra gasped in a trembling voice and said in distress, but was interrupted by Zoemi\'s cold voice.

"Eh...? But...!"

She flinched and gasped, daring to step away from Surou and look at the black-haired boy stone mask of a visage.

"I do not want to listen to the wailing of a panicked child terrified of losing her way of life. I want an apology from someone fully aware of their actions and the consequences of such. I could not care less about your tears or kneeling, and I certainly do not want you to either cry or kneel now. I am giving you a chance that you and your friends didn\'t even think of granting me back then... I consider you another human being, thinking and experiencing the same emotions that I do. Now it should be easier for you to do, considering that with my current position, I could erase you and your former family from the face of the earth and get away with it."

"!!!"

Zoemi said and his expression got twisted by a cruel smile that left the blue-haired girl speechless.

"No? That is also fine. I expect that you came here with Surou to ask king Horeo for pardoning you and allowing you the return to the kingdom, maybe even reconcile you with your family... That also seems like a reason why you began freeing the slaves and working together with Surou. I am grateful for what you already did, helping others, as long as it doesn\'t harm them in the long run, is an amazing thing to do... But if I really am right about your reason for showing up here then I have only this to say to you..."

*WHOOOM*

The black-haired boy raised his brow and shrugged his shoulder – after he was almost done talking, he raised his hand and the shadow gate swallowed the wall once more.

"What\'s lost is lost. Enjoy your new life and keep up the good work."

Zoemi pointed at the murky darkness with his index finger and waited.

The fear in Sifra\'s eyes changed into a burning embarrassment as she was seen through so ridiculously easy.

"I am not helping others because I want to receive any benefits – but I can recognize when I am not welcomed somewhere"

She gulped down her saliva and attempted to speak in a grand tone but that resulted in her sounding like a child playing an adult.

"Royto, I apologize for the trouble of trying to work things out on my behalf. I\'ll see you tomorrow."

Sifra turned right around, clenching her fists and stepping towards the shadow gate.

"What? But...! Haa... That\'s probably for the better... have a nice day, Mrs. Sifra."

Surou flinched and initially tried to stop her, but realized that there really was no reason to do so, so he just waved her goodbye as she walked into the murky darkness.

"Yah... I believe I also have seen and heard enough."

"...?"

Once the blue-haired boy turned back towards the table, Burushi sighed in a disappointed voice and reached into her cleavage, putting half of her forearm, aking aback Surou.

The thing she took out from that questionably convenient hiding spot was a small blue box.

"I just wanted to make sure that I am seriously over you, hexed or not. Thanks for this though – it helped me out to go through some rough times, but the best less;n I took from all of that is that I should count on myself first... but that\'s beside the point. Thanks anyway."