Night Monarch's Cannon Fodder Bride-Chapter 48: Power Of Money

Why was Damien there waiting for me?

She barely suppressed a flash of panic before mentioning Emily.

Although directly pointing out her misconduct to him was dangerous, she wanted him gone.

Emily, his dear sister, was the only leverage Severine had. And then there was Emmett’s sudden intimidation.

Only when she entered the classroom did her racing heart begin to settle.

If not for Alina’s protection, she might have shown obvious panic on her face—a fatal flaw in front of someone like Emmett, who preferred to toy with others.

Emmett needed to be dealt with as soon as possible. The longer the situation dragged on, the heavier his demands would be.

Worst of all, she had no way to reject him.

Luckily, the breakfast deal worked out. Hah...

She sank into her seat by the last window and released a quiet breath.

I’m thirsty again...

She grabbed the bottle and took a few quick gulps.

Professor Tatiana stood on the raised podium, her towering bun looking bigger than her head. Her loud voice soon filled every corner of the room.

Yet Severine found her mind circling back to Damien.

Those sharp blue eyes were scrutinizing her from head to toe, almost like a butcher assessing meat.

Given the young master’s temper, he clearly wouldn’t wait for anyone—let alone her.

Unless... unless!

Severine’s eyes widened a fraction.

Shit! Does he know about the car accident?

Images of Damien at the banquet instantly surfaced in her mind. Even back then, he had looked at her oddly—followed by that glare in the hallway before he left in anger.

A cold chill crawled up her spine. Despite the early summer heat, she shivered.

What should I do? She nearly bit through the inside of her lower lip.

However, if he did, he wouldn’t have calmly waited for her. She would have been dragged into a corner and beaten up, just like before.

Ethen, the rat Awakener, had never hesitated to throw a punch. So why was she still untouched? There hadn’t been any "accidental" shoulder bumps or deliberate provocations.

Does that mean my guess is wrong?

Yes, it must be.

Catching a faint glimmer of hope, she steadied herself.

There might be something else, she thought, recalling everything she knew about Damien. But nothing else rang a bell.

Resting her chin on her hand, she tilted her head toward the window, watching students hurry past.

Her seat in the back corner, with one window left slightly ajar, offered the perfect vantage point. From there, she could observe unnoticed and catch fragments of hushed conversations drifting in.

Some students wore easy smiles. Others trudged along, already dreading upcoming tests.

Then she heard it.

"Damien Rhodes and Emily left the academy under their bodyguard’s escort."

Many versions of such whispers floated throughout the hallway.

Ah, that’s good. She patted her chest in relief.

Her decision to use Emily as bait was indeed an excellent choice.

However, Damien’s strange behavior still made her uneasy. She tried to recall whether she had left anything behind at the accident scene, but nothing came to mind.

Even the SIM card she used had long since been discarded.

She had originally hoped that this irascible young master would ignore her—a weak, pathetic nobody—after her hospital stay.

In the novel, Damien had forgotten her quickly. He only remembered her later, when Emily tearfully complained about losing her dream of becoming an international player.

But it seemed that hope had been nothing more than a silly extravagance.

Sure enough, she realized the next day just how extravagant her earlier hope truly was.

"One day of community service."

Alina saw the punishment notice on the notice board in the afternoon.

As an academy that housed the children of billionaires, punishment was never something they advocated.

First, they didn’t want to offend the powerful figures backing those students.

Second was the impact it might have on young minds. Punishing them in front of their peers would undoubtedly cause humiliation—not a conducive way for children to grow and become confident.

Third was the future these students represented.

Sooner or later, many of them would replace their parents, becoming the new leaders of the industries.

Humiliating them would only bring the academy more trouble.

So this sudden notice that someone from the commerce department was being punished for breaking rules caught everyone’s attention.

There was no mention of a name, preserving at least a bit of dignity, but Alina easily pieced the information together.

Severine had broken some rule and was assigned "community service" for one day.

In short, they wanted her to clean the main auditorium hall.

The place was huge enough to land an airplane. How the hell was a thin girl like Severine supposed to clean it in one fucking day?

It was clearly a trap to punish her for at least a few days until she was done with the cleaning.

Alina ran toward the northern side of the academy, nearly crashing into Samuel along the way.

"Sami!" she yelled excitedly, as if greeting an old friend. "How are you? Oh, and where is Severine?"

Samuel’s smile slightly stiffened at the nickname. "You can just call me Sam, Miss Hart. And the boss is in the auditorium. If you are looking for her, you might need special permission to enter."

"Ah... oh, yes. I forgot. Thanks for reminding me, Sami." Alina slapped her forehead in a grimace. Though the result was still in their favor.

No one was allowed to wander in the main auditorium hall during regular classes. That rule was still effective despite the punishment.

So, it would save Severine from the prying eyes of other students who were eagerly guessing her name.

A subtle attempt to change how she addressed him failed once again. Samuel exhaled in defeat.

"Here," he handed her the blue card with the academy’s name printed in golden letters on it. There were two feathers encircling the name, as if giving the academy angelic blessings.

Alina had seen the academy’s logo before. Nonetheless, she still felt exasperated.

"What a sweet lie." If not for Severine, her life wouldn’t be this peaceful in the academy. So where the hell was this blessing?

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing," Alina waved her hand. "This is the entrance card?"

Samuel nodded. "Just place it on the lock, and you can meet the boss. I suggest you be careful with your words. The boss isn’t in the best mood."

The cold glance he had experienced before coming out was very fresh in his mind.

I’ll handle the southern project as soon as possible. It’s all the fault of the sudden change in the property tax rules!

Otherwise, he would have signed the deal long ago.

"Yeah, got it. Thanks for the card."

How could Alina not guess Severine’s mood?

An unfair punishment had been forced on her for no reason. Anyone would be angry.

Forget the victim; she, as a bystander, was about to erupt.

Even if I think with my toes, I can guess who the mastermind behind this is.

The whole scenario reeked of Damien’s arrogance.

Emily must have spilled everything to him.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Alina broke into a run, rushing past the curious students to reach the faraway auditorium.

Why the hell is the academy so big? She cursed.

Finally reaching the entrance, she pressed the blue card on the door panel.

Creak.

The huge doors slowly slid open, allowing her inside before shutting again.

Phew, success.

She had expected to see the young heiress sweeping the vast floor with a broom.

Like a Cinderella...

She had even imagined Severine’s forlorn look, her back bent under the pressure this cruel world forced onto her. Sweat would drip down her jade-like face. Drop by drop, maybe mixing in silent tears of misery and heartbreak.

Yet what she saw left her mouth agape.

There, on a couch that absolutely cost more than her family’s annual income, sat a doll.

Dark strands framed her delicate yet pale face, cascading down her back. Her red lips remained pursed as her deep gray eyes were concentrated on her laptop screen.

Click. Tap. Tap. Click.

Her fingers flew rapidly on the keyboard while her forehead remained locked in a frown.

Beside her was a group of seven men. All were wearing gray shirts and black pants.

Uniforms...

On the back of the shirt was a logo printed in bold letters.

"Fuchsia Cleaning Company."

They scrubbed the floor and wiped nonexistent spots with vigor, even offering her polite smiles in greeting.

"Umm... Severine?"

Severine didn’t raise her head as she replied, "Huh?"

"... Are you alright?"

Severine finally looked up at the noisy heroine.

The drawn curtains blocked the natural sunlight, leaving the room illuminated only by artificial lights.

Standing under them, Alina seemed to glow.

[She is my angel, my salvation in this boring world, my eternal light. She can stab me, and I’ll happily let her. My Ali. My sweet, innocent Ali...]

Severine nearly shuddered when Damien’s fanatic words echoed in her mind. What a sycopath.

Her silence agitated Alina. She couldn’t hold back the question bugging her. "... Didn’t Damien pull the strings for you to clean the area?"

"I paid them to clean."

Alina: "...Fuck."

Despite the rollercoaster of emotions she experienced in mere nanoseconds, she had to admit—having money was really so damn cool!