BXBX NOVEL Chapter 88: A Broken Trust
Francis immediately shook off his hand and waved back immediately as he didn\'t want to offend this person.
"N-no! Not at all! I-it\'s just…. The Gran— I mean, Instructor Chevalier\'s almost carefree attitude reminds me of how the Headmaster would usually say those words to me every time I meet him, whether it\'s inside the academy or outside of these walls though."
Francis noticed how the Grand Duke just nodded everything he just said without probing him if the words he said were true or not.
\'Well, it\'s half-true though since both of the Grand Duke and the Headmaster are similar with each other. Sometimes, I would think that their minds are connected with each other because of how truly similar they are when it comes to matters that both of them could benefit them but in a positive way.\'
Although both of them are high-ranking nobles but both the Chevaliers and the Headmaster\'s household are part of the neutral faction meaning, both households are responsible for the balance of the other two factions, which are the Aristocratic and Imperial Faction.
Francis doesn\'t know that much about the political intrigues within this Empire as it wasn\'t his business anyway but from what he remember from the previous timeline, when he was still an instructor of this academy, there are times when the Headmaster would talk to him about the situation that happens within the Empire.
Sometimes, if the Headmaster would feel it, he would just rant about how those greedy b*stards doing behind everyone\'s eyes, but the Headmaster couldn\'t do anything but only to be an observer of those rotten people who masquerading themselves as humans in flesh.
\'That\'s why whenever the Headmaster feels that he needs to let out his emotions in regards of this Empire, I would just listen to the sidelines, and it\'s not just me who listens but Instructor Chevalier as well if he feels it.\'
That was the only information that he knew and could only get a gist about the situations within the outer and the inner courts of the Empire but on a large scale, he doesn\'t know that much.
\'However, since I declared to myself that I would be his eyes and ears within this Empire, it would be better for me to associate myself with these people.\'
"Well, nice to meet you, Francis. It seem like you know some of the nobles around in this Empire since you recognize Instructor Chevalier here."
Francis heard the woman\'s voice that made him snap from his thoughts.
He acted awkwardly as he didn\'t want to be on the suspicious gaze on these two people he just met in this timeline.
"Well, there are times when I need to accompany the Headmaster in some events and banquets where he was invited but I never stayed at his side and just mingled with others without causing much trouble."
He said as he reminisces those times he had whenever the Headmaster offered to join him one of his trips and Francis just followed the Headmaster\'s wishes whenever he feels it.
\'It feels like I became his assistant whenever he drags me from here and there.\'
"Oh right! I haven\'t introduced myself yet! Sorry! My bad! Once again, it is a pleasure to meet you, Francis. My name is Lorraine Fowler, a graduate student of this academy. Since the Headmaster is still in the ceremony hall then, are you perhaps waiting for him after visiting him earlier?"
Francis looked at the woman, this world\'s heroine…. I mean, former heroine, as she no longer held any privilege being the chosen one for this world.
\'Even if that was the case then, she looks happy and contented, unlike in the previous timeline that she always put a gentle smile on her face, but I saw beneath those smiles are a force shackles that binds her whole being.\'
Francis didn\'t know the whole picture on it but the first time he meets her in the previous timeline was…. he noticed something about the woman\'s presence.
But in the current timeline, from what Francis saw right now, it seems like Lorraine is now free from those unknown shackles that binds her in the previous timeline and not only that, but she can also now decide on her own, without someone dictating her.
In the current timeline, Francis didn\'t know the true reason for the alliance of both Lorraine and the Grand Duke but if Francis were to ask, the woman made the right decision.
\'Since she is now acquainted with the Grand Duke, no one would be able to dare to harm or even touch her since she is now under the protection of the war hero\'s household that even the Royal family wouldn\'t be able to make a move on her, if they wanted to.\'
Since Lorraine has an Elysian bloodline within her and it\'s a rara bloodline power that most of those rotten nobles would love to covet with, it\'s a wise decision that this woman managed to be acquainted with the Grand Duke of Chevalier household.
\'Even if the Royal family demands to hand over Lorraine to them, Grand Duke Chevalier wouldn\'t do that, especially, the animosity between the two party\'s aren\'t that good because of what happened three years ago.\'
Because of the incident that happened three years ago where Ezekiel\'s demise was linked to the Crown Prince of Stellarus Empire, both Chevaliers and the Stellarus Royal family became tense with each other.
\'Especially to the current Patriarch of the household, Grand Duke Altron Chevalier. From what I know, when he became the new household\'s Patriarch, instead of demanding justice and explanation to the Royal family about the Crown Prince\'s involvement to the Third Young Master\'s demise, the Grand Duke just keep quiet about it.\'
However, even if he did keep quiet and never pursue about this matter but from what Francis had gathered within the gossips around, the Grand Duke Chevalier just doing his job as a mere subject to the Empire but the relationship between the two families are no longer the same.
< ... "I am only loyal to the Empire\'s people and the common folk but never to the Royal family. Mark my words because this is what happens when the trust is no more and who\'s fault was it?" ….. >
At that time, Francis was present when he was hired temporarily in the Palace for the banquet since he had experienced being a server and he saw how the Grand Duke looked at the Emperor that time as he stated those words within the crowd.
\'It\'s true. When the trust is broken, don\'t expect that it will mend no matter what you do. The Royal family should be thankful that the Grand Duke isn\'t someone who would just rebel like that.\'
However, Francis knew that this was just the beginning.
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