Chapter 16

"Jay, take this."

Liam Dalton handed the tray to his follower, Jacob. Due to his leg bone being broken by Gerard Vindemia a few days ago, he had to use crutches, making it difficult for him to use both hands.

"Take mine too. Just give it to Ben. Here."

Similarly, Desmond, whose arm was broken by Gerard and was now in a sling, handed his tray to another follower, Benjamin. Jacob and Benjamin took the trays with smirks. Their faces seemed particularly annoying today. This group was centered around Liam and Desmond, with the other two being mere accessories. This was a common understanding both within and outside the group. Liam took this for granted, but this time, his frustration grew due to the uselessness of the two accessories.

If these guys had done things properly from the start, the situation would have been much better. Seeing their useless faces really irritated him.

"Damn. Hurry up."

Liam ordered the two and started walking with his crutches. Desmond adjusted his pace to match Liam's. They looked for a place to sit for lunch. Due to an unnecessary summons, the cafeteria was already quite full. The principal had just told them to apologize to Ruby Livy's mother because the situation had become too big to handle.

Why did he have to go through this? He had only teased her a little, and the one who overreacted and broke someone's bone was that big, commoner. They should be the ones to receive the apology.

"Those guys have been acting weird since this morning, haven't they?"

Desmond said.

"Weird? How so?"

"Well, I don't know, but something's off. They're not talking at all."

"They're always just listening to us, aren't they?"

"Yeah, but..."

"What?"

"Maybe they're trying to leave the group."

"Huh? Those guys who always tag along without being asked?"

"Look, we're completely hated now, right? So, they're probably trying to blame everything on us and run away."

Liam tried to recall how Benjamin and Jacob had been today. They usually tried to please him and Desmond, but now that he thought about it, they did seem to be smiling in a particularly creepy way today.

"If that's the case, I won't forgive them. We'll confront them later."

Desmond nodded in agreement with Liam.

"---You guys really have the nerve to show your faces here."

As Liam and Desmond were about to enter the aisle between the long tables to find a seat, an angry voice reached Liam's ears from the back of the table. The upperclassmen sitting there were glaring at them.

"Oh, oh, seniors. How are you all doing?"

Liam extended the end of his sentence provocatively.

"You guys, don't ever call yourselves part of the Spelvia faction again. It's embarrassing."

"Even if you tell us not to, we can't change our birth."

As Liam responded with a smirk, Desmond nudged him with his elbow.

"Don't make more enemies."

Liam was advised by Desmond but didn't stop his thin smile.

"Apologize to Ruby Livy!"

This time, a voice came from another table. It was a classmate from the Averlam faction. Liam tried to respond, but one after another, jeers flew at him, leaving no room for a counterargument.

"Getting beaten up by the person you bullied is so lame."

"Trash."

"The worst."

Regardless of whether they were commoners or nobles, or which faction they belonged to, voices blaming Liam and his group could be heard from all around.

"Shut up! Suddenly everyone's getting along and being friendly. It's disgusting. Man, you're all so boring. Forget it, let's eat outside, Des."

Liam turned his back on the table.

"Wait, outside... won't it be cold?"

Desmond said with a reluctant face.

"If you want to stay, stay."

Saying this, Liam walked towards the terrace with his crutches. A moment later, he heard Desmond following behind. They met up with Benjamin and Jacob, who were carrying the trays, and headed towards the door leading outside.

As Liam hesitated at the door, Desmond swiftly opened it from the side. His leg injury made even this simple task difficult, which irritated him.

Stepping out onto the terrace, the cold wind stung his cheeks. The sky, filled with gray clouds, looked like it was about to rain.

"Let's eat in the gazebo."

Liam lifted his crutch and pointed to the brick path leading to the gazebo.

The gazebo, almost completely exposed to the elements, was as cold as expected. The metal chairs were so cold that it made one hesitate to sit down. However, they couldn't go back inside after coming this far. Liam endured and sat down.

"Whoa, it's cold."

Desmond also sat down, hunching his shoulders. However, Benjamin and Jacob, each carrying two trays, were hesitant to sit down.

"What's the matter, you guys? Sit down. Or do you have something to say to us?"

Liam glared at the two standing men, and they sat down without a word.

"Let's eat quickly and go back inside. It's really cold."

Liam took the tray from Benjamin next to him and started eating the soup.

"I told you so."

Desmond said with a sigh.

"Are you going to eat in the same space as them?"

"I don't like it either... but it's better than here, right? If we behave for a while, they'll calm down too."

"Damn."

Liam knew it was better to stay low until the situation cooled down, but he couldn't accept it. He spat and silently bit into a piece of bread.

Liam and Desmond quietly ate their meals. The sound of the wind was loud.