Chapter 144: An Answer For Every Accusation

"What I want to know is why you didn’t remove her from the lottery the moment you discovered who she was." Lucius’s gaze swept across the room, waiting for someone to answer, but nobody did. It wasn’t as though they hadn’t considered removing Starlight as one of the Lunar Lottery winners after discovering her identity.

They had. The problem was that the lottery wasn’t something they could simply manipulate whenever it became inconvenient.

Once a winner was announced to the entire world, that person’s selection became official. The Lunar Lottery was more than a public event. It was a tradition that carried enormous weight, and its results were not supposed to be overturned without a compelling reason.

Removing Starlight would raise questions they couldn’t easily answer. The entire world had watched her name being drawn. If they suddenly declared her ineligible after the announcement, people would demand to know why. Any explanation they offered would invite suspicion, and if the truth about the lottery’s manipulation came to light, the consequences would extend far beyond one girl’s selection. They had spent years maintaining the appearance of fairness. They couldn’t afford to destroy it now.

Besides, how were they supposed to explain all of this to Lucius? Telling him that they couldn’t remove his daughter without causing a scandal would hardly satisfy him. Neither would explaining that they had allowed the situation to continue because they hoped one of their heirs might win her affection and persuade her to remain at Asterion Academy.

They could already imagine his reaction.

Lucius’s smile widened.

"Ah. There it is. I was beginning to think none of you had an explanation for that part."

"Excuse me, Master Lucius," Evander began, choosing his words with considerable care. "But removing your daughter from the results after the announcement would not have been as simple as you seem to think."

Lucius slowly turned his head towards him.

Evander resisted the urge to shift in his seat.

"The Lunar Lottery is broadcast live across the world. Millions of people watch the selection, and the results are recorded and publicly documented. Once a winner is announced, we cannot simply erase their name from the list without a credible explanation. Doing so would raise questions about the legitimacy of the entire process." He paused briefly before continuing.

"People would demand to know why a winner had suddenly been removed. They would question whether the lottery had been manipulated, whether the results had been changed behind closed doors, and whether the other winners had been chosen fairly. We would have to provide a convincing reason for her removal, and we had no legitimate grounds to disqualify Starlight simply because we had discovered her identity after her selection."

Evander kept his voice measured.

"Had we removed her without a valid explanation, we would have drawn even more attention to her. It might even have raised suspicions about her and your family, and that could have created an entirely different problem."

The Emperor nodded immediately.

"Exactly. My brother has explained it perfectly. We couldn’t simply remove her name without consequences. The lottery’s results were already public, and changing them would have created unnecessary suspicion and could even have implicated your daughter in a scandal she had nothing to do with. We had to consider the consequences before making any decision."

The other clan heads nodded in agreement, relieved that someone had finally voiced the explanation they had all been struggling to present to Lucius. Lucius stared at them.

For a moment, he looked as though he had forgotten what he wanted to say. Then he slowly raised a hand and scratched his jaw.

Geez, these people were irritating.

He had come here prepared to tear into every single one of them. He had even considered how best to make an example of whoever had dared to interfere with his family. Now, however, they were standing before him, offering one reasonable explanation after another. It was infuriating. He hated it when people made sense, especially when they should just give him a proper reason to tear them apart.

It was much easier to deal with fools who blundered into trouble and then offered ridiculous excuses. At least then, he could dispose of them without wasting his time. But these people had an answer for every accusation he threw at them, and each explanation made it increasingly difficult to justify the punishment he had already begun considering.

What made the situation worse was that the Celestials had finally given him permission to deal with anyone who harmed his family as he saw fit. He had been looking forward to exercising that permission.

And now these people were making it unnecessarily difficult.

Lucius dragged his hand down his face.

"Geez, you people are exhausting."

Nobody dared to respond.

He glanced at the Emperor, then at the clan heads, his expression settling into one of profound irritation. "Fine. I’m done. I’m tired of exchanging words with you lot. Every time I ask a question, someone gives me an answer, and somehow, that answer makes enough sense to ruin my mood even further."

He waved a hand dismissively. "I’m taking my daughter home. That’s all I came here to settle, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do."

"Master Lucius, perhaps we should discuss—"

Alexander began.

Before he could finish, Lucius snapped his fingers.The sound was small, barely louder than a click of the tongue. Yet the next instant, the grand hall was empty. The Emperor, the five heads of the great clans, and Lucius himself had all vanished without a trace.

*****

FEW HOURS AGO

"We are going to miss you guys so much! I can’t believe we barely even spent any time together, and you’re already moving out."

Ariel’s lament filled the dorm room as Elle stood beside Starlight, helping her pack the last of her belongings. Clothes had been folded neatly into a suitcase, while her toiletries and other personal items had been arranged in separate bags.

Starlight had decided to move into her private suite that morning, and with most of her belongings already packed, there was little left to do. Now that she had settled things with the Crown Twins, she no longer had any reason to remain in the ordinary dormitory when she had a perfectly private suite assigned to her.

She had initially avoided moving into it because she didn’t want to risk running into Mikhail and Nikolai on the upper floors. However, that concern no longer mattered. Even if she happened to cross paths with them, she could handle it now that she would no longer have to participate in their ridiculous arrangement.

"It’s not as though we’re leaving the academy," Elle pointed out cheerfully as she zipped up one of the bags. "You guys can come and visit us anytime you want. There’s nothing stopping you."

Chloe scoffed from where she sat on her bed. "You make it sound as though the private suite belongs to you. You’re just an attachment going along with Starlight, not the owner."

Elle slowly turned towards her, placing a hand against her chest as though Chloe had deeply wounded her. "Oh, jealous much?" she asked, widening her eyes in mock surprise. "I know you want to be in my place, but it’s not my fault. I can’t help being Starlight’s bestest friend, and her manager. Some people are simply born lucky."

Starlight glanced at her, her expression caught somewhere between amusement and exasperation.

"Don’t mind her," she told the others, shaking her head. "She’s just been... you know, Elle."

"Can you blame me?" Elle asked, placing a hand against her chest. "I’m simply being myself."

"I’m not blaming you for being you," Starlight replied. "I’m blaming you for being your usual insufferable self."

Ariel chuckled at their exchange, and even Chloe’s lips twitched before she quickly schooled her expression.

Starlight finished checking the contents of her suitcase before closing it. "Besides, there’s nothing to miss. We’re all still attending the same academy. We’ll see each other during combat class and physical training, won’t we? It’s not as though moving into a different room means we’ll never meet again."

"Yeah, you’re right," Ariel admitted. "We’ll still see each other during classes and training. It’s just that things won’t be the same without you two here."

"Nothing has to change," Starlight assured her. "We can still spend time together whenever we have free periods."

"Exactly!" Elle chimed in. "And you can always visit our suite. I’ll even welcome you personally at the door."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "How generous of you."

"I know. My kindness knows no bounds."

"Your shamelessness knows no bounds," Chloe corrected.

Elle gasped dramatically, clutching her chest. "Starlight, did you hear that? She’s insulting your bestest friend!"

"I heard everything," Starlight replied, lifting her suitcase. "And I’m choosing to ignore all of you."

Ariel laughed again as Starlight made her way towards the door. Elle, who had already gathered the remaining bags, practically bounced after her.