Miriette shot down every single one of Zoemi's lousy excuses with a clear-minded argument each time the black-haired attendant opened his mouth - but her defense was getting weaker as it didn't feel right for her to refuse the boy's request.

Of course, not all of her counterarguments were completely clear-minded if we are being honest here...

In the first place, the dark-haired girl had her own opinion, and the first thing that her lovestruck brain told her when she heard the word 'suspension' was...

More time with Zoemi.

That's it – she couldn't see it as anything besides that.

Miriette was incredibly happy at the sole thought but, at least in her eyes, Zoemi preferred to be exposed to terrible suffering instead!

It was like the first time they traveled together and the black-haired boy cried with relief when his adoptive father took him away from her!

Could it be that she was actually hated this whole time?!

Miriette was so hurt that she got angry.

"But the suspension could hinder your relationship with Horeo – the two of you wouldn't be able to see each other all that much...

"

The black-haired attendant tried to tackle the same subject from the slightly different anger and ended up – which resulted only in unleashing the dark-haired girl's fury.

"And what's the problem with my relationship with Horeo!? If you are so worried about that you could have just arranged that he would come and see me, right!?

"

And lady Espine sank another lousy argument.

"...!

"

Zoemi couldn't think about anything, his arrangement could prove to be the most useful so he wanted to push through with it.

But what could he do to convince Miriette without sounding completely insane?

"I understand that you want the best for me but why are you putting yourself in harm's way for me!? And this is not the first time! Why don't you treasure yourself more!?

"

Miriette complained in a loud voice shaking her head with annoyance.

Zoemi looked down for a moment and took a deep breath, then he gazed right into Miriette's eyes.

"Because you are just that much more important than my life.

"

"...!

"

He confessed and Miriette literally forgot how to breathe.

"Eh...?

"

Was the only sound that the dark-haired girl managed to make before her face, ears, and neck all became crimson red.

She let go of her attendant and stared at the floor.

"...I...

"

After a few moments, she raised her head and open her mouth to say something but Zoemi was still looking at her with the same expression so she got even redder and looked right back down.

Zoemi was patiently waiting for his master, there was no way that he could leave her now, at such a crucial time for the event - who knows if another event would not suddenly start?

"I-I am going to tell on you to Horeo.

"

After a couple of minutes, Miriette managed to mutter bashfully under her breath without looking at her attendant.

"I can't win with you so I will leave it to him to discourage you from this n-nonsense!

"

She added looking away in an attempt to hide her embarrassment

"My lady, can't you just trust me on this?

"

Zoemi asked in a pitiful voice.

|That would seriously make it easier for me.|

He added in his thoughts, smiling mischievously but only on the inside while his face held on to the pleading expression.

Once again, it wasn't that he wanted to get hurt, but it was just that the outcome would be the most beneficial for the future?

The bracelets needed to be destroyed – that artifact was the greatest obstacle for Miriette's future.

If it weren't for that blasted artifact, how else would anyone manage to force Miriette to marry some old guy she didn't know or stay locked up in a monastery?

"Why are you doing this to me...?

"

Miriette weakly grabbed the edge of Zoemi's vest and cried quietly.

It was a bit too much for her, Zoemi in his attempt to convince her, unknowingly used the most underhanded tactic he could.

He asked her to trust him.

Zoemi saved Miriette when she was abducted as a child, he became her playmate, when she wanted to protect him, he actually got hurt while saving her - and he continued and still continues to do everything in his might everything for her sake each day form that time.

It wouldn't be an overestimation to say that there was no one in the world that Miriette trusted more than Zoemi.

And now the dark-haired girl's most trusted person just wanted her to be okay with him getting hurt for her sake again!

"My lady, please don't worry, I have a plan.

"

Seeing her like that pushed the black-haired boy to use a slightly underhanded method of saying half-truths and twisting the details so it would seem that he was going to be fine.

"A plan...?

"

Miriette sniffled and asked softly.

"Yes, please look at this... shadow theater – body augmentation.

"

Zoemi smiled and uttered an incantation that Miriette never heard him use before.

Within an instant, the black-haired boy's body darkened as if enveloped by a deep shadow of a massive tree – no, a whole mountain.

"Wha... what is that...?!

"

The wide-eyed Miriette gasped, staring at her attendant in disbelief.

"A little something I have mastered recently.

"

Zoemi smiled softly and revealed resorting to half-truths again.

"Eh....?

"

Miriette stared at Zoemi with reddened eyes.

"You know that I pulled you back from the commoner girl even though you were using your enchantments – that's how I did it.

"

He added weaving actual truths into his web.

"With that, I can take the hits from the whip without ever fling anything – after all, this shadow enchantment is far more conspicuous than the normal elemental enchantments, right?

"

He boasted telling a complete lie with the first part and speaking the truth with the second part of his sentence.

"Wait... what...? Wait! Okay, so you maybe can make the whip feel like nothing...

"

Miriette raised one hand before shaking his head and starting to massage her forehead with the other.

"...but even so, why do you insist on going with the punishment at all?!

"

The dark-haired girl breathed out and complained, still unable to understand Zoemi's motives.

"I'm doing this so that you can live your life in peace and happiness, of course~!

"

"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"

Zoemi was mostly truthful in that last statement which left his master completely speechless.

Miriette couldn't really get any redder so she just lowered her head and walked together with Zoemi.

But when they were back where they left the prince the person present was...

"Patishi? What are you doing here?

"

Zoemi tilted his head.

"Big brother Zoemi!

"

Patishi became happy like a puppy at the sight of her owner but then she noticed Miriette and she instantly went on her knees.

"Y-your Highness, i-it's an honor...!

"

"Hello, Patishi.

"

"...!

"

Miriette's mellow voice surprised the girl made her blink repeatably in confusion.

"What are you doing here? And where's the first prince?

"

"Ah! That's right!

Zoemi repeated his question and Patishi jumped up.

"The first prince got an urgent summon from the castle, he took Teo and Veo with him and immediately left the academy.

"

"Was it something that serious?

"

Miriette became interested but Patishi shook her head nervously.

"I-I don't know... I'm sorry, your highness, the prince didn't tell me why he had to go.

"

The girl apologized while trembling.

Well, Miriette did give her quite the scare last time they've met so her behavior wasn't something unthinkable.

"I should send him a message...

"

"My lady – a moment...!

"

Miriette sighed but Zoemi couldn't allow this chance to pass!

If neither the prince nor the twins were present, the black-haired boy didn't have to bother with making up the explanation for them too!

After all, he knew Horeo pretty well – he would easily counter the weak 'please trust me' line with coldhearted logic and instantly came up with a whole list of arguments for why that's not how trust works.

...but Horeo wasn't in the academy...

Zoemi put his hand on his master's shoulder.

"My lady, please. Nothing will happen to me in the end, so why even bother?

"

He asked in a charming voice.

"But...!

"

"Miriette fidgetted, clenching her fists trying to argue back but her face betrayed that her resolve as crumbling down like a house of cards in the hurricane.

"Please, my lady, can you bear with my selfishness?

"

"...you're bullying me... a-alright... do as you wish...

"

Miriette made an unhappy expression but in the end, she did as her attendant has asked.

Horeo was right with his opinion about his fiancee.

If Zoemi asked her, she would blindly follow his lead no matter what.