“Are you joking with me, Mister Orion?” The judge asks.

“Does it look like I’m joking?”

The room went silent, and the air seemed to grow ten times thicker than before.

“Your Honor, may I speak?” The headmaster beside me asks.

“If it is something to your defense, then go ahead, but anything else, please wait until we settle this,”

“Thank you… First of all, I never collaborated with the Wony family….”

“Okay… Well, we can’t believe you yet… And anyway, let’s go back to what Mister Orion just said,”

“Go ahead,” The headmaster says.

“First of all, I was already going to add an extra punishment on top due to them breaking the contract and even manipulating the school. But, what makes you think you deserve some form of compensation?” The judge asked, and everybody else in the room roared in agreement.

“Yeah! What is this kid talking about!?”

“Get him out of here!”

“He’s just a kid! Get him out of here!”

“ORDER! ORDER! ORDER!”

Everybody shut up upon hearing the gavel slam against the wooden piece on the judge’s stand.

“Go ahead, Mister Orion. Please elaborate,”

“I’m sure you’ve already figured out that I’m an orphan by the way you refer to me as my first name, so you should know that I have absolutely no family backing me. And I was pressured and intimidated by one of the largest families in the city… So, of course, I was extremely stressed and couldn’t focus on much… So I would like some compensation,” I explain, and the judge squints at me.

“How old are you, Mister Orion?”

“Fourteen years old….”

“Very impressive… But, that is not enough for you to be compensated. If they physically harmed you, I might have the Wony family grant you some compensation,”

Finally…

…

(Bella Wony POV)

“Very impressive… But, that is not enough for you to be compensated. If they physically harmed you, I might have the Wony family grant you some compensation,”

I smiled upon hearing the judge’s words and glanced at Orion, who was unphased as always.

This idiot was so arrogant as to think he could actually gain something from this… HE’S GOING TO DIE ANYWAY AFTER THIS!

“Sure. I’ll show you some physical harm,” He says, and even though I was sure I left no bodily harm on him, he lifted up his shirt, revealing large bandages wrapped around his torso.

He then began to unravel them, revealing a deep wound that was still healing.

“W-what the hell,” I muttered, and my father glanced back at me, glaring intently.

This guy is completely crazy… Did he do that to himself?

My body shrunk back in fear as he looked as if he was about to burst out in anger.

He was biting his lip, causing a bit of blood to draw, and the veins on his neck were straining as if they were about to implode.

“Oh gosh,”

“How cruel,”

“How could somebody let their kid do that,”

“I wonder what’s going to happen next?”

Dammit! Is us losing face and doubling our punishment not enough!? How much more do you want!?

“Well, it seems you will be rewarded with compensation, Mister Orion… And I hereby declare this court session done! Any member of the Wony family will be unable to attend any school in Amlas for one year! And they will give Mister Orion a large monetary compensat-“

“I don’t want some bull** money,” Orion speaks up once again, leaving everybody speechless… once again.

“Excuse me, Mister Orion, please watch your language,”

“Okay… But let me pick my compensation since I was the victim,”

“*sigh*…”

The judge looked a bit stressed as he was under the pressure of the public eye.

And even though he never takes a knee for any big family, when it comes to fair decisions and the public eye… he always has to make the best decision, otherwise, the case might escalate to something much bigger.

“I grant you permission to pick your compensation, but if it is something unacceptable and too much, I will have to decline… So please think of your compensation over the next few days, and I will be sure you get it,”

“Nah, I have it right now. I want access to the higher levels in the school library,”

Everybody went silent.

“Was this your goal all along, young man?” The judge asks as he glances towards the headmaster, who just nods his head in agreement.

This has to be a joke… Right, this has to be a joke…

Orion just shrugs before saying,

“So, can I get my reward now, please?”

“The headmaster has already agreed, so I’m sure he will let you access the higher levels in the library and make to read until your heart is content,”

And with that, the judge announced our punishments and announced the compensation, which we thankfully didn’t have to give… but the humiliation was too much.

We were a sideshow in his plan to gain the next level of the library without taking the test.

I suddenly began to think back to when we first met.

Was it all planned from the start? Is that why he was researching my family? Did he play along just so he could have this? Did he even care about my attempts… and only saw me as a tool?

It was too humiliating to show my face in public, so I pulled my hoodie over my face as my dad dragged me out of the courtroom.

*slap*

I was slapped across the cheek, and my dad raised his fist to punch me out of anger but quickly stopped himself.

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?” He shouts, lowering his fist.

“I-I just wanted-“

“FUCK! YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT BUT JUST THINK BEFORE YOU ACT! I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU EVEN HURT HIM TO THAT EXTENT! WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL THE OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AS WELL!?”

“U-Ummm…”

“DO YOU THINK I CAN JUST TELL THEM THAT THEIR CHILDREN CAN’T GO TO SCHOOL FOR THE NEXT YEAR BECAUSE OF YOUR MISTAKE?! I’M GOING TO GET BATTERED AND SCOLDED! YOU MIGHT EVEN GET KICKED FROM THE FAMILY!”

“B-but I just wanted him to be-“

“UGH! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! GET OUT!” He shouts one last time before I run down the hallway, and just as I was about to go through the exit, I saw him… Orion.

“P-please forgive me,” I begged as I needed him to change his decision desperately.

“And why should I do that?” He responds, his eyes colder than ice.

“B-because… W-we’ll give you an even greater compensation… I-If this continues, my life will be rui-“

“Do you think I give a ** about your life?”

My face paled upon hearing his words.

“P-please! I’ll do anything!” I beg but this time getting on my knees with ugly tears flowing from my face.

“Anything?”

“Y-yes! Just please change the judge’s mind!”

He pauses for a bit, and I see a ray of hope shine down…

“Then… How about you become my maid?” He suggests, the headmaster behind him looking at me with eyes full of pity.

H-he’s clearly mocking me… Shit…

“Fine… I’ll be your maid,” I say, hanging my head in defeat.

“Just kidding,”

I glance up to see him crouching down to my face level.

“Oh **… This is bad… I can’t hold in my smile,” He mutters, trying to suppress a psychotic smile that seemingly tried to desperately claw its way onto his face.

I can’t… He’s too scary… I can’t beat him…