Eastern checked the list Melody had given him.

    The top two students of the first-year class were Raven and Eastern himself. The top two students of the third-year class were Noah and Henry, and for the fourth year, it was Western and Diana.

    All of them were members of the disciplinary committee or the student council, so getting the consent forms Melody asked for was very easy.

    Among them, Henry and Diana were to be handled by Raven. So, Eastern only needed to get Western''s consent form.

    Thus, he stood before Western’s dormitory room.

    "I heard rumors that you''re serving meals to transfer students. It might be good to try being a servant for a change."

    Western wrote the consent form, suppressing Eastern with a humiliating remark.

    "If you don’t want to write it, then don’t. I''ll tell Hastings-senpai that you’re very much against it, and didn’t even write the consent form."

    Eastern’s mocking tone made Western furrow his brow. He glared at Eastern, scanning him up and down with disapproval.

    For a moment, he stared at the consent form Eastern had handed over in silence, before letting out a sigh.

    Then he went back into his dormitory room, emerging after a while and handing Eastern the consent form.

    It was neatly written, with Western’s signature.

    Eastern smiled in satisfaction.

    "I guess you like Hastings-senpai, don’t you?"

    "That’s nonsense. As a member of the disciplinary committee, it’s only natural to look out for a senior."

    Western replied coldly, scoffing. But Eastern knew better. He knew that Western did indeed acknowledge Melody as a person.

    He had a tendency to ignore and dismiss people he didn’t recognize as worth his attention.

    Seeing Western personally write the consent form for her clearly meant he respected Melody as an individual.

    "And anyway, that guy is top in the transfer exam and first in his class. He beat all the noble students who were probably well-educated. You have to give him credit for that. I heard he grew up as an orphan in the countryside. He’s quite the guy. I want to at least praise him for that."

    Moreover, to add such elaborate praise like that. It was the first time Eastern had ever heard such compliments.

    "Did you hear the news that some outsiders were allowed in today? I think my father brought in a woman who’s supposedly my sister."

    "Ah."

    Western quickly lost interest and adjusted his glasses with a bored expression.

    "I heard that she was certified as a shaman by the Vatican. I don’t know what exactly that means. What does a priest know about anything?"

    Eastern laughed at Western’s answer.

    "Isn’t it true that you’ve never believed in shamans or gods yourself?"

    At that, Western’s cold gaze pierced Eastern’s face.

    He seemed to have no words to refute, and after a long pause, finally spoke.

    "If there really are spirits of the dead, my mother should have come to find us in a dream or something. I prayed for her to come to me when I was young."

    Eastern fell silent at Western’s response.

    Their mother had passed away while trying to protect her daughter from kidnappers. All the servants had kept quiet, and it wasn’t until much later that they learned the truth.

    "And I’m not really curious about a sister I’ve never met. I think the Vatican is trying to control the Lauderdale family, using her somehow. My father is so blinded by the joy of finding his daughter that he’s unable to see the situation objectively."

    Western’s words were entirely reasonable, and Eastern surprisingly agreed.

    "I agree with that. The Vatican has no reason to cooperate with a shaman for no reason."

    The Vatican had long rejected shamans. This was because they saw their power as a threat to their own. It seemed they believed the shaman''s abilities could challenge their authority.

    Despite the fact that Gloria Nun, the Vatican''s symbol, was a shaman, and from the Lauderdale family.

    Then, Eastern suddenly remembered the rumors circulating in the capital.

    "I heard rumors that the Pope’s been acting strangely since the beginning of the year. Apparently, he suddenly took a great interest in our school and started contacting school officials frequently."

    "I don’t understand the point of that. Why bring this up now?"

    "It just came to mind when we were talking about the Pope." Sear?h the n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

    Eastern tried to recall the events that had happened at the beginning of the year.

    "Come to think of it, that was when the ghost stories began spreading sporadically."

    Could there be a connection?

    "Stop with the nonsense. If you’re done, get going. We’ll see each other at dinner anyway."

    Finally, Western gave Eastern the dismissal order. It was impressive that the conversation had lasted this long. The two brothers didn’t usually talk much.

    Eastern took the consent form Melody had asked for and trudged down to the village.

    As Western had said, they were supposed to have dinner with their father at the village restaurant this evening. It was the occasion to meet the lost sister.

    ''Why does meeting her feel like such a hassle?''

    He had never seen her face, but already, he wasn’t feeling fond of her. He couldn’t explain why. It was just a feeling.

    ''I might as well have another meal with Hastings-senpai.''

    He was still having lunch with Raven and Melody. It had become more familiar to him now, eating with them.

    ''Huh? Hastings-senpai?''

    And Eastern spotted Melody talking with someone on the street.

    She was conversing with a girl, and standing next to her was the Duke of Lauderdale, his father.

    Then, his father wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulder and gently pushed Melody aside.

    Despite the gentle push, Melody staggered and fell. Objectively, it didn’t look like she was about to fall, but given her weak constitution, it seemed as though she had been blown away.

    As expected, Melody immediately began bleeding from her nose. It was no surprise; she had a tendency to bleed from the nose when exhausted, under stress, or even just slightly overexerted.

    "Hastings-senpai, are you terminally ill? It seems like there’s an incurable disease. The doctor doesn’t know the cause and is probably just pretending nothing’s wrong."

    Eastern suddenly remembered the whispers of his classmates and felt anger rising in him.

    He quickly rushed over, supporting Melody and helping her up.

    Then, he glared at his father and the girl who was being protected by them.

    "What is this?"

    "What’s with the first greeting to your father after a year and a half? You need some manners training."

    "You’re the one being rude! Pushing a weak girl like this. Can’t you see that because of you, Hastings-senpai is bleeding from her nose?!"

    Only then did his father notice that Melody was bleeding and looked alarmed.

    "Student, I’m sorry."

    He apologized to Melody politely.

    "We’ve had dangerous situations in the capital, and I thought my child was in danger..."

    At those words, Eastern was momentarily surprised.

    "Dangerous situations?"

    "Yes. I had to hide {N?o?v?e?l?i?g?h?t} her at the villa when she was young because I feared something like this might happen."

    Eastern recalled his childhood. His mother had always spent time at the summer villa, away from Western and him.

    He had heard that his sister was suffering from a disease that should not have been made public.

    That sister had been kidnapped, and during the process, their mother had collapsed and passed away. Their father had lost his mind for a while after that.

    Eventually, he publicly reported her missing and even issued a wanted notice for the kidnapper, but it seemed they hadn’t caught the culprit yet.

    ''What kind of disease was it...?''

    When Western and Eastern asked, their father had avoided answering.

    ''No wonder Father reacts so sensitively.''

    Even so, what had happened to Melody couldn’t be overlooked.

    The sight of Melody, pushed down by his father and bleeding from her nose, made Eastern uneasy.

    He didn’t know why, but he couldn’t bear seeing Melody suffer.

    Meanwhile, Melody just stared at him blankly, not understanding what was happening.

    The Duke of Lauderdale, looking quite troubled, stopped speaking and then, suddenly realizing his blunder, apologized.

    "I said some unnecessary things. Here’s my business card, student. I’ll make sure to compensate you later, so please go to the hospital and get checked. Let me know what happens. I’m really sorry again."

    "Ah. Yes, yes."

    With a handkerchief to her nose, Melody responded in a muffled voice as she accepted the business card.

    While she was inspecting the card curiously, the Duke’s gaze shifted to Eastern.

    "Eastern, I guess you’re not curious at all about your first meeting with your sister."

    "You didn’t introduce us."

    Eastern replied indifferently. The Duke fell silent for a moment, seemingly unsure how to respond, before changing the subject.

    "...We’ll talk more at dinner. Let’s go, Angela."

    "Ah, wait a moment."

    Angela, who had been about to leave with the Duke, approached Melody and handed her something.

    It was candy.

    "It’s mine and my father’s. I’m sorry."

    She gave the candy to Melody, then walked off, following the Duke.