Chapter 9 You Stole My Necklace!

Today's first class was Professor Cosette's Potion Brewing lab, and honestly, I really didn't want to go.

First, I have zero interest in this class.

Second, this is the only class that requires a lab partner, and Lynn doesn't have to be here for it, which means I'm definitely going to be on my own.

I buried my face in my pillow and let out a weak groan.

Truth be told, I'm not someone with an iron will. I just know they're wrong, and I don't want to be like them. That's all.

My carrier pigeon was already pecking at my scalp and squawking at me to get up. "Ow! Okay, okay, I'm getting up!"

Lynn told me last night he had something going on today and wouldn't be at school at all. So I'd have to face a whole crowd of people by myself.

I dragged my feet the whole way there, with the pigeon nagging me non-stop, and finally made it to the classroom door one slow step at a time. Before I even walked in, I could already hear students goofing around inside. The room was buzzing.

Maybe they won't even notice me?

Holding onto that thought, I pushed the door open and walked in.

The classroom went quiet instantly. Nobody was visibly staring at me, but I could feel every single pair of eyes on me.

The only empty seat was right in the middle of the third row. Sure enough, not one person was waiting next to it to be my lab partner.

Exactly what I'd expected.

I took a slow, deep breath and let it out. Told myself I could handle this.

The next second, Professor Cosette walked in with his teaching assistant. What surprised me was that the TA for this class was Daisy, the same Daisy who had helped guide me around when I first started school.

My mood slowly started to ease up, because I saw her smile at me. I reached up and touched the necklace at my throat, silently hoping the day would pass without any trouble.

"Good morning, everyone. Today we're going to be brewing a Burn Potion. Now pay attention, sweethearts, despite its name, this potion isn't for treating burns. It's actually for..."

"Causing them. It's classified as a dangerous potion, so everyone needs to be careful. Careful, and then even more careful."

I stared at the ingredients in the small jars on the lab bench in front of me, along with the deep purple crucible, and was just about to take out my book and follow the steps to brew the potion, when the classroom door was suddenly shoved open.

Celine burst in, her face streaked with tears.

My head snapped up on instinct, and I found her tear-filled eyes fixed straight on me.

Now what?

Daisy clearly knew what Celine was like. She frowned and snapped at her, "What's going on? You skip class on your own. Fine. But don't go disrupting everyone else's lesson!"

Celine's whole face was red and swollen from crying. She flung her arm up and pointed right at me. "Teacher, Catherine stole my magic necklace!"

My mind went completely blank. I stared at Celine's tear-soaked face in disbelief.

Cosette's gaze moved to the necklace at my throat. He looked at me with a frown I knew all too well.

He believed Celine's accusation.

"You're just a regular human who just started school here. How did you get your hands on the necklace my boyfriend paid a fortune for at auction? It's a limited edition. There's only one of its kind in the entire empire!"

Daisy cut her off sharply. "Celine, you need to bring evidence before you go around accusing people!"

I pulled myself together quickly.

I stared at her, and suddenly remembered how Celine had approached me yesterday with that look on her face, like she was up to something.

Whatever she'd been planning yesterday, it was definitely all leading up to this — setting me up today.

Celine wiped her eyes and produced the receipts from when John bought the necklace. The bank check and customer records clearly showed the necklace details and John's signature.

Daisy frowned, glanced back at me, and gave a small shake of her head. "Celine, these few pieces of paper don't prove anything. The kind of evidence I need is something like hallway security footage, actual proof that Catherine stole it."

"These papers could easily be forged. And Celine, let me warn you. If it turns out you fabricated all of this, we'll be taking both this incident and what happened at the opening ceremony straight to the principal. Old scores and new, all settled at once."

Celine seemed caught off guard by how firmly Daisy was standing up for me. She froze for a moment.

But I could hear the whispers rippling through the other students, every single one of them siding with Celine.

"That girl is causing trouble again. She's terrible, doing this to Celine..."

"The evidence already seems pretty clear. Why does the TA keep defending Catherine?"

"Oh my god..."

"What did you expect? She's been hanging around that half-blood."

Then Cosette stepped in, clearly trying to play peacemaker, though it was obvious whose side he was on. "Alright, Daisy, you don't have to be so aggressive. Celine is a good girl — she's the daughter of the Wolf Clan. She wouldn't air something this embarrassing in public unless Catherine had really crossed a line."

He's already decided I'm guilty!

I jumped in before I lost my chance. My voice came out sharp, and I stared coldly at the professor and Celine standing beside him. "Professor, you can't just convict me before the facts have been established!"

"And especially you, Celine, Daisy's right. Everything you've shown is circumstantial. Do you have any actual solid proof?"

I wasn't against bringing Lynn into this. If he came back from home to vouch for me, everything could be cleared up easily. But I didn't want to drag him into my mess, especially when he'd told me last night that today was his family's monthly clan gathering.

That sounded important.

Celine's expression shifted into something smug and contemptuous. She stepped closer to me. "Then just take it off. Magic necklaces bond to their owner. If it's not yours, you won't be able to remove it."

My stomach knotted sharply. My heartbeat pounded in my ears.

I looked at the certainty on her face. I heard the mocking laughter from the other students. My mind went blank.

Celine was right. I really couldn't take it off.

Daisy pressed two fingers to her temple. "Here's what we'll do, Celine. Tomorrow I'll go through the school's security cameras with the principal. We'll find out the truth."

"Professor Daisy, you've been defending Catherine this whole time," Cosette said, clearly annoyed, taking a dig at her. "There's no place in this school for a thief. Catherine, you should withdraw today. How can the Imperial Academy of Magic keep a student like you? By tomorrow the whole public will be talking about it."

"The facts haven't even been established yet!" I snapped. "Give me some time. I can have proof by tomorrow!"

But Celine was relentless. She was dead set on having me thrown out of the academy today.

Daisy went quiet. She stared at the necklace at my throat, reached out to measure something with her hand, then suddenly seemed to think of something and hurried out the door.

I was starting to feel desperate. Had it really come to this? Even Daisy didn't believe me anymore?

The whispers from the students buzzed through my head, making my temples throb. They were mocking me. I gritted my teeth and stared at Celine, who twirled her keychain and moved closer, her smile pure and ugly.

"I looked into it. The Hammer family's clan gathering goes on for three or four days. I'll make sure you're expelled before the sun comes up tomorrow."

My eyes went wide. She held my gaze, smiling.

Then it clicked. Yesterday, the reason she came up to me was to get a close look at my necklace to figure out whether it was a magic necklace or a regular one.

Magic necklaces have a clearly visible magical seal on the clasp at the back. Ordinary people and those who can't shift forms can't undo it.

I was nearly at my breaking point, but I held myself together and stayed where I was, hanging on by sheer willpower.

Cosette had already called the admissions office to look into my enrollment status and was getting ready to start drafting withdrawal papers!

I don't know how long I stood there facing them, but then a sharp, rapid sound of footsteps echoed out in the hallway. Someone pushed the door open. The voice that followed was cold, with fury barely held in check.

"Since when did I hear that someone stole a necklace from the Hammer family?"

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