“Principal, you can verify this through the staff of the Archive Management Bureau.”

Adele appeared confident, proving that she could be held accountable for her words.

This made Winona, who wanted to find fault with her, feel powerless.

But the scene she saw at noon reappeared in Winona’s mind.

Adele clearly forced First Snow to eat the meat slice she didn’t like.

If that was the case… then First Snow might not have willingly accompanied Adele to work.

It was possible that she had coerced First Snow in private!

 

Otherwise, with First Snow’s mischievous and playful nature, how could she possibly stay in an office peacefully for a whole day!

Obviously, everyone would only believe what they believed in and were familiar with, or their memories.

Even Winona, who advocated fairness, was no exception.

Adele only felt that the principal’s gaze towards her was getting colder, which puzzled her.

She shouldn’t have said anything wrong, right?

“Although the internship work was very boring, time passed quickly with First Snow’s company.”

“It wasn’t until evening that First Snow and I returned to the academy.”

 

“First Snow still wanted to stay with me, but I thought that you might be worried about her, Principal, so I refused and sent First Snow back.”

Winona’s eyelids twitched.

“And then, for some unknown reason, I was invited here by the Principal.”

“Speaking of which, I still want to ask, is First Snow okay?”

She once again expressed concern for First Snow.

If this was an act, Adele was acting too perfectly.

The key was that her honest expression made it hard to doubt her.

 

Even Winona couldn’t deny that Adele had the kind of beauty that made people involuntarily believe her words.

She was a true “femme fatale.”

But Winona wouldn’t fall for Adele’s charm so easily.

At this point, Adele’s one-sided statement ended.

It was time for her to expose Adele’s true colors.

“Whether First Snow is doing well or not, do you really not know, or are you pretending not to know?”

“Eh… what do you mean, Principal? I don’t understand.”

 

“I mean, as the culprit who led her astray, you are to blame for First Snow becoming the bad child she is now.”

“Bad child? How could First Snow be a bad child!”

Adele even dared to argue with the high-ranking principal to defend First Snow, but she was interrupted by Winona’s stern tone.

“Adele, I’m only asking you, is it true that you have ambiguous relationships with several Sequence One vampires in the academy?”

“First Snow stole a staff for you, and later took a potion from my alchemy room, which ended up in your possession, didn’t it?”

“And as far as I know, your parents are missing, your family is poor, and you live on subsidies from the organization every month. How could you, someone like that, possess a valuable spatial ring?”

“Who gave it to you, and who else have you deceived?”

 

“In conclusion, Adele, you are no longer trustworthy. It is precisely because of her contact with you that First Snow has become so rebellious.”

“She even had a fight with me and is still locked in her room, refusing to come out.”

“All of this is because of you, Adele!”

As the principal, Winona had experienced many speeches and confrontations with others, which allowed her to occupy the moral high ground during her speeches and gradually increase her momentum as her words progressed. In the end, she could often leave her opponents speechless.

Adele was just a young student. Facing the interrogation of the high-ranking principal, she should have surrendered long ago.

But to everyone’s surprise, after silently listening to what Winona said, she didn’t panic, but a trace of anger ignited in her eyes.

The girl tried to calm down the surging emotions in her heart and replied in as calm a tone as possible,

 

“I know that no matter what I say, it won’t change your opinion of me, Principal, but I also have a question… I want to ask you.”

“Go ahead.”

“Before this, before I came into contact with First Snow, did you know me, Principal?”

“…There are so many students in the academy, I can’t possibly know everyone.”

“Good, good, you can’t possibly know everyone.”

“When I was bullied by those Sequence Ones, when Dorothy publicly declared that she wanted me as a pet, you wouldn’t have known me, nor would you have cared about the life or death of a little Sequence Five like me.”

“But now that I’ve finally adapted to that hellish life and am trying my best to survive in the cracks between them, you know me now.”

 

“Saying that I’m ambiguous with them, implying that I, the victim, have become the bitch who seduced them, the slut!?”

Winona’s expression wavered slightly.

Perhaps she could explain that this was a policy specifically for vampire students, passed by the academy’s board of directors.

That is, “No matter what the vampire students in the academy do among themselves, the school should try not to interfere.”

Because that was the vampire’s Sequence hierarchy, their natural law.

Winona was well aware that high-ranking vampires would bully low-ranking ones.

But how could she go against the Sequence hierarchy theory that the entire vampire race followed and enforced?

 

She couldn’t help everyone, and she couldn’t help Adele.

Therefore, she didn’t refute, letting Adele continue.

“If I didn’t do these things, I could have lived peacefully in the academy, why would I actively provoke them!”

“Principal! Not everyone is as powerful as you, able to protect themselves and others!”

“For students like me, just ensuring that I don’t get hurt is already my best effort!”

“As for the staff and potion you mentioned.”

“I didn’t know that those were stolen by First Snow, otherwise, I wouldn’t have accepted them no matter what.”

 

This was a lie, but it was common for Adele to act so convincingly that she believed it herself.

“The staff was a gift from First Snow because she thought I was weak and wanted me to be able to protect myself.”

“As for the potion, it was because a friend of mine was recently injured, and I might have unintentionally expressed to First Snow my desire to heal her…”

“The spatial ring was given to me by my friend, it wasn’t obtained through deception. Her name is Tang Linlang, I’m sure the all-powerful Principal should be able to find her information.”

Adele’s tone was slightly mocking, clearly expressing her dissatisfaction with the Principal’s ability to freely search for her information.

Actually, there was no need to check. Hearing this surname, Winona understood something.

Now, the situation had reversed, and she became the silent one.

 

“…”

Because almost every one of Winona’s accusations had been reasonably explained by Adele.

But there was one thing that Adele couldn’t change, and that was the change in First Snow, which was what Winona cared about the most.

Her rebelliousness, her fight with her.

And the fact that she was still refusing to communicate with her, that First Snow was locked in her room alone.

This was what Winona cared about the most.

She needed Adele to explain this.

 

Even if her explanation was to attack her.

“First Snow isn’t a rebellious child, she wouldn’t get angry for no reason, you must have said something that hurt her, Principal!”

Adele was always brave in front of reasonable people.

If she encountered someone unreasonable, she would cower faster than anyone else.

Obviously, she considered the principal to be someone reasonable.

“Hurt her? I just pointed out the fact that First Snow lied to me. She lied to me about not being with you today, wasn’t she wrong?”

“Can’t she even accept a little criticism!”

 

Now Adele finally understood why First Snow was upset.

To describe it in one sentence, it was “being pissed off by a dog straight woman.jpg”

Straight women, like straight men, were the type who wouldn’t let go of an argument even if they were right.

But they often overlooked the fact that what mattered wasn’t who was right or wrong, but their attitude towards each other.

First Snow knew she was wrong, and she would admit it obediently.

But Winona didn’t care about that, she was just venting her emotions, not even giving First Snow a chance to apologize.

First Snow, feeling cornered, coupled with her past resentment towards Winona’s neglect and the fact that Adele, who had done nothing wrong, was being accused of being a bad influence on her, it was only natural for her to be so angry that she hid and didn’t want to see Winona anymore.

 

Adele sorted out this process after a little thought.

Only Winona, the “dog straight woman,” was still concerned about who was right and who was wrong.

Fine, you continue to care about who’s right and who’s wrong!

Leave me to care about First Snow, to pick up the poor little kitten!

Then you’ll regret it!

You don’t even know who you should really care about.

It was understandable for First Snow to maintain her innocence for so many years, after all, her true identity was that of a long-lived cat-bird.

 

But Principal, you haven’t made any progress in so many years, it really makes me wonder if Winona put all her talent points into magic and neglected her emotional intelligence.

At this point, Adele finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

With a “bang,” Adele slammed her hand on the table.

Even Winona’s eyes jumped, and she showed a shocked expression.

She had been the principal for so long…

This was the first time a student dared to slam her hand on her table.

But this was actually just Adele’s way of getting Winona’s attention.

 

Of course, it wasn’t impossible that Adele hoped this would make her appear more imposing, rather than a weak refuter.

Because next, it was her turn to get to the heart of the matter.

“Principal, after all this talk.”

“You just want to reconcile with First Snow, right!”

“!?”

Winona’s expression changed rapidly. At the same time, the magic power that overflowed due to her inability to control her emotions made everything around them seem to be grabbed by an invisible hand and float up.

Even Adele’s hair was no exception, but this experience of facing a powerful mage directly wasn’t pleasant.

 

At least Adele felt a chill down her spine.

And she immediately recalled – Wow, I was so brave just now!

Fortunately, Winona only lost control of her emotions for a short time, and then she let everything return to its original position.

At the same time, she was panting heavily, showing that her mind wasn’t calm.

Because her thoughts had been exposed.

Just like it was normal for a cat to bristle when its tail was stepped on.

“How could I…”

 

“Tsundere is out of fashion, Principal.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about…”

Winona actually blushed.

She didn’t understand why she was originally arguing with Adele, but now she was suddenly in such a situation.

Even being teased by her own student.

It was too embarrassing!

She didn’t know what to say.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand, at least you understand this sentence.”

“Principal, you don’t want First Snow to stay angry at you, right? So you should know what to do, Principal, right?”

“W-what do you mean!”

“Ask me nicely, ask me to communicate with First Snow, ask me to let First Snow give you a chance.”

“Opportunity knocks but once.”

“Hmph, who would ask you…”

Five minutes later.

“Just this once, Adele, please…”

Winona bit her lip, even she found it unbelievable that she was actually moved by Adele’s words.

She actually asked a girl who was far below her in status, even her own student.

But in the end, it actually had nothing to do with Adele, but with First Snow.

First Snow was truly the most important partner and friend in Winona’s life, besides her family.

That’s why she was willing to give in to Adele.

“Perhaps I really misunderstood you. It was my fault as the principal for not fulfilling my responsibility.”

“You’ve been wronged all this time.”

“Even if I know I can’t change it, someone should still try to change things. Even if it’s just a small part, it’s worth it.”

Not only did Winona give in to Adele, she even reflected on herself.

This was something Adele hadn’t expected.

She naturally took advantage of the situation.

“It’s okay, it’s okay!”

“As long as you can protect me in the academy in the future, Principal, that’s enough!”

“? Why does it sound like you’re treating me as your bodyguard?”

And Adele, you just righteously criticized me, as if you were seeking justice for most vampire students.

But in the end, you’re still more important?

Winona came to her senses. Adele might not be as bad as she thought.

But she was definitely not kind and generous either.

“Ahem, how could I treat you as a bodyguard… let’s not talk about that. Now, please lead the way, Principal, and let me go and enlighten First Snow, who is currently feeling sad!”

“…Alright, follow me.”

This was indeed the most important thing in Winona’s heart.

Just like First Snow was the most important person to her.

If in the end, First Snow insisted on being with a girl like Adele, although Winona was somewhat reluctant in her heart, just like a parent who couldn’t stop their daughter who was blinded by love, she would probably have to give in to First Snow’s own wishes.

Winona took a step forward, and Adele immediately followed.

The doors opened automatically in front of them, and the entire castle seemed to come alive. The walls, stairs, murals, and lamps floated and rearranged themselves freely.

Soon, a brand new path appeared in front of the dumbfounded Adele.

Following the path forward, they reached First Snow’s room.

The closed door exuded a gloomy aura, reminiscent of the spring rain, a lonely midnight waking up alone in the midst of the continuous drizzle.

In short, it was “emo.” (depressed)

“No matter what I do or say, First Snow won’t come out.”

Winona’s mood was a bit low.

“That’s normal, that’s what happens when you have low emotional intelligence.”

Winona’s sharp gaze immediately swept over.

Adele hurriedly changed her words.

“Ahem, this shows that the Principal is pragmatic and a rare doer in the academy.”

“So, I’ll leave my safety in the academy to you, Principal! Please pay special attention to the Sequence One named Dorothy, most of the bullying I’ve experienced is because of her!”

As for the other small part, to be fair, Adele believed it was because of her devastating beauty.

“Stop being glib, is this how you deceived First Snow with your sweet talk?”

“What do you mean sweet talk! If coaxing someone is called sweet talk, some people can’t even learn it.”

“…”

Winona didn’t want to stay with Adele anymore.

Otherwise, she felt that she would be angered to death sooner or later.

Soon, Winona and Adele arrived at First Snow’s door.

They looked at each other, exchanging brief glances.

Adele cleared her throat and called out the girl’s name in a gentle voice.

“First Snow?”

It was just a short call, but unexpectedly, there was a response from inside the room.

“…Adele?”

Winona’s heart instantly felt as sour as if she had eaten a whole lemon.

No matter how she tried to persuade her, First Snow wouldn’t pay attention to her…

“It’s me, I came to see you.”

“…It was Xiao Wei who asked Adele to come, wasn’t it? I don’t want to! I don’t want to listen to Xiao Wei, meow!”

“Adele… are you on Xiao Wei’s side too?”

“How could that be!”

Adele understood very well that to calm First Snow down now, she had to make her believe in her sincerity.

That way, First Snow would accept her.

“It was indeed the Principal who found me, but I only care about First Snow.”

“First Snow, I’m very worried about you. She doesn’t believe you, she misunderstands you, but how could I not believe you?”

“Then doesn’t First Snow want to believe in her sister?”

“N-no, meow…”

“I believe in Adele, meow…”

“Then can I come in and pet you?”

“First Snow, I know you must be feeling very sad right now.”

“I’m not good with words, I can’t say anything comforting, I just want to hug you tightly… is that okay?”

Winona almost vomited blood. Why could Adele say such affectionate lies so casually!

She’s not good with words? Hearing this, even Winona, who was always elegant and easygoing, almost couldn’t hold back from saying something.

“Sob, Adele…”

But First Snow clearly believed Adele’s words and was deeply moved.

“Then… I’ll only open the door for Adele, meow!”

“Xiao Wei, I know you’re outside… but if you try to take advantage of this opportunity to barge in.”

“I really, really will never forgive Xiao Wei, meow!”

“…Don’t worry, I won’t.”

Winona’s assurance was firm, unlike the frivolous Adele, whose words were like water poured out, regardless of whether they could be taken back.

Hearing this, First Snow felt relieved.

Then, the seal on the room was lifted by First Snow, and the door slowly opened.

Adele was quickly pulled inside by a small hand.

Then, the door closed.

Winona didn’t even get a glimpse of First Snow before she was shut out again. At the same time, she could clearly feel that the magic seal on First Snow’s room was being reinforced, layer by layer, even tighter than before.

“…”

This made Winona sigh inwardly. Whose home was this anyway?

How come she, the owner, had now become the thief being guarded against?

Inside First Snow’s room.

It took Adele a brief second to adjust to her surroundings.

Then, a soft, seemingly tearful and trembling little cutie pounced into her arms.

Adele hugged her tightly, filled with pity and heartache.