Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 264 : Special 2_ The Absent Entrance Ceremony 2

"D-d-d-drop out?!?"

When Yvonne knocked and entered, Campbell was wearing a monocle and handling documents from his domain. Upon hearing his daughter say she wanted to drop out, the monocle fell from his eye socket with a clatter onto the floor.

In the silence and awkwardness that followed, Campbell somewhat awkwardly bent down to pick up his glasses, wiping off the dust from the carpet with a lens cloth. His gaze shifted between the serious-faced Yvonne and Linda standing behind her.

"Everything was fine... Why suddenly drop out??"

Linda shook her head helplessly, indicating she didn't know the reason either.

"Father, it's like this..."

Yvonne used a similar explanation to what she had told Linda earlier, adding a bit more exaggerated rhetoric. She could only say she had a very ominous nightmare, hoping it might have some superstitious effect.

"............"

Dropping out because of a nightmare?

What kind of thing is this...

Sitting in his specially widened chair, Campbell crossed his hands, finding himself in a difficult position.

He knew his daughter wouldn't be capricious enough to suddenly not want to go to school on a whim.

Although Campbell had always doted on his daughter, practically granting her every request, miraculously, he hadn't raised Yvonne to have an arrogant young lady's personality.

In Campbell's memory, Yvonne had been excessively sensible since childhood. She rarely threw tantrums or cried like other children, nor did she willfully demand lots of snacks and toys.

Given the same amount of pocket money, children her age would often spend it all immediately after receiving it, but this child could plan and save systematically. After turning 10, she even started making some simple investments; once she even asked the Leinster Guild if she could purchase winter wheat at current prices, proposing a concept called "futures," which left Leonard dumbfounded, exclaiming that this child was a genius.

The servants in the mansion also liked Yvonne very much, because even when dealing with subordinates, she never put on airs as a young lady. Not only did she not make difficult demands, but she would also find ways to spare them some tedious and unnecessary chores, and even dip into her own pocket to give everyone bonuses during festivals and holidays.

Campbell remembered a maid who had transferred from another noble family burst into tears of gratitude the first time she received extra money.

There were many such instances... For a 13-year-old child, she was extraordinarily outstanding.

Campbell often felt that his daughter was quite extraordinary, as if she had somehow acquired additional knowledge from somewhere unknown to him.

For such a Yvonne to say she didn't want to go to school, she must have her reasons.

"Papa..."

Though knowing he should refuse, seeing Yvonne call him "Papa" with pleading eyes, Campbell's heart immediately softened.

Although rationally he still felt he shouldn't agree to this request, Campbell didn't want to be too harsh.

Perhaps she really was frightened by the nightmare...

For his daughter's mental and physical health, it might be better to let her rest for a while.

"My dear daughter, let's do this... We'll first request a leave of absence from the school, how about that?"

Duke Campbell chose a delaying strategy.

"I'll handle the leave procedures for you. Dropping out isn't a small matter; this decision will affect your future. I hope you can consider it more carefully.

If after careful consideration you still want to drop out... then we won't go."

Campbell had seen Yvonne's excitement when she received the admission notice, so dropping out like this certainly wasn't her true intention.

If during this time she could resolve her inner conflict, perhaps she would change her mind.

"You mean... you won't stop me from dropping out?"

Yvonne was also somewhat surprised. She had thought Campbell would scold her and then make her enroll obediently. But Campbell's reaction was far beyond her expectations.

Although feeling it was a great pity, if Yvonne truly made up her mind to drop out, Campbell wouldn't stop her.

Because he knew that once Yvonne decided on something, even if he said no, she definitely wouldn't give up.

This stubborn personality was exactly like his own.

Both Campbell and his wife Lena had graduated from Hartwell, and both had been excellent mages. They had met and fallen in love at this historic academy, spending wonderful school days together, so they also hoped their daughter could have a similar experience.

Moreover, as his only daughter, this child would one day inherit the Smollett family business and manage the affairs of their domain. For this, she also needed to have corresponding knowledge and experience.

No matter how one thought about it, for the sake of the future, letting Yvonne enter a top-tier prestigious academy to study was the best choice.

"For Papa, your wishes come first."

But if this wasn't something that would make Yvonne happy, then it would be putting the cart before the horse.

The greatest wish of parents is for their children to be healthy and happy.

After pondering for a moment, Yvonne agreed to this plan.

"Alright, let's do as Father says and request a leave of absence first."

"If I suddenly drop out, it would cause some negative rumors in social circles... and make things difficult for you, right, Father?"

The news of the Smollett Duke's daughter dropping out of a top magic academy would probably reach the ears of various nobles by the next day.

"Ahem, it's not because of that..."

Although this was also a problem, Campbell could bear this level of public opinion pressure for his daughter.

As a father, he mainly wanted to protect his daughter's interests.

If his daughter had only momentarily become depressed and had such thoughts, taking a leave of absence for some time was better than dropping out directly, leaving some room for regret.

But Yvonne seemed to have already made up her mind.

"Please don't worry, Father. For the sake of the family's reputation, I will handle the withdrawal process in the most prudent manner possible."

These words were clearly telling him that this was a decision she had made after careful consideration, and she absolutely would not regret it.

Seeing the determined look his daughter gave him, Campbell could only compromise.

It feels like... this child has really grown up.

It will be like this from now on, growing up, gradually becoming more capable, becoming more independent, and finally leaving the protection of her parents.

As a father, realizing this point made him feel somewhat lonely.

"It seems our Yvonne has reached the age where she can make her own decisions... Whether to enroll or not, I'll leave it up to you to decide."

"—Thank you, Papa!"

Surprised that her father had agreed to such a willful request, Yvonne gratefully rushed over and hugged Campbell.

"Alright, alright, get down! You're not a little kid anymore."

Though he said this, Campbell couldn't hide the smile on his face.

"Yvonne, if there's anything you need us elders to help you resolve, make sure to rely on us adults more, okay?"

"Mm!"

Yvonne showed a particularly bright smile. Having obtained permission, she now felt much more relaxed.

Finally, she wouldn't have to become the villain—

This way she wouldn't have to hurt the protagonist, and could peacefully spend the rest of her life!

It was time to feed Sphinx. Yvonne happily ran off to the dragon stables with sliced meat strips.

Linda stayed behind to brew a cup of tea for Campbell, understanding that he still had things he wanted to ask her.

"Linda, what do you think?"

Although he had tacitly approved his daughter's actions, Campbell still harbored doubts about Yvonne's claim of not wanting to go to school because of a nightmare.

Of course, he believed his daughter wouldn't lie to him; the nightmare must have actually occurred, but it was obvious that Yvonne was concealing some other matters from them.

"In fact, I don't have much more information than you do, so the following thoughts are just my personal subjective ideas and speculations..."

Linda also sat down to drink a cup of the tea she had brewed. After setting down the teacup, she stated her inference:

"I think... there must be someone at school that the Young Lady doesn't want to see."

"......!!"

Hearing this, Campbell's expression suddenly became serious.

"You know, girls at this age are also entering puberty."

Children these days mature so early... Maybe she experienced some emotional setback and doesn't want to face someone, which is why she chose to drop out.

Linda began her irresponsible speculation, while Campbell's fist clenched tighter and tighter.

Although this guess was far-fetched, if the reason for not wanting to go to school was because she didn't want to see someone... then indeed, everything could be explained!

"...Could it be that brat Michel??"

The first person Campbell thought of was the Second Prince Michel, who had an engagement with his daughter.

"Have you forgotten, Duke? His Highness the Second Prince left for the Eastern Country as a diplomatic envoy this spring."

"Oh right... I almost forgot that boy went on a long trip."

This 'exchange' seemed to take two or three years to complete, so it shouldn't be that boy.

To maintain peace, royal family members would occasionally engage in such exchanges. In return, princesses from the Eastern Country would also come to the Oz Kingdom to observe and study life there.

However, although it was called an exchange, it was actually more like exchanging hostages. Countries of equal power often used this method to ensure balance between nations.

But... being chosen as a hostage also meant that the Second Prince was no longer the old emperor's favored heir.

Anyone with eyes could see that since the little princess was born, the old emperor had started to favor his youngest daughter with more outstanding magical talent.

With the Second Prince losing favor, it might affect the engagement... but Campbell had no mind to consider these matters now. His head was full of thoughts about some unknown young man causing his daughter to be sad and upset.

Who on earth—

The more Campbell thought about it, the angrier he became. He even wanted to find a spy right now to investigate everyone Yvonne had been in contact with recently, to see who had the audacity to make his daughter so upset, upset to the point of wanting to drop out—

"These are all just my guesses. The Young Lady is not the kind of child who would give up because of a temporary setback. Perhaps there are other reasons."

"To be safe, we should still send someone to investigate—find out all the boys who have been in contact with Yvonne recently."

Seeing this father's furrowed brow and grim expression, Linda knew Campbell wouldn't rest until he found the culprit.

"I'll leave this matter to you, Linda."

"Yes, sir."

Helplessly, Linda could only accept this task. Although she would continue to investigate herself, her intuition told her that those noble young masters who had attended social occasions with the Young Lady were not among her investigation targets.

"Sigh, it looks like we won't be able to attend the entrance ceremony tomorrow..."

Campbell worriedly stroked his beard. In order to be present to personally witness his daughter's school entrance, Campbell had even started dieting recently.

Not just himself, but to be able to smoothly attend their daughter's entrance ceremony, Lena, who usually disliked bitter medicines, had been drinking three doses of herbal tonic daily for a month to boost her strength, causing the castle to be constantly filled with a strange medicinal smell recently.

But there was no help for it; the child's wishes were most important.

Now the Duke and his wife could only hope their daughter would have a change of heart and be willing to enroll again.

"Come to think of it... that child should be the same age as our Yvonne, right?"

"Yes, I just received a letter—that child is also entering school this year. The letter keeps expressing gratitude for your support."

Campbell took the letter Linda handed him. After reading it, his face showed some gratification.

"Has it already been 7 years... Time really flies. If Yvonne were to see that child again, she'd probably be shocked, right?"

"The Young Lady seems to have completely forgotten. Meeting under these circumstances would only make people sad."

"Ah... Is this the price of breaking the curse?" The Duke sighed. "But it's thanks to that child that Lena could be safe and sound."

"Also—at the end of the letter, that child expressed hope to meet with the Young Lady after the entrance ceremony."

"Meet...?"

How clever indeed, Campbell was secretly surprised.

Even though they hadn't told her anything, that child had already guessed that Yvonne would likely also enroll at Hartwell.

No, perhaps she had been working hard for this very reason, to get into this noble school that was as difficult as ascending to heaven for commoners.

Although he could guess these things, to be honest, Campbell didn't want the two to meet.

To this day, Campbell still worried about that terrifying curse that could take away people's lives.

If they were allowed to come into contact like this, if something unexpected happened, the 'Nightmare' might once again parasitize Yvonne.

He couldn't let that happen. Originally, Campbell had planned that even if Yvonne enrolled, he would continue to hide her identity from the other party.

After all, Yvonne didn't remember anything, so even if the other party recognized Yvonne based on vague childhood memories, they couldn't confirm it with her directly.

"Anyway, Yvonne doesn't remember anything now, and she's taken leave with plans to drop out... We might as well reply telling her that Yvonne won't be enrolling, and then send her some more money this time."

Gratitude was gratitude. Campbell knew he was being cruel, but doing this was the best choice for both of them.

Although that child was a good child, she and Yvonne were originally from different worlds, and their future lives probably wouldn't intersect much.

Or rather, Campbell had this intention from the beginning, which is why he cut off all information during contact, giving no clues for the other party to find them.

She was a smart child and should understand his meaning.

"Lord Campbell... is this really alright?"

To be honest, Linda felt this was somewhat excessive, but considering Campbell's perspective, Linda could also understand his reasons for doing so.

"Yes, let's do it this way."

What Linda didn't tell Duke Campbell was that after this reply letter was sent, the money was returned intact by the other party.