Chapter 86
Seeing both Torin and Fenwick so visibly contrite , the audience seemed to lose interest in further berating them .
Instead , they redirected their frustration toward Caellanâs eleven â year â old self , pulling no punches .
[ Damn Caellan , coming home just to harm his own sister .
]
[ Exactly , Damn Caellan .
Blind and stupid , used by Rowena all these years without realizing it .
]
[ Damn Caellan .
Might as well leave him in a hospital to get his brain scrambled before letting him loose again .
]
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This time , Caellan had learned from yesterdayâs experience .
He refrained from activating his camera at first , but the relentless stream of insults eventually got under his skin .
Even when he tried typing to defend himself , his comments were quickly buried under the flood of messages .
Frustrated , he finally turned on his
camera .
At Ridgewood Middle School , Caellanâs homeroom teacher , who had been quietly watching the livestream , adjusted her glasses at the sudden appearance of his face in the corner of the screen .
Narrowing her eyes to assess his surroundings , she began to rise from her chair , only to sit back down as Caellan yelled into the camera , â The milk wasnât poisoned ! It was Fenwick who warmed it up for Rowena .
â He had to leave for something , so he asked me to take it to her .
Then ⦠Rowena said she didnât want it anymore and told me to give it to Elysia .
â
For the first time , he addressed her as â Elysia â instead of something derogatory .
The unfamiliar term made him pause briefly , but he quickly continued , â Since Fenwick made it , why shouldnât it count as from him ? â
The comments exploded .
[ Oh , look whoâs suddenly calling her â Elysia.
â Late â blooming affection is cheaper than grass .
]
[ Excuse me ? Rowenaâs leftovers get passed to Elysia like charity ? If you cared so much , why not warm up a fresh cup yourself ? ]
[ Rowena probably poisoned it and made Caellan her accomplice .
]
The homeroom teacher smirked and leaned back in her chair , thoroughly enjoying the spectacle .
For her , watching Caellan make a fool of himself on a global stage was far more satisfying than forcing him to write another apology letter .
She even joined in the mocking chorus .
[ This kidâs logic is absolutely groundbreaking .
Even my three â year â old wouldnât come up with something this ridiculous .
]
Back in the livestream , Elysia hesitantly accepted the milk , holding it in her hands but not drinking it .
* Caellan ⦠are you sure Fenwick really asked you to bring this to me ? â Elysia asked .
.
Having been half â asleep when he arrived , she hadnât overheard any earlier conversation .
But her gut told her it was unlikely Fenwick would suddenly prepare something for her .
After all , in his eyes , she was nothing but trouble .
The fact that he didnât actively bully her was already a blessing â Why would he go out of his way to be kind ? â Elysia thought .
Caellan said , â Who said you could call me that ? Drink it or donât , I donât care .
â
Annoyed , Caellan snatched the milk back and downed it in one gulp , leaving not a single drop .
Under Elysiaâs surprised gaze , he revealed his real reason for being there ;
â I came to ask you something .
Answer honestly , and Iâll ⦠Iâll give you these .
â
Reluctantly , he pulled out a bag of gummy candy Rowena had given him .
The candies were haphazardly wrapped and looked somewhat unappealing .
He had planned to keep them for himself .
Carllan turned to the audience and clarified , â These candies were also from Rowena .
The milk ? She didnât even touch it , so how could it have been
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poisoned ? And the candies â what , she poisoned them too ? No way .
She probably just didnât want them anymore and gave them to me to give to Elysia .
â Maybe Rowena just wanted to humiliate her , not harm her .
And I didnât tell Elysia they were Rowenaâs leftovers , so she wouldnât feel insulted .
â
Caellan seemed almost proud of his reasoning , as though heâd done Elysia a favor by sparing her feelings .
But the comments were quick to cut him down .
Oh , so now youâre proud of yourself ? Giving Rowenaâs scraps to Elysia like sheâs some charity case ? Disgusting .
]
[ The fact that you used Rowenaâs leftovers to barter with Elysia makes my skin crawl .
]
Meanwhile , Fenwick was reeling from the revelation .
The milk truly had been his â just not for Elysia .
The realization tore at him .
Not only had he never given Elysia a single gift , but the guarded , distrustful look on her face when she questioned the milkâs origin made it clear how little she expected from him .
Back in the memory , Elysia eventually nodded and apologized , â Iâm sorry , Caellan .
I didnât mean to doubt you .
What do you want to ask me ? â
Caellan gave a satisfied nod and asked , â Did you poison my food to make me blind ? Why would you do that ? I never even ⦠â
â Stop ! What are you saying ? â
Elysiaâs voice trembled as she cut him off .
This wasnât just a question .
It was an accusation .
Caellan believed she had poisoned him and was demanding an explanation .
But how could she explain something she hadnât done ?
Elysia had thought maybe â just maybe â Caellan had realized sheâd been the one by his side during his hospital stay .
Instead , reality hit her like a cold slap .
Desperate , she asked , â Who told you that ? Was it Rowena ? Caellan , tell me â was it Rowena ? â
Caellan didnât reply , but his expression said it all .
Elysiaâs heart sank .
Her voice broke as she pleaded , â Caellan , you have to believe me .
I would never hurt you .
It was Rowena who poisoned you , not me .
â
â I was the one who stayed with you all those days in the hospital .
I read you stories , remember ? The Little Prince ⦠â
â Enough ! Youâre lying ! â Caellan shouted .
Already prone to outbursts , Caellanâs anger exploded .
He hurled the glass of milk at the floor , the shattering sound making Elysia flinch and cover her ears .
Still furious , Caellan scanned the room for something else to break .
But her sparsely furnished room left him with few options .
In frustration , he grabbed the bag of candy and threw it at her , snarling , â Donât you dare slander Rowena ! Everyoneâs right â you really are a bad person .
â
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