<h4>Chapter 397: 397-The Clever Girl yed Me</h4>


    <strong>Rue:</strong>


    I arrived after the chaos had already started. The other ringleaders were still on the premises. They had been avoiding Ian and the Crusaders, but now that everything had erupted, they had to step forward and keep the Crusaders calm.


    Yorick had been taken away to the prison. However, I knew he would not face a very harsh punishment. If anyone went against the deal made with his parents, the entire concept of the North and the academy would shatter.


    His parents were very influential, something I had only learned aftering to the academy.


    But I had another purpose now. I had to solidify the ims against him.


    When I arrived at the hall, I could already tell that the Crusaders were arguing. They were ready to defend Yorick because Oriana did not have a good reputation. And I knew why. She was a messy one.


    "Everyone, please calm down," I said as I entered, raising my hands to stop them.


    They had been rude to the other ringleaders, but the moment they saw me, they began to calm down.


    "Miss Rue, did you hear what happened?" Mira asked as she stepped forward. I gave her a gentle nod.


    "That is crazy. Yorick would never do something like that," Troy hissed, his arms folded over his chest as he stood there, tense and ready to defend his squadmate.


    "Listen to me, everyone," I told them, taking deep and heavy breaths. "I know everything. I know all the usations," I continued calmly, as if I were shaken myself.


    "No, we are not going to stay calm. This is getting out of hand. First they sent Clementine out there, and now they are using one of us of such a disgusting crime without proper evidence?" Ian snapped. His hands moved in gestures, pointing nowhere in particr, then toward where Yorick had been.


    "There is evidence," I said.


    The moment I spoke, they fell silent and stared at me. Every pair of eyes was fixed on me.


    "And there is an eyewitness," I added.


    They exchanged looks. I could tell they were scared. If Yorick had really done what he was used of, their trust in each other would shatter.


    "What is the evidence?" Haiden asked, stepping forward to take control.


    Joshua sat in the corner near the table, looking uninterested in the chaos, while the others were clearly losing their minds. Even Sebastian and Renee acted as if they had known Yorick their whole lives and would defend him without question.


    "They tested the dagger," I said. "They ran tests on Oriana too, and she was..." I paused, acting as if the words were hard to say.


    They looked horrified.


    "I do not trust her. She is unstable. She could have done this to herself," Ian said, speaking up first.


    "I know," I replied. "But he was holding the dagger from the other side. He even struck her under the chin."


    I paused again, watching their expressions tighten. Then I took a long breath and closed my eyes.


    "I was there. I arrived first," I said, lifting my hand and wiping at the tears I forced out. "But before I could stop him, the others arrived."


    They stayed silent.


    "I was farther away. All I could see was someone on top of someone. A man on top of a woman," I continued. "But when I got closer, I saw him with the dagger and prating her. He had already done a lot of damage to her when I spotted them though. You all must have seen it too. He went for another round when he started to undo his belt."


    I stopped there. I did not need to say more.


    Their confidence shattered. Disgust spread across their faces.


    My reputation here was clean. I had no reason to lie. They all knew I did not like Oriana, especially because of how much she hated Clementine.


    "Anyway, I would have stood with you all if I had not been the one to see it," I said. "After everything that happened, I cannot question Oriana. She is a victim. I do not know why Yorick did it. Only he can answer that. But the truth is, he did it, and it is a horrible crime. I am disgusted that a woman had to suffer because of it."


    I watched as Renee and Mira slowly stepped away from the boys. Even the boys looked unsettled, unable to lift their heads.


    "Why would he do that?" Troy muttered to himself, looking disgusted.


    "He is in prison right now, and Oriana is in the hospital," I replied. "Just pray for her. Pray he did not cause her too much damage inside."


    I lowered my voice sadly. They all knew that Oriana could heal from most injuries. But if the wound was deep like this, healing would be much harder.


    Of course, she was fine. She had been careful.


    After I told them everything, I dismissed them. They started leaving for their rooms. I also told them I would let them know when the other ringleaders returned from the hospital with updates about Clementine.


    As they were leaving, I slipped my hand into my pocket and touched the watch. An urge to look at it washed over me, so I pulled it out. I smiled at it, thinking about when I would finally be able to use it.


    But the longer I stared at it, the more I realized something was wrong. It had not worked. None of the hands had moved in hours. I shook it, closed it, then held it to my ear. I could not hear anything.


    I held it again. As I stared at it for too long, the truth hit me. It was a fake.


    It felt like the entire world copsed on me. In a rush, I grabbed it with both hands and whispered, "I want to go back in time." I did not even specify when. I twisted the dial to a random date and stood there, staring at it.


    Nothing happened.


    I already knew it was not the original, but I still tested it. The result was the same. Nothing changed.


    Clementine had tricked me. She had died in the North with the real watch on her.


    "But she must have the right watch on her," I said, realizing now I needed someone to get her dead body to me.