<h4>Chapter 404: 404-Finally A Luna</h4>


    <strong>Oriana:</strong>


    I had been standing in front of everyone like a perfect victim, and honestly, I was beginning to feel anxious.


    Everyone looked at me with sweet, sympathetic eyes until Clementine’s name was mentioned, and that moment shattered me.


    Even if this whole thing were real, even if I truly were a victim, they were saying all that in front of me.


    They were praising another woman who was not a victim, right in front of me. I realized then that I had done the right thing.


    These people did not deserve anything. They did not deserve the truth.


    They did not deserve leniency. They deserved to be robbed. That was inhuman.


    "Speaking of a victim in that tone while praising another woman as if it were apetition is ridiculous," Ronin, my stepbrother, spoke up.


    My own stepbrother, whom I had always bad-mouthed, was now defending me. I knew why.


    It was not because he cared about me. He had always wanted me to form an alliance with someone wealthy, and now that he knew about this, he was on my side.


    What helped was that they had let me speak to my family, my so-called family.


    Amelia and Ronin had visited me in the hospital, where I told them that Yorick had done things to me.


    They asked me what punishment I nned to choose for him, and I told them. They agreed.


    "My apologies. This will not happen again," the headmaster spoke up.


    "So it seems Yorick is not the only ridiculous one. His family is just as ridiculous as he is," Miramented from the other side.


    I began to smile. I had to work hard to keep my face straight.


    The crusaders were on my side as well. Miss Rue must havee forward as the eyewitness. I noticed the way Yorick looked at his friends.


    Even Troy and Haiden turned their faces away from him.


    "I did not do anything, I promise," he screamed, but they all looked away, as if they were disgusted with him, as they should have been.


    "It has never happened in all my years of opening this academy. I am truly apologetic, because we bring here the best of the best to fight monsters, to not be monsters, and to protect our crusaders," the headmaster spoke confidently.


    "With that being said, the punishment will be served. There will be no leniency. However, it will not be us or the council announcing the punishment. It will be Oriana and her family who decide how Alpha Yorick will be punished."


    His words made it clear they were not stepping away from their responsibilities.


    I noticed the stir this caused among Yorick’s mother and father. They began to share agitated nces before looking at each other.


    Then the headmaster gave them a hand gesture. I could tell they had already discussed this.


    I knew they had, but they chose to stay silent and let it pass.


    All the attention shifted to me, and I started to break down. Amelia rushed over and wrapped me in a hug.


    Her scent annoyed me, but I let her be for now. I knew they had done something to my father, and I nned to take revengeter.


    "The only reasonable punishment would be for him to marry Oriana, mark her, take care of her, and help her recover from this," Ronin spoke up.


    He had been advised by his mother, right in front of me, to be the one to speak about what they wanted in return for forgiving Yorick. He delivered it perfectly.


    "Really? I think that is a very old and ancient thing to marry the rapist," someone from the crowd yelled.


    I broke away from Amelia’s hug and stared at her, worried this might happen.


    "There is a reason he is not being punished like the others," the headmaster finally spoke again. Everyone went quiet, listening closely.


    Yorick started to look increasingly impatient.


    "After he attacked Oriana, we admitted him to the hospital. He spent hours with a psychologist, and even a psychiatrist evaluated him. Yorick, after being in the North for so long, has lost his sense of righteousness."


    The moment those words were spoken, Yorick snapped his head up and looked at the headmaster, his eyes filled with tears.


    I nced at the crusaders. They looked stunned and uneasy. If that was true, they were probably afraid they could be monsters too.


    But that was not the truth. That had been the n from the beginning.


    They were going to use this excuse to get Yorick out of the academy. That was why they always talked about the North being toxic.


    They were going to use it against a special child like Yorick.


    "So shouldn’t he be sent to the North if he is that dangerous?" someone from the crowd called out.


    "Of course not," Yorick’s mother yelled, my mother-inw. "My son fought monsters for all of you. With care and treatment, he will be fine. He is not a criminal. The only crime hemitted was against Oriana, and she is ready to forgive him through marriage."


    She shut down everyone while defending her son.


    Suddenly, people started looking at Yorick with sympathy. An alpha who fought monsters and returned broken in mind.


    "So this is decided," the headmaster announced. "Oriana will be marked and mated to Yorick. Yorick will be dismissed and discharged from the academy."


    The announcement echoed across the grounds.


    Yorick dropped to his knees. Instead of looking relieved to finally leave this ce and start a life with someone like me, he lookedpletely defeated.


    "What about Oriana? How will she carry this marriage? She will be sent back to the academy," my stepmother spoke softly.


    Everyone went silent again, listening to my fate. I was shaking badly.


    This was the moment I had been waiting for. I shared eye contact with Miss Rue, who looked anxious for some reason.


    "Oriana has decided to go back to the North for one task," the headmaster stated. "She wants to see if she can fight despite her injuries. This will be her decision, since she was tortured on our grounds."


    The crowd suddenly erupted into apuse. My smile widened as I realized that everything I had ever wanted was falling into ce.


    I was going to leave the academy, not die in the North, like a hero and a perfect victim.


    All eyes were on me. Lady Amelia quickly hugged me, patting the back of my head.


    I rolled my eyes when my face was pressed against her chest. Then she pulled back and faced the crowd.


    "One more time for Oriana," she shouted.


    Everyone cheered. I lifted my hand and waved gently, like a polite princess.


    I would finally be.