Chapter 132: The Council Convened
“What… what kind of nonsense is this…?”
Aracila’s eyes darted over the article, her disbelief mounting with every word. The content was utterly absurd: it claimed that she and Frederick had been lovers for years, continuing an illicit affair even after her marriage. It went so far as to say that countless people had witnessed her and Frederick meeting in secret, excluding Damian, and that during Princess Gloria’s birthday party, Aracila had been too busy with a clandestine rendezvous to respond properly to the explosion.
“Hah…”
She let out an incredulous breath, stunned into speechlessness. For the first time, she understood how outrage could render someone mute. Who in their right mind would write such drivel?
Her anger surged, and she crumpled the newspaper in her hands, only to notice Colin and Damian watching her. Quickly, she spoke up to clarify. “This is absolutely not true. Frederick and I are just friends—we’ve never been lovers. Please don’t misunderstand, Damian.”
“I don’t,” Damian said, his voice steady and calm, carrying a quiet strength.
He hadn’t stiffened at the article because he believed it. “The problem is that a story like this, coming out at a time like this, could be incredibly damaging to you.”
His concern was for the harm this vile article could inflict on her reputation. Frowning, he pressed a hand to his forehead. Aracila’s honor was already under siege because of the explosion, and now it risked being further tarnished.
“I’ll start by pressuring the newspaper to retract all copies of this issue and issue an official statement that it’s baseless,” he said.
“No, I can—”
“No,” Damian interrupted gently but firmly. “You focus on gathering yourself. I’ll handle this.”
The scandal had blindsided her at a vulnerable moment, leaving her flushed and her usual composure shaken. This was a time for swift action, and Damian was better suited to take the lead—just as Aracila had done for him during the Chloe incident.
“…Thank you,” she said softly.
“It’s nothing compared to what you’ve done for me,” he replied, offering a faint smile as he took her hand, his touch a quiet reassurance to trust him.
Aracila felt an unexpected calm wash over her. She had no idea how things would unfold, but in this moment, with Damian by her side, it felt like everything might just be alright.
Reality, however, was far less forgiving.
Damian sent a formal complaint to the newspaper responsible for the scandal, threatening legal action and demanding a public retraction. The initial outlet complied, pulling the issue, but the damage was done. Other publications, sensing blood, churned out follow-up articles with ferocious speed, capitalizing on the frenzy. Even the emperor couldn’t control every newspaper in the empire, and the story spread like wildfire.
In an instant, Aracila was painted as a shameless woman who’d betrayed her husband with an inappropriate relationship with the crown prince. Some even claimed she’d seduced the innocent Frederick, indulging in a debauched lifestyle.
The fall from a promising mage tipped to become the next Master of the Mage Tower to a villainous seductress was devastatingly swift. Years of her hard work dissolved like foam, replaced by a deluge of speculation and slander.
Before she could mount a defense, the Mage Tower summoned an emergency council meeting. Without providing a proper explanation, they demanded her attendance.
Aracila, who had no intention of refusing, dressed impeccably in her usual uniform and walked into the meeting with her head held high.
“Look at her, waltzing in so brazenly,” one mage muttered.
“No shame at all! This is exactly why women shouldn’t be allowed to run rampant in the Mage Tower,” another sneered.
“It’s a sign the Tower’s doomed. To think she was a candidate for Master.”
The senior mages whispered among themselves, their words cutting despite Aracila being young enough to be their daughter or granddaughter. Their venom echoed the accusations during the Cissle incident, when they’d blindly raged about a woman tarnishing the Tower’s image without verifying the facts.
Just as she had then, Aracila stood tall, her back straight and her gaze fixed forward. She had done nothing to be ashamed of, and she refused to bow or lower her head.
Once all the council members were present, Philip rapped the table. “Quiet.”
The chatter ceased, and a solemn atmosphere settled over the room. Philip formally opened the meeting, the primary agenda unsurprisingly centered on how to address Aracila’s recent string of scandals.
The first to speak was Fernando.
“Aracila not only caused harm to Her Highness with the lamp incident but also engaged in an illicit affair with His Highness the Crown Prince, despite being married. This could bring disgrace to the Mage Tower. She must face severe punishment.”
His voice was fervent, spittle flying as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
Aracila responded calmly. “I have never committed any improper acts. And as for the lamp, I categorically did not design it to be dangerous or capable of exploding.”
“Hmph! Of course you’d say that!” Fernando shot back, his tone vicious. “Shameless and utterly without decency!”
He was determined to seize this rare opportunity to bring her down once and for all.
Aracila’s gaze swept across the senior mages, her voice steady but imploring. “What I’m saying is true. Give me time, please. I’ll uncover the truth.”
“Ridiculous,” Fernando scoffed. “Why should we? Instead of wasting time with excuses, you’d do better to admit your wrongs and show some remorse. Then we might consider leniency.”
“Why? Because it hasn’t been definitively proven that I did anything wrong,” she countered. “It’s only fair that I’m given a chance to clear my name.”
Imposing punishment without clear evidence violated the Mage Tower’s internal regulations. Her bold retort deepened the furrows in Fernando’s brow. He’d hoped the string of scandals would have humbled her, but her defiant demeanor grated on him. This is why I can’t stand headstrong women, he thought, clicking his tongue inwardly. So young, yet so insolent.
“Your lamp caused an explosion, and your conduct sparked a scandal,” he snapped. “What more needs to be proven?”
Everything pointed to Aracila’s guilt, as far as he was concerned. Before she could respond, Fernando seized the moment, rallying the room. “Look at her! She offers no credible evidence, only emotional pleas of innocence. How long must the Mage Tower suffer because of her audacity? We need to make an example of her to restore discipline.”
With a subtle glance, he signaled a mage he’d coordinated with beforehand. The mage raised a hand. “I agree with punishing Aracila.”
“Hmm, I concur,” another added.
“As do I,” said a third.
One by one, hands went up, aligning with Fernando’s stance.
“She’s crossed a line this time,” one mage declared.
“The public is mocking the entire Mage Tower,” another complained.
“If we don’t show we’re punishing her, we’ll all be lumped together with her.”
Aracila’s fist clenched tightly beneath the table. Summoned the day after the scandal broke, she hadn’t had time to prepare a thorough defense. Is severe punishment inevitable? she wondered, half-resigned. The council, led by Fernando, clearly despised her. It might be wiser to accept the punishment now and focus on gathering evidence to clear her name later, hoping for a reduced penalty.
That was, until Fernando made his next proclamation.
“Aracila Vandemir must be expelled from the Mage Tower!”
Her blue eyes widened in shock. She stared at him, aghast. She’d anticipated consequences—losing her lab, a salary cut, a suspension for a few months—but expulsion? It was unthinkable.
She shot to her feet. “That’s absurd! Expelling me when the truth hasn’t even been established?”
Expulsion from the Mage Tower was the ultimate disgrace for a mage, a stain far worse than the empire-wide criticism she already faced.
“I won’t accept this,” she declared. “I demand a thorough investigation into this incident.”
“What more is there to investigate?” Fernando sneered, his tone dripping with mockery. “Shall we dig into how you, driven by greed for profit and prestige, crafted a bomb of a lamp? Or perhaps document your dalliances with His Highness the Crown Prince?”
Aracila’s eyes narrowed, her gaze icy as she fixed it on Fernando. “I understand you’re thrilled to see me in trouble, Fernando, since I’ve always been a thorn in your side. But watch your words. Have you forgotten how to distinguish what’s appropriate to say?”
“What? You insolent—how dare you speak to your elders like that!”
“Where was your elder’s dignity when you were spewing venom at me?” she shot back. “All you’ve ever done is project your insecurities onto me, alongside your lackluster protégé.”
“Aracila Vandemir!” Fernando roared, his face flushed with rage.
She met his glare unflinchingly, her own eyes blazing. Their standoff crackled with tension until Fernando turned sharply to Philip.
“Master of the Tower, I request a fair vote on Aracila’s expulsion.”
“…”
“She’s your protégé, is she not? You can’t make this decision unilaterally—it would be favoritism.”
Philip sighed and nodded. Defending Aracila rashly would invite backlash, and deciding the outcome of such a high-profile incident alone was untenable.
Thus, a vote on Aracila’s expulsion was called. Of the twelve mages in attendance, excluding Aracila, eleven cast their votes.
The tallying mage announced, “With eight votes in favor and three against, the motion to expel Aracila Vandemir is approved.”
Aracila felt the world tilt beneath her. All the years she’d dedicated to the Mage Tower, the relentless effort since her academy days to reach this point—gone in an instant.
As she saw Fernando and the mages who’d voted against her reveling in their victory, her eyes darkened with despair. This is unthinkable. Why should I be expelled? Why?
The time between the explosion and this meeting had been less than a week—hardly enough for a proper internal investigation. Yet, they’d rushed to this council to decide her fate.
It was unjust. And Aracila couldn’t bear the injustice.
“I reject this vote,” she declared. “Why should a minority here decide my expulsion?”
Fernando, hands on his hips, barked, “The council’s decision represents the will of the entire Mage Tower! Did you attend these meetings without knowing that?”
He shook his head, clicking his tongue. “You still don’t see your wrongs. No wonder you’ve been gallivanting so shamelessly.”
“Shut your mouth, Fernando,” Aracila snapped, her patience snapping like a taut thread.
Caught off guard, he stammered, unable to respond coherently.
Aracila tore her gaze from him and addressed the council. “Accidents with magical artifacts are common, but this is the first time one of mine has caused an issue. We don’t even know if the lamp was defective or if an external factor was at play. Has the Tower even requested to examine the evidence with the magistrate?”
The room fell silent. With a bitter laugh, Aracila clenched her jaw. Countless mages had caused accidents with their artifacts, and unless someone died, they typically faced heavy penalties but rarely expulsion. The lamp incident, while injuring Princess Gloria, hadn’t resulted in fatalities, and it wasn’t intentional—expulsion was clearly unwarranted.
“And what does my personal life have to do with the Mage Tower?” she continued. “You say I’m dragging everyone down? Why? Some of you have been caught in actual affairs. I still remember when Manuel’s wife stormed the Tower, causing a scene.”
A mage, once humiliated for an affair with a junior, flushed red and ducked his head, coughing awkwardly. Aracila, unjustly accused by a fabricated scandal with Frederick, held her head high.
“Back then, what did you say to Manuel? That everyone makes mistakes, that he should do better next time, and you patted his shoulder. Why don’t I get the same treatment?”
“Because your scandal made the papers, Aracila,” one mage mumbled.
“Am I the only one who’s been in the papers?” she shot back. “Some of you have had scandals spread across ten countries, yet you’re still here. Why am I singled out?”
Her furious rebuttal left the council speechless, fumbling for a response.
Then, as expected, Fernando stepped forward again.
─── ･ ｡ﾟ✧: *. ꕥ .* :✧ﾟ. ───
buy me a coffee here to support the translation 🤗🤗🤗
