It was clear that Alexander's argument was weak

  No one with an ounce of sense would believe this hoax

  This made Leonard worried

  Should he admit what happened?

  But he will lose his future

  Alexander kept convincing him that everything would be okay

  All will be well for Alexander, who has the support of the Ford family

  As for Leonard, he had to face everything himself

  No one would come to his aid if he got into trouble

  Leonard reached the utmost despair

  So he decided to go along with Alexander's stupid plan

  He has no escape, so what's the harm in trying?

  Maybe the Goddess of Fortune would smile on him in some way

  After they were investigated by the instructors, it began to appear that the academy Council believed them

  "..." Will we really succeed?

  All that remains for them is to appear before the Academy Council to hear the final decision in this case

  They are one step away from survival

  But his worst fears came true

  Frederic came to this meeting

  The skeptical looks that Frederic was casting in Alexander's direction made sirens go off in Leonard's head

  Frederic does not seem convinced by Alexander's story

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  Frederic rubbed his mustache with narrowed eyes. "Soup? Huh."

  Alexander smiled embarrassedly. “Well, these are my first steps, don’t blame me.”

  “Why were you trying to feed that soup to the students you arrested?”

  Leonard swallowed a mouthful of saliva as the interrogation began

  Alexander replied. “I was training in cooking, and I thought I would serve a meal to those students in order to gain some reputation.”

  "..." Frederic stared into Alexander's eyes

  He was trying to detect any trace of worry or confusion in Alexander's eyes

  But he found no change in Alexander's expression and mood

  Frederic frowned, thinking deeply

  Is he telling the truth?

  The topic was strangely ironic

  Frederic took a deep breath to clear his mind after a minute of in-depth thought and said. "Alexander Ford, you are forbidden from cooking inside the academy again."

  "...." Is this your decision?

  Leonard and the instructors stared at Frederic

  " What! ." Alexander cried sadly. "How do you want to deprive me of my only dream?"

  " What?." Frederic asked confused

  No one knew what caused Alexander's sudden anger

  There were tears in the corners of Alexander's eyes. “I did not want to become a fighter like my father or a politician like my mother. My dream was to become a chef and cook the most delicious food, but now you are trying to take away the most precious thing I have.”

  "..." Frederic did not know how to respond to Alexander's statement

  Alexander fell to his knees and looked at the ground sadly. “I could not live up to my family’s expectations, but I was confident that I would be able to be the king of chefs in the future and make my parents proud of me.”

  Alexander raised his head and looked at Frederic and the instructors with red eyes. “What should I do now? Should I give up my dream and throw myself off a bridge?”

  “...” Looks of sympathy appeared on the instructors’ faces

  Everyone knew how much pressure the heirs of noble families were under

  Even though they were born with a golden spoon in their hands, the responsibilities they had to bear were heavy

  If they cannot bear this burden, they may be neglected and abandoned

  In the Dark Ages, nobles would throw away children who did not live up to their expectations

  This was a barbaric act that had long been abandoned, but the noble families still pressured their children

  You are better than the commoners, you must be the strongest and smartest

  This is the thought that parents implant in the minds of their children

  This was a cross-generational problem as the children of nobles felt superior to others

  Frederic shook his head

  It seemed that Theodore was putting too much pressure on his son

  I have to talk to him about this

  "Alexander." Frederic said in a gentle tone. “Go get some rest, and we'll talk later.”

  Alexander got up with heavy movements and left the room with his back bent as if he were carrying weights

  "You can leave too, Leonard." Frederic looked at Leonard

  Leonard bowed lightly and quickly caught up with Alexander

  Leonard walked behind Alexander

  Alexander's steps were balanced and the miserable face he had previously shown in the council room disappeared

  “...” Was this part of his plan?

  Leonard had difficulty accepting that everything Alexander said was an act

  Alexander attracted the attention of the instructors to another topic, far from the issue of student poisoning and the dangerous substance he had prepared

  Taking advantage of the instructors' knowledge about the circumstances of the noble families, he was able to gain their sympathy

  If Leonard had not known that Alexander had been deceiving the whole time, he would have believed that Alexander had truly been wronged

  Leonard felt a mixture of mixed emotions

  He was afraid of Alexander's deceitful ways, which even Frederic could not escape

  But he was impressed by Alexander's ability to get out of that situation with ease

  Alexander stopped walking and turned to Leonard. "We're safe for now. I think we should suspend the Ethics Committee's activity for now."

  " I agree with you." Leonard nodded and continued. "I'll go on my way." Leonard started walking to leave

  He didn't want to get involved with Alexander again

  Who knows what trouble he would get himself into if he cooperated with Alexander any further

  Leonard turned his head to look at Alexander who was following him

  “Why are you following me?” Leonard asked worriedly

  “We live in the same dormitory, don’t you remember?”

  "...." I think it's time to look for a new apartment