T.A series volume 3: The King of Rubies

Chapter 22 - Stiff upper lip

For a moment, 6-year-old Shinichi did not know what to think of this video Reina had sent him.

The more he watched, the more he could hear curse words towards the disrespect Sonoko was causing among the crowd ringing from all directions. While some may not have known what she is saying, but it was evident judging from the tone, it was directed at Ranran, and it sounded very rude and degrading.

Ranran who heard this pushed herself more forcefully through the crowds gracefully, showing as if she wasn't affected by the words.

But Shinichi knew that is Ranran secretly seething, scheming the worst kind of hell for the rude heiress.

Shinichi knew this expression of Ranran anywhere, even though she was 4 years old in the video, let alone, good at keeping her facade. That was the same look she gave him when he and those idiots called her a 'bastard', an expression of anger, but bottling it all up with determined eyes, eager to ruin someone.

"Reichan! Give me back my phone! I worked hard to obtain it!"

A woman's voice could be heard on the phone telling her daughter in Japanese telling her off before snatching it away to switch it off. From what he could make out of, it seems like the angle of the footage showed Reina was at the front side of the spectators, which made sense why the footage look blurry since it was being handled by a four-year-old.

Another video soon arrived from Reina, this one Shinichi knew he had to watch regardless.

Clicking on the second video, a commanding young child's voice came out, the British accent more than evident as she speaks in English: "You are going to bow before him and apologize, I don't care even if your forehead bleeds heavily by touching the damn carpet multiple times. Your parents poorly taught you? Then this can be corrected. Otherwise, I am going to toss you to the nuns of this church and officiate the public caning for disrespecting his honour!"

Shinichi couldn't help but react, he stared at Takuma and Reina on the monitor trying to read either of their reaction, but the two just blankly stare at the screen when the phone camera seems to move up, from what Shinichi make it out, they seem to be in an expensive looking church with the coffin placed at the podium. From observation, the place is fully packed with mourners.

Then, he saw it, the little 4-year-old girl who is no longer seething, baring her contempt expression as she glared down at the kneeling child who she deemed as trash, standing before the terrified Suzuki Sonoko while Ranran's parents, no, everyone in the chapel was stunned over what Ranran was doing now before them.

Shinichi turned back to the video to see Sonoko, who looked very flustered with tears streaking down her face with her knees on the ground, pleading to her for mercy, "I am sorry! Please give me mercy!" and the video came to an end.

"Eh!? Only this short of 20 seconds video?" Shinichi turned to Reina on his monitor and expected her to upload more videos.

"The phone was confiscated by my Ojisan (uncle), by right we ain't allowed to film anything that goes under the funeral ceremony." Reina sighs before revealing what actually went down in the church.

As it turns out, when her mentor selected Ranran to be the one leading his funeral possession, he didn't do it because she was close to him.

According to Reina's uncle who worked in the U.K and is rather familiar with the aristocratic system there, what Sonoko did almost jeopardise her spot as 'successor'.

When Ranran's mentor specifically choose her to lead his funeral, it was in the name of politics.

It turns out the title 'duke' was bestowed by the queen of the country, there were not many families in the area that had such prestige titles. Before he was murdered, he was in a way respected and loved by the children of Edgewood Academy thanks to his 'efforts', once again, Shinichi isn't clear over what it was referring to, but overall, his unexpected death sent a shockwave across the United Kingdom and brought grief to everyone who knew him.