Seeing Lily regain her momentum, the girls beside her immediately chimed in. "Exactly! Maybe this is all in your head. Arthur probably doesn’t even like you!" "I think so too! If he cared about you, why hasn’t he come to visit after all this time?" "You keep calling him your fiancé, but so what? Until you’re married, it’s fair game!" "Just be smart about this and hand over Arthur’s contact info. We’ll let you go if you do." "Yeah, just give it up already." With the commotion growing, more people stuck around instead of leaving. Many of them were just as eager to get Arthur’s contact information. What if they had a chance? What if Arthur took a liking to them instead? Arthur may have been born into wealth, but he had grown up in hardship. A lot of girls from average backgrounds felt that they would have a deeper connection with him. Ashley, on the other hand, was different. Her family had only recently fallen from grace—she had still grown up in a wealthy household. There was no way she and Arthur had anything in common. Otherwise, why hadn’t he come to see her all this time? That was proof enough that he didn’t care about her. Ashley’s gaze swept over them, cold and mocking. "Whether my fiancé loves me or not is between us. It has nothing to do with any of you. And you’re standing here, demanding that I give you my fiancé’s contact info, and you don’t think that’s crossing a line?" The girls faltered. But Lily held her ground, straightening her back stubbornly. "Stop changing the subject!" Ashley’s voice dropped to a chilling coldness. "Are you all openly bullying me?" The moment the word bullying left her lips, the entire room tensed. Bullying was a serious accusation.Most of these girls came from regular families, always on guard against being bullied by the rich. To avoid being preyed upon, they had built up aggressive, dominant personas for themselves. But now, at this moment, weren’t they the ones acting like bullies? A group of girls had cornered Ashley, demanding she hand over her fiancé’s contact information. How was that not bullying? Lily and the others hesitated. Even the surrounding crowd started shifting uncomfortably. Ashley’s piercing gaze swept over everyone. "And all of you." The onlookers flinched. "You stood here and watched them corner me. You didn’t say a word, waiting to see how far they’d go. People always say students should stand together against bullying—but look at you. You’re bystanders, waiting to see the outcome. That makes you part of the problem. You are contributing to the bullying." Her voice was sharp, unrelenting. The crowd fell silent. Being labeled as a bullying accomplice was not something any of them wanted. They had always seen themselves as potential victims, never realizing that they had become the aggressors. But Ashley was right. They had stood there, waiting for Lily to trample her. The lecture hall, once buzzing with energy, was now eerily quiet. Lily’s face turned beet red. She fumbled for a response before blurting out, "We’re not bullying you! We just wanted to talk!" Ashley immediately cut her off. "Oh? So now that I’ve called it out, you’re trying to cover it up?" Lily’s face burned with shame. So many people were staring at her, their expressions laced with judgment and disapproval. It was humiliating.No—I will not let Ashley make a fool of me. If she lost face here, how would she ever hold her ground in Skyward Academy again? Her mind raced for a way out. Then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the girls in the crowd who had remained silent but clearly agreed with what she had been saying. A new plan formed in her head. Lily suddenly raised her voice, loud enough for the entire lecture hall to hear. "But none of that changes the fact that you got into Skyward because of a man! We all worked our asses off to get here—so why do you get to be special? And let’s not forget—Arthur doesn’t even love you! You’re just leeching off of the privileges he brought you!" Lily knew exactly what she was doing. As long as she kept hammering on this point, she wouldn’t lose. Ashley’s breath caught for a second. Without realizing it, her hands clenched into fists. She couldn’t deny it. She had benefited from Arthur’s influence when she was accepted as Mr. Devon’s student. Ashley had never been the type to rely on a man. She had always wanted to earn everything with her own effort. But reality hadn’t given her much of a choice. And now, Skyward Academy was using it as ammunition against her.