The crowd went silent. That's true… several people thought at once.
"She already said it back then," someone muttered.
"Yeah, she practically shouted it in public," another replied.
"If she didn't want to ruin Nnenna's future, she wouldn't have spoken in front of everyone in the first place."
"That's not kindness. That's calculation."
Suddenly, the sympathy that had been swelling for Jana began to drain. Faces shifted from awe to doubt, admiration to suspicion.
Arthur's gaze didn't waver. His voice stayed calm, but the weight of his words pressed heavily in the air. "You said what you said. And it spread. In a place like Omniora Academy, where nobel's opinion carries weight, it's not a small thing to call someone seductress, manipulator, liar."
He stepped slightly forward.
"So if you're going to pretend you care about protecting her, at least do us the courtesy of sticking to one version of the truth."
