Of course, Emilia was well aware of the fact that the atmosphere in the school was slowly but surely turning against her. Although she had managed to make a lot of hardcore fans, they might only make the conflict worse, just like the situation today.
Even if she managed to deal with the class B matter perfectly over the next few days, it won't change the overall situation as long as the root of the matter remained.
Which was the fact that she was still the prime 'suspect' in Don and Braxy's disappearance.
Unfortunately, Sam had been too hasty in dealing with them, and had left behind quite a few loopholes for the enemy. For example, the two boys' families were currently free to make trouble, and were already being protected by the Black Tiger's forces, although they still had not made any major moves.
Even if her father had somehow managed to pull the commissioner over to their side along with some of the department's upper echelons, that only made things difficult for their enemies when it came to lawful harassment.
The matter of public relations and their image in media was another matter entirely, and could easily be used as a weapon by their enemies as long as they had proper ammunition, which they had already secured. Perhaps they already had it loaded and ready to fire, as well.
As long as they made a ruckus using Don and Braxy's families as their spearheads, Emilia and her family's reputation was sure to take a hit. It was a very effective weapon that Sam had just handed over to their enemy.
Unless… she made said weapon explode in the enemy's hands.
That's why she had instructed Noelle to get her that video from Green Leaf hospital. She had already received a report that they had taken all the hardware storage in the hospital under their possession, but the actual footage was 'missing', meaning someone had deleted it. Thankfully, it hadn't been overwritten yet, and Noelle was currently working on getting it recovered.
'Hopefully, it won't be too late by the time she manages to do so…'
As Emilia was still lost in thought, they finally arrived at Koko's home.
It was a much more homely place than either Dixie or her own mansion. It actually looked like a home where a family of less than ten could live comfortably without getting lost.
"Welcome to my home, princess!"
Emilia smiled as she saw Koko's enthusiasm, though she had her reservations about how welcoming her mother would be. After all, the lady had taken almost an hour over the call to be convinced by her own daughter to even meet with Emilia. What she was thinking was anyone's guess.
As they entered the drawing room, however, all such thoughts fled Emilia's mind as she stared blankly at the huge, life-sized photograph of herself kissing Koko mounted right above the modern open hearth.
Dixie's face was dark as a wok as she stomped over to the curio cabinet in the corner, sticking her face against the locked glass door to glare at the water bottle marked as 'Princess Emilia's Indirect Kiss'.
And that was not the only thing in there!
Emilia felt her lips twitch as she saw that almost every item that Koko had given her to 'share' in any way was carefully being preserved here, on open display!
Just as Dixie was about to smash the cabinet open, however, Koko's mom entered the room and cleared her throat, making the knight temporarily dispel her thoughts.
"I-I didn't think she actually managed to invite you over, miss Emilia, forgive me for taking so long!"
Emilia waved her hand with a smile. "Not at all, aunty, what's there to forgive? Koko is a close friend, so you as her mom can even scold me if you want, and I won't mind."
Cynthia scoffed. "What a joke, Emilia. I've never seen anyone hold as much grudge as you for the tiniest things! You even use the summoning time to squeeze my cheeks!"
Of course, Emilia ignored her partner's sarcastic remarks as she introduced Dixie to Koko's mother as well.
Contrary to what they thought a lady who ran such a big parlor chain should look like, Koko's mother was actually almost bare faced and dressed quite plainly. Combined with her boy-cut black hair, she didn't look like someone who cared for her own appearance at all.
Seeing that her attitude was actually quite a bit more intimate towards her than she expected, Emilia decided not to beat around the bush too much, and confessed her reasons for seeking her out.
"What?! That vapid cunt—pardon my French—Rothschild actually dared to badmouth you? When did she grow such a huge pair of— no, nevermind that. Rest assured, I'll make sure to stink up her cosmetic line to the best of my ability! I dare say that almost half of the upper circle ladies are part of my customer base, hmph, let's see how she regrets it!"
Dixie and Emilia looked at each other blankly, not having expected such an 'enthusiastic' response. In fact, Emilia had been ready to be rejected, since Koko's mother ran a business that could easily be jeopardized if she didn't manage her relationships properly.
Of course, as Koko's friend, she wouldn't use her own position to threaten the girl's mother, especially not for something so minor. After all, even if Dixie's plan succeeded, Rothschild was only one of her many minor opponents, if that.
Koko was overjoyed at finally having her always condescending and reluctant mother's support, and hugged her tightly while showering her in praise. "I knew mom was the best! Even though you always call me a stupid moron, when the time really comes, you support me!"
The knight and princess duo still had a lot of things to do, and didn't stay for long.
Once Emilia and Dixie left, the smile on Koko's mother's face disappeared. "Hey, you stupid moron! Tell me, what the hell kind of witchcraft did you use to hook the white family's daughter?"
Koko blinked her big, spectacled eyes at her mother innocently. "Eh? She just likes me, I guess?"
"Hmph, fine, I'll admit that your photo wasn't a fake, and all that perverted stuff you have enshrined might also be real, but there's no way she's actually attracted to you, right?"
"Why not?!"
"I mean… humans aren't normally attracted to a different species, are they? That's beastia—"
Koko pouted. "I'm a human!"
Her mother chuckled, having had enough of teasing her daughter. "Alright. Still… it's quite shocking. White family's little jewel huh… I'm not sure we can afford such a daughter-in-law…"
In fact, she was quite sure that if that domineering Mrs. White heard of her daughter being the slightest bit interested in the same gender, she would surely destroy their little parlor chain with a wave of her hand, just to show Emilia she shouldn't get out of line.
At least, that's how it typically went in those super rich families, right?
Far away in another city, Mrs.. White sneezed, wondering which pretentious enemy of hers was badmouthing her behind her back, again.