Chapter 62

The white pavilion by the lakeside was the same one students often used during social etiquette lessons.

Bathed in the red glow of the sunset, the quiet, empty pavilion was tranquil and beautiful.

The last summer rose, barely clinging to its stem, drooped like a painted image. From the surrounding brush came the faint cries of the first early autumn insects.

Valentin was leaning against the railing of the pavilion. Her prim face brightened as she saw Nerys approach.

“Sister!”

“Valentin.”

Nerys called her name as if it were the most natural thing in the world, just like she used to. There was no trace of hatred in her voice. Showing such feelings now wouldn’t help her at all.

“You really came.”

Valentin grasped her skirt and stepped down from the pavilion with grace, smiling brightly at Nerys. Nerys returned the smile.

“You asked to meet. Of course I came.”

“I was worried you might not come because I acted rudely earlier and made you angry.”

Nerys chuckled lightly, unimpressed. As if she’d truly worried about such a thing.

“Of course not. You’re still young. You probably acted like you would at home.”

In other words, how spoiled must you be at home to act like that outside too?

Valentin, not usually slow to understand, stiffened for a moment before her expression relaxed. She clung to Nerys’s right arm affectionately and said sweetly,

“I’m not that young. I heard you jumped grades and took upperclassmen’s classes as soon as you entered last year. How are you so smart? My brother praised you so much.”

“Thank you. It’s not a big deal. You’re very clever yourself, Valentin.”

“Oh come on, how would you know that, sister?”

“I know very well.”

That cunning. That patience. That meticulousness.

Nerys had only realized how deeply those traits ran in Valentin just before her death—even though she had known her since childhood.

Of course, she had always known Valentin was cruel. Even before the adoption, Valentin had gone out of her way to torment her, and after entering the academy, she had been openly hostile.

But Nerys had never once thought of her as smart. Valentin had always worn her emotions on her sleeve.

Then again, anyone could have hidden sides. Even someone like Valentin, who appeared to live with nothing to hide, had kept her plan to discard Nerys until the very end.

For a fleeting second, Nerys’s gaze turned sharp as she looked at her. But she quickly gathered her emotions and smiled with a pure and gentle face.

“So, where are we eating? If you’d told me to come to your dorm, I would’ve gone.”

As she said this, Nerys noticed they were already walking in a certain direction, with Valentin guiding her by the arm. Valentin’s sky-blue eyes sparkled playfully.

“You can’t see the lake from the dorm. I borrowed a nice place. Since we’ve grown closer, let’s have a private dinner—just the two of us.”

“Sounds good. Come to think of it, you’re alone. Where’s your maid? It’s not ideal to wander around alone this late.”

Although she had known from the start, Nerys brought it up as if it had only just occurred to her. Valentin giggled. The early autumn dusk softly tinted her silver hair. Sunset was almost upon them.

“Don’t worry. Everyone’s busy preparing dinner. I came to escort you.”

“Thanks.”

Nerys gave a sincere enough reply, but her tone held a faint note of indifference. Valentin’s expression twitched briefly before returning to normal.

The two arrived at a small wooden cabin tucked near the edge of the lake. Though a light was on inside, no sounds came from within, nor was there any scent of food.

The main entrance was shut tight, but the door to what looked like a storage room, possibly connected to the interior, was slightly ajar.

It had happened once before.

So when Valentin opened her mouth with a smile, Nerys already knew what she was about to say.

“Looks like everyone’s too busy getting ready. We should go in through that side door.”

“A noble lady shouldn’t be sneaking in through places like that.”

“Oh, it can’t be helped. I’ll have to scold Delma when we get inside.”

Valentin’s eyes sparkled with feigned innocence. The darkening sky was rapidly turning deep blue as dusk set in.

Nerys smiled warmly.

“Alright.”

“Let’s go, sister.”

Valentin subtly released Nerys’s arm.

Nerys paused at the entrance to the dark, unlit storage room and glanced at the front door. As she hesitated to enter, an impatient Valentin stepped forward as if to prove a point.

“Sister, I’m the Duke’s daughter, and I’m going in. What’s there to be scared of? See? The world’s still standing.”

Her anxiety showed slightly in her tone, revealing her true feelings, though she didn’t seem to notice. Nerys’s expression hadn’t changed at all, which put Valentin at ease.

Then, just as Nerys followed her into the dark storage room—

“That’s true.”

Bang.

Nerys immediately stepped back, grabbed the handle of the inward-opening door, and shut it firmly from the outside.

Then she bolted it tightly.

Valentin didn’t grasp what had happened at first. It felt like a dream.

But even in the pitch-black darkness, the faint sound of mice scurrying reminded her of reality.

She had been locked in. In the very place she had prepared to trap Nerys for the night!

“Hey!”

Valentin screamed, furious to the core.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Open this door!”

—

“What kind of way is that to talk to your sister, Valentin?”

Nerys’s leisurely voice came from beyond the door. From the sound of it, the two of them could’ve been chatting at a social party with a fan held between them.

Valentin was stunned. How did she know?

Earlier in the hallway, when she’d had to call Nerys sister, she’d felt a humiliation beyond words.

But after Delma intervened, Valentin reconsidered—and realized this might actually be an opportunity. A chance to subtly lure that arrogant girl who acted like she was someone important.

So when her first class at the academy ended and she returned to her dorm, she discreetly tipped off Isabelle, who was just about to go serve Nerys, to send her to the white lakeside pavilion instead.

It was the only location Valentin could confidently name—Nellusion had taken her there for lunch on the day of the entrance ceremony.

Things moved quickly after that. As always, Delma handled everything Valentin needed without delay.

She secured an empty house, turned on the lights, locked the main door.

It was even conveniently isolated—far enough from other houses that even loud yelling wouldn’t be heard.

If she locked Nerys in this filthy storage shed for the night, maybe it would humble her a little. Maybe make her cry. Valentin had been happily imagining that—until Nerys completely ruined it.

“You—You lowborn wretch! Open the door! Are you deaf? What kind of joke is this?!”

“You’re the one who started the joke. How long were you planning to keep me locked in here? Until morning?”

Valentin, who had been pounding on the door, froze. How did this sly girl know?

No—it didn’t matter. There was no proof! She quickly denied it flatly.

“When did I ever say that?!”

“Coming alone like this must mean you really didn’t want your brother to find out. You even left Delma behind so no one would notice you were gone. For your standards, that was quite a bit of effort. I’ll give you credit for that. But what now? Bad intentions always come back around.”

The storage room had no light, and with the sun fully set, Valentin was plunged into pitch-black darkness. Nerys’s voice from outside sounded maddeningly calm.

Because of that tone, Valentin completely forgot about trying to coax her and instead erupted in anger.

“You wicked girl! When I get out of here, I’ll make you regret it! brother Nell won’t let you off the hook! I’m the Duke’s daughter!”

“And I’m the daughter of a knight. I don’t know what pride you have as a duke’s daughter, but as a knight’s daughter, I take pride in never backing down when someone picks a fight.”

Valentin couldn’t see her, but Nerys’s face outside the door was tinged with bitterness.

Pride as a knight’s daughter—wasn’t that already soiled in her past life? She had died without ever resisting, acting as a pawn for vile people.

‘At the very least, in this life—’

She wouldn’t let herself be played so foolishly.

Valentin had done the exact same thing in her previous life. Not on the first day of school, but a few days later.

Back then, Nerys had spent the entire night trapped in a filthy, dark storage room with no explanation. She had no friends, and since she roomed alone, no one even noticed she was missing. There had even been rats.

Fortunately, a resident from Carten who came to fish by the lake discovered her the next morning. If not for that, things might have gone very badly.

Because Valentin was the daughter of the family that had loaned her tuition, Nerys hadn’t even dared confront her afterward.

A few days later, when they crossed paths near the lower-year classrooms, Valentin had looked her dead in the eye and said,

“Oh right, I forgot you were still around.”

And the harassment continued.

Back then, Nerys couldn’t understand. If she was so unimportant that Valentin could forget her, why go to such lengths to torment her?

Now, she had a rough idea of the answer.

In Valentin’s mind, Nerys had always been beneath her. But even so, she couldn’t tolerate anything that bothered her, no matter how small.

If something so much as irritated her, she had to crush it completely.

Didn’t she say she’d kill Megara if she ever became crown princess?

So there was no choice but to be just as thorough.

“You’re not going to be in there for long, are you? Your precious Delma will be here soon to find you. Just sit tight for a bit, Valen.”

Valentin exploded the moment Nerys drew out her pet name at the end.

“How dare you! You don’t get to call me that! You filthy wretch! You miserable mongrel! You’re a rotten apple, do you hear me?! You don’t belong in this school or noble society! Even a stray dog has more worth than you! After what you’ve done, don’t think my father will keep paying your tuition!”

A dog. That metaphor hadn’t changed from before. Nerys almost drifted into a reverie.

Rotten apple. Miserable mongrel. Stray dog.

The most vulgar insults a young noble lady could think of.

Valentin’s words held no power over Nerys anymore. They were nothing but the tantrums of a helpless child locked in a shed. And as for tuition—

“You didn’t know, did you, Valen?”

Nerys intentionally used the pet name again.

“I received a scholarship last year, so I repaid everything I borrowed from your father. And since my grades were excellent, this year’s tuition is also covered by scholarship. Even the dorm fees were returned. …I haven’t received anything from you, so why do you think your words should mean anything to me?” (T/N: BURN!!!!)

Valentin ended up kicking the door. A beast-like scream followed—clearly unable to contain her rage. Nerys laughed quietly and walked away.