Dahlia quickly approached and took Erilot’s hand.

“I’ve been waiting for the day we could reconcile, sister. I don’t even know how thankful I am that you came first.”

Erilot couldn’t bring herself to speak easily. After moving her lips several times, she barely managed to say,

“There was a misunderstanding last time. It’s not that I hate you—”

“Kyaa!”

Cheng─!!

A sharp cracking sound filled the party hall.

A wave came flying in from the window and shattered something.

Startled, Erilot covered her mouth with one hand.

Dahlia was also shocked, falling on her backside, trembling all over like a leaf.

People rushed over to Dahlia, who was sprawled on the floor.

Her face had turned pale blue.

From afar, Grimier, the uncle, strode over and shouted at the servants outside the door.

“Doctor! Bring a doctor immediately!”

Erilot, unsure what to do, slowly approached Dahlia with her hand still covering her mouth.

“Dahli—”

“It’s your fault, Erilot!”

Joffrey stopped Erilot with a shout.

“What did you say?”

“It was strange from the start that you came to Dahlia’s birthday party. You deliberately took a corner seat and led Dahlia to come here. Isn’t that right?”

“What...?”

“Dahlia’s kind, so she couldn’t stand seeing you alone. She was bound to come this way!”

Erilot didn’t even have a chance to explain.

The people glaring at her burst out with cutting reproaches, as if blades were in their mouths.

Dahlia’s large, deer-like eyes slowly began to water.

Tears hung, about to fall, at the corners of both her eyes as she looked at Erilot.

“Sister...”

“I, I, I—”

Just as she tried to defend herself, everyone shouted in unison at Erilot.

“Disappear!”

“Disappear!”

“Filthy, lowborn blood!”

“An evil one who torments sweet Dahlia!”

“Just vanish!”

Erilot’s trembling hand clenched her lower lip tightly.

Without another word, she turned and left the party hall.

Harsh words like arrowheads began to pierce her back.

Only when no one could see her did Erilot’s steps slow.

Tears dropped, one by one, wetting the carpet.

“Stupid...”

She covered her eyes with one hand and sighed mournfully.

Then she threw a letter into a trash bin in the hallway.

Thud.

The letter hit the inside of the bin and fell atop the trash pile.

[Happy birthday. To you, who resembles the summer flower.]

Erilot crouched before the trash bin, burying her face in both hands.

Through her fingers, tears dripped down steadily.

“Huff!”

I sat up straight.

Cold sweat dampened my hair.

‘What is this? A nightmare?’

It had to be.

Such a scene wasn’t in the novel.

But the dream was so vivid.

‘Did I skip a chapter?’

Even that felt strange.

This Erilot felt completely different from the Ice.Dark.Hand Erilot I knew...

At that moment, a knock echoed through the room.

“Yes.”

As I spoke, someone entered.

A maid pushing a trolley with wash water.

Seeing her, my eyes widened.

“Ah, Miss...”

It was Greta, the maid who took care of me when I stayed at the main estate annex.

Greta hurriedly came to the bedside.

“It’s only been a few months, but you’ve grown so much...!”

With a sniffle, Greta said, “I’m so moved!”

But Greta’s attire was strange.

Originally, she wore a maid’s uniform, but now she was dressed like a general servant.

“Greta, why are you dressed like that?”

“Oh, my duties changed.”

“Hilda too?”

“Yes, Hilda as well!”

Originally, Hilda and Greta held the rank of Nursery Maid.

They cared for children, assisting the nurses.

That’s why they took care of me.

But now they wore the chamber maid (general ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) servant) uniforms.

Greta scratched her head and chuckled awkwardly.

‘She’s been demoted.’

Pure as she was, she didn’t fit the Astra family...

Another maid entered through the open door.

She wore the nursery maid uniform originally worn by Hilda and Greta.

She was the maid who washed and put me to bed just last night.

“Shall we wash you now?”

The maid placed a bib around my neck, and with the wash water Greta brought, she scrubbed my face clean.

“Ouch!”

The maid’s hands were rough, and washing hurt.

Greta gasped and spoke up.

“Um, excuse me...!”

“What?”

“Miss’s skin is delicate, so it will hurt if you’re not gentle...”

The maid glared fiercely at Greta.

With a scowl, she said,

“Do you still think you’re a nursery maid? Don’t say useless things in front of Miss.”

Then she looked at me and smiled kindly.

“Did it hurt? Sorry. I’ll be more careful.”

Though she said that, her hands only got rougher as if her mind was elsewhere.

In less than five minutes, after changing my clothes, the maid quickly shut the door behind her.

Looking in the mirror, my hair looked like it had been bombed — a complete mess.

With my blonde, curly hair, if not tied well, it looked sloppy.

Greta glanced around quickly and carefully approached me.

“May I tie your hair again?”

“Okay!”

Answering, Greta hurried to fix my hair again.

Though her expression was nervous as if worried the nursery maid might come back, her hands combing my hair were very gentle.

Greta braided my hair neatly into two plaits below my ears and said, “There.”

She put down the brush.

“So cute.”

“I like it too.”

Greta chuckled brightly.

At that moment, Deng─Deng─, the bell rang.

It was the signal that morning time was over.

Greta quickly left, greeting me as she went.

“Have a good day!”

“You too, Greta!”

I waved my hand, saying goodbye.

Today, I carried a small shoulder bag and stepped out of the room quickly.

Walking down the hall, the nursery maid who tied my messy hair stood before a door.

‘That’s Joffrey’s room.’

The maid was talking to a woman dressed in a plain green dress.

“Every morning, you don’t need to come; I can take care of it. Still, Mrs. Sarah’s devotion is unmatched~”

“You have to be devoted when serving the young master. Anyway, thank you for taking such good care of young master Joffrey.”

“Oh, no!”

The maid covered her mouth and laughed.

Listening, I realized the woman in the green dress was Joffrey’s nurse.

Her voice dripped with honey.

‘Ah.’

I understood the situation quickly.

Joffrey’s nurse was famous here for being strict.

She came from the capital and had worked as a nursemaid for many noble families, often arranging nursery maid positions.

‘Well, it doesn’t concern me.’

If the hands are rough, I can tell the butler to change the maid.

I’m a child who started this semester in the 7th rank.

One word, and the butler will change my maid quickly.

Thinking that, I kept walking when—

Thunk!

“Ah!”

Something flew and hit my back, then fell to the floor.

Turning around, Joffrey was grinning at me.

He had thrown his shoe at me.

‘That brat...’

“Ouch.”

I said, and Joffrey shrugged his shoulders.

“You couldn’t dodge; it’s your fault.”

I picked up the shoe from the floor with a grunt.

Then Thunk!

“Ah!”

The shoe hit Joffrey’s face.

“My, young master!”

“Kyaa!”

The shoe slid down Joffrey’s face.

“You, you, what is this?”

“Joffrey’s fault for not dodging.”

“That’s...!”

Joffrey stomped his foot angrily and walked toward me.

At that moment,

Arms draped over Joffrey’s neck from both sides.

“What... huh!”

It was Joshua and Balzac.

“Come with us for a moment?”

“Smile, smile.”

With their arms around his shoulders, Joffrey’s face paled.

The twins turned Joffrey around and said to me,

“Baby, you go ahead.”

“Yes!”

Joffrey was dragged away, calling “Nurse...” in a tearful voice.

Mrs. Sarah, Joffrey’s nurse, hurried after the kids shouting,

“Hurry, call the professor!”

The maid ran quickly toward the professor’s office.

Watching Joffrey being dragged off, I smiled faintly and began walking toward the training room.

As a young child, I was scheduled to receive beginner lessons.

‘Hmm, where is the beginner training room...?’

East corridor or west corridor?

The new building was so huge that I had to wander a lot finding the first training room.

It felt like going round and round.

Yesterday, I just had to follow the other kids, but now, going alone, I didn’t know which way was which.

‘It was remodeled from an experimental building, so the layout is definitely complicated.’

The structure had to be complex so the test subjects wouldn’t escape.

‘I should learn the way on the weekend.’

Thinking that, I looked around while walking.

“Ah!”

A surprised voice sounded.

Turning around, I saw a girl with black, curly hair.

She looked about eight at most.

‘Dionera.’

My shy cousin.

“Ah, sorry. The beginner training room isn’t that way; it’s over there...”

She said, fidgeting with her fingers and watching me cautiously.

She looked worried she might have told me the wrong way.

“Thanks.”

Saying that, Dionera’s face brightened instantly.

“Uh, yeah.”

“You’re going to beginner training too?”

“Yeah...”

“Let’s go together.”

I walked over to Dionera and grabbed her hand tightly.

‘I’m glad I found someone to show me the way.’

Dionera looked surprised and stared at me.

She glanced several times between my hand and me, then bowed her head deeply.

Her earlobes were red.

“Okay...”

I walked with Dionera down the corridor.

At the end of the west corridor, we saw a big door.

Two guards were standing watch.

They opened the door when they saw me.

Inside, the kids who came earlier were already seated.

‘They’re all little kids.’

Well, the beginner training room was originally made for little children.

“Oh, seats...”

Dionera glanced quickly around.

I waved her hand to signal.

“There’s one there. Let’s sit.”

“Okay...”

Dionera’s cheeks flushed pink. She seemed shy.

‘Cute.’

As I tried to sit down, someone familiar bowed deeply in front of me.

A girl with tightly curled blonde hair.

“Liantin unnie.”

She was Liantin, who stole my fake reincarnation potion and ruined my grandfather’s birthday gift.

She flinched. She must have been bowing because she saw me coming.

‘Liantin isn’t supposed to be in the beginner training room.’

Then I remembered something Liantin said before.

“It’s because of lack of effort. She ignores me because I’m ranked lowest among the direct heirs!”

Judging by her grades, she seemed to be in the beginner training room because she wasn’t doing well.

Even in Ice.Dark.Hand, Liantin’s grades were always bad.

‘Though she’s good at studying, her practical grades were always poor.’

But it was strange.

I expected her to say sharp words when we met, but she was quiet.

After a moment’s thought, I realized.

‘It’s because I’m in the 7th rank.’

Liantin cared about rankings like her life.

She wanted to get into my grandfather’s good graces to raise her rank.

Liantin quickly grabbed her books and stood up.

She tried to move seats, but then—

Bang!

Someone stomped in angrily.

It was Joffrey.

Liantin, startled, sat back down and bowed her head.

“What? Joffrey’s in the same training room?”

Joffrey glared at me fiercely.

But he didn’t come close.

Joshua and Balzac waved at me from outside the window.

Joffrey gritted his teeth and slammed into the remaining seat.

It was next to Liantin.

Not long after, the training room door opened and the professor entered.

Class started, and the twins, who were waving from the window, left for their own classroom.

The professor handed each of us a test sheet.

“The beginner training room is different from the intermediate and advanced ones. We conduct lessons individually according to each student’s level. Before that, we will check your academic level.”

It was basically a quiz.

I wrote my name crookedly at the top and checked the questions.

‘Definitely hard for kids.’

They asked to interpret difficult sentences in the ancient language and had division problems with three decimal places.

Considering the oldest kid was ten, the level was quite high.

‘If I get them all right, it’d be suspicious.’

I decided to just answer the easy ones.

Focusing on the test, writing small letters with my weak hand muscles was even harder than solving problems.

After finishing, I looked ahead at Joffrey and Liantin...

‘Huh?’