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* * *
Fortunately, nothing has happened yet.
Ayla carefully scanned her surroundings with sharp eyes.
Surprisingly, the students in the Department of Magic had remained quiet so far.
But she knew this peace was merely the calm before the storm.
Well, either way, another day of classes safely finished.
Ayla refused to let her guard down.
The malicious bullying had been slower to arrive than expected, but the petty harassment of noble ladies was not something she could avoid simply by wanting to.
As soon as class ended, Ayla prepared to head straight back to her dormitory as usual.
Until she secured the First Princess as an ally, she wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict.
But then, a voice stopped her as she crossed a quiet corridor.
“Ayla.”
It was a familiar voice.
One she had no desire to hear.
Pretending not to notice, Ayla quickened her pace.
“Ayla!”
At the second call, her expression twisted with conflicting emotions.
The owner of that voice was none other than Cedric.
Before she could react, he strode forward and grabbed her wrist.
But instead of turning around immediately, Ayla fell into thought.
Why is my brother looking for me?
In the original story, after Rosia appeared, Cedric had never once sought her out personally.
It can’t be because he’s worried about me now. Did Rosia send him?
Realistically, that was the only reason she could think of.
Ayla erased the coldness from her face and deliberately adopted the most pitiful expression she could manage.
Almost instantly, tears welled in her eyes.
Without wiping them away, she slowly turned around.
The moment Cedric saw her face, his own expression stiffened.
He immediately assumed she had heard the malicious rumors spreading throughout the academy.
A surge of pity rose within him.
But the emotions he had been suppressing for so long erupted first.
“So why did you do it? What were you thinking?”
Cedric began questioning her without hesitation.
“Why are you spending so much time with some insignificant commoner?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Don’t tell me you’ve actually developed feelings for that Felix boy.”
“Why are you suddenly asking me that?”
Her cold response made Cedric frown.
Only then did he realize that she had been speaking formally to him the entire time.
“Ayla, why are you talking to me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Why are you using formal speech?”
Ayla blinked as though she genuinely didn’t understand the question.
“Because I’m a commoner now.”
Her attitude clearly conveyed:
Isn’t that obvious?
Cedric found himself at a loss for words.
“How could someone like me possibly speak casually to Lord Cedric the way I used to?”
“…”
His lips parted as though to argue, only to close again.
The truth was that he had never imagined things would become like this.
Even after Rosia was revealed to be the true daughter of the Blanche family, he had continued to think of Ayla as his sister.
He had only intended to keep some distance until Rosia settled into her rightful place.
He had never truly considered Ayla a stranger.
He simply thought it would take time.
Someday, once Rosia adjusted and everything stabilized, he had expected to bring Ayla back and return to the happy family they once were.
Apparently, that had been nothing more than his personal wish.
Because Ayla looked as though she had already put all those feelings behind her.
What made it even more painful was that Cedric couldn’t bring himself to tell her to speak comfortably again.
Every time he imagined growing close to Ayla, he saw Rosia getting hurt.
And that thought filled him with unbearable guilt.
Confused and frustrated, he blurted out something cruel.
“You know enough to act politely, yet you don’t realize how much shame you’re bringing upon the family?”
The moment the words left his mouth, his throat tightened.
That wasn’t why he had come.
He hadn’t come to criticize her.
He had simply been worried.
He had wanted to comfort her and offer advice.
But seeing how distant she had become caused sharp words to slip out before he could stop them.
“Shame… upon the family?”
As Ayla repeated his words blankly, Cedric took a deep breath.
“According to the rumors, you’re not merely friendly with a commoner. People are saying you’re practically carrying on a romance.”
Ayla stared at him for a long moment before answering firmly.
“It’s true that Felix and I are close.”
“Ayla.”
Cedric called her name, but she continued without hesitation.
“He got hurt while helping me. I treated his injuries because I was grateful. Since then, Felix has stayed by my side because he’s thankful to me.”
“Distance yourself from him.”
“I can’t.”
Cedric stared at her in disbelief.
He had never expected such a direct refusal.
“What?”
“Felix is the only person on my side right now.”
“…”
“So I can’t distance myself from him. He’s the only person left who needs me.”
After saying that, Ayla lowered her head.
She looked unbearably lonely.
Heartbreakingly sad.
At first, Cedric had only been frustrated that she was defending some insignificant commoner.
But gradually, he understood what she was really saying.
Ayla had no one left.
No family.
No friends.
Everyone had abandoned her.
The only reason she stayed close to Felix was because he was the only person willing to accept her.
The realization struck him harder than he expected.
His chest felt strangely heavy.
“That’s…”
“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll be going now.”
As Ayla turned to leave, Cedric instinctively grabbed her wrist again.
He felt that he couldn’t let her walk away like this.
“Gerat and I…”
But he couldn’t finish the sentence.
Because Ayla was looking up at him with a wounded expression.
“Please stop holding me.”
Her voice trembled.
Only then did Cedric realize that he had hurt her once again.
If he had wanted to hold onto her, he should have done so long ago.
Before she was thrown out of the estate.
The truly pathetic part was that even if time were reversed, he probably still wouldn’t have stopped it.
Because Rosia was now his biological sister.
And treating Ayla well would hurt Rosia.
The strength slowly left his hand.
As soon as his grip loosened, Ayla quickly walked away.
What Cedric didn’t know—
Was that someone had witnessed the entire conversation.
* * *
Why is my brother with her?
Rosia had been looking for Cedric when she happened to see him standing with Ayla.
The sight shocked her.
If her magic had been working properly, something like this should never have happened.
Rosia nervously bit her fingernail.
Things aren’t going the way I planned.
It was strange.
According to her calculations, Cedric and Ayla should have become worse than strangers by now.
After all, I’ve been manipulating their emotions.
Whenever they thought about Ayla, the sympathy and affection they once felt for her became blurred and distorted.
Gradually, their attachment shifted toward Rosia instead, while their concern for Ayla faded away.
That was the suggestion Rosia had implanted into her family.
Ultimately, her goal was even greater.
She wanted to turn her family into emotionless puppets who obeyed only her commands.
The greatest side effect of emotional manipulation magic… and also its greatest advantage.
The more the spell was used, the more it eroded the target’s sense of self.
That was why she did not cast it recklessly.
She only used it on those whom that person had permitted—
Her family members.
Everyone except Ayla.
The problem was that despite using such powerful magic, her plans kept going wrong.
And that made Rosia deeply uneasy.
