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Chapter 53
This… this is beyond imagination!
Damian Valent defeated Gerald Tortor.
“And in the most infuriating way for Gerald!”
└ [I believed in you ㅜㅜㅜㅜㅜ]
└ [Damian really paid back his parents ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
└ [Even better than being first place, lololol]
└ [Wait, would he have lost if Rose hadn’t asked him?]
└ [Revenge really is sweet…]
The comment fairies showered Damian’s achievement with praise—and so did I.
“You did so, so well on the entrance exam!”
“Really? Ah, I did try hard, but this subject was kinda tough.”
Damian pointed to the last subject listed on the board:
<Art Subject>
<7. Gerald Tortor – 89 points>
…
<43. Damian Valent – 34 points>
└ [Ahaha, he’s weak in art!]
└ [It’s okay, he did great elsewhere]
Yeah. It’s fine.
Because the beginner-level art course at the academy is a liberal arts subject where you memorize famous artwork titles and artists.
It favors students from noble families who’ve grown up around art, and students who’ve only focused on academics tend to struggle.
That’s why it’s usually the rich noble kids who rank high in it…
But in all the academic subjects that require brainwork, Gerald fell behind Damian. He just turned out to be a rich kid with no real merit.
Perfect.
I had asked him to do well on the exam, but the result was better than I ever expected.
Even Hestina, upon seeing her son’s name on the board, covered her mouth in astonishment.
└ [I can hear the sound of a tutor’s contract being extended]
└ [Once a slave, always a slave]
Right beside her, the Duke of Valent gently patted Damian’s head.
Now that the era was more peaceful, how proud must he feel that his son excels with a pen instead of a sword?
“There’ll be swordsmanship classes once I enter the intermediate course. I’ll win at that too.”
“…I see.”
Though the Duke didn’t say much, the look on his face clearly showed that he knew his son’s level of swordsmanship.
Well… still, he’s gotten much better since learning from Grandpa Benjamin.
Actually, with his learning ability, he could do anything!
The young lord who would support the empire in the future—his prospects were incredibly bright.
While I was staring at the board, rereading his name with emotion—
Damian spotted a familiar face and called out.
“Oh, Lackey No. 2.”
If No. 3 is the top student, then who the heck is No. 2?
I naturally turned my head in the direction of Damian’s voice…
And locked eyes.
Blonde hair identical to his father’s. Still chubby from childhood—Gerald Tortor.
└ [He’s NOT a lackey!!!!]
└ [Spit it out, ew ew ew ew ew]
└ [There is no Lackey No. 2. If you spot one, don’t look back—just run.]
└ [Promote No. 3 and demote No. 2]
It wasn’t just the comment fairies denying his status as a lackey.
Gerald flared up at the word “lackey.”
“I’m not your lackey!”
“But look at the rankings. I’m above you, and you’re below me.”
└ [Oh my god, he’s really poking the bear, lol]
└ [How far are you gonna go to honor your parents?]
└ [He’s doing the full course of parental repayment lol]
Damian simply argued that “those who go ahead must lead those who fall behind.”
Yes, it’s ironic that the top student is Lackey No. 3, but he chose to be a lackey…
It wasn’t meant to make Gerald angry, but it definitely did.
Gerald’s face showed the bubbling irritation loud and clear.
With that look, he usually throws a punch first.
└ [Is the troll gonna hit Rose too now?]
└ [♬♬♬♩]
└ [Let’s pay back our parents by taking swordsmanship classes!]
…Back in the old days as Belletta, I was the perfect outlet for his anger because I couldn’t leak stories to the outside.
That expression was so familiar that my body tensed automatically. But surprisingly, Gerald just turned his head away in a huff.
Wow… Damian’s status really is high.
Even someone like Gerald, who can’t control his temper, was holding back.
└ [Only controls his anger in front of strong people, huh?]
└ [So pathetic~]
└ [I usually hate people who crush others with status, but villains? Crush ’em all.]
Damian didn’t even mean to assert dominance—that was the real curse for Gerald.
While he had the strongest shield next to him, I sneakily added fuel to the fire.
“Lord Wizen ranked higher. Shouldn’t he be No. 2?”
“I picked the person directly below me as Lackey No. 2, and Wizen joined later as a lackey.”
Damian thought for a moment and made a proposal to Gerald.
“You’re right. Then how about this—you’ll be No. 3 instead of 2.”
“What the hell are you saying?!”
“You don’t like being No. 3? Okay, I’ll keep you as No. 2 for now. But if Wizen wants to be No. 2 later, we’ll discuss it.”
“That little viscount’s brat?! What the hell, ughhh!”
He doesn’t want to be a lackey, but he’s also pissed about being demoted. And if he protests, it sounds like he wants to be a lackey.
Caught in this dilemma, Gerald could only grumble in frustration.
This is so entertaining.
└ [LOL this is comedy gold]
└ [Hehe, Rose is loving this]
└ [Gerald’s still just a kid. Must look hilarious through Rose’s eyes]
I covered my mouth behind Damian and giggled quietly, and the Duke and Hestina probably thought the kids were just goofing around.
By the way, if Gerald’s here, the Count of Tortor must be nearby too…
I glanced around and spotted a blonde man standing a little ways off.
Last time I saw that blonde hair, my mind went blank with panic…
But this time, I looked up at the faces of Duke Valent and Hestina.
“Hm? Do you have something to say, Rose?”
“No.”
I just… needed a little emotional support.
Back before regression, Count Tortor had steadily built his position as a leading aristocrat. Today too, he was chatting with other nobles, busy managing connections.
He must have heard his son yelling, because he turned his body toward us.
And then—
He saw me.
└ [Don’t look]
I know the fairies hate Count Tortor, but now’s not the time to shy away.
As Belletta, I spent over a decade reading every twitch of his eyes and movement of his body. I knew his habits intimately.
He first noticed Duke Valent. Then Hestina.
Oh? Maybe he didn’t expect the ex-wife to be here.
His gaze then lowered to Damian.
And finally… after a moment of wandering—his eyes landed on me.
His eyes, which had narrowed upon seeing Hestina, narrowed even further when he saw me.
That look means he’s discovered something.
Either a weakness, something interesting, or something desirable.
In conclusion: he recognized me.
That confirms Hinde is definitely a Tortor spy.
The man who planted a spy in the duke’s household walked up with a calm expression.
“That the young lord entered in the same year as my son—what a coincidence. I didn’t expect to meet you here, Duke.”
Feigning friendliness, he even held out a hand to shake.
Duke Valent greeted him as if nothing were wrong.
Of course he would. There’s no reason he’d hold a grudge against the Count. Or rather, there is a reason—he just doesn’t know it yet.
“And this lady is…?”
Count Tortor pretended not to know Hestina and waited for an introduction. He also asked Damian to be friends with Gerald.
Then, his attention finally turned to me.
“And this young lady—is she accompanying the Duke?”
“She’s under my care. I brought her along to tour the academy in case she decides to enroll later.”
Hestina deliberately emphasized that she, not the Duke, brought me.
“I see. Already thinking of the academy at such a young age. She must be quite bright. Impressive.”
Count Tortor met my eyes with a warm smile.
…He never looked at his daughter like that.
He probably already knew who I was, but this was our first face-to-face meeting.
To show such an open, trusting expression to a kid he just met…
└ [Thought this was supposed to be a revenge story—why do I feel the hesitation now?]
└ [We’ve only seen post-regression, but to Rose, he was family for a lifetime. You don’t forget that easily.]
└ [Even when I bump into an ex-friend on the street, I get all emotional…]
└ [Rose holds grudges because she remembers everything too well ㅜ]
Damn it. I lived too long in that house.
Just a small show of kindness from the Count brought back those old, fluttery feelings from the past.
No, Rose. This is not the time to get sentimental.
Bad thoughts. Bad thoughts.
└ [Not “bad thoughts”—“murderous thoughts,” right? lol]
└ [Just kill that Tortor troll already]
└ [Rose, forget everything from before the regression and take him down]
└ [Please don’t attack the AI narrator lol]
