TVRC 03

Chapter 03

Leblanc let out a deep breath and carefully opened the letter. Letters addressed to her were exceedingly rare, so Lily, who was watching her, felt her heart flutter slightly as well.

“What is it?”

“…It’s nothing special. Just an academy acceptance letter.”

“An acceptance letter? When did you even take the exam…?”

Lily skimmed through the letter she had received from Leblanc, then widened her eyes and reread it. As if she couldn’t believe it, she covered her mouth with one hand and made a fuss.

“This is hardly ‘nothing’! It’s not just an acceptance—you were admitted as the top student! Wow, miss, that’s incredible!”

Rosimona Academy was one of the three great academies operated by the Empire, renowned as the most prestigious among them and famous for producing the finest talents.

Yet despite Lily’s excited reaction, Leblanc remained calm, resting her chin in one hand. Even in her previous life, when she had lived like a dead mouse, cowed by the contempt of Duchess Berti and the violence of Regasian, Leblanc had tried once to escape the mansion.

She had hoped to flee to Rosimona Academy, which operated a dormitory system, and free herself from her family’s grasp. Because she made that decision later than her peers, she had clenched her teeth and studied day and night, secretly sitting for the entrance exam—and she had proudly achieved the remarkable result of being accepted as the top student.

However, the Leblanc of her previous life never made it to the academy. Duchess Berti learned of her acceptance before her father, Gate, and intimidated her into giving up her admission herself.

Once again falling victim to Berti’s schemes, Leblanc abandoned her chance to enroll, sinking into despair at the belief that she was a worthless person who could do nothing. That despair simultaneously instilled in her a lifelong fear that she would never be able to leave the mansion.

A year later, only after receiving the blessing of death’s power from Chaos, the god of darkness, and killing both Berti and Regasian with her own hands, was she finally able to escape that fear—if only slightly.

Giving up that admission back then was truly a foolish choice. If only I had shown the acceptance letter to Father first, everything would have been different. But I was too scared to even think of that…

Her father, Duke Gate Arnetio, valued ability above all else. He always told his children that if they wanted his attention, they had to prove their competence. That alone was why he had ignored and dismissed Leblanc. If she had shoved the top-ranking acceptance letter from Rosimona Academy right in front of him, his attitude would surely have changed in an instant.

“When is the entrance ceremony? If you’re entering as the top student, you’ll be the one giving the freshmen’s oath, right?”

“No. I only took it as a test. I’m not enrolling.”

“What? Why not?”

“Just because.”

Lily stared at her in shock, clearly flustered by the declaration that she wouldn’t enroll. But Leblanc replied with an utterly composed expression.

In her previous life, her desire to attend the academy had been nothing more than a means of escape. Now that she had even returned through time, there was no need to leisurely attend an academy.

Moreover, the academy’s capable professors would surely harbor doubts about Leblanc’s power. Still, this acceptance letter bearing the words top student would undoubtedly become an excellent card for her to play. Leblanc knew better than anyone where to use it.

First, should I marry Erkis…?

Just thinking of Erkis made her cheeks faintly flush. The thought of being able to meet him again felt like a dream. Soon, however, the smile at the corner of her lips faded.

While Lily was momentarily distracted, Leblanc extended her hand and gathered her power. At once, writhing black smoke rose from her palm. After confirming it, Leblanc immediately withdrew the power.

Something was clearly off. In her previous life, she had only received this power from Chaos, the god of darkness, about a year later—yet it was already firmly settled within her body. This primal, destructive power had saved her, but at the same time it had driven her life into ruin, like a double-edged sword.

I can’t use this power recklessly anymore.

Clenching her fist tightly, Leblanc made another vow—to never again repeat the same powerless mistakes of her past life. She never wanted to experience the moment of losing Erkis again.

Several hours later, Leblanc, who had been spending her time leisurely reading a book, closed it at the commotion echoing down the corridor. Before long, a sharp voice that seemed to tear at her ears called out for her.

“Leblanc! Where is that wench?!”

A middle-aged woman, her face flushed red with rage, burst into Leblanc’s room. Leblanc frowned slightly as she looked at the familiar face she hadn’t seen in a long time. Those vicious eyes, that cruel temperament—it was her stepmother, Duchess Berti, who had tormented Leblanc to death.

She must have gone out somewhere, judging by how quiet the mansion had been. The extravagant dress dripping with jewels looked ill-suited to her, giving her an oddly garish appearance.

“Leblanc!”

“You’re back?”

Unlike Berti, who was shouting in fury, Leblanc greeted her with a tone and expression she would never have used in the past. Though she appeared calm on the surface, her stomach churned at the sight of her stepmother after so long. Her hands trembled faintly as memories of fear resurfaced, but Leblanc tightened her grip, forcing herself to suppress it.

Striding straight toward her, Berti suddenly slapped Leblanc across the face. Leblanc’s head turned slightly with the blow.

“Ah…”

“How dare a wretch like you lay a hand on Regasian! You’ve completely lost your mind!”

Blinded by rage at what had happened to her son, Berti hurled a stream of insults at Leblanc without pause.

Yet Leblanc simply looked up at her in silence, feeling an odd sense of emptiness. A small, bony frame, sagging skin with age, heavy makeup and gaudy accessories to hide it all—she looked nothing like the figure from Leblanc’s memories that had gnawed at her sanity for years.

To think I was so terrified of such a pathetic woman.

Leblanc had already experienced Berti’s death once before. Berti Arnetio had been a woman who, in the end, groveled and trembled at Leblanc’s feet, begging for her insignificant life and revealing the ugliest of faces.

Having overcome even her fear of Regasian, it was practically impossible for Leblanc to feel fear of Berti again now.

When she was young, Berti had seemed utterly terrifying. Now, the only thing pitiable was how Leblanc’s life had been ruined because of such a paltry woman. As Berti raised her hand again in anger, Leblanc grabbed her wrist without hesitation. Berti couldn’t move an inch against that iron grip.

“H-How dare you be so insolent!”

Despite her shrill voice, Berti’s body flinched. Something was clearly wrong. Leblanc stopping her hand? And what was with that proudly lifted chin and those eyes staring straight at her?

Under normal circumstances, this would have been the moment Leblanc shrank back, bowed her head, and begged for forgiveness. Leblanc Arnetio—she had been nothing more than a small beast Berti had painstakingly molded over a long period of time.

“Can’t you see the wounds on my body, Mother?”

“What?”

Leblanc stared directly into Berti’s eyes. Confusion flickered there. Berti was a shrewd and sharp-witted woman. Someone like her would already have sensed that something was off about Leblanc. Not missing her chance, Leblanc added in a low voice,

“I’ve endured a lot all this time. I’m sick of being treated like this for no reason. Compared to the abuse Regasian has inflicted on me, what happened today is practically cute.”

“…Do you really think your father will leave you alone if he finds out about this?”

“Well, as you know, Father has little interest in siblings’ squabbles. Ah, but I am quite curious about what he’ll think of Regasian being helplessly overpowered by a sister who’s not even half his size.”

At Leblanc’s provocative tone, Berti bit her lip hard. The ease in Leblanc’s eyes seemed to scrape at her insides, filling her with resentment.

One thing was certain: Leblanc had changed. Whether she had been hiding it all along or had turned into a different person overnight didn’t matter.

The person standing before her now was not the foolish child who trembled at her every word. That eerie, gleaming gaze—it was as though the little viper she had toyed with to vent her anger had grown into a python, waiting for the chance to devour its prey.

There was always a reason when a beast suddenly revealed its true nature. Having made her judgment swiftly, Berti took a step back and asked,

“What do you want?”

“That’s exactly why I like you, Mother—you get to the point.”

Only then did Leblanc smile faintly and sit back down. Berti, staring at that smile tinged with something foul, took a seat across from her. As if nothing had happened, Leblanc lifted her teacup and sipped her tea leisurely.

“I’ll give you two choices.”