Bab 62: [Chapter 62] What kind of habit do you have, sister?
The white pavilion by the lake was, of course, the same one that students often used during etiquette lessons.
The pavilion, which was dyed pink by the sunset, was quiet and beautiful, with no other students around.
The last summer rose, which was still clinging to its stem, drooped its head like a painting. The sound of the first autumn insects' cries flowed from the surrounding bushes.
Valentine was sitting on the railing of the pavilion, leaning against it. Her sullen face brightened when she saw Neris approaching.
"Sister!"
"Valentine."
Neris called out her name in a familiar way, without any hint of hatred. Showing such emotions now would be pointless.
"You came."
Valentine got down from the pavilion, holding her skirt, and smiled brightly at Neris. Neris also smiled back.
"I had to come since you asked me to meet you."
"I was worried that you might not come because I was rude to you earlier and you might be angry."
Neris smiled wryly at Valentine's coquettish tone. She probably didn't think that way at all.
"There's no way I wouldn't come. You're still young, so you might have acted that way at home too."
That statement implied that Valentine was so spoiled at home that she acted the same way outside.
Valentine's face, which was not oblivious to nuances, stiffened slightly before relaxing. She wrapped her arm around Neris's right arm and spoke affectionately.
"I'm not that young. You entered the advanced class right after enrolling last year, didn't you? How are you so smart? My brother also praised you a lot."
"Thanks. It's not that big of a deal. You're the smart one, Valentine."
"Aww, how do you know that?"
"I do know."
That cunningness, patience, and thoroughness.
Neris only realized that Valentine had these traits when she was about to die.
How could she not have known that Valentine was cruel? In Neris's previous life, Valentine had disliked her from the moment she enrolled, and had successfully bullied her before she was adopted.
However, Neris had never thought that Valentine was smart. Valentine was a child who always showed her emotions openly.
But everyone has a new side to them when you get to know them. Even Valentine, who seemed to live without hiding anything, might have been hiding the fact that she planned to abandon Neris once everything was over.
Neris's gaze at Valentine was about to turn harsh, but she soon regained control of her emotions and put on a pure and kind expression.
"Where are you planning to have dinner? If you had told me to come to your dorm, I would have gone."
It wasn't that Valentine wasn't holding Neris's arm and walking in a specific direction. Valentine had sparkling blue round eyes and said with a cute smile.
"We can't see the lake from the dorm. I've reserved a good spot. Let's have dinner together to celebrate our newfound friendship."
"That's great. Now that I think about it, you're alone. Where's your maid? It's late, so it's not good for you to be alone."
Neris mentioned a fact she had known from before as if she had just realized it. Valentine laughed bashfully. The evening sun of early autumn dyed her silver hair beautifully. The sun was about to set.
"Don't worry. Everyone is preparing for dinner, and I came to pick up my sister."
"Thank you."
Neris responded with a hint of politeness, but her short tail of words revealed a hint of skepticism. Valentine's eyes flickered for a moment before returning to normal.
The two arrived at a small wooden house on the lakeside. There was a light on inside, but no other sounds or food smells could be detected.
The front door was tightly closed, but the storage room door, which seemed to connect directly to the inside of the house, was slightly ajar.
This was something that had happened before. So, when Valentine smiled and opened her mouth, Neris knew what she would say next.
"Everyone must be busy preparing. Let's go in through that door."
"A noble lady like you shouldn't be going in through a place like that."
"Oh, there's no choice. We have to scold Delma when we get in."
Valentine's eyes sparkled innocently. The sun was setting, and the sky was quickly being dyed a deep blue.
Neris smiled warmly.
"That's right."
"Let's go, sister."
Valentine subtly let go of Neris's arm.
Neris stopped at the entrance of the storage room, which had no lights, and glanced at the front door. As she hesitated, Valentine, who seemed anxious, took a step forward, as if to say, "Go ahead."
"Sister, even I, the duke's daughter, am going in here. What's there to be afraid of? Look, the world isn't going to collapse!"
Due to her anxiety, Valentine's true nature was slightly revealed, but she didn't seem to realize it. Neris had the same expression as before, which reassured Valentine.
Finally, Neris followed Valentine into the dark storage room, taking one step forward.
"That's right."
Clang.
Neris stretched out her arm and grabbed the door handle of the storage room, which was open inward, and quickly pulled it shut from the outside.
And she locked the door firmly.
Valentine didn't realize what was happening to her at first. It was as if she was dreaming.
However, the sound of rats scurrying in the darkness, where not a single ray of light entered, brought her back to reality.
She was trapped. And it was in a place that Neris had deliberately prepared to keep her locked up all night!
"Ah!"
Valentine's anger reached its peak, and she let out a loud shout.
"What are you doing? Open the door!"
Outside the door, Neris spoke calmly, as if they were having a conversation at a social gathering.
Valentine was stunned. How did she know?
When Valentine had called Neris "sister" in the hallway earlier, she had felt an indescribable sense of humiliation.
However, after reconsidering Delma's warning, it seemed like an opportunity. A chance to toy with that arrogant girl who thought she was superior.
So, after the first lesson at the academy ended, Valentine went to Isabel, who was waiting on Neris, and whispered to her to send a message to the white pavilion by the lake. It was a place where Valentine had eaten with Nellucian on the day of the entrance ceremony, and it was the only place she knew.
After that, things progressed quickly. Delma took care of all the necessary tasks for Valentine.
She rented an empty house, lit a fire, and locked the front door.
This place was far enough away from the other houses that even if someone made a loud noise, it wouldn't be heard.
Valentine thought that if she were left alone in this dirty storage room all night, she might become a bit more obedient and tearful. But Neris ruined her pleasant imagination. Completely!
"This, this wretched thing! Open the door! Are you not going to open it? What kind of trick is this?"
"You were the one who started playing tricks first. How long did you plan to keep me locked up? Until tomorrow morning?"
Valentine, who had been banging on the door, stopped. How did this fox-like girl know?
No, it didn't matter anyway, since there was no evidence. But she quickly caught on.
"When was I going to do that!"
"It seems like you really didn't want to get caught by your brother. You even left Delma behind to avoid being found out. You thought hard about it, and I'll give you credit for that. But what's the point? When people have bad thoughts, they get what's coming to them."
Since there was no lighting inside the storage room, Valentine was trapped in complete darkness as soon as the sun set. The voice coming from outside the door was infuriatingly calm, which made Valentine forget her initial plan to try to appease Neris and instead shout loudly.
"You wicked girl! If I get out of here, I won't let you go! My brother won't let you go either! I'm the duke's daughter!"
"And I'm the knight's daughter. I don't know what pride you have as the duke's daughter, but as the knight's daughter, I have the pride of fighting back when provoked."
Valentine couldn't see, but Neris's face, standing in front of the storage room door, was filled with bitterness.
The pride of being the knight's daughter. Hadn't that already been tainted in her past life? She had been a servant to dirty people and died without even being able to resist.
'At least, not this time.'
She wouldn't be fooled so easily.
In her past life, Valentine had done the same thing. It wasn't on the first day of school, but a few days later.
Back then, Neris had been trapped in a dirty and dark storage room, spending the night alone without anyone to help her. She had no friends, and no one came to look for her even when she disappeared. The storage room was infested with rats.
Luckily, a resident of Katen who had come to fish by the lake the next morning found Neris, or else something terrible would have happened.
Neris, being a lady from a family that had lent her tuition, couldn't even dare to protest to Valentine.
After that incident, a few days later, when Valentine met Neris in the lower-grade classroom area, she said without batting an eye.
"That's right, you were there."
And the harsh bullying continued.
Back then, Neris couldn't understand. If she didn't care enough to forget, why did she go to such great lengths to torment someone?
Now, she had a rough idea of the answer to that question.
In Valentine's mind, Neris's position was always low. However, even so, Valentine couldn't tolerate anything that bothered her, no matter how small.
If something bothered her even a little, she had to eliminate it completely.
"Even if I knew Megara from a young age, didn't I say I would kill her if I became the crown princess? So, I have no choice but to be thorough on this side as well."
"It's not like you'll be here for long anyway. Your precious Delma will come looking for you soon. Just be quiet for a little while, Valentine."
Valentine, as if having a fit, shouted loudly at Neris's deliberate use of her nickname, stretching out the end of her sentence.
"You wretch! You dare to call me by my nickname so casually! You're a girl who can't even receive a favor! You're rotten to the core! You're a rotten apple! Do you know? You don't belong in this school or in noble society! Even a stray dog passing by is more valuable than you! Don't think that our father will continue to pay your tuition!"
Dog. Valentine's insults were the same as before. Neris was almost lost in thought.
Rotten apple, rotten to the core, stray dog.
The most vicious and cruel insults known to the young duke's daughter.
Valentine's words could no longer have an impact on Neris. They were just the helpless ramblings of a trapped child. Moreover, tuition?
"I didn't know, Valentine."
Neris deliberately called Valentine by her nickname once more.
"I received a scholarship last year, and I've already paid back everything I borrowed from your father. And since my grades were good last year, I'll be receiving a scholarship again this year. I've even paid back my dorm fees. ...I haven't received anything, so why do you think your words have any meaning to me?"
Valentine suddenly slammed the door, and her angry roar was like that of a beast. Neris smiled and left the scene.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone