Chapter 21
‘Fortunately, nothing major has happened yet.’
Eila swept her sharp gaze across her surroundings.
Surprisingly, the magic department students had remained quiet so far.
But Eila knew this peace was merely the calm before the storm.
‘Well, at least today’s classes ended without incident.’
She didn’t let her guard down.
Though the malicious bullying had been delayed longer than expected, she knew the petty harassment from noble girls was unavoidable.
As soon as class ended, Eila tried to hurry back to her dorm as usual—she wanted to avoid any trouble until she could secure the princess’s support.
But then, a voice stopped her in the quiet hallway.
“Eila.”
A familiar voice—one she didn’t want to hear.
Eila pretended not to hear and quickened her pace.
“Eila!”
The second call twisted her expression with conflicting emotions.
The owner of that voice was none other than Cedric.
Before she could react, he grabbed her wrist roughly.
But Eila didn’t turn around immediately, lost in thought.
‘Why is my brother looking for me?’
In the original story, after Roshia’s appearance, Cedric had never sought her out.
‘He wouldn’t come now out of concern for me. Did Roshia send him?’
That was the only plausible reason.
Eila wiped the coldness from her face, forcing a fragile expression instead.
Tears welled up in her eyes almost instantly.
Without wiping them away, she slowly turned around.
Cedric’s face stiffened when he saw her tear-streaked face.
He must have assumed she had heard the malicious rumors spreading through the academy.
For a moment, pity flickered in his chest—but the emotions he had suppressed for so long burst out first.
“Why did you do it?” he demanded abruptly. “What were you thinking?”
“Huh?”
“Why are you getting so close to some lowly commoner?”
“Why are you suddenly asking me that?”
Her stiff tone made him scowl.
Now that he thought about it, she had been using formal speech with him this whole time.
“Eila, why are you talking to me like this?”
“Like what?”
“Why are you using formal speech?”
Eila blinked as if confused.
“Because I’m a commoner now.”
Her tone suggested the answer was obvious, leaving Cedric at a loss for words.
“How could someone like me speak casually to you now?”
“……”
He opened his mouth to argue but closed it again.
Truthfully, he had never imagined this situation.
Even after Roshia was revealed as the true daughter of House Blanche, he had still thought of Eila as his sister.
He had only kept his distance until Roshia settled into her rightful place—he never truly considered Eila a stranger.
He had simply assumed it was a matter of time.
Once Roshia was stable, he believed they could bring Eila back and live happily as before.
But it seemed that had only been his personal wish.
Eila looked as though she had already closed her heart to them.
What pained him more was that he couldn’t bring himself to tell her to speak casually again.
Every time he imagined getting close to Eila, Roshia’s hurt expression surfaced in his mind.
The guilt weighed heavily on him.
Conflicted, Cedric ended up saying something harsh without thinking.
“You know how to mind your manners, yet you don’t realize how much your actions are tarnishing the family’s name?”
His throat tightened as soon as the words left his mouth.
This wasn’t why he had come.
He had only wanted to advise and comfort her out of concern.
But seeing Eila distance herself, sharp words had spilled out unbidden.
“Tarnishing… the family’s name?”
When Eila repeated his words blankly, Cedric took a sharp breath.
“The rumors say you’re not just friendly with that commoner—you’re practically toying with him.”
Eila stared at him before answering firmly.
“It’s true that Felix and I are close.”
“Eila.”
She didn’t hesitate.
“He got hurt protecting me. I treated his wounds out of gratitude, and now he stays by my side to repay me.”
“Cut ties with him.”
“I can’t.”
Cedric looked at her in disbelief.
He hadn’t expected her to openly defy him like this.
“What?”
“Felix is the only one on my side now.”
“……”
“So I won’t distance myself from him. He’s the only one who still needs me.”
Eila bowed her head as she spoke, looking heartbreakingly lonely.
At first, Cedric couldn’t hide his frustration at her defending a commoner.
But slowly, he understood her meaning.
Eila had no one now—no family, no friends. Everyone had left her side.
The only reason she stayed close to Felix was because he was the only one who still accepted her.
The realization left him with an inexplicable ache in his chest.
“That’s…”
“If you have nothing else to say, I’ll take my leave.”
As Eila turned to go, Cedric instinctively grabbed her wrist again.
He couldn’t let her walk away like this.
“Gerart and I…”
But he couldn’t finish.
Eila was looking up at him with wounded eyes.
“Please let go.”
Her voice trembled.
In that moment, Cedric realized he had hurt her again without meaning to.
If he had wanted to hold onto her, he should have done it sooner—before she was cast out of the estate.
But the cruelest part was knowing that even if he could turn back time, he wouldn’t have been able to keep her.
Roshia was his real sister now. Being kind to Eila would only hurt her.
His grip loosened, and Eila quickly walked away.
Cedric didn’t know.
Someone had been watching their entire conversation.
‘Why is my brother with her?’
Roshia, who had been searching for Cedric, froze when she saw him with Eila.
This shouldn’t have happened—not if her magic was working properly.
She gnawed on her fingernails.
‘Things aren’t going as I planned.’
It was strange.
By now, Cedric and Eila should have become estranged—worse than strangers.
‘I’ve been manipulating their emotions, after all.’
Every time they thought of Eila, feelings of pity and bonds would cloud their judgment.
Gradually, people would grow more attached to Roshia, while their interest in Eila faded.
That was the subconscious suggestion she had planted in her family.
Her ultimate goal was to turn them into emotionless puppets who obeyed only her commands.
‘The greatest side effect—and the greatest advantage—of emotional manipulation magic.’
The more this magic was used, the more it eroded the target’s sense of self.
That was why she couldn’t use it recklessly.
She could only use it on those ‘He’ permitted—her family, excluding Eila.
The problem was that despite such powerful magic, her plans kept going awry.
