HTNSA 22

Chapter 22

The first sign that something was off had been when Eila left the mansion far sooner than expected.

Roshia had planned to ruin Eila’s reputation first, reinforcing the subconscious suggestions she’d planted in the family.

But Eila had left on her own, robbing Roshia of the opportunity.

Since then, Eila’s actions at the academy had been equally disappointing.

While she’d earned some scorn for arrogantly rejecting Kadin and mingling with commoners, there was nothing concrete to criticize about her behavior itself.

‘If anything, she’s acting exactly like a commoner who knows her place.’

Because of that, people couldn’t openly insult her—they could only whisper behind her back.

Roshia found this deeply unsatisfying.

The final straw had been Kadin’s recent strange behavior.

Just remembering it made Roshia’s lips tighten.

When she’d met him recently, she’d been certain he had some level of interest in her.

But then, a message from the Blanche Ducal House had left her reeling.

‘He said he doesn’t want to get engaged to me right now.’

And with an absurd excuse—that he needed to focus on his studies.

The Blanche Ducal House and the Leight Marquisate were allied families.

The only thing that could solidify such an alliance was a marriage pact.

So Roshia had assumed Kadin would quickly accept her as his fiancée.

‘There’s no reason for him to delay our engagement.’

Yet he stubbornly insisted on postponing it.

Worse, rumors were spreading that his recent fight with the commoner Felix had been over Eila.

At that thought, Roshia’s fists clenched.

Consumed by jealousy, she was seized by a fierce temptation.

‘Should I just use emotional manipulation magic on Kadin?’

But she quickly shook her head.

The more that magic was used, the more the target’s sense of self would erode.

What Roshia wanted was Kadin himself—not a hollow puppet.

‘Why am I even here?’

She resented Kadin for not understanding her feelings.

Once, Roshia had been one of the top mages in the Magic Tower.

Her fall from grace had begun the day Kadin visited the tower and she saw him for the first time.

Smitten at first sight, she had resorted to forbidden magic—emotional manipulation—to make him hers.

Only later did she realize the horrifying side effects, but by then, it was too late.

When her crimes were discovered, she was expelled from the tower and imprisoned.

She should have rotted in that cell forever—punishment for meddling with magic that warped the human mind.

But then, one day, a certain figure had approached her.

---

“Become the true daughter of the ducal house and seize it for yourself. You will be the Blanche heiress.”

---

With nothing left to lose, Roshia had no choice but to take his hand.

That was how she had come to replace Eila as the Blanche family’s daughter.

‘I gave up everything for you.’

Her status as the Magic Tower’s top mage. Even her original appearance.

Yet Kadin still couldn’t let go of Eila—enough to delay his engagement to Roshia.

Her eyes turned cold.

She had thought that by cooperating with him and attaining a status she could never have reached on her own, she would finally stand proudly by Kadin’s side.

But Eila was slowly derailing those plans.

Recently, Kadin had even fought another man over her.

‘What’s so special about Eila? Why are two men fighting over her?’

The news that Felix—the commoner close to Eila—had defeated Kadin only worsened Roshia’s mood.

‘That guy has the potential to become a Sword Master? Ridiculous.’

But because of that absurd rumor, the nobles couldn’t openly ostracize Eila.

Roshia hated that Eila wasn’t miserable.

She also despised how Eila played the victim, bowing her head to earn sympathy.

‘Kadin isn’t coming to me because he’s still hung up on Eila.’

The jealousy was unbearable.

She had pretended to be kind long enough—now, she just wanted to crush Eila openly.

‘No, not yet. I can’t… not yet.’

Roshia took a deep breath, steadying herself.

Her agreement with him was to take control of the Blanche family as its daughter.

Tormenting Eila or using emotional manipulation magic on her wasn’t part of the plan—not without consulting him first.

Besides, Eila was currently an important medium for reinforcing the subconscious suggestions in the family.

If Roshia overused magic on her, the brainwashing on the others might weaken.

For now, she had to focus on securing the family’s loyalty.

But letting Eila live an ordinary academy life didn’t sit right with her.

‘It’s fine as long as I’m not the one doing it, right?’

It wasn’t like Roshia was the only one who disliked Eila.

Plenty of people envied her.

All Roshia needed to do was give them a reason to act.

A sly smile curled on her lips.

‘Manipulating others is my specialty.’

Having made up her mind, she headed toward a certain someone who came to mind.

Her steps were much lighter now.

---

Freya was enjoying teatime with her friends as usual.

But her fingers gripping the teacup were white with tension.

The shocking news she’d just heard kept echoing in her mind.

‘That commoner Felix… defeated Kadin in swordsmanship? How is that possible?’

While she was still reeling, her friends continued chatting casually.

“You know, Eila might actually have a good eye for people.”
“Right? At first, I thought they were just sticking together because they had no other options… but who knew that commoner was strong enough to beat Kadin?”
“Eila must’ve known. She doesn’t have anyone else to rely on now.”

Then one of the girls smirked and added,

“But that commoner is kinda cute, isn’t he? He’s got the physique of a knight-in-training.”
“Oh, I’ll admit that. Makes me wish I’d talked to him sooner.”
“Ugh, but his attitude is terrible. I heard he doesn’t hesitate to humiliate nobles.”
“That just makes Eila even more impressive. How did she tame someone with such a prickly personality?”

Though they pretended to gossip about Eila, the conversation gradually shifted to admiration—for her discernment, her charm.

Freya couldn’t stand it.

‘How did things turn out like this? If she’s a commoner now, she should live miserably like one.’

The teacup in her hand trembled slightly, but thankfully, no one noticed.

Yet her friends’ words only fueled her frustration.

“Honestly, Eila’s amazing. Even after everything that happened, she’s still standing strong.”
“Yeah. There’s something elegant about how she’s handling things.”

The moment she heard that, Freya felt scalding rage rise in her chest.

Thud!

Unable to contain her anger, she slammed her teacup down violently.

Tea splashed everywhere, and her friends stared at her in shock.