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“Everyone promised to help me… This is too much.”
“I’m sorry, Rosia. But no matter what, we can’t bully her friend while the Princess Consort is watching.”
“If we let the Princess Consort know Ayla’s true nature, she will naturally distance herself.”
“Yeah, until then, I think it’s best to just watch the situation.”
What was even more annoying was that the voices defending Ayla were gradually growing louder in the academy.
“Isn’t Ayla amazing? Even though she became a commoner, she still hangs out with such prominent figures like the Princess Consort and Duke Argenta’s disciple.”
“That’s right. She’s been getting a lot of flak, but what did Ayla do wrong? It seems like she’s been firmly rejecting Kadin’s advances.”
The noble students’ change of attitude was surprisingly fast.
Rosia was fed up with their attitude of conforming to power.
‘Damn it, this is no help at all.’
In the end, Rosia had to lose the given opportunities one by one, seething with frustration.
Now, she couldn’t even harass Ayla, and her attempt to drive a wedge between her family members had also failed.
Moreover, the process of seizing control of the Blanche Noble house was not progressing at all.
The biggest problem was the Duchess.
‘I can’t believe Emotion Manipulation Magic doesn’t work on the Duchess.’
The Duchess, Irene, held a great resentment towards the Duke, who had kicked Ayla out in just one day.
Perhaps that was why she strongly rebuked whatever the Duke said and started nitpicking at Rosia’s remarks at every turn.
A few days ago, Rosia keenly felt that atmosphere during tea time with her family.
Calios looked at Rosia, who was sitting in front of him, with a pleased expression and said,
“You’ll be taking the end-of-semester exam soon.”
At his words, Gerard naturally took over the conversation.
“Well, with Rosia’s skills, she’ll easily take the top spot.”
“Don’t say that. She might feel pressured.”
Their conversation made Rosia feel pleased.
She said in a confident voice.
“Yes, I will take the top spot as befitting the daughter of the Blanche Noble house! Don’t worry, Father.”
Calios gave a satisfied smile at her confident answer.
“That’s right, our Rosia will be able to do it.”
“Of course. I will clear the stigma of the Blanche Noble house not having taken the top spot until now.”
Rosia’s brightly smiling face seemed to have no malice on the surface.
However, her words strangely sounded like she was rebuking Ayla, and the atmosphere of the tea time turned cold in an instant.
Irene couldn’t hide her discomfort at Rosia’s words and opened her mouth.
“Is there any need to say such a thing there?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s a virtue not to say unnecessary things at all.”
At the Duchess’s cold words, Rosia stiffened her lips and lowered her head silently.
Seeing that, Calios clicked his tongue and scolded Irene.
“Rosia’s words aren’t exactly wrong, so why are you scolding the child?”
As a cold atmosphere flowed over the table, Gerard tried to ease the mood.
“Rosia didn’t mean anything by it, Mother. It just meant that her goal is that big.”
Despite the two people’s defense, Rosia’s mood did not improve at all.
‘Why doesn’t Irene like me?’
The Duchess Blanche did not find Rosia cute at all, and she had never even spoken a word kindly to her.
‘I’m supposed to be her real daughter, so why doesn’t she take my side?’
Rosia’s dissatisfaction did not end there.
Cedric, who attended the same academy, had also been acting strangely lately.
Not long ago, she was riding home with him in a carriage.
At that time, Rosia deliberately brought up words that subtly criticized Ayla.
She shed tears and confessed that she had something she was upset about.
‘I want to get along with Ayla, but I feel like Ayla keeps trying to distance herself from me.’
‘Ayla is distancing herself from you?’
‘Yes, I wonder if she doesn’t like me. She keeps ignoring me. When I try to approach her first, she stiffens her expression and avoids the spot….’
After saying that much, Rosia glanced up at Cedric and secretly cast Emotion Manipulation Magic.
It was an intention to drive Ayla more effectively.
However, the reaction Cedric showed completely deviated from her expectations.
“Um… I don’t know.”
He seemed to be thinking hard and continued.
“Rather than Ayla trying to ignore you, it seems like she’s just accepting that you have to go your separate ways.”
“But, but I want to get along with Ayla….”
“I understand that feeling, but have you ever thought that it might be painful for Ayla in her current situation?”
Rosia was embarrassed.
She had clearly used Emotion Manipulation Magic, but Cedric was not shaken at all.
Not only this, but his attitude had become even stranger.
The day Rosia was scolded by Irene at the tea time.
As soon as she left the dining room, she pretended to be hurt and linked arms with Cedric.
But he slipped his arm out and said this.
“Rosia, Mother’s words make sense.”
“Brother?”
“Knowing that Ayla suffered from Mana insensitivity, what would she be if you said that there?”
Only then did Rosia realize that the Magic she had cast on Cedric was somehow wrong.
She could no longer shake him with Emotion Manipulation Magic alone.
‘One of the weaknesses of Emotion Manipulation Magic is that once it starts to unravel, it doesn’t work well from then on….’
Rosia bit her lip tightly.
Already two of her family members had turned their hearts to Ayla.
If this continued, there was a possibility that the brainwashing of the remaining two people would be shaken.
‘If that happens, it’s dangerous.’
She might not be able to get the Blanche Noble house or Kadin.
Not only would she fail to meet the demands of her backers, but the reason for accepting this job might disappear.
And in fact, Rosia had been greatly shocked by Ayla’s Magical potion skills a while ago.
Just as Professor Jacy admired, Rosia could also tell how perfectly the Magical potion was made.
‘It was as if she was proving that she was the real daughter of the Blanche Noble house.’
Of course, Ayla still had Mana insensitivity, so she was no match for her.
However, seeing that a commoner named Felix had recovered from his illness recently, she couldn’t be completely relieved.
‘What if Ayla’s Mana insensitivity happens to be cured like that guy? And then she gains the Magic skills of a real Princess Consort of the Blanche Noble house?’
Thinking about that, Rosia couldn’t sleep at night these days due to anxiety.
‘This won’t do. I have to do something before the end-of-semester exam.’
It was not enough for her to simply win first place in the exam and reaffirm her position as Princess Consort.
It was necessary to turn the situation around more decisively.
Coincidentally, Ayla was scoring near failing grades in all subjects except Magical potion and basic liberal arts.
This was because even if she received near perfect scores in the written exams, she could not avoid failing in the practical exams.
‘She can graduate if she tries… but what if she fails all subjects here?’
Then, she would surely be kicked out of the academy for failing to meet the minimum standards.
Rosia smiled with satisfaction.
‘In that case, let’s suggest bringing Ayla into the Noble house instead.’
After experiencing a series of events, Rosia realized that it was better to keep Ayla close to her family.
Then it would be easier to manipulate the situation to Ayla’s disadvantage, and her engagement with Kadin would naturally be concluded.
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