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As expected, Ayla was behind it all.
Looking back, from the day she came to the mansion until now, she had never seen Ayla flustered or embarrassed.
No matter what she said or what she did, Ayla always managed to slip away with ease.
As if none of this mattered.
'But that's over now.'
With this incident, Ayla had clearly rebelled against the Empress. She had helped Princess Peony and strengthened her position.
In the streets, voices praising the Princess were overflowing.
It was because she had provided high-end cosmetics, which had previously been the exclusive domain of the nobles, to the common people at a low price.
In addition, Princess Peony was actively participating in various charity events in social circles, based on the profits.
Thanks to this, the people naturally began to compare her abilities with those of Prince Darian.
If the Empress were to find out that Ayla had planned all of this, would she leave her alone?
'Absolutely not.'
A cold smile formed on Rosia's lips.
The Empress was probably as furious as she was.
If so, there was no need for her to take the lead. All she had to do now was to further fuel the Empress's anxiety.
Sitting at her desk, Rosia took out a quill and began to write a letter quickly.
The letter contained everything, from the mysterious whereabouts of the Flor Cosmetics manufacturer to Ayla's suspicious movements and her connection to Princess Peony.
But something was still missing. Rosia tapped the end of the quill on her lips, lost in thought.
'The problem is that Ayla still has a lot of value.'
The reason why the Empress had ordered her to take her place, and then told her not to touch her again, was ultimately the same.
Dragon's power.
As long as Ayla possessed that power, the Empress could not easily dispose of her.
Above all, the Black Dragon had now grown safely and even completed Shedding.
'...I guess it can't be helped. If the Empress doesn't change her mind in the end, I'll have to step in and take action myself.'
Rosia took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
And just then, a clear knock was heard from outside the door.
"Rosia, are you in there?"
It was her familiar brother's voice. Rosia quickly folded the letter and put it in the drawer.
"Come in."
As soon as she finished answering, the door opened and Cedric and Gerard entered the room.
Seeing them, Rosia put on a smooth smile.
Recently, unexpectedly, her brothers had plucked up the courage to reach out to her first. Thanks to this, Rosia was able to restore her relationship with her family.
'They must have felt sorry for me, being constantly criticized by the Duke and ridiculed at the Riod Academy.'
In any case, outwardly, she was still their 'real' sister.
Soon, Gerard approached her with a bright face, holding a silver tray.
"What were you doing, Rosia? I came to see if you wanted to have a cup of tea if you have time."
At his words, Rosia nodded with an awkward smile.
"Yes, thank you, brother. Actually... I was writing a letter to Count Arman's house. I'm worried about Freya's condition."
At her words, Gerard's expression became serious.
"Ah, I heard about that too. I heard that Count Arman put his mansion up for sale? You must be worried since she was your close friend."
"Yes... I haven't been able to see her face lately, so I keep worrying about whether she's okay."
Cedric also looked sympathetic at the two's conversation.
"How could a business collapse so suddenly like that? Sharon Atelier was the most famous cosmetics brand in the Empire."
"I heard that they're losing almost all of their customers to a new brand called Yuriette. I think it's because it's much cheaper than Sharon Atelier."
Rosia led the two brothers to the table with a gloomy face.
Soon, the two put down the tray and sat down, and Rosia spoke in a subtle tone.
"But I heard rumors that the manager and investor of that business is Princess Peony. Is that true?"
Gerard glanced at Cedric, who was sitting next to him, with a troubled look, and then reluctantly nodded.
"Yes, I think so. I went to the Imperial Palace with Father yesterday, and His Majesty seemed very excited about it."
"I see... But no matter what, I think it's a bit too much to operate so aggressively as to destroy existing businesses."
"Well... that's true. I understand how you feel..."
Gerard trailed off vaguely and looked at Rosia.
"Try to keep your words to yourself when you go out. His Majesty seems very pleased with this. Besides, the public sentiment is also good."
At his stern warning, Rosia's expression quickly turned sullen.
'Hmph, so now you're telling me to cut ties with the ruined Noble house.'
It was good that she had reconciled with her two brothers, but she was unhappy that they still didn't read her face.
'It doesn't seem like the Magic has been undone... Is the aftermath of the last incident still lingering?'
Just then, Cedric handed Rosia a teacup with a kind smile.
"Drink up, Rosia. The tea will get cold."
"Okay."
"But don't rush too much. You might burn your tongue."
A faint blush spread across Rosia's face at Cedric's thoughtful words.
Fortunately, the situation seemed to be better than before.
At one time, she was worried that all the Magic she had cast on her brothers had really been undone.
Rather, these days, Cedric was often kinder to her than Gerard.
"Thank you, brother."
So Rosia had no idea.
That Cedric was looking around her room with sharp eyes, as if searching it.
The semester-end exams at Riod Academy had begun.
The classroom was so quiet that even the sound of breathing could not be heard, and the students were busy writing answers on the exam papers in silence.
Among them, Ayla finished the last answer before anyone else.
The moment she put down her pen with a trembling hand, a sense of liberation washed over her, as if her whole body was becoming lighter.
'Phew, it's finally over...'
Soon after, the exam ended.
Peony and Felix were standing in front of her, welcoming her as she submitted her exam paper and left the exam hall.
"Ayla, over here!"
"How was it, did you do well on the exam?"
Unlike Ayla's expression, which was relieved after finishing the written exam, the two looked completely exhausted.
At Ayla's question, Felix shook his head.
"Well, I think I've used up all my energy because I used my brain too much."
Peony also added with deep sympathy.
"I just want to sleep, whether it's the practical exam or anything else... I didn't know the exam would be this difficult."
Even as they said that, the three's footsteps naturally headed towards the Greenhouse. This was because not all the exams were over yet.
Ayla said with a mischievous smile.
"You say that, but you're going straight to the Greenhouse?"
Then Peony grumbled with a sullen face.
"There's still the practical exam left. But who made this ridiculous exam schedule? It's really too much."
"Tell me about it. It's a relief that the tedious written exams are all over."
Felix sighed, then paused and looked back at Ayla.
"Ah, but don't worry too much, Ayla. We'll both be able to graduate early safely."
Then Peony shouted bravely, as if she couldn't be outdone.
"I'm not going to fail either!"
Ayla burst into laughter at the two's determined tone.
It was because she could feel that everyone was doing their best on this exam, even though they were saying it was difficult.
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