["Lord Yuke! Lady Cages's delivery went smoothly. Congratulations to the Cages family on its newest member."
"Don't congratulate me too soon. If she has no talent, she's useless, even if she is from the direct line."
"Yes... my lord..."
"She is yours to raise. I want to see your detailed development plan by next year."
"I understand, my lord."
All newborns in the Cages family have only one year to themselves... This is an ironclad rule of the Cages family, and the reason why they are known as elites among the great noble houses.
It was also the life Frélle had no choice but to face.
She was raised in a mixed environment of five languages from a young age. Her sleep was strictly controlled to nine hours a day. Every aspect of her life was meticulously scheduled.
She had barely seen her own father. To her, the butler who was always by her side was more like a father.
Attire, jewelry, art appreciation, even cooking... this was the path of development the butler chose for her.
With a single glance, the man who was her father in name only tossed the plan aside and gave the butler a cold look.
"This is the path you chose for her? I thought you were more ambitious." The man's voice was icy, as if he were reprimanding him, yet it conveyed no emotion.
Frélle hid behind the door, quietly watching everything unfold.
Suddenly, the door opened. The conversation was over, but she hadn't reacted in time and stood frozen at the entrance.
Her father's gaze held an extra layer of disgust. He turned and sneered at the butler. "Perhaps you were right. A direct-line daughter who can be married off is a more suitable role for her."
The butler bowed his head respectfully. Her father left. The butler pulled Frélle over, his tone somewhat stern. "Miss Frélle, your lessons will have to be put on hold for now. We first need to learn how to read people before you can proceed to the next course..."
What followed was a life of monotonous routine for ten years. She integrated everything she was taught into her very being, perfectly becoming the person the butler envisioned.
Her father chose a target for her: the direct heir of another family. With her father's matchmaking, the two families began to interact extensively and openly.
The young man was very fond of the person she had been molded into. For the first time, her father smiled at her, allowing her to choose one thing she liked to learn.
Her eyes first went to pet training, which earned her a dark look from her father.
"The piano? Truly my daughter," her father said, deliberately emphasizing the words "my daughter," as it was a compliment she had just received.
"Yes, I choose the piano." Frélle understood. She smiled and made "her own" choice. The next day, her father sent her to study under a renowned piano master, making her a "classmate" of that boy.
She told him she loved the piano and that it was thanks to him she had this opportunity to learn.
The boy saw that she was intentionally getting close to him but didn't realize this was also part of the plan. He accepted Frélle's gratitude, believing he had seen another side to the children of nobility.
Then, she met someone...
A commoner, the piano master's own disciple.
The girl's talent on the piano sent Frélle into a panic. As expected, her lagging progress earned her no kind looks from her father. She could only work harder, more desperately, yet she still trailed behind the other girl.
She was a noble. She had to be in the lead. She had to be number one. But she still couldn't catch up. She knew her hard work could not overcome the other's talent...
She needed a reason, an excuse...
A reason to show that she could defeat the other girl at any time.
If I cannot surpass her, then I will make her never dare to surpass me. I will make her mine to use—
For the first time, she tried to command someone... She felt an indescribable sensation, an emotion that rippled through her heart...
She didn't know what it was, but it reminded her of her father, of everyone who had ever given her a task...
In that moment, she thought...
I'm going to like this feeling.
To one day trap everyone in a "Cage" (Cages)—this was the path she, Frélle Cages, chose for herself.]
---||---
"You who are pulled onto the stage by threads..." Schrodinger coughed up a mouthful of blood against a shattered wall, slowly slumping to the ground. "Why must you sink so low...?"
The armor formed by her nanobots was in pieces, slowly peeling away from her body.
She looked across from her. Frélle, like a puppet, lay collapsed on the ground, a crimson hole in the center of her forehead.
The membrane in the sky wavered. Schrodinger looked up. With the shot that had pierced the other's brow, a large hole had been torn in that membrane.
But as Schrodinger watched, the membrane slowly began to repair itself. Schrodinger sighed. As the hole in the sky vanished, Frélle slowly stood up before her.
It seems some strange ability connects her to the sky canopy... Damage to Frélle is reflected onto the canopy. I wonder if destroying the canopy will harm Frélle?
Schrodinger wanted to stand up and test her theory, but the sharp pain in her chest left her weak.
She was just a researcher; she didn't possess that kind of strength.
The sky canopy was already two-thirds complete. Schrodinger narrowed her eyes.
"Three..." she murmured softly. According to her calculations, there were likely three people like Frélle directly connected to the sky canopy. They would be the nodes of that canopy. To destroy it, killing these three nodes might be the fastest way.
But who could these three be...?
Before losing consciousness, Schrodinger was left with one final question.
No matter who they are... Shu... what choice will you make?
---||---
"GET—OUT OF MY WAY!!" Kiana roared, smashing her fist into the puppet that had lunged at her face. Her head then grew heavy, and she began to plummet downward.
Since a little while ago, she kept feeling a buzzing sound in her ears.
But she didn't care. Smashing her opponent was the only thing on her mind. Nothing could stop her.
What was all this nonsense? All this "you should"? She didn't get it!
And you couldn't eat it!
But suddenly, just a few seconds ago, it felt like she was hallucinating.
One after another, familiar faces appeared before her. The moment she saw them, Kiana knew this was most likely one of the Herrscher's abilities.
It's just an illusion...
Just... an illusion...
That's all...
["Kiana, you stay here. Do not use the Key of Genesis unless it is absolutely necessary!"]