"ALICIA!!!"
The door burst open as Celestira yelled in panic. Then began her performance.
"*Sob* Dear sister, how could you trip and get hurt?"
Looking at Alicia with teary eyes, she continued, "I am fine with getting hurt—but you? My dear sister!"
Falling on her knees, her tears twinkling in the sunlight, she cried out, "It's all my fault! If I hadn't been poisoned, I could have invited you to the day wing and maybe—"
Celestira looked away gloomily, "—tripped in place of you. *Sob*."
I have been looking for a chance to lessen Alicia's punishment to improve my reputation, and thankfully, the chance presented itself on its own, Celestira smirked secretly.
The maids in the room whispered:
"Was Miss Celestira always this kind?"
"She has changed a lot since she almost drowned."
"Then it must be true that a near-death experience can change a person completely."
"But... should she be doing this? After all, she was the one who poisoned her and then erased the evidence—set fire to her own room."
"Yes, I agree. She even framed it as an accident and got poor Melly fired."
Hmmm. Melly was fired? Well, that's another reward for me. After all, she was one of the people who tormented me day and night.
---
Celestira's smile faltered as her mind drifted to a time she wished she could forget…
Flashback — After Celestira's 15th birthday, when she didn't gain any ability.
SPLASH
"Oh, look what you've done, girls?" sneered Melly, her voice dripping with mockery. "You poured water on our young miss!"
Celestira looked up lifelessly at them before turning away and walking off without a word.
Melly stopped snickering, her face twisting in anger. "What? You're looking down on us!?"
She ran downstairs and yanked Celestira by her hair. "Don't forget that you're just a waste left behind by His Grace after your fifteenth birthday!"
One of the maids behind Melly whispered, "But why did His Grace leave Miss Celestira?"
Snickering, Melly replied, "It must be because His Grace must have really hated Her Grace, the former Duchess."
They laughed cruelly as they walked away, leaving Celestira standing alone in the corridor.
But Celestira didn't care. She walked through the chilly wind, her body shivering.
She entered her room—it was cold, dark, and quiet. Walking to the window, she looked down at the garden two floors below. All the leaves of the plants below had fallen.
nobody took care of the garden anymore... Just like nobody take cares of me.
Should I just end it all? Is this life any better than death?
Celestira took one step forward, ready to give up on her meaningless existence, when—
To be continued...