HTNSA 68

Chapter 68

“How can you still defend Eila in this situation, Mother?”

Rosia blatantly expressed her discomfort, causing Irene’s face to pale.

But soon, Irene closed her mouth tightly, like a clam.

“I’m your real daughter, not Eila! And I’m the one who’s been wronged here! If Eila really used a monster egg to enhance her magical abilities, it means I’ve been unfairly robbed of my top spot.”

“…”

“Am I not your daughter anymore?”

At that moment, people around them began to hurl accusations at Eila.

“Did you see her stubbornly deny it after the principal said it was a monster egg?”

“Well, it’ll be cleared up soon. If it turns out she really raised a monster egg, she’ll be expelled from the academy in no time.”

“I was wondering how she overcame mana insensitivity, and it seems like she used a monster egg for some nefarious trick.”

Irene believed that Eila hadn’t done anything wrong.

But now that this had been brought to the public’s attention, it was inevitable that Eila would be criticized.

People were naturally drawn to scandalous rumors.

Soon, her daughter would have no one to protect her.

The thought made Irene’s heart race painfully fast.

Rosia’s sharp words also subtly triggered her guilt.

She knew that despite the fact that Rosia had been revealed as her real daughter, she could never bring herself to truly care for her.

She wasn’t without some remorse, but still, her heart ached for Eila, standing there right before her eyes.

She couldn’t stop worrying about the girl who had been abandoned by everyone and left alone.

Poor my daughter, Eila.

Though Eila had left the Blanche family on her own, sending that fragile girl off to the academy, almost like being forced away, had always broken Irene’s heart.

Ever since Eila left, Irene hadn’t slept properly.

But when she learned that Eila had become the top student at the academy, she had slept deeply for the first time in a while.

She had hoped that, without the help of the family, her daughter would live well on her own.

But that hope was shattered once the monster egg was found in Eila’s greenhouse.

‘Someone must have set a trap.’

As the pain in her chest became unbearable, Irene grabbed her heart.

Shaken by the shock, Cedric quickly supported her.

“Mother!”

He hurriedly looked around and then rushed to find a physician, quickly taking her out of the ballroom.

Calios also clicked his tongue in disapproval and followed them.

Seeing this, Gerard, who had been anxiously pacing, turned to Rosia.

“Rosia, what did you say to Mother? She suddenly looked ill after talking to you.”

“I’m not sure. Maybe she was deeply shocked by Eila’s situation?”

Even after Irene left, the situation didn’t calm down.

People continued to murmur about the shocking events that had just unfolded.

Darian, the First Prince, stepped in and calmed the crowd.

“Let’s keep quiet for now. Nothing’s certain yet. There’s no need to spoil the atmosphere of the ball with unnecessary chatter.”

Only after his words did the crowd stop talking about Eila.

However, there was one person who was watching them with an unpleasant expression.

It was Freya, who had also attended the ball.

She hadn’t been able to find a suitable partner, so she had ended up dancing with any upperclassman who was available.

But her eyes never left Darian.

She was waiting for the slightest opportunity to approach the First Prince and start a conversation.

Though there had been rumors of an engagement between them, it hadn’t been confirmed yet.

‘If I can win his favor now, things will move much faster.’

Since Darian had never shown interest in any woman before, Freya felt somewhat relaxed.

But after seeing Darian approach Eila, talk to her, and praise her, her thoughts changed.

‘…He seems oddly fond of Eila.’

Furthermore, Darian had calmed the crowd, as if trying to quash the accusations against Eila.

Freya shook her head, trying to brush it off.

There was no need to overreact.

It was just because a commoner, who had been at the bottom of the rankings, suddenly became the top student, and it piqued his interest.

She recalled Eila being dragged away by the soldiers earlier, and her face twisted in disgust.

‘I hope she gets completely expelled from the academy.’

The commotion caused by the monster egg scandal ended the cultural festival earlier than expected.

The principal had to report the incident to the imperial palace himself.

Once the cleanup of the festival was over, the academy immediately entered winter break.

Irene, upon returning to the Blanche family, immediately fell into bed.

The shock of seeing Eila being dragged away by soldiers still lingered vividly in her mind.

As a result, she hadn’t shown up for family meals the past couple of days.

The atmosphere in the Blanche family was heavy and oppressive.

The servants moved cautiously, aware of their masters’ moods, and even their breaths seemed held back.

But Rosia was different.

She was in such a good mood that she hummed a little tune.

Her appetite returned, and she could enjoy her meals like before.

‘It’s easier to eat now that the Duchess is just lying in bed.’

For a long time, Rosia had been unable to hide her frustration whenever she saw Irene.

Every time she sat in the seat where Eila used to sit, Irene would always look at her with a strangely gloomy expression.

In those moments, Rosia wouldn’t avoid her gaze but instead would smile at her on purpose, showing her superiority.

Then, Irene would always turn away with a lonely face.

‘I won’t have to worry about that anymore.’

Soon, Eila’s fate would be decided, and Irene would come to her senses.

The only thing left for Rosia was to claim the top spot and be recognized as the sole daughter of the family.

Yes, once Eila’s fate was settled.

When Rosia arrived in the dining room at the right time, her face twisted in confusion.

‘Why do they still look so miserable?’

Gerard and Cedric, who had arrived before her and were enjoying their dinner, seemed deeply depressed.

If it was true that Eila used a monster egg, shouldn’t they be comforting her instead?

She had been the victim of losing her rightful place through illegal means.

Rosia’s mood soured further when she thought that the odd reactions from the two of them might also be part of Eila’s trick.

She couldn’t just sit quietly anymore.

Rosia decided to make a sharp comment to the two of them.

Wasn’t it wrong for them to be more concerned about Eila than the fact that she had been unfairly deprived of her top spot?

But before she could speak, the Duke entered the dining room.

As soon as Gerard saw him, he hurriedly stood up.

“Father, what happened?”

Though it was somewhat impolite, Calios didn’t scold him.

Instead, he sighed lightly.

Calios had spent all night meeting with the principal at the academy.

Currently, Eila had no proper guardian, and since he was paying for her tuition, he had naturally taken on the role of her temporary guardian.

Calios loosened his cravat and spoke with a tired face.

“I just heard about Eila’s fate.”

Rosia quickly turned to Calios and asked anxiously.

“Does this mean she’s being expelled right away?”

Calios shook his head.

“No, that’s not it. It hasn’t been confirmed yet that the egg is actually a monster egg.”