Episode 6
“What? Top student?! Serena, are you out of your mind?”
Randy froze mid-step on her way to the school gates, mouth hanging open, blocking Serena’s path.
“I’m serious. But hey, keep your voice down, Randy. You’ll blow my whole plan if you keep shouting like that.”
Serena frowned, glancing around nervously. It was dismissal time, so students were streaming out the gates in droves.
“Don’t worry about that. Even if someone overhears, they’ll just laugh it off as crazy nonsense anyway.”
Serena let out a groan and shot Randy a glare. Normally she was timid, but when she got worked up like this, she turned into a completely different person. Still… it wasn’t like she was wrong.
“…Guess you’re right.”
“Of course I am! Top student? Beating Luize, the guy literally called a genius prodigy? That’s impossible.”
“Well, maybe it’s not.”
“No. Serena, I’m your friend, but I have to be honest. You’d have to beat Luize! Even if the sky split in two, that’s not happening.”
Randy shook her head and started walking again. Serena ignored her friend’s words—words that made her sound insane—and instead tilted her head up toward the sky.
Warm sunlight spilled down. White clouds drifted gracefully across the clear blue sky. The weather was so nice, it was hard to believe she’d just dropped such a bombshell a moment ago.
“Randy.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll show you. I’ll be the one to split that sky in two.”
Sunlight touched her face as she gazed upward. It really felt like spring had come. Clenching both fists tight, Serena marched forward with renewed energy.
Serena stepped out of the carriage and quietly entered the Count’s mansion. It had been ages since she’d come home this early—she usually lingered at the academy to avoid it.
“Young Lady, you’re back?”
Her personal maid, Lily, always came darting over to greet her the second she arrived, no matter how quietly Serena slipped through the door.
“Yeah.”
“You’re home early today?”
Lily’s voice held a trace of worry.
“Oh, the library’s under construction.”
A lie, of course. The truth was, thanks to Bell’s ridiculous rumor, Serena felt too awkward to study at school.
“Why? Did something happen?”
“Well…”
Lily glanced nervously toward the drawing room. Serena followed her gaze. Sure enough, the sound of middle-aged women’s laughter drifted out.
“Ah… Mother’s hosting people again, isn’t she?”
Lily nodded. Naturally. A woman who loved luxury and leisure like Diana would never waste a fine day indoors alone.
“Guess… I should go greet them?”
“It’d probably be best, yes.”
“Haah…”
This was exactly why Serena hated coming home early. If she lingered at the academy, by the time she returned everyone would already be in their own rooms, leaving her blissfully ignored. That was far easier to deal with.
But if she tried to slip past the drawing room now, she’d just get scolded twice as much later.
So, with a resigned sigh, Serena walked up to the door. She hesitated a long moment, then knocked lightly. A faint voice invited her in.
“Mother, I’m home.”
She bowed her head as she entered. The instant Diana, the Countess of Cressia, saw her, her face twisted with disgust—like she’d just laid eyes on something filthy.
“Oh my, Serena. Back from the academy already?”
But in the next breath, Diana’s face smoothed into a warm smile. Rising gracefully, she approached Serena. Serena lifted her head, meeting that fake smile with thinly veiled loathing. Even after transmigrating, Diana’s hypocrisy never failed to make her stomach turn.
“Yes.”
“Good. Ah, Baroness Garnet is visiting today. Go on, greet her.”
Diana laid both hands on Serena’s shoulders, squeezing just a little too tightly. It was a silent warning: don’t you dare say anything out of line.
“Hello.”
“Hmph. Yes, Serena. It’s been a while.”
Baroness Garnet looked at her with clear distaste, sneaking glances at Diana for approval.
“Serena, you must be tired from studying. Go on upstairs now.”
Yeah right. She just wants to get rid of me before she gets embarrassed in front of her guest.
Serena bit back the laugh bubbling up in her throat. Instead, she nodded obediently, turned, and started for the door.
But just as she was closing it, their voices drifted after her.
“My, Countess, you have such a strong stomach. How could you possibly take in an illegitimate child from some nobody maid? If it were me, I’d have thrown her out on the street long ago…”
“Oh, don’t say that. She’s a precious daughter to me.”
“Oh, Countess, you’re far too kind…”
Diana’s syrupy voice made Serena grind her teeth. Garnet’s words were true—Serena was not Diana’s daughter.
She was the product of her father’s infidelity.
When she was first born, it caused quite the scandal. But eventually, she was reluctantly accepted into House Cressia. Why? Because it made for a flattering title: the benevolent Count and Countess, kind enough to raise even a lowborn bastard child.
“Ugh. Disgusting.”
Serena stormed up the stairs, her irritation clear in each step.
Of course, there was another reason they’d kept her: back then, the Count and Countess had no children of their own. With the family anxious over the lack of heirs, they had no choice but to add Serena to the family register.
But not long after… Diana gave birth to a son.
From then on, Serena had been treated like dead weight—an unwanted burden nobody wanted to claim.
Her timid, submissive personality, and even her obsessive longing for Luize’s affection… it all made sense in moments like this.
“Haah…”
Reaching her room, Serena sat at her desk and opened a book. She was upset, sure, but wasting time wasn’t an option.
BANG!
Barely thirty minutes into studying, the door slammed open. Diana stormed in, face twisted with fury.
“Serena! How many times have I told you not to show your face when I have guests?!”
Serena just blinked at her. Really? When she didn’t greet guests, she got scolded. When she did, she got scolded. Ridiculous. Still, she bit her tongue. If Diana ever decided to kick her out, she had nowhere to go.
“I’m sorry.”
“I’ve warned you over and over! Know your place! You’re just a lowborn bastard—why do you insist on showing yourself off? If it were me, I’d die of shame.”
Serena only bowed her head. The fastest way to end these pointless tirades was to apologize and say nothing.
“Madam, please calm down. Young Master Charles will be home soon.”
A maid fussed nervously at Diana’s side. No doubt afraid she’d get caught in the crossfire. But she wasn’t wrong—Diana adored her son Charles, so mentioning him usually cooled her temper.
“Charles… If only I’d known he would be born, I’d never have added her to the family registry. Now I’m trapped, because of what people would say…”
Diana massaged her forehead with a sigh, trying to tamp down her rage.
“This is exactly why I hate coming home…”
“What did you just say?”
“…What? I didn’t say anything. I know I have no excuse for myself. I promise it won’t happen again. I really am sorry.”
Serena feigned innocence, bowing her head lower. What sharp ears she has… she grumbled inwardly, forcing her face into a pitiful look. The sooner Diana left, the better.
“Clicking her tongue, Diana shook her head. “We sent you to Harrington Bell Academy hoping you’d at least study hard and make yourself useful. And still… useless. Born an idiot, apparently.”
Serena suppressed the bitter laugh clawing up her throat. That was a lie—there was a different reason she’d been sent to the academy.
“If you can’t study, then at least befriend Luize or one of the other young nobles. Get yourself a marriage tie or something! But no, you can’t even manage that…”
Her lips twitched. The hypocrisy was laughable. Clearly, Diana just wanted to use Serena to patch up ties with noble families.
Back when Count Cressia was in his prime, the family had been close to many great houses—including the Fredelins. Their joint ventures thrived. But one failed business after another ruined their name, and the family collapsed into decline.
Naturally, the friendships faded too.
Sending Serena to the academy was just a desperate attempt to rebuild those broken ties through her.
Why should I fix the relationships they ruined?
Serena muttered inwardly. Honestly, Diana seemed more pitiful than hateful in moments like this.
“Oh, you’ll be the death of me. Just don’t let me see your face anymore! Go back to coming home late, like you used to!”
Diana finally stormed out, still fuming.
“Whew. At least that ended early.”
The moment the door shut, Serena let out the breath she’d been holding and collapsed into her chair. Without missing a beat, she turned back to her textbook.
“I will be top student. No matter what.”
Diana’s nagging only fueled her fire. Serena’s determination blazed even stronger—she would ace the exams, and when the time came to graduate, she’d land a job and escape this cursed house once and for all.
