Isabel looked utterly confused as to why she had suddenly been dragged before Valentine. Valentine, staring at her with disgust, asked:
"Why did you come back so early today?"
"Well, my lady, that girl told me to head back early today, so I came back first."
Isabel, who had been excited to leave early for once, became flustered at the question and tried to explain. Valentine sneered.
"Not because you had something to snitch about, like a little rat?"
Isabel didn't immediately understand Valentine's words. Of course, Isabel had planned to tell Delma about Nerys's activities today, as she always did.
Valentine usually enjoyed hearing such reports, so why was she using that expression today?
There was no one there to kindly answer Isabel's question. Valentine twisted her small lips into a cruel smile.
"You know, I find it hilarious when people like you act all righteous, pretending to know something. What could you possibly know? Do you know the weight of responsibility? Do you know the noble duty of ruling that you were born with?"
"Quite right, my lady," Delma chimed in, as if Valentine's words were the ultimate truth. Isabel was shocked to realize just how much malice Valentine's young eyes could hold. What in the world was happening...?
"People like you are no different from stray dogs raised outside. When one dies, you just get a new one. As long as there's one standing there, does it matter what its name is or what color its fur is? So, if one of those dogs bites its master without knowing its place... there's no need to spare it."
Valentine's sky-blue eyes, filled with contempt, narrowed as she raised her chin proudly.
Delma looked at the small child she had raised with a gaze full of warm affection. Seeing this, Isabel suddenly felt a chill run down her spine.
Having grown up in a rural village, Isabel had seen many dogs raised outside.
The relationship between a master and a dog could be cruel at times, but it was usually based on some degree of affection.
Even if the dog was initially kept for practical reasons or without a specific attachment, most people would feel something for the living creature that followed them.
But to talk about people as if they could be taken in and discarded so indifferently, with such cold eyes...
And for Delma to look at that sight as if it were adorable—that wasn't normal. No, it was Delma herself who had raised Valentine to be like this, after all.
Isabel suddenly realized just how insane the people she was entangled with truly were.
If she stayed like this, she would be discarded. She felt suffocated under the unspoken pressure, but Isabel desperately managed to force out some words.
"My lady, I don't understand why you're saying this to me. I've always told you the truth! If something is wrong, it must be because Nerys lied!"
From everything Valentine had said so far, Isabel concluded that there had been a mistake in her report.
The only thing she had "reported" since arriving at the academy was Nerys's activities to Delma and Valentine, so her conclusion was logical.
But Valentine sneered.
"Oh, of course. I suppose Nerys saw through my invitation the moment she laid eyes on it, didn't she? And then she ran off to tell my brother everything?"
"W-what?"
Valentine's venomous mockery was dangerously close to the truth, though no one in the room knew it.
Isabel was at a loss for words, startled by the sudden accusation. Delma didn't give her any time to explain.
"My lady, there's no need for you to keep dealing with her. Hey!"
Delma, who had been sweetly soothing Valentine, clapped her hands and called out in a loud voice. The servant who had brought Isabel earlier and had been lingering nearby, trying to eavesdrop, rushed in.
Delma pointed her chin toward Isabel.
"Bring her belongings! And then, whip her until she's on the brink of death and throw her and her things outside the gates of Carten. We don't need a servant who betrays her master and oversteps her bounds!"
The servant immediately dashed up to the attic on the third floor where the women's quarters were located.
Valentine smiled with satisfaction, pleased with the decision. There would be no turning back now. Isabel's demeanor shifted instantly, her face twisted with bitterness as she growled.
"You're a servant too!"
Delma scoffed.
***
"And what will you do, Isabel? I promise not to chase you out until your things arrive. If you leave now, you won't need to be beaten. But if you stay here, I have no intention of sparing you."
Insane, insane woman!
Isabel looked to Valentine with a final plea for mercy, but Valentine only stared at her with curiosity, studying her like an interesting specimen.
This cruel master and servant didn't see people as people. Realizing that fact, Isabel's mind grew cold.
She glared at Delma and Valentine with murderous intent, but in her position, there was absolutely nothing she could do.
"Welcome, ladies, to the House of Elandria. My lady is waiting for you."
Nerys recognized the footman well. In fact, it wasn't just him.
She knew the sculptures decorating the estate, the way the birch branches were tied with glass bottles, even the face of a minor maid who occasionally showed herself from within the house.
Familiar things, but never missed.
All these things belonged to the House of Elandria.
Things that had never welcomed "Nerys Elandria."
As they walked through the garden toward the party hall, Diane simply marveled at the dreamlike scene.
"This is truly amazing."
The party Diane had hosted last year was grand, but it paled in comparison to the one Valentine had organized today.
Diane's party had been aimed at entertaining children, while Valentine's was meant to display power and influence.
This was a proper noble affair, a formal event that created an invisible wall between those who were invited and those who were not.
As the two girls stepped inside, a string quartet began playing a solemn melody. Valentine was just coming down from the second floor.
Thanks to the diamond buckle on the tip of her pointed shoes and the pearls sewn all over the hem of her sky-blue dress, Valentine appeared to shine even before she fully descended the stairs.
When Valentine made eye contact with Nerys, she briefly looked displeased but quickly masked it, greeting her with a seemingly innocent smile.
"Nerys, you're here! You're early, aren't you?"
"Our dear Valentine invited me to greet the guests together. How could I possibly be late? Since I was coming, I brought Diane along with me. I know it's considered rude to arrive before the invited time, but since I'm 'family,' it should be fine, right? I'm sure sweet Valentine will forgive me."
Valentine gritted her teeth internally. *Who does she think she's calling family? If only people could hear that arrogant tone!*
The invitation to greet guests together had, of course, been sent with the assumption that Nerys would never actually show up to this party, meant only to irritate her further.
But who could have imagined that she would end up in the unfortunate position of greeting the distinguished guests alongside this beggar at such an important event?
However, at this point, there was no other response Valentine could give.
"If you say so, sister, then it must be true. That makes Diane the first guest to arrive today. Please have a seat in the drawing room and rest. Nerys and I will greet the other guests."
Diane soon followed a maid from the House of Elandria to the drawing room. After exchanging a glance with Diane, Nerys walked inside the mansion alongside Valentine.
Once they were out of sight, Valentine, adopting a noticeably indifferent attitude, spoke bluntly.
"You've probably never greeted guests of a higher status than yourself, but it's not hard. Just stay quietly behind me. No one's going to pay attention to you, so just keep your mouth shut and it'll be over soon. When I tell you to go, you can leave with Diane."
The implication was clear: Nerys should act like she wasn't there and disappear as quickly as possible.
Of course, this party was carefully planned by Valentine, who had invited only very important guests to further her ambitions.
Typically, high-ranking nobles were direct descendants from families of earls or higher, but Valentine had only invited those whose families were not only titled but also had long-standing heritage.
As a result, guests from relatively weaker families, like Alecto Israni, were not invited.
Given this, Nerys and Diane's presence surely displeased her. Thrilled by this thought, Nerys smiled brightly, pretending not to understand Valentine's words.
"Of course, thank you for being so kind and explaining it to me."
Her response left Valentine feeling like she had just punched thin air, her frustration boiling over.