The queen's eyes narrowed, her anger barely concealed as she watched Nnenna slip the card under her pillow like it was nothing more than a casual gesture.
Chidera, however, felt oddly satisfied. His lips twitched into a small, awkward smile as he stepped back. For reasons he couldn't fully articulate, giving her the card felt right, as though he had just fulfilled an obligation he didn't even know he had.
The atmosphere in the room shifted once again. The queen seethed silently, her thoughts racing. 'What is wrong with my children today? First Obinna, now Chidera? Why are they treating this girl like she's worth something?'
Nnenna, on the other hand, remained calm. Beneath her composed exterior, a spark of amusement flickered. 'Good points well spent,' she thought smugly. 'Keep underestimating me. You'll see soon enough.'
The silence stretched, thick with tension, before the queen forced herself to speak again, determined to regain control. "Well, isn't that generous of you, Chidera," she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness. "But remember, darling, there's such a thing as overindulgence."
Nnenna's smile widened slightly. Let her simmer, she thought, settling back into her pillow as though this was all just another ordinary day.
Frustration flickered across the faces of the rest of the family. Their carefully constructed plan to belittle Nnenna seemed to unravel before their eyes.
Ebere, however, was not one to sit idle. She decided to step in, a dazzling smile lighting up her face as she approached Nnenna with deliberate grace.
"Sister," she began, her voice syrupy sweet, "I'm so glad to see you're feeling better now. I wanted to come earlier, but school and other responsibilities kept me so busy. Everyone missed you so much, but I told them you wouldn't want too many visitors since you were still recovering."
She tilted her head slightly, as though pondering deeply, then added with a warm laugh, "I hope you don't mind, but I felt very strongly that we all had to come and see you today. After all, family should support one another, right?"
Her tone and expressions were perfectly practiced, but Nnenna noticed the glint in her sister's eyes. It was a sharp, calculating gleam that betrayed her true intentions.
For someone who claimed to have missed her, Ebere's presence carried no warmth, only an undercurrent of rivalry and something else, jealousy, perhaps?
Ebere continued her charade with an air of innocence that only the most gullible would believe. "So, I decided, well, rather, I insisted, that we all come here. We've all missed you so much, sister. Honestly, your presence is becoming so important in the castle these days."
The fifteen year old's words were wrapped in sweetness, but the truth behind them was as sour as vinegar. Her lips carried a radiant smile, but her mind was filled with irritation.
Internally, she muttered to herself, 'Important? This so called sister? The only importance she had was keeping things running smoothly for me!'
The reality was simple, Ebere had grown used to having Nnenna at her beck and call. Without her, things were slightly inconvenient. Nobody else tended to her whims the way Nnenna did.
But what truly grated on her nerves was the vague unease she felt, the sense that something had shifted. Nnenna didn't seem meek or subservient anymore. That change only added to the discomfort simmering beneath her pleasant façade.
As Ebere stood there, still smiling, she decided she would find a way to remind Nnenna of her place soon enough.
Ebere's smile grew wider, though it didn't reach her eyes. No one else in the room missed the venom hiding beneath her syrupy tone. 'She loves this,' Nnenna thought. 'This girl thrives on finding new ways to humiliate me.'
For Ebere, it wasn't just about control; it was the sheer delight of making someone she deemed beneath her suffer. Torturing Nnenna gave her joy, an ugly joy that only someone used to absolute power could find pleasure in.
While everyone else in the castle was merely a servant to her, Nnenna was worse, someone she could torment personally, someone who was always at her mercy.
"I can't wait for you to come back home, sister!" Ebere chimed. "When you do, I'll cook your favorite dish for you!" She paused dramatically before adding with a sly chuckle, "Oh, no, wait, silly me. I won't actually cook it. I'll have the servants make it, of course. Or, better yet, maybe you can cook it yourself! I'll even let you have a taste."
The room fell silent at her mocking words, though no one dared speak. This kind of exchange wasn't new. Everyone knew about their usual ways toward Nnenna, especially when it came to food.
Starving her was a method they had perfected, just another way to assert their dominance over the girl they refused to see as an equal.
Nnenna stared at Ebere for a long moment, her calm mask in place, though a storm brewed in her heart. 'This girl... I'll make sure you regret your words one day.'
Ebere, oblivious to the change in Nnenna, tilted her head, still beaming, and waited for her sister's reaction.
Nnenna listened to Ebere's incessant prattle, her patience thinning with each passing second. She had endured enough.
Her sharp gaze shifted slightly as she mentally summoned her secret weapon. "Love System," she called out firmly, her voice steady and resolute within her mind. 'This so called twin sister of mine talks too much. Can you do something about it?'
The system hesitated for a moment before responding. "Are you sure you want to waste good points on something like this? Keep in mind, the three day period for accumulating points is almost over. You might regret this."
But Nnenna didn't falter. "I know what I'm doing," she said with certainty. "I've already collected enough points, and I can earn more before the deadline. Just do it, please. Trust me on this." Her voice softened slightly, but the resolve behind her words remained unshaken.