Translator: Nox

Chapter 23

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“You’re telling me that brainless brat is being awarded the Direct Lineage Necklace?!”

The roar echoed through the cramped, dingy quarters where Tedrick had been confined. Since his sentence of house arrest began, the young man had been forced into this miserable dwelling, and his temper was reaching a breaking point.

His valet recoiled, shoulders hunching as he dipped his head in fear.

“This is insanity! It makes no sense!”

Tedrick lunged toward the exit, intent on demanding answers, but his path was instantly obstructed.

“The master cannot leave,” a guard stated firmly.

The Frazier family soldiers stood like stone walls. They were loyal to the Grand Duke alone, ignoring any other authority. Had it been anyone else guarding the door, Tedrick’s parents likely would have found a way to quietly release him once they felt the Grand Duke’s anger had cooled.

Fuming, Tedrick retreated into the room. He shot a venomous look at his servant, who remained standing there with a look of pure dread.

“What now? Spit it out!”

“Master Tedrick… there is more,” the servant whispered.

As the man leaned in to relay the next piece of news, Tedrick felt the blood rush to his face until his skin burned crimson.

“A perfect score? That airhead actually got every question right?!”

To Tedrick, the news was as impossible as stone falling from the clouds in place of rain. His mind immediately raced through every dark possibility—she must have cheated, or perhaps those insufferable twin brothers had managed to smuggle her the solutions. However, he quickly dismissed those theories.

Cheating was out of the question. Schulz Schmidt, the Pneuma of the White Tower, was a man as rigid and unyielding as a glacier. He was a scholar of ancient discipline who had never once shown Tedrick the slightest bit of deference, despite Tedrick’s status as a pampered prince of the estate.

Lilius, Tedrick’s father, had often ranted about the man’s arrogance, shouting that their son returned from lessons looking like a defeated dog because of that cursed, unlucky Pneuma.

Then there were the Marquis’s sons. Tulia’s twin brothers at the Academy were undeniably brilliant, but the idea of them lifting a finger for her was laughable.

Tedrick knew the family dynamics better than anyone. The rift between Tulia and her kin was a canyon. He remembered the advice his father used to give him years ago.

“Tedrick, make sure Tulia knows her place,” Lilius had told him. “Remind her constantly that she is nothing more than filth on the boots of a real lady.”

Cruelty toward Tulia had always been Tedrick’s favorite way to soothe his own insecurities. He had followed his father’s instructions with relish. Lilius, despite being the Grand Duke’s youngest son, possessed a sharp, calculating ambition and a keen eye for potential threats.

In his father’s eyes, Tulia was a liability that needed to be neutralized.

The logic was simple: she was the only granddaughter in the Frazier line. If she ever showed a spark of competence or grace, Assis Grand Duke Frazier would undoubtedly bury her in wealth and influence. The old man had harbored a deep, lingering affection for his own daughter, and that love was poised to transfer to Tulia.

Therefore, Tulia had to be kept ignorant and useless. She was a threat to the inheritance and status that Tedrick felt belonged to him.

Lilius had exploited the fact that the Marquis had essentially abandoned the girl. He encouraged her obsession with vanity, pushing her toward a life of mindless consumption and away from books or decorum.

However, Tedrick had made a tactical error in his taunting.

“Is it because your parents are gone? You’re just a vulgar little beggar compared to girls who actually have a mother and father.”

Those specific insults had struck a nerve Tedrick hadn’t expected. It was the catalyst that disrupted his father’s grand design. After being mocked for her lack of parentage and her supposed crudeness, Tulia had transformed. She began spending her nights locked in the library, obsessively mastering etiquette.

Even Lilius’s attempts to steer her back toward leisure couldn’t stop her frantic need to prove her refinement. Still, the rest of the plan had seemed to hold. Tulia remained obsessed with her appearance, summoning tailors and jewelers at all hours, desperate to mask her perceived flaws with gold and silk.

“How did that useless girl get a perfect mark?” Tedrick ground out, his teeth clicking together.

He had always prided himself on his grades, which were bought and paid for by the elite tutors his parents provided. As a mere branch member who would only inherit a minor title, those academic scores were the only thing that allowed him to look down on the local nobility.

“And now she gets the necklace tomorrow. Grandfather is obsessed with merit. He’s a cold, heartless old man.”

Tedrick’s mind began to churn, searching for a way to ruin her. He needed to make her suffer. He needed to put her back in the dirt where she belonged.

Suddenly, a thought struck him.

“The family protocols… direct lineage exams are always unannounced, and any form of dishonesty results in immediate expulsion, right?”

“That is correct, Master Tedrick,” the servant replied.

“And my old exam papers? You still have them?”

“Yes, sir. We kept them all.”

Lilius had ensured those papers were preserved; they were the proof of his son’s supposed brilliance. With the wealth he had siphoned from the Grand Duke’s estate management, hiring eight of the most expensive tutors in the realm had been easy. Those high marks were the family’s crown jewels.

A predatory grin spread across Tedrick’s face.

“Go and fetch them. And make sure no one sees you.”

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“Lady Tulia.”

Adel, who was attending to the bedchambers, reached into her uniform and pulled out a hidden object.

“I found Rilda trying to conceal this in the back of your wardrobe.”

I took the stack of papers from her and scanned the contents. My eyebrows shot up in disbelief.

“This belongs to that little…” I caught myself before the insult escaped. “This is Tedrick’s work, isn’t it?”

Tedrick and I were close in age, so he had undergone his own Direct Lineage test less than a year ago. The papers were pristine, kept in perfect condition. I began to look over the questions.

“The themes are similar to mine, but the specific questions are different.”

I had to admire Schulz Schmidt’s work ethic. Then again, perhaps it wasn’t just him—maybe it was the fact that I had spent so much time immersed in the world of the game. I knew these tests inside and out because they were key plot points.

I thought back to my old life as Han Ina, balancing endless jobs and studies. I had played that game in every spare second I had.

“Good work finding this, Adel.”

“It was nothing, My Lady. Rilda’s behavior was suspicious, so I simply watched where she went.”

Tedrick was currently rotting in that drafty old tower far from the main house. The man was clearly incapable of remorse; instead of reflecting on his behavior, he was actively trying to frame me for academic fraud.

“Adel, take these and burn them immediately.”

“As you wish.”

“Wait,” I whispered, leaning in closer. “Can you find me some blank paper that matches this exact weight and texture?”

I needed this to stay between us. “Can you do that quietly?”

Adel’s eyes widened for a split second before a look of realization dawned on her. She nodded subtly.

“I know exactly where to find some. I’ll have it for you shortly.”

“Thank you.”

If Tedrick thought he could play games with me, he was in for a shock. I wasn’t just going to defend myself—I was going to make him regret he ever tried.