Chapter 161………………………………………………..
Riona was desperate.
She wanted to blame Minerva’s death entirely on those humans.
She felt like she could only survive if she did.
If she could kill even them, maybe her guilt would lessen.
But she had already put on the mask, so she couldn’t read Lloyd’s expression anymore.
Even so, Riona had no doubt he would cooperate with her. After all, wasn’t it Lloyd who brought her here after hearing she wanted revenge?
However, Lloyd asked in a voice that made it clear he didn’t even need an expression:
“Even if you knew… what could you do about it?”
“…What?”
Until now, Lloyd had only been drawing a line.
But now, it felt like he had decided to make her hate him.
Riona was speechless at the hostility in his tone—something she had never heard before.
As if he expected that reaction, Lloyd walked past her.
“I can’t tell you right now. Give up.”
So he was going to scratch her pride and run away?
Fury rising to the top of her head, Riona sprinted ahead, blocking the door and shouting.
“If you won’t tell me, then why did you ask if I wanted revenge?! Why did you bring me here?! Didn’t you say you’d help me?!”
“I didn’t.”
“…!”
At his immediate answer, Riona was struck again.
Then was it really true? He brought her only because he needed an heir?
If that was the case, then why ask about revenge at all?!
She glared at him with burning eyes, and Lloyd finally sighed, as if unwilling, and explained.
“Even if I told you who it was, you have no way to handle them right now. One side has power, the other has force. Princess Minerva excelled in both intellect and combat. But what do you have?”
“You wouldn’t last even a second. You’d be joining her immediately.”
Her pride was scratched even deeper.
Why were all his words nothing but insults that scraped her raw?
Riona screamed in frustration.
“I’ll learn! I can learn!”
“Learn?”
“Yes! Fighting, swordsmanship, studying—if I get good at everything, that’s enough, isn’t it?!”
“……”
Lloyd fell silent again.
Because of that mask, she couldn’t tell what expression he had, or where his gaze rested.
Honestly, Riona thought he would refuse again.
She heard a faint sigh.
What if he rejected her again?
Would she have to live her whole life not knowing who killed her mother?
Not wanting him to see her face crumple, Riona lowered her head.
Then Lloyd spoke, his voice reluctant.
“Soon, I’ll submit your application to Povache Academy.”
“…My application?”
Riona jerked her head up.
Truthfully, she didn’t want to go back to an academy.
Minerva had died because Riona wanted to attend a place like that.
Riona made her displeasure obvious, but Lloyd presented a condition she couldn’t refuse.
“First test at Povache Academy. Place first.”
“Then I’ll give you a hint.”
Just telling her outright wouldn’t kill him, would it?!
She wanted to scream that, but she held back.
Right now, Lloyd was the only one who knew the culprit.
She thought he was a good person…
But she had been completely wrong.
Gathering every ounce of strength from deep inside, Riona shouted:
“I’ll do it. Just watch me!”
* * *
Riona spent busy days.
She had to prepare for the entrance exam, and she also had to learn etiquette from scratch.
Lloyd thought she already knew plenty of manners, but he was very mistaken.
Minerva had only taught her the bare minimum table etiquette.
Looking betrayed, Lloyd hired several more instructors, muttering about how someone so strict could have taught her so little.
Aside from that, Lloyd provided everything Riona wanted.
But there was one thing he never did—
No matter what she did, he never praised her.
And he never scolded her either.
When Minerva was alive, Riona received praise and reprimands just for breathing.
The more she was praised, the more she was punished too.
“…Why?”
Driven by stubbornness, Riona studied harder, thinking surely this would earn her praise.
Luckily, she wasn’t unintelligent, and she passed the entrance exam safely.
She even achieved an unexpected result:
Second place.
“Uncle, I got second! Look!”
The moment she received her report card, she ran straight to Lloyd and shoved it in his face.
Ignoring the fact she had jumped onto his desk, Lloyd sighed as he skimmed the paper, as if the etiquette teacher was failing miserably.
Riona’s eyes sparkled as she waited for his reaction.
Even Lloyd had to praise her for this.
Lloyd set the report card down and reached out, lifting Riona up.
‘See? Even he must be surprised!’
She had never seen him praise anyone before.
She wondered what he would say.
But then—
“Even if you scored the lowest, you would’ve been admitted anyway, since you’re the Duke’s daughter. Don’t waste your strength.”
“…What?”
The warmth in her cheeks turned cold instantly.
Lloyd had only lifted her to put her back down off the desk.
“Tch. Would it kill you to say something nice?”
“And you got second place. Give up on being first in the first test early.”
Riona was dismissed just like that.
She was so outraged she didn’t even remember leaving her report card behind.
‘If Mom were here, she would’ve praised me so much…’
But Minerva was gone.
And the only guardian she had left was that man.
Her life…
Riona sighed deeply at her bleak reality.
* * *
Riona entered the academy without issue.
She drew attention as the mysterious heir of Duke Eckhart.
With education shaping her, she now looked every bit like a proper ducal lady, and everyone admired her.
Each time, Riona thought:
‘I wish Mom could see this.’
Her goal was simple:
First place in the first test.
She devoted herself to academy life.
And she succeeded.
She took first place in the academy’s first exam.
Full of anticipation, she delivered her report card to Lloyd personally—
But Lloyd’s expression only darkened.
Usually, even in his office, Lloyd removed his mask when she arrived.
So she saw clearly the look on his face as he read it.
Dragging her feet as she left his office, she spotted his aide, Pablo, approaching.
Pablo greeted her warmly.
“Hello, young lady. Have you just come from His Grace?”
“…Yeah.”
“But… why do you look so down?”
Unlike Lloyd, Pablo had some humanity, and he looked genuinely concerned.
Since Pablo stayed closest to Lloyd, Riona hesitated before finally asking:
“Pablo… does Uncle not care about me?”
“What? No! Of course not! There’s no way His Grace—Ah!”
Pablo flailed his hands as if she’d said something absurd, and dropped the documents he was holding.
The two of them crouched in the hallway, gathering the scattered papers.
Seeing how miserable Riona looked, Pablo asked carefully:
“Why would you think that?”
“He never praises me. He never scolds me either. Even when I got first place, he wasn’t happy.”
“That’s…”
Pablo seemed to have an idea, but couldn’t answer.
Riona remembered how she had scratched a male student’s face with her nails when he tried to provoke her.
It wasn’t a deep wound, but it would leave a mark.
Surely even Lloyd would scold her for that.
She knew she’d messed up.
But—
“I received word from the academy, Riona. I handled it, so don’t concern yourself.”
Lloyd didn’t reprimand her.
Not because the other student was wrong—
But because Lloyd’s attitude itself was indifferent.
Even emperors have advisors who criticize them.
But Lloyd never said anything harsh to Riona.
He allowed her everything—
Everything except calling him “Father.”
After that, Riona even caused another small disturbance at the academy to test him.
Lloyd silently cleaned it up again.
Still—
No scolding.
