DDSWTB 42

Chapter 42

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“By the way, I heard something from my father,” Ivy began. “Unlike Lady Ellie, Lady Tiana is supposedly terrible at her studies.”

While the other young ladies around me were offering compliments, Ivy’s words were a clear provocation.

“I’ve heard that too,” Anna added quickly. “Didn’t she dismiss her tutor unfairly, purely out of selfishness?”

“That’s quite a famous story, isn’t it? I’ve heard it as well,” Rika chimed in.

So that’s how it is. Rika and Anna—both invited here—are clearly part of Ivy’s little clique.

“And to think she’s a member of the Astaire ducal family,” Ivy pressed on, her tone growing sharper. “Is it acceptable for someone from such a household to be so uneducated? It’s only natural for nobles to acquire learning, don’t you think?”

Her voice carried a certain force—almost as if she was enjoying this. I could swear there was a smirk tugging at her lips.

“T-That’s—”
“Mariana.”

My maid Mariana tried to defend me, but I stopped her.
She’s just a servant—if she speaks out here, it’ll only make things worse. A lady’s maid interrupting the conversation of noble daughters would cause a scandal. It would only draw more criticism.

She’s older than I am—how can she find joy in bullying someone younger?

Do they really think I haven’t studied a single thing since I was reborn into this world? Learning about the world I live in is the most basic necessity.

“Ladies, you’ve all advanced quite far, it seems,” I said with a calm smile. “I’ve only reached the middle of the upper volume of Social Theories. As for history, I’ve already completed the entire curriculum.”

“What?”

Ivy blinked in surprise at my sudden display of knowledge.

“I found the second emperor of Nacelia’s agricultural reforms for the peasantry quite fascinating,” I continued. “Lately I’ve also been studying foreign languages—Lydian, Sessian—and even the history of neighboring nations. Which policies or great historical figures do you all admire most?”

I let the question hang in the air.

“It’s as you said, Lady Ivy—it’s natural to study the world we live in. All the more so for us nobles. Our lives are supported by the common people, so it’s only right that we gain knowledge to make their lives easier.”

They all fell silent, simply staring at me.

“Ignorance is a sin.”

“…!”

“How far have you all truly thought about what that means?”

Ivy and her two allies could only glare, speechless.
Beside me, Michelle had lowered her gaze. Her hair hid her expression—but was she smiling?

“Hehe… Lady Tiana is quite right,” Michelle said, her tone bright but cutting. “One can easily tell when someone lacks education—just from the way they speak.”

It sounded like she was defending me. So Michelle had only been invited here—she wasn’t part of Ivy’s group after all.

“Unlike you three,” she continued coolly, “Lady Tiana reads extensively and studies on her own initiative. She’s cultivated and well-educated. And the way you’ve spoken to her just now—surely you realize that counts as insulting a fellow noble.”

S-Sister…?
That was the first time I’d ever heard her speak so sharply to others. Was she… angry?

“Oh, I see,” Ivy sneered. “So maybe she’s just got a nasty personality then. Considering how her own family treats her like an outcast… do you even know what they call her? My father told me—‘the stain.’”

She laughed mockingly.

“And isn’t it true that Lady Ellie was long bullied by Lady Tiana?”

She dared to say it so directly.
I couldn’t deny it—it was true.
The frustration burned in my chest.

Splash!

Water dripped onto the table.

“Huh?”

Ivy froze, confused.

M-My sister?

Everyone in the room went silent.
Unable to contain her fury, my sister had thrown her cup of tea straight at Ivy.

“W-What do you think you’re doing?!”

Clatter!

Ivy shot to her feet and lunged toward my sister, hand raised to slap her—

—but Nicholas, our escort, stepped in and caught her wrist mid-swing.

“Let go of me! You’re just a lowly bodyguard!”

“I’m employed to protect the young lady from harm,” he replied evenly.

Ivy’s face twisted in rage.

“What is wrong with you people?! I’m just trying to teach this so-called ‘lady’ her place!”

“Ivy Quinzel.”

My sister spoke her name quietly—but her voice carried a deep, heavy weight.
Everyone froze.

“Do you even realize who you’re speaking to?” she said coldly. “The one who deserves the name ‘stain’ is you—someone who can do nothing but hurl insults at those above her.”

“W-What did you just say?!”

“How dare you speak like that!” Anna and Rika exclaimed in unison.

“I heard every word you said just now,” my sister continued sharply. “Remember it well—and do not ever involve yourselves with us again.”

She said everything I’d wanted to say but couldn’t.

“I have never been harassed by Lady Tiana,” she added firmly.

So that’s why—when I’d apologized to her for all I’d done, she’d told me it was also her fault. She never even considered what I’d done to be harassment.

“Tia, let’s go. Talking to people without learning makes me feel ill.”

“Y-Yes.”

We both rose to leave.

“Well then, I’ll excuse myself as well,” said Michelle, standing gracefully.

“Wait—come back here!”

Behind us, Ivy’s enraged shouting echoed through the room, her maid and guard struggling to calm her down—but she showed no sign of stopping.

Ignoring the commotion, my sister and I quietly made our way back to the carriage.