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As Celia approached the Regal Scarlett Estate Gates a little later, a sense of foreboding filled her.
She was about to encounter death's favourite messenger - her so-called sister, Novia. A person she detested with a passion but had mastered the art of hiding her true feelings from.
Steeling herself, Celia entered the estate and greeted Novia and her mother, Lady Garrett, with a polished smile.
"I hear I have an older sister now! Welcome to House Scarlett!" She curtsied gracefully, all the while seething inwardly.
'These harbingers of evil are back again!'
Lady Garrett beamed at Celia, oblivious to her true sentiments. "Oh my! So well-mannered!"
Celia's face muscles twitched as she struggled to maintain her smile. "Thank you," she replied, curtsying again. After over two hundred years of dealing with these two, she had perfected the art of concealing her emotions.
She ordered the guards to let them in and ensured they were settled into a comfortable suite, and she even convinced her father to allow Novia to study under Master Lean.
"But he's your private tutor!" Lord Scarlett protested. "Cece, I know you're too young to understand, but I'm not that child's father! She's not your sister!" He crouched, holding her shoulders. "I met Lady Garrett on a formal visit, and I have a high wine tolerance... I didn't lose my mind and-" He stopped himself, remembering he was speaking to a child.
But Celia knew the truth.
She initially believed Novia was her sister in the past, but her hatred had eventually driven her to uncover the truth.
Novia was not her father's child.
Lady Garrett had been pregnant with Novia from a previous affair and had attempted to trap Lord Scarlett, but he was too good at drinking! In the end, Lady Garrett had been the one to wind up drunk, while Lord Scarlett left early.
But the Inn owner had been the only witness... or so Lady Garrett thought, and she didn't hesitate to murder him!
Fortunately, Celia had found a hidden witness, a maid, and through her, Celia had even uncovered Novia's real father, a burly official with the same crisp violet irises, who frequented that same inn, and had a fling with Lady Garrett...
Now, Celia placed her small hands on her father's shoulders. "Papa, I completely believe you! But sly people like this will only tarnish your reputation outside.
"Let them in, and we'll keep a close eye on them. We can afford to have more than a few of these rats around."
Lord Scarlett studied his daughter in surprise. "Cece! When did you mature so much!"
Celia beamed at him. "The Academy lessons are quite profound!"
.
Meanwhile, back at school, Celia began taking private classes with 'Master Sylva' after her classes, and as for her regular classes, they went well...
Except for one entity.
Taze!
After finding out he was the Crown Prince, Celia tried to give him the cold shoulder, but Taze had a secret weapon - telepathy!
He bombarded her with thoughts from class to class, driving her crazy.
~"Talk to me!"~
~"Say something!"~
~"Let me tell you a joke..."~
The teacher was writing on the blackboard. "If you forcefully probe into a person's thoughts, they might run mad." He explained. "Or you might be the one to lose your min-."
"Pfft!" Celia nearly burst out laughing, after hearing Taze's joke.
"Miss Scarlett! What about this lesson is funny?!" The old teacher demanded, his look clearly reprimanding.
"Please pardon me sir!" Celia stood and curtsied. "It was a sneeze!"
She sat and sent Taze a glare that could slice stone, but he just smirked.
~"Don't worry! I'll avenge you!"~ He said, and Celia turned to see a plant stalk growing out of the teacher's graying hair, with a large brown bulb at the tip.
"Pfft Pffft!"
"Miss Scarlett!"
"S-sorry!"
But in the next few classes, Taze only continued his onslaught!
Feeling desperate, Celia asked Master Sylva to teach her an advanced spell to block telepathy.
"Why?" Master Sylva asked, raising an eyebrow. "Telepathy isn't harmful, and all you have to do is block your mind to shut it out."
"I already tried that! He must be using an advanced method!" Celia insisted, which intrigued Master Sylva, as Taze was too young to use any such technique!
Master Sylva agreed to teach Celia the spell, and after three months, she finally learned it.
Celia triumphantly cast it whenever Taze tried to communicate, and he eventually gave up. But then, she began finding notes on her desk every morning, and when she turned to glare at Taze, he would make a rose flower bloom in his hand, a different color each time.
The beautiful roses never failed to make her flush, but she would turn away with a huffy whisper, "Hmph! Little Fool!" and then ignore him for the rest of the day.
This continued day in day out, till he was suddenly absent one day, and never showed up after that.
'Good Riddance!' Celia thought, but she couldn't shake a slight worry.
The Crown Prince in her previous lives had been sickly for years before his death...
Had something happened to Taze?
.
.
Swift as a summer wind, the years flew by... And as Celia entered her fourth year at Elfsworth Academy, she eagerly moved into the school dorms, distancing herself further from Novia and Lady Garrett.
But before leaving home, she strategically placed more ice lotuses around the house to alert her of any interactions between Novia, Lady Garrett, and the servants.
She also instructed Sara to keep a watchful eye from a safe distance.
"Don't get too close, and don't arouse suspicion... Their schemes aren't worth your life!" Celia cautioned. Sara tearfully bid her farewell, but Celia reassured her with a warm embrace.
Before departing, Celia gifted her father and Sara ice mirrors, enchanted with Mind Magic and Spirit Magic, to communicate with her.
"Cece, where did you learn to craft this?!" her father wondered, awestruck, but Celia just smiled mischievously.
"Papa, it's the Academy... It's the Academy!"
Life at school was wonderful.
Senior Classes were a bit more specialized, so though she still had a few Classes with her Jade Classmates, she was more likely to be in mixed classes with other Ice or Healing magic users in fourth year.
The seniors also dressed a bit differently from juniors, and Celia's new uniform was a floor-length frock, with a corset and wider, fuller skirts, so the young ladies would be adequately prepared for 'Formal Society'.
There were school maids who helped them dress, and in addition to their usual classes, seniors had mandatory lessons in etiquette every Saturday morning.
Celia breezed through the days, being as obscure as possible, exploring the Academy's magic library, chatting with Sara or her Father through the magic Mirror, learning new techniques with Master Sylva's guidance, or passing time with her one friend, Carla Winters.
Carla was a petite young lady with clear teal-blue eyes and shiny brown hair, styled in bouncy curls. She had been a low-level student with a talent for observing people, and in their third year, she had seen through Celia's attempts to hide her talents!
Curious, Carla started watching Celia, but was surprised when Celia suddenly approached her at brunch one day.
"You... how long do you plan on studying me?" Celia asked, her expression deadpan.
Forgetting her manners, Carla spat out her tea, earning a reprimanding look from their Table Head.
"H-how did you know?!" Carla whispered, to which Celia smirked.
"Why wouldn't I feel it, when it hovers around me? You don't even know your observational skills are magic?"
"M-magic?!" Carla stammered.
Celia looked impressed. "You didn't know... That's even more impressive! It's a targeted boundary technique, and it's actually at a high level!" She caught herself and scowled. "Ahem! But don't use it on me!"
She turned to leave, but Carla instantly followed,
"W-w-wait!"
And she kept following Celia for days saying: "Master! Please teach me!"
Celia, "Who's your Master! We're age mates!"
Carla, "Just teach me a thing or two!"
Celia, "No!"
Carla, "Why not?!"
Celia, "No reason!"
If one of the lowest students in Jade Class suddenly started rising, it would attract attention!
But Carla didn't give up easy.
"Ah! You want to stay hidden, right?! No one has to know you're my teacher! Rather, I'll attribute the credit elsewhere!"
Carla held Celia's shoulders. "Besides, your skills have grown through the years, which is why I didn't notice you before, but noticed you recently... As you grow stronger, won't someone else notice? With my help, you can hide!" She said. "I'll be the first to notice any slip, and I'll direct attention away from you!!"
Celia's eyes widened, a bit surprised that Carla had noticed that.
When used properly, Carla's powers were a gem, and this was an offer she shouldn't refuse!
"Deal!" Celia held out her hand. "Let me warn you, it's hard work! But I'll make sure you stand at the top of Jade Class!" Celia proudly declared.
But that had been wishful thinking...
Under Celia's guidance, Carla indeed rose to the top quarter of the class, but stubbornly remained at the bottom there!
"How?!" wailed Celia, staring at Carla's result for the second term of their fifth year. "How is my own student impossible to teach?!"
Carla chuckled, shaking her head. "It's because you failed to recognize the limit of your own student! This is an excellent feat for me already!"
"Impossible! How can my own student be satisfied with the tenth position in class?!" But Celia's serious expression only made Carla laugh.
"There there, calm down." She patted Celia's back. "Some of us are already used to tasting failure, and besides, I know my own capabilities."
Carla sat to explain, sharing a secret she hadn't told anyone.
"Truthfully, I wasn't even accepted into Elfsworth... My twin is clever but sickly, and father made her take the exams in my name. I had no desire to come here, but he forced me, and he only got worse after my twin died..."
"I'm so sorry!" Celia put in, expressing her condolence, but Carla waved it off.
"We were never close... I was sad, but not as much as father. She was his pride and joy. He turned all those expectations on me, and around the time I noticed you, he was threatening to marry me off to a beggar, if I didn't improve my studies.
"I gave up hope and planned to run away from here, but then I was curious about you. Why was someone so talented, hiding away in the shadows?!
"And then you walked up to me that day and said: ...'It's a targeted boundary technique, and it's actually at a high level'...!"
Carla smiled at her. "That was the first time a compliment felt like my own... Something I achieved by myself! And it made me want to try harder! And with your help, I hear Father is even singing my praises these days!"
She chuckled before adding, "I'm not saying I will relax in failure. But compared to where I'm coming from, the nine students ahead of me are worthy opponents with years and years of training and excellence, compared to me!
"It's already an honour being in the top quarter with them! So loosen up...! Why don't we visit my family estate for the weekend?! It's my grandma's birthday, so father has taken permission for me and any chosen friend..."
Celia sighed in defeat.
After dying and awakening so many times, she had subconsciously forgotten that others had their own lives, challenges and paces, great or mundane, and these were not things she should look down on as any less than hers.
Unlike her, this was everyone else's first and only life, and it certainly wasn't hers to direct!
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