Chapter 8

From a young age, Belnardehta felt something strange when talking to people.

It was only later that she realized this was a sense of "discomfort," and gradually came to understand the reasons behind it.

Even so, it took many failures before she could understand.

When she was five, her younger brother asked her to teach him various things, so she read him a book she had enjoyed when she was three. Her brother burst into tears, and the new mother scolded Belnardehta, saying, "What a mean child!" After that, she tried a few more times, but Sauri, her brother, would only roll his eyes at her words and eventually frown whenever he saw her.

Moreover, Belnardehta had a fiancé.

He was the second son of a historic earl's family, three years older than her. When they met at the age of seven, she was dazzled by her older fiancé, who was already attending elementary school. She tried her best to talk to him, but within a month, he proposed to break off the engagement.

It was around this time that Belnardehta began to understand the true nature of the discomfort she felt in conversations with others.

Why did everyone talk as if they didn't know the answers when they clearly did?

Why couldn't children of her own age understand things after being told once?

Why couldn't new servants learn things after being shown once?

Belnardehta was intelligent.

Therefore, she realized that she was different from others.

She could understand the content of most books after reading them once and could implement the teacher's instructions on the first try. She had already learned the manners expected of a noble by the time she was old enough to understand, and she quickly learned to read and do calculations. She was also interested in politics and economics.

Belnardehta, being intelligent, also realized that her abilities could make others uncomfortable. By this point, she had already caused significant damage to her brother, stepmother, and former fiancé.

Still, she tried to nod along with conversations she already understood and made efforts to act as if she didn't understand things on the first try.

Occasionally, her father would talk to her about his work in the study at night. During these times, she didn't have to hold back, and it was a blissful moment for her.

However, this didn't last long.

"From now on, Belnardehta is not to enter the study."

Her father decided to educate Sauri as his successor, and the evening time with her father became Sauri's.

"You will eventually marry into another family, so don't focus only on politics. Learn to support your husband and your younger brother who will inherit the family."

From that day on, no one understood Belnardehta's conversations.

Still, studying and absorbing knowledge brought her joy, so she began to study secretly and aimed for a middle-to-upper ranking in school exams.

Despite her self-restraint, her treatment at home did not improve.

Every time Sauri got good grades at school, the stepmother would scold Belnardehta as if to vent her past frustrations, and Sauri, whose childhood memories had faded, would say, "Sister, you should try harder too."

Belnardehta's role was to put on a troubled smile and say sorry.

At home, she was always in this state, and she couldn't bring herself to engage in meaningless conversations at school, so her interactions with classmates decreased, and she struggled to find a new fiancé, which led to her father's criticism.

A ray of light in her gloomy school life was the presence of Serafina, who was a year younger.

Serafina, already engaged to the first prince (who was not yet the crown prince at the time), approached Belnardehta, who often spent time in the library.

At that moment, Belnardehta finally met someone of her own age with whom she could have a proper conversation. It was truly a fateful encounter for her.

Serafina was intelligent.

While her knowledge was not as extensive as Belnardehta's, she had a quick mind and the ability to absorb and adapt flexibly.

Belnardehta knew that the Mericant family and Serafina's Percivalta family belonged to different factions, but she began to attend the salons Serafina hosted.

During these events, she also began to talk to the first prince, Eirik, and was introduced to Sandra.

Eirik, like Serafina, was someone with whom she could have meaningful conversations.

Sandra, while having a bias in her knowledge, was strong in economics due to her family's trade business and actively absorbed new information, which complemented the areas where Belnardehta was less knowledgeable.

Furthermore, in high school, she met Lucien, a foreign exchange student from a neighboring country, from whom she learned interesting facts about other countries that one could only know by living there.

There were so many people in the world with whom Belnardehta could have equal conversations.

Of course, she knew that there were many more who were not like that. She knew it, but she let her guard down.

"Uuuu, it's so difficult!"

Aini had been with the Mericant family for about a week.

That day, Belnardehta was teaching Aini basic etiquette.

Aini, who had been treated like a servant in a baron's household, was eventually expected to be used in a noble's political marriage. Therefore, she had been taught the minimum manners and studies. Belnardehta decided to start teaching her from the latter part of elementary school.

Aini had a separate tutor for manners, but Belnardehta was primarily responsible for her education, as they were the same age and attended the same school.

"That's not right, Aini. Instead of focusing on each situation, try to remember the overall flow and then think about what to do next. It will be easier to remember that way."

"But even if you say that, there's so much to remember that I panic!"

"Sister, you can't expect her to learn everything by cramming. It's not like you learned everything in a short time when you were in elementary school."

Sauri, who had become unusually close to Aini despite being the same age, had recently started joining their study sessions.

However, he only interfered by indulging Aini, which often stopped the lesson, and Belnardehta secretly wished he would leave.

"You can't remember noble names just by looking at them on paper."

"But we're only focusing on the families of students in the school, so it's essential to remember them."

"Can you remember all of them, Bel?"

"Yes."

"But, sister, you gradually learned them over time. It's different to expect Aini to remember everything in this short period."

"That's true, but can't you remember them in a month?"

Belnardehta knew that she could memorize such a list of nobles in one night, but it usually took a month for others. She had planned the study schedule with this in mind, but it wasn't going according to plan, and she was confused.

"I'm at the top of my class, but sister, you're not exactly the best in school. Don't push your own limitations onto others."

"Really? I thought Bel was doing well."

Aini's surprised comment didn't make Belnardehta want to argue. Even if her school grades were poor, she knew more than Aini and had been instructed by the marquis to teach her.

However, Aini looked out the window.

"I can't remember anything just by looking at paper. Let's go outside and study practically! I haven't gone out since I came here."

"That's a good idea. Aini seems to learn better by seeing and experiencing things."

Agreed by Sauri, Aini stood up, fully convinced.

"But... without the basics, what will you gain by going outside...?"

She didn't know where they were going, but Aini's manners and knowledge were not yet ready to meet other nobles. The six-month study period was meant for this.

But Sauri turned and looked at Belnardehta with a piercing blue gaze, similar to their father's.

"That. Sister, you often speak from a condescending position. You're not that smart, so I think you should stop that, really."

Belnardehta's mind was filled with confusion.

She couldn't understand why. As a future high-ranking official in the cathedral, Aini would embarrass herself if she went out with her current country-girl manners. Such flaws could be brought up by someone in the future to hinder her.

Moreover, Aini didn't have the basic knowledge to learn anything from going outside. The study plan, which was supposed to take six months, was not progressing at all, and she wondered what Aini planned to do next.

Belnardehta tried to suppress the questions that kept coming to her mind, but Aini smiled cutely and performed the noble etiquette Belnardehta had taught her first.

"It's fine, Bel! Like this, right?"

And so, the words slipped out of her mouth.

"Why can't you do such a simple thing?"

From that day on, Sauri treated Belnardehta with even more disdain, Aini clung to Sauri and often skipped Belnardehta's lessons, and Belnardehta was scolded by her father, the marquis.

⁂⁂⁂⁂⁂

"I am being avoided by Aini, and I don't know what to talk to her about... It's all due to my incompetence, I am very sorry."

Belnardehta, looking dejected, repeatedly apologized, and Lucien was at a loss for words.

Belnardehta had always been quiet, with silver hair that caught the eye, a color not seen in Lucien's country.

The first time they met, she was reading a book from Lucien's country, and he approached her in the library.

"You always worry about the novice saint and family matters, but I don't think you should. You are the most intelligent person I know. Even today, you can easily read that academic book written in my country's language, can't you?"

Belnardehta was taken aback when he pointed to the book she had just borrowed. Learning the language of a neighboring country was a given for her.

"You are not someone who should be consumed for the sake of your family or the novice saint."

With that, Lucien suddenly knelt in front of Belnardehta.

Surprised by the prince of a neighboring country, Belnardehta tried to stand up, but her hand was caught by Lucien.

"Will you come to my country with me after graduating from school?"

Belnardehta immediately understood that this was a proposal.

Belnardehta could adapt to the level of ordinary noble children, but she couldn't adapt to a level below that.

Next time, the conclusion of the Belnardehta story.

Will Belnardehta make a decision?

After the conclusion of Belnardehta's story, I plan to write from the perspective of other villainous daughters and the saint.

The side stories will be a bit irregular, so if you're interested, please bookmark and check for updates!