After seeing Loko off, Teresa lingered in the living room, sipping tea for a while before heading back upstairs.

She pushed open her bedroom door, sat at her desk, and pulled open the drawer. Beneath a book lay a painting.

Two little girls stood side by side.

The green-haired girl beamed with lively energy, arms wrapped tightly around the white-haired one, who gazed calmly ahead.

Both looked no older than five or six—the age of boundless curiosity and restless joy.

A mage had left this painting. Her unique magic could freeze any scene into a vivid, lifelike portrait.

Sadly, this was the only picture Teresa had ever taken with Loko.

"Loko… will you stay by my side even after we grow up?"

"Um… When I grow up, I want to see the world. It feels wrong to keep imposing on your family, Teresa…"

"But… Father said that to inherit the family business, I’ll need someone I trust beside me—to manage it together. Loko… won’t you stay?"

"But adults say… growing up means learning to stand on your own…"

The childhood memory echoed softly in Teresa’s mind.

Yet she knew—after deceiving Loko that way, things could never go back.

"Idiot… I just wanted you to notice me a little more…"

She murmured to herself, tucked the painting back into the drawer, then pulled a slip of paper from between book pages.

At the bottom right, a crooked "Loko" was scribbled. Teresa smiled faintly.

"To actually believe this… If it were real, would I be like this?"

…

Loko returned to the dorm. This time, Shilufei’s room was dark.

Relieved, she went to her own room, washed up quickly, and went to bed.

Late that night, her door creaked open a sliver.

A slender figure slipped in, moving slowly toward the bed.

Moonlight glinted faintly off the cold steel in her hand.

Shilufei stared down at Loko, jaw tight.

The kitchen knife rose—then fell.

After a long silence, she sank to her knees, drained.

Realizing what she’d nearly done, she fled the room in panic, rushed downstairs, and returned the knife.

She knew Loko had visited Teresa again today.

Right after *she’d* been bullied… How could she not suspect Loko?

And tonight, the dream returned.

In it, she’d cleared the monster nest for the academy mission. Exhausted on her way back, she met Loko.

Even on guard, she was spent—while Loko waited, fresh and ready.

"You knew my identity all along, didn’t you? Then why not kill me sooner?"

As Shilufei lay dying, Loko cradled her cooling body, whispering close:

"You had chances. Did you think your charm would make me spare you?

You bet wrong.

Everything was my trap from the start. I never expected you’d actually believe me."

No words came. Only deeper betrayal.

She jolted awake—alive. Just a dream.

*Then why keep dreaming it?*

Was it a divine warning? *Eliminate Loko now.*

She’d walked downstairs, knife in hand…

But at Loko’s bedside, she hesitated.

*What if she wasn’t lying? What if it was just about the student council election?*

This time, she’d guessed right.

Unable to act, Shilufei put the knife away and pretended nothing happened.

…

Dawn broke. Eve rushed back to Saint Stephen Academy, face pale and weary from a sleepless night.

Haya, reading quietly, didn’t scold her for entering unannounced.

"What’s wrong? You’re in such a hurry."

"Miss, our strategy needs adjusting."

Eve reported everything she’d uncovered at the family estate the night before.

Haya frowned. "Shilufei is under strict family surveillance?"

"Yes. Highly classified—I accessed it using your clearance. She’s reportedly the last surviving direct heir of the Lancaster Family."

"Tch…" Haya’s frown deepened. "Is Uncle watching her to stop her from rallying opposition?"

"Exactly."

"And Loko isn’t helping Shilufei out of kindness. She’s undercover—reporting to the family regularly. Teresa oversees it."

Haya’s eyes cleared. "So the family tries to recruit Shilufei. If she refuses… Loko eliminates her."

"Correct."

"Cancel all plans against Shilufei." Haya waved a hand, calm and decisive. "She’ll either join us or be gone. No middle ground."

"But… she might side with Miss Teresa."

"So what?" Haya smiled faintly. "Am I to fracture the York Family over a student council seat? Father sacrificed everything for this family. I’ll compete with Teresa—but never at its cost."

Eve bowed deeply. "Miss… your wisdom is profound."

"Go rest. You were up all night." Haya stood, patted her shoulder. "Following me is harder—I’m not the legitimate heir."

"No! Serving you is my honor!" Eve stammered.

Haya chuckled, nudging her gently toward the stairs. "Rest now. Save the flattery for later."