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Chapter One: Wellmy and Iora
“Lady Iora Ernest, I hereby call off our engagement!” proclaimed Arvine, the son of Count Schneiger, at the graduation party, a mocking sneer on his lips.
Upon hearing those words, Wellmy, Count Ernest’s second daughter, felt a surge of exhilaration. She stared straight ahead, Arvine’s arm draped over her shoulders. There stood Iora—her half sister of the same age. In the face of this public refutation from her fiancé, Iora looked down at the floor dolefully.
“I’d never marry a plain, boring, ugly girl like you! I’m engaged to Wellmy now! Count Ernest has already agreed,” Arvine continued.
How does this make Iora feel? Wellmy wondered, eyeing her sister. The girl was all skin and bones, with long, gray hair that was dull and full of split ends. She wore glasses—a luxury in their own right—but hers had thick, black frames of a particularly hideous sort. Deep dark circles shadowed her eyes, and her rough skin had an unhealthy pallor. Her outfit did her no favors: She wore a threadbare, faded dress that would’ve been considered plain even in its prime, and was now completely out of fashion. Old, cheap accessories completed the look.
By contrast, her sister Wellmy was petite and healthy, with glossy, lustrous waves of platinum blonde hair and spotless porcelain skin. Her vermilion eyes looked almost catlike, and her delicate beauty instinctively sparked a protective urge in anyone who laid eyes on her. She was clad in a gorgeous, brand-new gown in the latest fashion, complemented by expensive, shiny accessories that perfectly suited the occasion. Unlike her sister, whose grades were slightly below average, Wellmy’s school performance was good, and her name was consistently near the top of the rankings.
Еñu̇m a. іd̊
I truly wonder how she feels right now... The thought brought a smile to Wellmy’s lips.
When they had arrived at the party earlier, it hadn’t been Iora on Arvine’s arm, even though she had technically still been his fiancée. No, he had been escorting Wellmy. From the moment Iora stepped into the room alone, she had been the target of sneers and mockery. Not only had her fiancé chosen to escort another girl to the event, but he’d chosen her half sister.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
My poor, poor Iora.
“I understand,” Iora muttered in response to Arvine’s announcement. Then she left the room with her head hung low. Wellmy was not pleased to see Iora’s only two friends—the daughter of a viscount and the son of a destitute baron—trailing after her.
Resent me. Hate me from the bottom of your heart, dear sister.
Iora’s miserable, pathetic life was about to come to an end.
Е̃nu m а̌ .íd̃
Two weeks had passed since the graduation party where Arvine had broken off his engagement to Iora. Wellmy watched from the second-floor balcony as her sister quietly emerged from the dilapidated detached building where she’d been living in seclusion. The girl made her way to the main gate, carrying a bag containing her few belongings.
Today, their father was selling Iora off to a man who had asked for no dowry and had even offered to cover all necessary expenses to marry her. Of course, any money that man sent would be going straight into Count Ernest’s pockets.
The only one who would be accompanying Iora to her new life was her waiting maid, Orea, who’d been forced to live in the dilapidated building with her since childhood. Only two people had bothered to see Iora off: Wellmy, who was looking down on her from her balcony with a radiant grin on her face, and Gordley, the butler. Iora—who had always been labeled with terms such as “useless,” “unlovable,” “ugly,” and repeatedly told that no man would ever want to marry her—climbed into the old, tiny carriage that would take her to the home of her new fiancé: the Marquis Aides Ormirage. Also known as the cold, ruthless lord of magic, he was infamous for being both a chauvinist and a misanthrope. Iora had been forced to write him a note stating that he could do “whatever he wanted” with her.
The lord of magic was renowned in high society for his unparalleled beauty and was hailed as the strongest mage of their generation—a cold-blooded man with both talent and influence. Wellmy had no doubt that the social circles were abuzz with whispers of the grim, miserable future that awaited her sister. Would the lord of magic immediately discard her? Would he use her for his magical experiments? Would he beat her beyond recognition? Even if he didn’t go that far, Iora was an unattractive young woman with no one to lean on. He would undoubtedly give her the cold shoulder, leaving her exposed to the jealousy and mockery of high society.
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“Even if he throws you out, you are not to return here. You no longer belong in this house,” their father had told Iora the previous night.
Iora was disinherited and forced to leave the family estate. Wellmy had stolen even her birthright.
Ẃ еb̊nǒ v̄ ě l E.n ǔ_m̃ а
After watching the carriage roll away, Wellmy pranced back inside. She had been in a great mood ever since the graduation party, and today was an especially good day.
Goodbye, dear sister.
Today was the perfect day to pretty herself up and go buy some expensive accessories. They would be receiving quite a large sum for selling Iora, so it was fine if she went a little overboard; her father would likely just smile and forgive her for it.
Wellmy’s life was all glimmer and sparkles.
And it would remain so until the day she faced judgment for her sins, six months later.
※※※
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Wellmy Ernest had been born a commoner.
Back then, she didn’t even have a last name. She and her mother led a life that was not lavish, but it was not lacking either. Why? Because Wellmy’s mother was the mistress of a count.
Their life took a turn when Wellmy was eight. Her father, Count Ernest, lost his wife—Iora’s mother—to illness and married Wellmy’s mother. His relatives protested, claiming that a count should not be wed to a commoner, but Count Ernest didn’t let their opposition deter him. As a result, they all cut contact with him.
Perhaps this was the beginning of House Ernest’s downfall.
On their first meeting, Iora, Wellmy’s new sister, greeted her with a perfect curtsy. She was a beautiful little lady, with glossy, flowing silver locks, glowing skin, and eyes that sparkled with intelligence. The violet hue of her irises was proof of the strength of her magic. She gazed at Wellmy with those very eyes, innocent and pure, like she had never known any hardship in her life.
“It’s nice to meet you, Wellmy,” she said, smiling at her—the daughter of her father’s mistress; the proof of his betrayal.
W ẽḃ nŏṽ е̊l Ѐ nu ḿ а
How did Iora feel at that moment, Wellmy wondered.
Her new sister did everything she could to be kind to Wellmy, while the latter dragged her around to play.
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But when Wellmy was ten, their parents began treating them differently. It became evident to her that they didn’t show the same amount of love to her and her sister. This became undeniable when Wellmy fell into the river while playing with Iora and developed a fever: Their parents blamed Iora for it.
“It’s because you invited her to play with you that she’s ill!” they said.
After that, Wellmy gradually stopped spending time with Iora.
Whenever Wellmy mentioned wanting something that belonged to her sister, their parents would give it to her—including the necklace Iora had kept as a memento of her mother. Then they began punishing Iora by denying her food. Things escalated to the point that they dressed her in servants’ clothes and forced her to clean like a maid. From that moment onward, she was completely forbidden from joining the family at the dining table during meals.
Еṅŭ m а
That was also when Wellmy started complaining about her sister’s appearance.
“Father, Iora’s hair color is a torture to look at.”
And so, Iora was forced to dye her hair a dull gray. She was also prohibited from combing or cutting it, leaving it full of split ends.
“Mother, Iora is glaring at me. Could it be that she has poor eyesight, perhaps?”
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And so, Iora was made to wear thick glasses with chunky black rims and wasn’t allowed to take them off.
“Father, mother, I can’t bear to look at Iora anymore. She’s so dirty!”
W̊е́b n̄ ò v̆е̌l Еñūm а̇
And so, Iora stopped taking care of housework and was sent to live in the estate’s outbuilding, which was stifling in the summer and freezing in the winter. Their parents forbade her from leaving without permission. Once her room in the house was free, it became Wellmy’s.
The more disheveled Iora was, the prettier Wellmy became. Her parents gifted her expensive gown after expensive gown, and people lauded her beauty, declaring that it rivaled even the princess’s. They complimented her golden-blonde hair, bright as the sun and glowing like an angel’s halo, and admired her vermilion eyes, comparing them to precious gems and claiming that they brightened the day of anyone who gazed upon them.
Then, as the sisters were about to enter the noble academy, Iora was betrothed to Arvine. He was the second son of Count Schneiger, a wealthy man who had recently been elevated from viscount to a higher peerage. Their family had always maintained good relationships with House Ernest.
“Iora was so beautiful when I met her. I want her to be my wife!” Arvine demanded.
Count Ernest and his wife rejoiced at the news, but they refused to let the boy see his fiancée. When he finally caught a glimpse of her at the noble academy, he was unable to hide his disappointment. Every opportunity he got, he disparaged her to the other students.
“I never thought she’d turn out like that.”
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His disdain for Iora was blatant, and he went as far as being outwardly cruel whenever she spoke to him. Witnessing this, Wellmy promptly cozied up to him. All she did was act cute and flirt with him a little, and Arvine swooned over her. She had him in the palm of her hand.
“Do not approach Lord Arvine or me at school, do you hear?” Wellmy warned Iora.
As such, they never spent time together at the academy. But whenever they crossed paths, Wellmy made sure to lean against Arvine and engage in blatant displays of affection in front of her sister.
“I should’ve asked for you to be my wife.” Every time Arvine uttered those words, a grin broke across Wellmy’s face.
The only person who seemed to have an issue with the situation was Karla, the daughter of a viscount.
“I find it questionable that you’re all over your sister’s fiancé,” she said to Wellmy one day.
Е ñ û ḿá
“If you want to play Goody Two-shoes so badly, how about you go keep my sister company?” Wellmy retorted, ejecting Karla from her circle.
All of Wellmy’s other followers naturally took her side after this.
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Furthermore, Arvine took the initiative to spread nasty rumors about Iora around the school, leaving her almost entirely isolated. Even after all this, Wellmy still occasionally spotted a boy keeping her company at the library: Leo, the son of a destitute baron.
Some time ago, their father had begun foisting his own administrative duties on Iora. As a result, she spent much more time at the library than her peers. By the time they were halfway through their studies, Count Ernest had nearly all documents and matters concerning the administration of his territory delegated to Iora, forwarding the work to the outbuilding where she lived. The girl seemed to be in a constant state of exhaustion.
Arvine took it upon himself to interrupt her rare encounters with Leo.
“Don’t talk to another man’s fiancée without permission,” he’d sneer. Only in those moments did he reference their engagement. He evidently saw Iora as his property and used their relationship as a pretext to isolate her, despite his lack of affection for his betrothed.
Е ñ ù mа . ї ḋ
As time went on, Iora must’ve acclimated to the amount of work her father made her do, as she began spending less time at the library, and Leo stopped hovering around her. Iora lost even more of her colors.
But one day, Leo came to admonish Wellmy out of the blue. As it turned out, he must’ve still been secretly talking to Iora.
“If you hate Iora, why do you feel the need to meddle with her life so much?” he asked.
Wellmy hated the upright look in his eyes. Her lips curling into a faint smile, she retorted, “Because even she would be wasted on a coward like you.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
He was a small fry who didn’t even have the guts to stand up to Arvine. It was already an open secret at that time that Arvine was in the process of negotiating a change of fiancées with their families. His new betrothed would obviously be Wellmy. Meanwhile, Wellmy’s parents were scheming to make her their heir instead of Iora. Regardless, the latter was still the daughter of a count, imperfect as she might be—a spineless coward like Leo wasn’t worthy of her. Of course, that was merely how Wellmy felt, but for some reason, Leo seemed surprised by her rebuke.
Besides, if he were to take Iora’s chastity, Wellmy wouldn’t be able to sell her for a high price.
Е̂ṅ ûm а́
There were countless ways to traffic people without apparent issues. Iora might have looked unkempt, but she was still a noble; someone would agree to pay a decent amount for her, surely. It was at one of the parties she scoured for a buyer that Wellmy met the lord of magic—well, she bumped into him, and he caught her before she could hit the floor.
His face was so utterly perfect that it was almost scary, and his frosty expression nearly chilled Wellmy to her bones. Just like Iora, his eyes were purple, a sign of his boundless magical energy, but his had a bluish tint. Wellmy couldn’t have cared less about that man, but something about him rubbed her the wrong way.
Her gaze lingered on him after their short encounter. Unfortunately, Arvine seemed to get the wrong idea about it.
“Did you fall for that guy?” he asked, sulkily.
Wellmy immediately leaned against him and assured him that wasn’t the case. Calming him down after that was a huge hassle.
After that, Wellmy regularly went shopping with her mother, buying every dress and accessory she could get her hands on, and—under the care of her waiting maids—grew ever more beautiful. Not only did she endeavor to conduct herself impeccably at tea parties and soirées, but she refused to be outdone by her sister in beauty, popularity, and grades. She had to surpass Iora in every possible way. But no matter her efforts, she had to admit that Iora was smarter than she was. As such, she went to her with a proposition.
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“Sign all of your papers in my name, sister. Don’t worry; I’ll sign mine on yours,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.
Iora didn’t have the right to refuse her request.
Wellmy obviously couldn’t use the same method for the written exams, but it was all right. After all, unlike her sister, who was constantly buried in their father’s paperwork to the point she had to sacrifice sleep to keep up, Wellmy had all the time in the world. She didn’t even need to put that much care into writing her essays anymore, now that Iora took care of them for her. This left Wellmy with a clear advantage when it came to their studies.
In the end, Iora was used by both her father and her sister. She lost what little standing she had at the graduation party and was sold to the lord of magic. Wellmy pushed Iora to the back of her mind as she prepared for her own wedding.
But six months after Iora left the Ernest estate, rumors surfaced. Apparently, Iora had appeared at a party with the lord of magic, the two of them looking like quite the happy couple. Whispers even had it that Iora had become quite beautiful.
Wellmy snickered at these.
W̊eb̄ no vе̊l̈ Еṅ ù m̀а̃
“There’s no way,” Arvine said with a snort.
One day, as Wellmy was on her way to get her wedding dress tailored, she crossed paths with Iora.
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Her sister’s long, flowing hair had regained its silvery shine. Her violet eyes glittered, and her skin glowed. While still thin, she looked far healthier than when she had left the Ernest estate. She stood quietly beside the lord of magic, who was as icily handsome as ever.
“That’s...Iora? No way...” Arvine muttered in a stupor.
They promptly entered the high-end boutique, but Arvine still seemed to be thinking of Iora, even though they couldn’t see her any longer. That greatly displeased Wellmy, who decided to ignore him for the entirety of their shopping trip.
Now that Iora was gone, Wellmy had to help their father administer his domain. He’d even started pestering her not to spend too much money. Wellmy’s life not only grew busier, but it also lost its luster. On top of that, her parents constantly argued, as her mother stubbornly continued her shopping sprees despite her father’s protests. Things at home were tense, Wellmy was exhausted because of all the work she was made to do, and to make matters worse, her relationship with Arvine was starting to sour. Yet, despite all that, the closer the day of her wedding drew, the more excited she became.
Ē n ü m̌ӓ
One fateful day, they received an invitation to a party from the lord of magic. He claimed that he had something to discuss with them regarding the money he had promised in exchange for Iora, which he still hadn’t delivered despite the Ernest family’s many reminders.
And so, Wellmy and her parents, clad in their finest attire, made their way to the lord of magic’s mansion—unaware of the despair that awaited them there, and clinging to the belief that there was still hope.
※※※
The party was teeming with guests.
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Wellmy spotted her entourage from the noble academy, as well as Karla, the viscount’s daughter who had stood up to her that one day, and Leo. Their parents were there too, alongside other prominent high‑ranking nobles.
Their host, the lord of magic, who had arrived at the party alone, eventually announced, “Allow me to introduce you all to my fiancée, the future Marchioness Ormirage.”
Е n̂ u̇ m̈ а
At these words, he stepped forward, leading a lady clad in an exquisite gown into the light. It was none other than Iora, transformed beyond recognition.
The crowd was abuzz with gasps and whispers, every guest comparing her to a goddess.
The belle of the ball and the lord of magic took their places and began their first dance. Oohs and aahs filled the room as everyone fell under the spell of their flawless, elegant performance. Count Ernest’s eyes were wide with shock, while his wife glowered at Iora, overflowing with loathing. As for Arvine, he couldn’t seem to tear his gaze away from his former fiancée, regret etched over his features. It was as if he had finally realized such stunning prey had slipped through his fingers.
The dance soon came to an end. The lord of magic bowed to the crowd, which erupted in cheers and praises. Wellmy quickly spotted Karla and Leo spontaneously taking their places on either side of Iora, as if to shield her.
Her lips curling into a grin, Wellmy approached her sister.
“Dear me, Iora! Aren’t you ashamed to have such lowborns by your side? They diminish the grace and dignity that beautiful gown grants you,” she said.
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A heavy silence settled over the ballroom. Karla and Leo glared at Wellmy, but the lord of magic’s glower was even colder, his bluish purple eyes trained on her.
Iora cast her eyes down, a sad expression crossing her face. “Wellmy... These two are my precious friends. Do not speak of them that way.”
“Oh, but I’m merely speaking the truth, am I not? She’s the daughter of a viscount with nothing to her name but her nerve, and he’s the spineless son of a destitute baron. Although, I suppose you three might be a match made in heaven. After all, you’re not worthy of standing by Lord Aides’s side either, dear sister.”
“Cease your chatter, Wellmy Ernest,” the lord of magic said, his voice so cold that Wellmy reflexively fell silent. “Do you truly believe I’ll allow you to insult Iora in my presence?”
“Whatever do you mean, Lord Aides? I have simply stated the truth,” Wellmy replied, offering the man an obsequious smile.
The lord of magic remained as expressionless as ever.
W ӗ.b̈ n̈ оvе l̀ Е numă
“I don’t recall giving you permission to address me by my first name,” he said calmly. “I will not tolerate that from you—the foolish girl who has relentlessly tormented Iora.”
Wellmy’s smile widened at his words. “Oh no, Lord Aides. You’re mistaken. I don’t know who put that idea in your head, but I have never ‘tormented’ my sister.” She brought a hand to her cheek as if she truly was distraught by the accusation, and turned her gaze to Iora and her friends.
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“I just told you not to call me by my first name. Do your ears not work, perhaps?” the lord of magic shot back. “I’ll let you know I’m aware of every single one of your family’s crimes.”
“Please don’t say such ominous things. We’ve done nothing wrong, have we, father? Mother?” Wellmy turned to her parents. They both nodded vigorously.
“My daughter is speaking the truth, lord of magic! We never treated Iora badly,” Count Ernest said.
“If anything, she’s the one who gave us trouble, lavishing money without even working to earn her keep,” his wife added.
Ӗn̂um̂ӑ
Count Ernest then turned to Iora. “You may have managed to win the lord of magic’s sympathy and prettied yourself up, but you truly haven’t changed a bit on the inside, have you, Iora?!” he spat.
However, the lord of magic showed no pity for the Ernests. A cold, callous smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he narrowed his eyes. “Really? Then, so be it. As a bit of entertainment, I shall now expose every single one of your sins.”
Joy filled Wellmy at his words. Her body trembled, and she did everything in her power to keep the smile off her lips.
At last, judgment had come—exactly as she’d planned.
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