Chapter 6

The boy standing in front of Hope was none other than Theon Greystone, the youngest half-brother of Evelina. Despite his youthful features, his sharp amber eyes burned with anger as he glared at her.

"What did you do to my sister?" Theon demanded. "I knew it! You always make Selene cry because you hate that she's better than you!"

Hope pressed her fingers against her temple, already feeling the headache worsen.

"Not again…" she groaned internally. "I don't even have the stamina today to play with another monkey."

Before she could respond, Selene hurriedly stepped forward, shaking her head.

"Theon, don't talk to Big Sister like that!" she scolded.

Theon frowned. "But she was making you cry!"

Selene grabbed his arm. "No, she wasn’t! Please don’t misunderstand!"

Hope sighed. "How about this? You both go to your rooms and continue this heartwarming sibling discussion there. I’m exhausted and going to sleep."

Without waiting for their response, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving them standing in the dimly lit corridor.

As Hope entered her room, she found Shiri, her ever-loyal maid, waiting inside with a cup of warm tea. The young girl looked at her with concern.

"My lady, you look drained."

Hope let out a tired laugh. "You have no idea, Shiri." She collapsed onto the chair and took the cup from her hands. "A masked man, a nosy brother, and an overdramatic sister… my first royal ball was quite the experience."

Shiri tilted her head. "Masked man?"

Hope waved a hand dismissively. "Forget it. Just someone I met in the garden. Probably insignificant."

But as she sipped her tea, her thoughts drifted back to those golden eyes, and an unsettling feeling crept into her heart.

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As Hope lay in bed, she closed her eyes and tried to focus, attempting to sense any trace of mana within her body.

She waited.

"Nothing....."

A sigh escaped her lips. "I can’t feel anything… just like in the novel."

In the original story, Evelina had never bloomed—her mana had never awakened. Unlike Selene, who possessed powerful ice-based magic, Evelina remained an anomaly in the Greystone family.

Hope sat up, rubbing her temples. "In the original story, Evelina was grounded for a month in the Northern Cold Palace as punishment for swapping Selene’s drink with a potion that enhanced her magic. It caused Selene to collapse from the overwhelming surge of power and left her with a fever for days."

Hope frowned. "But now that I’ve changed the plot, I don’t know what will happen next. The hunting competition is coming up soon… In the novel, Evelina participated with Selene, but because she had no mana, she came in last. It was humiliating for her."

Hope clenched her fists.

"If I have no magic, I need to balance it out with something else… I was pretty athletic back in high school. Should I start learning swordsmanship?"

A voice interrupted her thoughts.

"My lady?"

Hope looked up to see Shiri standing at the doorway, holding a fresh set of clothes in her hands.

"You seem troubled. Is something wrong?" Shiri asked, her sharp eyes scanning Hope’s face with concern.

Hope hesitated for a moment before sighing. "I was just thinking… If I can’t use magic, I need another way to protect myself."

Shiri blinked, then placed the clothes on the dresser. "You mean… swordsmanship?"

Hope leaned back against her pillow. "Yeah. It makes sense, doesn’t it? This world is dangerous. If I don’t want to be the helpless villain everyone tramples over, I need to get stronger."

Shiri hesitated. "But, my lady… Greystone women don’t wield swords. It’s always been a tradition that only the men train in swordsmanship."

Hope scoffed. "Tradition? That’s nonsense. There’s no rule that says women can’t learn. It’s just that no one ever tries."

Shiri bit her lip. "Even so… your father might not approve."

Hope smirked. "Then I just won’t tell him."

Shiri sighed, already sensing that nothing would change her mistress’s mind. "If you truly want to learn, I might know someone who can help…"

Hope raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Who?"

Shiri lowered her voice. "There’s a retired knight in the servants’ quarters. He used to be one of the Duke’s personal guards before an injury forced him to step down. He still teaches the younger knights in secret… If you want, I can arrange for you to meet him."

Hope’s eyes lit up with excitement. "Shiri, you’re a lifesaver!"

The maid gave a wry smile. "I have a feeling I’m going to regret this…"

Hope laughed. "Maybe. But if this works out, I’ll finally have a fighting chance in this world."

And with that, a new plan began to form in her mind.

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