Living Up to Your Expectations - Chapter 13

“It’s been so long since I’ve been at the academy. Ah, this bothersome yet somehow glamorous atmosphere. I truly do love it here.”

Saying this, Laila smiled elegantly. Her back was perfectly straight, and every word she spoke carried refinement. Yet, she couldn’t quite hide a girlish expression of delight, making her both amusing and endearing.

“I missed you, Laila.”

Those words slipped out naturally. Then, without a moment’s pause, Via spoke up as well.

“Truly, even though you were only gone a short while, I missed your brightness.”

The steam from the tea rose quietly. On the tablecloth sat the baked sweets Laila had brought and the aromatic Darjeeling brewed in the salon. Each cup was adorned with a rose pattern.

I took a sip of tea and narrowed my eyes. With a soft exhale, a floral fragrance spread through my nostrils. The warmth passing down my throat seemed to seep deep into my chest.

Even the sound of Laila’s fork cutting into the baked goods as she told stories of her gifts felt like a pleasant rhythm.

“But to have carried on like that at home—fufu, Laila, you’re quite something, aren’t you?”

When Via teased her like that, Laila blinked once, then smiled only with her lips as she replied.

“I’m just getting started.”

A smile that seemed casual yet was filled with conviction. Laila had discovered the true thrill of “performing.”

“Fufu, Laila, your words and actions are just like the villainess from that novel ‘The White Rose of Moonlight.'”

When I pointed that out, she narrowed her eyes slightly and proudly puffed out her chest.

“My, you noticed? Lady Felicia. I adore that novel.”

“I knew it!”

“But what a shame that we couldn’t see your brave performance in person.”

Via murmured with a hint of disappointment as she brought her teacup to her lips.

At that moment, Laila smiled brightly and said,

“I thought you might say that, so I’ve prepared a little stage here today. It should be starting any moment now.”

—A tension filled the salon’s air, as if the curtain were rising on a carefully orchestrated play.

Clatter-clatter—a sound that shattered the academy’s tranquility.

Turning around, I saw a girl running from down the hallway. Oh my, her hair is all disheveled. Could that be Laila’s sister, Lilith?

“Big sister!!”

The moment her shrill voice echoed through the hallway; the corridor visible outside the salon window seemed to ripple with movement. Students exchanged glances, their eyes darting around as if asking what was happening.

…Fufu, it’s begun.

I tilted my teacup and smiled.

“Where on earth did you put my dress?!”

The voice belonged to Lilith. For a loud, angry shout, it sounded somehow desperate, even tinged with panic.

“My dress? Ah, you mean that mountain of dresses you only wore once? I donated them to charity.”

Laila’s reply was light yet calm. There was an air about her like a cat toying with its prey.

“Hah? Charity?! Don’t do things without permission! Go get them back!!”

Get them back? Oh my, you’re really not seeing reality, are you?

“Impossible.”

Laila’s voice was sharp, like shards of glass. It was different from her usual soft tone.

“That’s from Madame Robe’s shop, you know!? Do you have any idea how much they cost?!”

I see, so they were high-end.

“You weren’t planning on wearing them anymore, were you?”

At Laila’s words, Lilith’s face instantly paled.

“They’re an important collection! And yet, how could you do this to me?!”

‘Hey, you’re being awfully loud, is that alright? You were playing the “tragic sister” at the academy, weren’t you?’

That single remark. The moment Laila lowered her voice to a whisper, the atmosphere shifted.

Lilith glanced around. The students had already stopped and were watching.

‘The sister who was bullied, who couldn’t even have proper clothes or accessories, yet still smiled bravely the “pitiful sister,” wasn’t she? Hey, where did that girl go?’

“…!”

Lilith’s eyes darted around. Like a clown suddenly thrust onto a brightly lit stage.

Whispers began to leak from various points in the hallway.

“Lady Lilith, did something happen with Lady Laila?”

“Lady Lilith is always so quiet but today isn’t she making too much of a scene?”

“I don’t even own anything from Madame Robe. This seems different from the rumors.”

Lilith began to cry. She switches gears quickly, doesn’t she? But it feels a bit late for that now.

“Cr-cruel! Big sister, how could you steal my dresses? Waaah…”

Desperately trying to mend the mask of the pitiful girl.

“Even if you cry, what’s been donated to charity won’t come back. Give up.”

The moment Laila coldly declared this, Lilith’s face flushed with rage.

“—Just you wait. I’ll make you regret this!”

Spitting out those words, she spun on her heel and stormed off.

The hallway fell silent. After a few seconds of quiet someone murmured,

“Is Lady Lilith against charity?”

“For a noble to be so stingy.”

“What a disappointing person.”

Laila watched Lilith’s retreating back, smiling without a word. The moonstone at her chest glimmered softly.