SWNOVELXO Chapter 55
Pfft! What is that?
Did she seriously wear that here?
Oh, my goodness.
Hehe.
Camilla sure is clueless sometimes.
Why’s everyone laughing? It looks fine. My brother Petro really loves stuff like that.
The memory was from the day of the freshman welcome party.
Elisha had given Camilla a gift to celebrate their shared time at school: a hair accessory.
The problem? The floral ornament was unbearably tacky.
It was enormous, taking up half her head, with gaudy colors and a clunky design. To make matters worse, it was studded with jewels, which only added to its overwhelming vulgarity.
Elisha had this specially designed, right?
Elisha had gleefully informed Camilla that she’d had the ornament custom-made, adding that her brother Petro adored such decorations.
She insisted that Camilla wear it to the party. Dutifully, Camilla obliged—and became the laughingstock of the evening. Elisha and her friends had reveled in the spectacle, their laughter echoing across the hall.
Camilla wasn’t oblivious.
She hadn’t worn it out of ignorance. While her fashion sense wasn’t perfect, she wasn’t blind to the ornament’s ridiculousness.
She knew full well that Elisha had given it to her as a cruel joke.
The only reason Camilla played along?
Elisha was Petro’s sister. Camilla wanted to avoid antagonizing her, knowing all too well how vindictive Elisha could be if slighted.
But now?
Camilla smirked as she observed the onlookers around her.
It doesn’t matter anymore.
With no intention of maintaining a relationship with Petro, she no longer cared about Elisha’s antics. She found herself more curious than concerned about what Elisha might do next.
“Big sister, I heard you placed first in the midterms! Congratulations!”
“Thanks.”
“That’s amazing! How did you do it?”
“It’s incredible. Camilla never scored that high before…”
“I’m curious too. I heard some rumors…”
“Rumors?”
“Oh, haven’t you heard?”
“What is it?”
“They’re saying someone cheated on the midterms.”
“What?! Who would do such a thing?”
You’d know, wouldn’t you?
Camilla barely held back a laugh as she watched Elisha and her friends fake their outrage.
That’s supposed to be acting?
If this were a film set, they’d be hitting NGs left and right.
Though, today’s tactic is milder than usual.
It seemed they were planning to pick a fight over her exam scores.
To be fair, old Camilla would’ve been deeply hurt by even this. She would’ve agonized over it alone, unable to stand up to Elisha.
“True,” Camilla said lightly, then added with a smirk, “But maybe you all should try cheating sometime.”
“…Excuse me?”
Elisha and her friends gaped. Camilla’s smile widened.
“I mean, with scores like yours, it wouldn’t hurt to cheat a little.”
She continued, her voice laced with mockery.
“You don’t even rank high enough to make me tilt my head up to check.”
I’m great with numbers,
Camilla thought smugly.
“I remember them perfectly.”
Her gaze locked onto Elisha’s friends one by one.
“127th place.”
“Ah!”
“107th.”
“Ugh…”
“97th.”
Finally, her eyes landed on Elisha.
“And you, 117th.”
What did you do? Plan to all end in a 7?
With 132 students in their grade, their standings clearly marked them as bottom-tier.
“Shouldn’t you at least cheat your way to better grades?”
The group turned beet red, stunned into silence.
“Why don’t you put some effort into improving your brains, not just your looks?” Camilla added, smiling sweetly.
“Big sister, that’s going too far,” Elisha said through gritted teeth, her voice trembling with suppressed anger.
“What? Gonna cry?”
“You… You…!”
Tears threatened to spill from Elisha’s eyes, but Camilla merely chuckled.
How transparent.
The “cunning fox” Camilla had once feared was, up close, rather inept. Elisha was clearly planning to cry and make herself the victim, but—
You have no idea who you’re dealing with.
Camilla took a calculated step. The sound of her champagne glass shattering against the floor cut through the party noise like a blade.
The room’s attention instantly shifted toward her.
Camilla’s eyes welled up with tears. Her lips quivered as she bit them, creating the perfect image of someone holding back sobs.
In less than three seconds, tears streamed down her cheeks, making her look heartbreakingly wronged.
Even Elisha and her friends, who had witnessed her smirking just moments before, were too dumbfounded to react.
“Camilla!”
But others weren’t so slow.
The Duke of Sorpel immediately strode over, his expression darkening at the sight of his tearful daughter.
“What’s wrong?”
“Father…”
Camilla’s voice wavered as more tears fell. Her pitiful demeanor only fueled her father’s rising fury.
“I… I…”
“Yes, tell me.”
“They said I cheated on the midterms.”
“What?!”
Camilla looked down, as if too ashamed to meet his eyes. “I’m so sorry. I must not be good enough… That’s why people are saying such things…”
“Who said that?”
“Sniff…”
They did,
her tear-filled gaze implied, darting toward Elisha and her friends.
The Duke’s eyes followed, settling on the group with a murderous glare.
“…!”
Elisha and her companions turned pale, unable to muster any defense under the weight of his stare.
“ELISHA!”
“F-Father!”
Relief flooded Elisha’s face when she saw Duke Jabilon approaching. Surely, he would take her side.
Camilla, however, couldn’t suppress her amusement.
How naive.
The sight of his daughter reducing an honored guest to tears in the middle of a party left even Duke Jabilon with no choice.
“What did you do?” he barked.
“N-no, Father, it’s not…”
“What did I tell you about treating guests with respect?”
“Father, please!”
“Apologize. Now.”
Elisha hesitated, her eyes brimming with tears. Eventually, she turned and fled, her friends trailing behind her.
Come back when you’ve grown up,
Camilla thought, dabbing her tears theatrically as her father fussed over her.
****
Moments later, Camilla excused herself, claiming she needed time to calm down.
As she wandered toward the lounge, something caught her eye: a sword encased in glass, displayed alongside a portrait.
Why does this feel familiar?
The weapon, with its blue hilt and intricate golden patterns, exuded an aura of prestige.
“Admiring it?”
Petro’s voice drew her attention. He stood nearby, smiling as he gestured toward the portrait.
“That’s the previous Duke,” he explained.
“And the sword?”
“The Sword of Guardianship,” Petro said.
“It’s said to choose its wielder and alert them to impending danger. Unfortunately, no one’s been chosen yet—not even the Duke who retrieved it.”
Camilla hummed thoughtfully, her eyes darting between the sword and the portrait.
“Are you okay?” Petro asked, referring to the earlier incident.
Camilla smirked. “Of course. That was all an act.”
“An act?”
“I just wanted to rattle your sister.”
“…What?”
“She’s been a pain, and I needed to return the favor,” Camilla said, leaving Petro visibly baffled.