Claire buried her face in the pillow, full of tears.

Her servants were beside themselves with worry, attempting to console her, but no words of comfort could soothe Claire’s broken heart.

“It’s all over, how could this happen? It feels like everyone has gone mad except for me. Everyone is out of their minds!”

“Miss, please calm down a bit. You will collapse.”

Ryan was firmly angry and had commanded that Claire be confined.

Even the Countess, who had always supported Claire, dealt with her strictly, as if this matter was unforgivable.

Claire, who came to her senses late, was indeed on the verge of insanity.

“Why did you do this…….”

Claire’s personal maid, Liz, looked at Claire, who had been pitifully punished, with sympathy.

Claire covered her face with her hand, tears streaming down.

“I don’t know… I realized what I had done only after I did it.”

It was a sort of compulsion.

Her rationality collapsed in a situation that did not go as planned, and she couldn’t think normally. At that moment, she was consumed with the thought that she must ruin this engagement at all costs.

She thought that even if she made ridiculous excuses and caused a scene, Alton Lianster and Gibnen would not be angered. It was a very simple idea. Planting a negative image in their minds to make them rethink the marriage… but the plan failed miserably.

Alton Lianster was much more gentlemanly than expected. Instead of getting angry, he kindly accepted everything and refuted it point by point.

Even Gibnen Lianster’s brother, who seemed to have a bad character, was very calm in that place.

He certainly looked upset. But the fact that he held his tongue, even though he was discontented, made it clear that he adhered strictly to his father’s decision.

“……This is the worst.”

The plan was ruined, and she had gotten on her parents’ bad side.

It was the result of a foolish act.

“Miss, since things have come to this, you should let go of Miss Riley.”

“……What?”

“You’re the one who is suffering, Miss. What if you ignore Miss Riley as if she doesn’t exist? Just like you have been doing.”

“Talk sense! I have earned my parents’ displeasure. They might value Riley more now. They scorn Riley in front of me, but behind my back…….”

“Still, the only blood relative of this master is not Miss Riley, but you, Miss Claire.”

Yes, the difference in natural bloodlines. This had boosted Claire’s confidence.

The only real daughter of Earl Ryan. She had never felt threatened when Riley was recorded in the family register and became family because she was the daughter of a rustic mountain chief, but the most significant reason was that she was not a real daughter.

“No, my father is someone who can even abandon his own daughter for his success.”

“Oh, come on…….”

“Don’t you see how he’s cowering to Riley now? It’s only a matter of time before I become an outcast in this house!”

Claire truly felt a sense of crisis.

Once Riley has held her wedding and completed the marriage registration, it will not be any less severe than it is now.

‘I need to do something quickly too. To become a help in the house…….’

Since she settled in Prestige, Claire thought she had to marry a nobleman from Prestige at least.

But she knows that it’s not easy to break through the highnosed social circle here and find a husband.

Prestige’s central nobles tend to stick together. It’s not easy to settle here if you’re not from the capital, and there were even rumors that nobles from outside were treated worse than bugs.

Can she be accepted in the social circles here? Or even have a chance to mingle with them in the first place?

Claire was deep in thought.

Naturally, she needed a way to foster friendships with the nobles. Since she had no connection here, it was unthinkable to blend into a social party.

‘What’s a good way…… Ah!’

“Come to think of it, it’s about this time…….”

“What is it?”

“The Horizon Academy’s general admissions exam.”
“Horizon Academy? The big test that the lady is preparing for?”

Claire smiled faintly.

“Riley is preparing for the test, and you think I can’t do it?”

“You’re going to enter the academy? I heard the tuition is tremendous…”

“Yes, so I never even dreamed of attending the academy. It felt like it was a monopoly of the wealthy…”

“But why…”

“The situation has changed now, hasn’t it?”

“…”

“Now that I’ve settled in Prestige, I have to find my place. If nobles are into degree shopping lately, the Horizon Academy’s degree is the best in the country. It’s where the children of Prestige’s political and business figures gather, so it would be good for networking. And if I get a degree from the academy, I won’t be ignored anywhere. It’ll help when I get married too.”

“I don’t know much, but… Wasn’t it a place where only the top elites go? Of course, you are good at everything, and your academy grades were good, but…”

“The general admission is different from the wizard admission. The hurdle is much lower.”