Chapter 12

When that happened, Dietrich Hartmann, who had once been her friend, would proudly declare,

“Isn’t it obvious? Our Diena is the legitimate heir of one of the Five Great Families.”

Of course, both of them completely changed their attitudes after learning that she was a Non-Ability User.

Just remembering it left a bitter taste in her mouth.

‘Let’s not think about those two jerks.’

Shaking her head, Diena focused on Bianca.

However, something felt strange.

The darkness within Bianca was much weaker than she had expected.

She didn’t look like someone who had been slowly dying for years.

That was only possible because the people of House Kardian had avoided contact with Bianca as much as they could.

‘The constant use of suppressants must’ve helped too.’

Diena’s expression sharpened.

‘Then Bianca’s death really was because of Matilda.’

Bianca was far too thin.

She looked even more frail than Diena had when she was starving in House Rothwell.

It was obvious that Matilda had been controlling her food intake.

‘First, let’s see whether my ability works.’

Diena moved with flawless precision, like someone who had been serving tea for years.

Even the way she opened the tea caddy was remarkably elegant.

She poured tea into Bianca’s cup.

Almost entranced, Bianca lifted the cup and took a sip.

“…Wow.”

A faint smile spread across Bianca’s lips, clearly pleased with the taste.

She closed her eyes and slowly emptied the cup.

Watching quietly, Diena tilted her head.

“Why aren’t you eating the sandwiches?”

Bianca hadn’t touched any of the food besides the tea.

Caught off guard by the sudden question, she waved her hands frantically.

“I don’t need to eat. I’ll gain weight. A noble young lady has to control things like that.”

“…”

“And eating things like sandwiches means opening your mouth wide. It doesn’t look elegant. If I eat anything, it should be just a little cookie or cake.”

Diena frowned.

“Why are you trying to lose weight? I think you’d look great even if you gained some.”

Bianca shook her head.

“No. If I get fat, everyone will hate me.”

“Who would hate you, my lady?”

Bianca pouted.

She didn’t want to tell Diena the truth.

That noble young ladies looked down on her whenever she attended banquets.

Matilda had told her she needed to lose weight if she wanted to avoid being mocked.

Normally, Bianca would’ve been annoyed by someone contradicting her.

Strangely enough, she wasn’t angry.

Perhaps she had been unconsciously overwhelmed by Diena’s elegant presence.

“How do I look to you?”

Diena asked slowly.

“Don’t you think I’m pretty too?”

Bianca’s face immediately turned red.

Diena wasn’t unpleasant to look at at all.

If anything, she was exactly Bianca’s type.

She seemed more beautiful than any noble young lady Bianca had ever seen at a banquet.

“Well, you’re not bad.”

Diena widened her eyes in mock surprise.

“But I’m much chubbier than you are.”

“You? That’s a lie.”

Without hesitation, Diena shook her head.

“It’s not a lie. And I think you’d be adorable even if you gained more weight than you have now, my lady.”

The unexpected compliment turned the tips of Bianca’s ears red.

“T-Then I suppose I should eat a little cake.”

Just as Bianca reached toward the cake, Diena quietly moved the sandwich plate closer.

At the same time, she casually brushed her fingers against Bianca’s hand.

She was activating her Purification Ability.

At that moment, Bianca’s tense expression visibly relaxed.

“Huh? Somehow my body feels lighter.”

Bianca blinked in confusion.

At the same time, Diena’s face brightened.

‘My ability works on Darkness Corruption!’

If even this small amount was effective, she could heal Bianca much faster than expected.

‘Of course, completely curing Darkness Corruption will take a huge toll.’

Whenever she used her Purification Ability, the backlash matched the amount of darkness she removed.

In fact, Diena’s fingertips were trembling faintly.

She quickly clasped her hands together so Bianca wouldn’t notice.

Fortunately, that was the extent of it.

Even if she healed Bianca completely, she might not end up coughing blood.

At worst, she might just faint.

That had happened plenty of times in her previous life.

Still…

‘She’s not a Non-Ability User?’

A faint trace of ability energy lingered within Bianca.

Only someone with a purification ability like Diena could detect it.

She had seen cases like this before.

‘People who couldn’t awaken because the darkness inside them was too dense.’

She had once treated someone with an aura very similar to Bianca’s.

‘Cases where they could only awaken after all the darkness inside their body had been removed.’

Such cases were rare now, but became more common in the future.

And that kind of awakening could never be achieved through suppressants alone.

Suppressants couldn’t completely eliminate the darkness inside the body.

‘But my ability can.’

Diena’s power was clearly superior to ordinary suppressants.

“Diena, why did you move this all of a sudden?”

“Yes, my lady?”

Diena snapped back to reality at Bianca’s puzzled question.

‘For now, treating the Darkness Corruption comes first.’

She smiled brightly.

“The sandwiches look delicious too. Why don’t you try one first?”

After a brief hesitation, Bianca reached for a sandwich.

She carefully picked one up from the table.

Her eyes wavered uncertainly before she took a small bite.

Watching her, Diena’s eyes softened.

“It’s good, isn’t it?”

Bianca answered haughtily.

“Well… it’s better than I expected.”

* * *

Matilda, who had been observing them the entire time, furrowed her brow deeply.

Crossing her arms, she let out a heavy sigh.

“Bring Diena over. Tea time is over.”

At her command, the maids hurried forward and pulled Diena out of the room.

As soon as the door closed, Matilda strode over and glared at her.

“Who do you think you are, commenting on Lady Bianca’s meals?”

Her voice was icy.

Diena didn’t back down.

“Lady Bianca is still young. This is the age when she needs balanced nutrition. But she’s barely eating properly.”

“Hah. What would you know? Of course you wouldn’t understand. Noble young ladies are supposed to be thin. That’s what’s considered beautiful. It’s elegant too.”

“That’s not true.”

Matilda was momentarily speechless at the unexpected rebuttal.

“What?”

“I’ve heard that these days, even among noble young ladies, good health is considered a virtue. It’s more popular to eat properly and exercise than to be overly thin.”

Matilda sneered.

“I don’t know where you heard such nonsense, but watch your mouth. I was born a noble. You’re a commoner. If anyone knows better, it’s me.”

Then she pointed a finger at Diena and spoke sharply.

“If you spout that nonsense again, you’ll regret it. Varkan may have brought you here, but I’m the one managing you.”

She was certain Diena would understand after hearing that.

‘A commoner like her won’t dare defy me now.’

However, contrary to Matilda’s expectations, Diena didn’t change at all afterward.

If anything, she visited Bianca even more often.