Chapter 56 : I Came To Play

Elia opened her eyes as the sunlight warmed her face.

The light streaming through the window illuminated the room, revealing neatly arranged dolls decorating the space.

From the vanity to the wardrobe, the window, and even the bed—dolls were everywhere.

Elia stretched as she sat up.

A maid entered the room.

“Lady Elia, how would you like your breakfast?”

“I just want to sleep a little longer…”

“If you do, the master will scold you again.”

“Can’t you cover for me?”

“No way! Last time I tried, I got scolded along with you. Please, get up. Now!”

As Elia sat groggily, the maid yanked the blanket away from her.

Elia clung to it desperately, but she couldn’t hold on for long.

“You can’t sleep in just because it’s the weekend. Don’t you know it makes people lazy?”

“Ugh, don’t sound like my dad. Besides, don’t you want to relax on weekends too?”

“Well… that’s true. But still, please hurry and get ready. If you don’t, I’ll get in trouble again.”

The maid quickly dressed Elia and tidied her hair.

Once she was ready, Elia headed to the dining hall.

Three people sitting at the table turned to look at her.

“Elia, you’re late again?”

A middle-aged man seated at the head of the table scolded her.

His already stern features became even harsher as he furrowed his brows.

Elia bowed her head lightly.

“I’m sorry, Father. I only meant to sleep a little longer since it’s the weekend, but I ended up oversleeping.”

“The more time you have, the earlier you should wake up and plan your day.”

“I know that. But what was I supposed to do when Amy didn’t wake me up on time?”

At her false accusation, the maid, who had been silently listening, flinched.

Her father scolded her again.

“There you go blaming others again. Amy would never do such a thing.”

“What do you mean, ‘never’? Between Amy and your own daughter, whose words do you trust more, Father?”

“Of course, I trust Amy.”

“This is unbelievable.”

Elia pouted.

A middle-aged woman sitting beside them intervened.

“So what if she relaxes a little on the weekend? She’s been overwhelmed at the academy—at least let her be comfortable at home.”

“You’re too soft. If she’s coddled like this, how will she survive in the real world?”

“The kids will figure it out on their own. You skipped classes all the time when you were at the academy, remember?”

“Ahem, why is that coming up now?”

Having swiftly shut down the argument, her mother stood up and adjusted Elia’s clothes.

“Did you sleep well, Elia?”

“Yes.”

“You know your father only says these things because he worries about you, right? He barely sees you except on weekends, so he just misses you.”

“I know.”

“Come on, sit down. We were all waiting for you.”

Elia took her seat next to her mother.

The table was filled with familiar and nostalgic dishes, the kind one could only taste at home.

The bread was soft and moist, and the soup was warm.

“Heh heh.”

A man sitting across from Elia chuckled as he watched her eat.

Elia turned to her younger brother.

“What’s so funny?”

“Oh, nothing… just, hehe.”

“You better tell me while I’m asking nicely unless you want to get hit.”

“Hehehe… Noona, you’ve been in an incredibly good mood lately.”

“So what?”

Her younger brother stared at her for a moment, then tapped his fork on the table while grinning.

“Come on, don’t act clueless. You can’t fool my eyes, so stop pretending. You’re terrible at acting.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“There’s someone you’ve been thinking about lately, right? I already knew you had a crush on someone, but now there’s another one, isn’t there?”

“What nonsense are you spouting now?”

Elia scoffed, trying to brush it off, but her parents did not let it slide.

“What…? Explain yourself, Loren. Elia likes someone? And recently, there’s another one?”

“Calm down, dear. It’s only natural to have romantic feelings while attending the academy. Why are you so shocked?”

“But what if some beastly guy is taking advantage of my innocent daughter? You’re not worried at all? I don’t know who he is, but I’d better deal with him as soon as possible.”

“What do you mean ‘deal with him’? He could be a good person! Stop saying such scary things. But… I am curious about this second guy, too.”

They all turned to Elia, their gazes pressing her for answers.

Elia sighed and shook her head.

“Sigh… It’s not like that. I just happened to run into someone at school, but he’s been annoying me a lot lately.”

“That’s not all, is it? I had someone watch you. He gave you gifts, had meals with you, begged you… It was quite a scene, huh?”

“That’s a misunderstanding. It’s not like that.”

As her younger brother revealed all the information he had gathered, the table became lively again with murmurs and whispers.

No one cared about Elia’s protests anymore; they were too busy discussing the extent of her relationship with the mystery man.

“That bastard… He’s trying to steal my daughter. Acting uninterested while secretly making his move—what a devil. I need to take care of him soon.”

“Let young people date. If it works out, great; if not, it’s just experience.”

Laughter filled the room.

Though her father was strict and conservative about romance, he seemed to enjoy watching his daughter experience love.

Her mother cheered her on, and her younger brother…

Well, he mostly teased her, but at least he was laughing.

Even the maids, who had been trying to act like they weren’t listening, couldn’t help but giggle.

Listening to their laughter, Elia smiled bitterly.

Thud.

The moment she set her fork down, silence fell.

The cheerful family and the giggling maids—just moments ago filled with warmth—became eerily still.

No one moved.

No playful hand gestures, no nods of approval.

Not even the slightest tremble of a finger or a blink of an eye.

They weren’t even breathing.

“Heh… hehehe…”

In the midst of the suffocating silence, Elia laughed again.

Bang, bang, bang!

Crash!

She slammed her fist onto the table—once, twice, over and over.

But it wasn’t enough.

She flipped the entire table over.

The carefully prepared dishes, candles, and plates crashed onto the floor, shattering into countless pieces.

If her father had been here, he would have scolded her harshly, demanding to know what she was doing.

But he wasn’t here.

Instead, a doll that resembled her father simply stared at her in silence.

“Ah…”

Elia collapsed onto a chair.

How long had it been since she lost her family?

She buried her face in her hands.

Even though the figures standing before her were now mere dolls, she didn’t want to show them a sorrowful expression.

Swoosh.

Her parents and younger brother moved closer, embracing her.

It was all her will.

She had infused mana into invisible threads, making them move as she wished, yet Elia still lowered her head in her family’s embrace.

And she thought to herself.

How long must I live in this hell?

Please, someone cut this thread.

Even if it means killing me.

Ding, ding, ding.

As she remained buried in her family’s arms, the bell at the mansion’s entrance rang.

A visitor?

The Belmore family was a well-known noble house, particularly in the field of magic.

Although they had reduced their external activities recently, it was not unusual for visitors to arrive.

She could manipulate her family as always, making them perform the proud act of House Belmore…

No.

No, not today.

Elia, who had been sitting idly, started to control her family out of habit but then shook her head.

Just for today, she wanted to rest.

Lately, there had been too many exhausting events.

Wearing a mask and putting on a puppet show on her precious day off felt like a waste.

Besides, if she stayed still, the servants outside would take care of turning the visitor away.

She didn’t know who it was or why they had come, but it was probably something trivial.

So, she ignored the guest.

Both she and the controlled puppets that were once her family needed rest.

That was all that mattered.

Ding, ding, ding.

…!

Ding.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

The bell kept ringing.

If no one answered after three rings, it was customary to assume that the household had declined the visit or had other reasons to refuse the meeting.

Yet today’s visitor was apparently in such a hurry that they completely disregarded basic etiquette.

Not that Elia cared how urgent their business was.

Ding, ding, ding, ding.

Ding.

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding.

Ding, ding, ding.

Whoever this lunatic was, they were persistent.

By now, any reasonable person would have given up and left.

Instead, this one was ringing the bell like a madman.

What were the servants outside doing?

They should have already thrown out such a nuisance or, at the very least, stopped them from ringing the damn bell.

Ding, ding, ding.

Until now, only high-class nobles had ever visited the Belmore estate.

Not a single one had behaved like this.

Was there really such a rude, lowly person associated with the Belmore family?

“Who is it?”

Elia suddenly became curious about the visitor’s identity.

But she clenched her teeth and refused to open the door.

If she opened it now, she would be admitting defeat.

She had no intention of playing into that person’s hands.

She didn’t need to see them with her own eyes.

Whoever they were, they were probably nothing but worthless trash.

After about five more minutes, the ringing finally stopped.

Silence returned to the mansion.

Was it over?

Elia sat still, listening carefully.

Surely, they wouldn’t cause any more trouble after all that noise.

What else could they possibly do after ringing the bell for five minutes straight?

A triumphant smile spread across her lips.

For someone to have been that desperate, it must have meant that their life—or even their entire family’s fate—depended on this meeting.

Now, thanks to her refusal, they were probably leaving in despair.

Good.

“Yes, this is for the best.”

Yet, at the same time, she felt a strange bitterness.

She didn’t know why, but she felt even emptier than before.

Perhaps it was simply the abrupt disappearance of the noise that had filled the house moments ago.

Coming up with a reasonable explanation for herself, Elia stood up.

The visitor was gone, so now she could lie down and rest peacefully.

Or perhaps… she could go out, like always, and take a stroll around Kalian.

Crash!

Suddenly, a man shattered the dining room window and appeared inside.

Elia stared blankly at him, as if watching a scene from a dream.

“…?”

“So, you were home after all. I rang that bell for so long—why didn’t you come out?”

“Why are you here?”

“Just visiting.”

Wade grinned, his infuriating smirk in full display.

As soon as he finished speaking, Kalian and Evelyn climbed through the broken window.

Crash!

Then, as if that weren’t enough, Victoria—whom Elia had recently become acquainted with—chose to ignore the already broken window and shattered another intact one as she entered.

Crash!

“Could you at least come through the already broken window?”

Elia felt a headache coming on.

To be continued…