Floria lowered her voice with all her might, but no matter how quiet she spoke, she couldn’t hide the resentment and reproach woven into her words.
Yet when Sophia heard her righteous scolding, only a fleeting hesitation flickered across her face before vanishing without a trace.
Not only did she not stop what she was doing, but quite the opposite—
If Floria hadn’t sensed the danger and swiftly clamped her legs shut to restrain Sophia’s hands…
Floria had no doubt those nimble fingers would have only grown more brazen in their mischief.
“Shh—Big Sister, don’t be so loud. Careful not to wake little Sylvie. I’m sure you don’t want her to see us like this~”
Sophia lifted her free hand, pressing her index finger gently against her rosy lips as she smiled slyly, a mischievous triumph playing across her face.
“…Sophia… I really misjudged you before. I didn’t expect you to be so… despicable! Shameless!”
Floria gritted her teeth, controlling her voice and glaring at her with a look of disgust.
But Sophia didn’t back down.
Instead, she puffed out her chest with pride and excitement, replying with interest:
“Big Sister… aren’t these all things you taught me back then?
“When you gave me a ride to the Knight Evaluation, you deliberately groped me secretly while other passengers were around…”
As she spoke, a hint of grievance colored her tone.
“You made my underskirt and Knight’s Gown completely soaked… I ended up late for the evaluation… and was disqualified for losing points on attire and appearance… Isn’t all that your doing?”
“I… I was just—”
Floria’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Holding her breath, she recalled those days and gathered her thoughts before rebutting seriously with a stern face:
“I did that for your own good, to help you avoid a nasty, ugly unspoken rule in advance—
“And now you don’t even thank me, but treat your benefactor so crudely and indecently? What kind of conduct is that!”
“…What?”
For a moment, Sophia was genuinely stunned by this statement.
Her thoughtful gaze dropped onto Floria, scanning the woman she both loved and hated from head to toe.
She raised an eyebrow and asked:
“The ugly unspoken rule you mentioned… could it be—”
“Yes. Those nobles who held power over the Saintess Knights back then.”
Floria saw the confusion on Sophia’s face and quickly realized this was a precious chance to regain the upper hand.
She eagerly seized the “lifeline” topic.
“The Saintess Knight Evaluation that year was larger in scale than ever before, but it was secretly manipulated by some ill-intentioned Nobles.
“They turned the Knight Evaluation into a ‘selection of brides’ event in private, threatening the high-ranking Saintess Knights to obey their orders or face the loss of awards and titles. Their methods were utterly vile.
“Back then, hardly anyone knew about these dark dealings. Even those who suspected dared not speak openly because of the Nobles’ power.”
Floria’s serious expression underscored her explanation, causing Sophia to fall into deep thought.
“Sophia, think about it—if I had let you attend that Evaluation as you were, with your proud spirit, would you have ever obeyed those Nobles’ secret control?”
“I… certainly not.”
Sophia shook her head firmly.
“Exactly. So think carefully—what I did was actually for your own good~”
Floria pleaded earnestly.
“Rather than having you offend those Nobles, it was better for you to fail the Evaluation outright and avoid trouble. That was my way of protecting you secretly as your senior.”
With the topic now firmly in her control, Floria skillfully wore a worried, concerned expression.
“Not to mention, I personally exterminated those Nobles later, cutting off the problem at its root and stopping them from abusing their power again—the Noble Extermination Incident. As my personal disciple living at my estate, you should know that well, right?”
Floria laid out irrefutable facts, weaving her viewpoint and reasoning tightly to steer Sophia’s thoughts along the path she desired.
The best outcome would be to reestablish her authority as the Saintess Knight Commander before Sophia, restoring the image of the timid, obedient girl who once trembled under her gaze.
At the very least, it would protect her from Sophia’s bullying and prevent another humiliating defeat like the one at the dining table.
Of course, what Floria described was, in a sense, a fortunate accident.
According to the system at the time, the original Sophia, upon discovering the truth behind the scenes, would have openly rebelled at the Evaluation and become a thorn in the side of the evil Nobles.
After a tough battle of wits and courage, Sophia would have personally eliminated those villainous Nobles, turning the incident into a key milestone that boosted her reputation in the Knight Order and laid the foundation for her eventual rise as the new Commander.
But because Floria’s moment of inappropriate teasing on the carriage caused Sophia to fail the preliminary Evaluation, the subsequent events never unfolded.
Therefore, Floria had to personally handle those villainous Nobles herself in one swift move.
This both purified the capital’s environment and protected the members of the Knight Order, restoring the situation to its proper course.
One could say her original intent was wrong, but the outcome was beneficial—in terms of results, Floria could confidently claim she did it “for Sophia’s own good.”
Hearing this unexpected truth, Sophia fell into silent contemplation.
Several minutes passed before she finally looked up at Floria again and softly asked:
“So… does that mean I should be thanking you for what you did back then?”
“…No need for that…”
Floria nervously waved her hand.
“I just hope you can control your hands and feet and interact with me like a normal person, rather than always trying to get… um… physically intimate in inappropriate ways—”
She glanced toward Sylvie resting on her shoulder, gently smoothing the girl’s hair with her fingertips, then looked back at the pensive Sophia and added slowly:
“Also, Miss Sophia, I want you to understand—you’re a distinguished Saintess Knight Commander of the capital; while I am now just a housewife with a child, longing for a peaceful life.
“You, a righteous Saintess Knight who worships the Divine of Light, are here bullying commoners and harassing good women. Doesn’t that bring you any shame?”
Floria spoke earnestly, ending with a serious question backed by the tenets of the Divine of Light’s faith, using her vulnerable position as a shield.
At this point, direct resistance was hopeless.
Her previous experience had made that abundantly clear.
With Floria’s current strength, in a normal setting like choosing seats earlier, she couldn’t even push Sophia’s body.
Not to mention how difficult it would be if Sophia truly fought back, empowered by her magic.
So she planned to try awakening Sophia’s guilt and conscience with carefully crafted words, hoping she would see the error of her ways and relent.
Having delivered what she believed to be a convincing and sincere plea, Floria anxiously watched Sophia’s expression for any reaction.
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