Moliyaer had been watching Fulo from beginning to end.
Watching her intently.
From the moment she fell asleep, to when she woke up, and now, as Fulo sat stunned before the carefully prepared breakfast.
Moliyaer took it all in.
“Enough.”
Now that she had achieved the result she wanted, she decisively froze the moment Fulo’s face registered surprise, then stared blankly at her.
“That expression… you must think it tastes really good.”
She knew Fulo’s favorite flavors, the foods she hated—how could she not?
The years they spent together as children, their adventures growing up, every memory with Fulo was a treasure to Moliyaer.
No matter what Fulo did, she always watched closely, but… “Does liking something you hate eating feel good?”
She muttered to herself, as the young lady of a ducal family revealed a previously unseen hint of madness.
“It definitely can’t feel good, this feeling of being forced. Maybe I should be more forceful? But unlike that man, I’ll respect you and teach you this noble compulsory course with more gentleness.”
That man, of course, was her father—Duke Rana von De Lan, the Iron-Blooded Chancellor of the Empire.
As his daughter, she had been raised with the finest elite education for nobility from an early age.
Required to uphold impeccable manners, striving for perfection in all things, accepting all tastes and dislikes.
Able to accept disappointment in herself, and to cause disappointment in others.
Able to effortlessly exploit herself, and gleefully exploit others.
And all of this was just a small part of the basic skills of a qualified noble—it was her everyday life.
Someone as clever as Fulo would understand after a little explanation, but Moliyaer had no intention to explain.
She closed her eyes and, like countless nights before, recalled every detail of her childhood with Fulo.
“You said you’d be my companion forever, Fulo. Even if it was a joke, it was a promise you made to me with your own lips. I’ve always held that in my heart.”
When she was six, Moliyaer’s father got caught in a political storm and moved the family to the remote town of Kodo, far from the Imperial Capital.
Freed from the strict protocols of noble life, she met a boy named Fulo Camille.
Unlike other noble children, radiant and carefree, he was like the sun—warm and enthusiastic—who took the initiative to become friends with her, the duke’s eldest daughter, bound by rigid rules and filth.
From that moment, she resolved to make Fulo keep his word, and to be ready to take responsibility for him as well.
If they were to be together forever, they first had to understand each other.
It was a simple truth; everything she did was so that Fulo and she could fully understand one another.
And more than that, it was for Fulo’s sake.
At that thought, Moliyaer bit her lip.
Even though she was young then, she was no naive girl who’d become childhood friends with someone just because of a single word.
Fulo attracted her not only because of his pure character and the novelty of the vast social gap between them, but because of a unique aura he carried.
“You’re insecure yet radiant, passionate yet cautious, completely different from my proud self. But Fulo do you know? You have qualities only I have noticed.”
Moliyaer opened her eyes and cast a dark gaze on the jade dagger resting on the table.
It took her four years to realize that becoming Fulo’s childhood friend was not born out of joyful impulse, but out of fierce jealousy and a desire to destroy.
This common-born boy carried an unexplainable superiority she couldn’t comprehend.
She was almost certain that neither she, the duke’s daughter, nor the academy genius Tatasimi, nor the noble elf Elka, mattered to Fulo.
Even if the emperor himself appeared before him, this guy would probably look down on him.
Because of this, she chose to treat him with increasingly unreasonable cruelty.
But no matter how arrogantly and harshly she tormented him, he always looked at her with pity.
Why?
Moliyaer didn’t understand—was it because of that underwhelming healing ability?
This guy had always regarded that divine-level talent with self-doubt, never pride.
He could break down, despair, even consider suicide over family betrayal.
Yet why did he look down on everyone else, just like her proud father who demanded the impossible from her, no matter how hard she tried, never satisfied?
Moliyaer clenched her fists, hiding her gloomy gaze, then smiled foolishly.
“If I completely destroy you, I’ll finally see who you really are. If I turn you into a noble like me, then we’ll truly see who you are, and become partners who understand each other.”
In this world, someone like him was too easy to kill.
She was protecting him, making that special aura disappear before anyone else could notice it.
It was enough for only her to know, Fulo—my Fulo…She solidified her resolve like this.
Deep down, she had to admit that her oppression of Fulo out of misunderstanding was an act of empathy for another misunderstood and unresisting person.
Her father.
Forcing others to obey one’s will and do things they don’t want was a form of pleasure.
That was why her father was never satisfied with her.
Even as the shining young noble of her generation, she had to bow before her father.
That powerful man surely enjoyed that feeling.
He cultivated outstanding children not for the family’s prosperity, but for his own power and control.
She had once sneered at such behavior.
But now, as she oppressed Fulo, tormented the boy who once promised to be her loyal friend, saying…If you don’t obey, you’re unreasonable.
If you don’t do well, you’re incompetent trash.
Others can do it, why can’t you?
Watching Fulo bury his head in hard work because of these words, Moliyaer felt a rising joy in her heart, especially the moment he chose suicide—she experienced unprecedented happiness.
This was love.
Fulo loved her, loved the Jade Heart.
Because of love, he forced himself through those words and even hurt himself.
Just as she loved her family, pushing herself under her father’s elite education to become the famous Miss De Lan.
Yes, with her father’s treatment, she was beginning to understand him.
With her treatment of Fulo, such a considerate person would soon understand her as well.
After all, unlike that man, her oppression of Fulo had ended.
Since Fulo changed into the person she saw now, everything she did was necessary help to make her better and more fitting in.
The harsh atmosphere within the team, the superior material care, and the prestigious status—all the things she had once enjoyed herself.
Her father was a failure, unable to raise a daughter he was satisfied with.
But she could nurture an ideal “self” she was proud of, proving she was different from her father, proving the correctness of her love for Fulo.
“I look forward to the day we truly understand each other. Until then, I will work hard to make you the brightest star.”
An insecure person must long to become the center of attention.
Even if she was excessive, Fulo would understand it was all for her own good someday.
Even if Fulo hated her, she didn’t care.
With her heart full of hope for the future, intent on shattering the shadow of common-born Fulo within her and transforming her completely, Moliyaer rose and gave new orders to Lynk through the crystal ball.
“If she doesn’t obey, use firmer methods.”
Then she left the De Lan Villa to prepare her next move.
She was well aware Fulo was only pretending to comply.
This person, insecure yet fiercely proud beyond measure, would never easily accept her current status after such excessive treatment.
But it didn’t matter.
As long as there were signs of change.
Since she had achieved the initial result she wanted, the next steps could be taken without hesitation.