Beatrice’s POV (Before entering the academy):

My whole life, I’ve been praised. Everywhere I went, people would fight for a chance to befriend me, they’d gladly take on the role of my lapdog. After all, I’m the heir of County Rose, the only county in the kingdom whose strength can rival that of a dukedom. Father always told me to be proud of my name, he said that I was special.

 

Then how?

 

How could I fail to follow a simple request that my father entrusted me with?

 

He asked me to befriend Aria Ernius, that lowborn heir of a mere barony, and make her my follower.

 

Then why wasn’t she glad that I asked her to be my friend?

 

She clearly agreed when I asked her, but later on, when we exchanged letters, I found out that it was all on the surface. She was trying to put a stop to any future letters with her word play.

 

Why doesn’t she want to be my friend?

 

And why is her house even grander than my own?

 

It doesn’t make any sense!

 

Strength-wise, there is no doubt in my mind that I am stronger than her, she even received a useless class like Scholar, so I know that even the heavens are in my favor.

 

But then, just why is she so much more popular than me? How dare she steal my spotlight?

 

If my father’s words were true, that she really is a lowborn trash, if she really is meant to be my follower, then what’s with this situation?

 

Back when Lady Martha invited me to her tea party, I was sure that I’d return home with a new follower, a new pawn.

But then, even the heavens betrayed me.

 

I have a maid named ‘Isabelle’. She has been with me for as long as I remember. And she has the ability to determine the rarity of people’s class. Being a B-grade Mage, with a special affinity for ice element made me rarer than most of the other A-grade mages she has met before. But the streak ended when I attended her party. And you know whom I lost to? Not her, nor her mother. But her freaking maid! Even her maid had a rarer class than me!

 

That was when I first doubted my father. For the old me, his words were the ultimate truth. But not anymore. He clearly misjudged Aria. She isn’t any ordinary heir of a rundown barony, she’s not some lowborn mutt. She isn’t just any pawn, she’s a worthy opponent who needs to be conquered. Father might be blinded by his prejudice, but I’m not.

 

When Father saw that I was unable to make any progress, he asked me to leave her be and told me that she’s not worth it. But no, it’s personal now. I don’t care if I have to go against my father’s will to conquer her. I’ll do it, I swear it upon my name!

 

I’ll take back my spotlight, and I’ll make her growl under my feet.

 

For that, if I have to play dirty and backstab you after gaining your trust, I’ll gladly do so! Just you wait Aria, I’ll break your defenses at the academy. Then I’ll strike when you least expect it and claim my victory.

***

 

Beatrice’s POV (On the carriage ride home after graduation):

Damn it! damn it! damn it all!

 

After all the things I did. Ever since your first day at the academy, I have done as you asked. I left you alone and only acted from the sidelines. I made sure to give you enough hints to figure out that it was me who put all those silly gifts on your doorsteps. After achieving your goal when they hailed you as a celebrity, I was sure that you’d see my sincerity and accept my advances. All so that I could gain your trust.

 

If this wasn’t enough for you, I don’t know what will be.

 

Initially, I thought that you were a soft hearted fool. I thought you’d slowly accept me, apologize for your wrong behavior, and ask me to join that little group of yours. So that, in the end, I could stab you at the perfect time and have the last laugh.

 

But it seems that I was wrong yet again. You weren’t only deceiving me, but your friends as well. You’re no saint, you’re a manipulative and cunning woman hiding behind a sweet mask. You act all nice and sweet, but you showed your true form to me. It’s my fault for not seeing through this earlier. After all, no kind person would reject someone so hard for no reason at all.

 

You’re so heartless that you wouldn’t give me a single chance even when I’ve been practically begging for your attention.

 

It’s all clear now.

 

Well played. You might have won the battle, but the war isn’t over yet.

 

I’ll play and win at your own game. I won’t stop until I’ve conquered that smug smile off your face.

 

Just you wait.

 

***

 

Aria’s POV (Back to present):

Currently, we are waiting for Sophia’s carriage beside the mansion gates.

 

“Look, they’re here!”, Wies yelled and pointed towards a fancy carriage in the distance.

 

“What are you doing here, brat?”, I asked.

 

Since when was he standing behind Letty anyway?

 

“I was here all along. I knew you’d shoo me away, so I sneaked behind Miss Letica”, he smugly replied.

 

“You know, your personality has changed an awful lot since that day in the office. And what's the deal with 'Miss' Letica? You never address us with respect, so why only her?” Carolina asked.

 

“I was just nervous that day! And Miss Letica deserves everyone’s respect, she is the only one who does all the work at your office while the both of you goof around”, he said.

 

“Oi brat, get lost before I tell Aria about your motives and show us some respect!” Carolina threatened him.

 

“Hehe, Miss Carolina. There is no need to go that far, I’ll take my leave now”

 

The carriage arrived while I was listening to their useless chatter.

 

“Welcome, Sophia. It’s good to see you”, I said as she was descending from her carriage.

 

“It’s good to see you too, Aria. Oh, what a pleasant surprise to find you here, Miss Carolina”, she greeted Carolina as well.

 

“Hello, Miss Letica. We meet again”

 

“Welcome, Miss Sophia. It’s a pleasure to meet you”, Letty replied.

 

After exchanging pleasantries, Sophia moved to a guest room with the help of her maids.

 

***

 

For the next few days, Sophia also familiarized herself with the lab and the workings of the company. She was quite excited to look at the inner workings of one of the biggest companies in the kingdom. Well, what can I say? Dad really is a great entrepreneur.

 

While we were brainstorming on what our next project should be, I received a letter from Beatrice.

 

It has been a while since we last exchanged letters, let’s see what it says.

 

It was a personal invitation to a party that they are hosting in a few months. All the other noble family heads were invited, along with a few ‘selected individuals and friends’. I am guessing that I am among the ‘selected individuals’. Sigh, I can’t even make up an excuse to ditch the party because she sent the invite so early.

 

I wonder what the party is about. It must be something huge if they’ve invited all the other nobles.

 

It seems like I won’t have my friends accompany me during this party.

 

But is this Beatrice really different from the novel? She doesn’t have a single bad rumor on her name, and she didn’t even meet the protagonist when she was supposed to meet him. Maybe I should apologize to her for saying such harsh words and pushing her away because of my own misconception.

 

Let’s try to do so at this party.

 

***

 

That afternoon, before bath time,

 

“Letty, I have some good news. The milk you gave me, it worked! Hehehe, I’m so happy! Thank you so so so much, Letty. I love you!”, I said, as I pulled her in for a bear hug.

 

“Really? I’m so glad. And no need to thank me, it’s a given that I would take care of all your needs”

 

“No, it’s not. You don’t have to take so much care of me, but you still do. No normal maid, or assistant, or even lovers work so hard for anyone, not as much as you do. You’re truly an angel Letty. If there’s ever anything you want, don’t shy away from asking. I would make it happen”, I said.

 

“I can’t think of anything else that I want. Wait, I know! During the construction of the lab, I noticed that there was a secret room on the north side of the lab. I forgot to ask back then, but can you tell me what’s in it? I don’t think even Sir Richard knows about it, that makes it even more intriguing”, Letty asked.

 

Oh no! How do I get out of this? I can’t tell her what’s in there!

 

I even paid the constructor extra money to keep it a top secret, how did Letty find out?

 

Let’s just say that if Letty ever finds out about the secret lab, she’ll never see me in the same light again.

 

I’m not hiding anything illegal or anything, it’s just that the lab was built for making and experimenting with some secret gadgets, which may or may not vibrate, and it may or may not be something related to female pleasure. Alright, it’s a f*cking vibrator that I planned to work on.

 

It’s certainly not something that a young noble lady such as me should be making.

 

I couldn’t do it at the academy and finally got a free pass. But now Letty found out about it, and I can’t tell her!

 

“Actually, I can give you anything but that. And please, be a dear and keep it a secret from everyone. Absolutely no one can know about this!”, I said.

 

“Hmph”, she pouted. “So much for ‘anything you want’. Okay then, let me do whatever I want right now, and don’t stop me unless you’re truly uncomfortable”, she said.

 

“Thank you for understanding, Letty. And I’ll let you have your way, so do whatever you please”, I said. Wait, that sounded so wrong.

 

“Yess! Now, we’re heading for a bath… Together.”, she said as she pulled my hands and dragged me towards the bath.

 

Wait, I’ve only just gotten used to my new breasts, I’m not ready to show them yet.

 

But I promised Letty I’d let her do as she pleases, so I can’t back off.

 

“Now, let me help you undress, and then we’ll enjoy a relaxing bath, back to how things used to be”. Again, she didn’t waste a moment and started undressing me.

 

Oh God, I’ve got to toughen up. I have real boobs now, so there is no need to be embarrassed. And nobody can laugh at my chest.

 

And yet, I can’t help but feel a slight blush forming on my cheeks.

 

Before I knew it, I was left stark naked, and Letty began undressing herself.

 

“Here, look at yourself”, she held my shoulders and made me turn towards the mirror. This way, she was right behind me.

 

“There is nothing to be embarrassed about? And these breasts, they are just perfect, I love them”, while saying so, she dropped her hands from my shoulders and…touched the sides of my breasts.

 

Wait, is she feeling me up?

 

“Letty?”

 

“Whaa-! I’m sorry, my hands just slipped. Let’s move to the bath”, she yanked her hands off and rushed towards the bath.

 

It felt nice… I’m a bit sad that she let go… No! I’m the one who’s incharge. She just has a free ticket for now.

 

Come tonight, I will be sure to settle the score.

 

“Come on, let me wash your hair”, Letty yelled.

 

I followed her, and we had a slightly awkward yet refreshing bath. Ah, it feels good to have normal baths again.

 

We had dinner and fortunately, I caught Mom in the middle of calling a whole boutique at our house. I’m not playing dress-up again!

 

After a while, we were reading ‘The Comprehensive Compendium of Incantations and Their Historical Significance’ while lying on the bed, when I noticed that Letty had already fallen asleep. Poor Letty, even though she hates such books, she still tried her best to read it with me.

 

I find myself falling for her all over again, every time I notice these little things.

 

It’s pretty late already, I should stop reading.

I wanted to tease her before dozing off, but I guess that can wait. I turned off the lights, wrapped a blanket around us, and spooned her to sleep.

---