The courtyard buzzed with faint chatter. Nobles and servants alike glanced sideways as Serena stepped down from the carriage, her cloak trailing behind her like liquid midnight. The House Velora estate loomed ahead, carved in polished rose-stone, its banners fluttering in the wind—a prominent symbol of their noble status in Valeria.
Maris followed closely, head down, her face pale from the carriage ride. Ever since the tea disaster, she hadn't spoken more than a few words.
Good. Let the silence fester.
The air smelled faintly of crushed roses and frost balm—a perfume blend only sold in the inner districts. Serena adjusted the silver pins in her hair. Despite her lack of cultivation advancement, she wore the poise of someone who belonged.
Her spirit vein hadn't awakened yet, and she still lingered in Essence Vein Stage 2, but with her System guiding her, that wouldn't last long.
> [System Notice: Mission pending — trigger "Noble's Judgment."]
A smile touched her lips.
---
Inside the hall, velvet tapestries hung from arched windows, and nobles clinked crystal glasses while exchanging thinly veiled barbs. Lady Velora, the hostess, stood at the center like a queen in her court, her dress encrusted with low-tier Element Stones, glimmering faintly with stored wind magic.
Serena approached with measured grace, every step practiced. She heard whispers already:
> "She's the ruined daughter of House Valen, isn't she?"
"Didn't her engagement get revoked last spring?"
"I heard her spirit vein is broken…"
She turned her head slightly and smiled.
> "Careful," she murmured to no one in particular. "Poisoned tongues rot from the inside out."
The crowd quieted.
---
As the tea ceremony resumed, Alina sat smugly in Serena's rightful chair, her golden brooch glinting—a gift, no doubt, from Duke Rowen's house. Serena didn't even blink.
> [System Notice: New Objective – Reclaim What Was Stolen]
Optional Reward: +1 Essence Core | +1 Reputation Point | Bonus Trait Unlock (Shadow Grace – Passive)
"Oh? How generous," Serena whispered under her breath.
She floated to a nearby seat, ignoring protocol. The other ladies exchanged glances but said nothing. Even Lady Velora hesitated—because in Valeria, appearance outweighed propriety. And Serena looked more like a duchess than Alina ever had.
"Lady Serena," Alina said sweetly, "should you really be here? I thought you weren't… invited."
Serena leaned forward, resting her chin delicately on her hand. "And yet, here I am. Strange, isn't it? How things… change."
Lady Velora laughed nervously. "Well, if you're here now, let us enjoy a peaceful tea. No need to dwell on past rumors."
"Oh, I never dwell," Serena said, stirring her cup. "I simply... remember."
---
Later, as the younger noblewomen displayed their elemental affinities in a casual exhibition, Serena stood silently at the side.
Alina summoned a flicker of flame—Essence Vein Stage 4, at most. A middling talent in the capital. The crowd politely applauded.
One girl, daughter of the Arvon family, whispered, "Serena can't even summon light, can she?"
"She's stuck at Stage 2," another replied. "No wonder her fiancé dropped her."
But Serena only smiled. Let them talk.
Because deep inside her, something stirred. A pulse. A faint crack in her inner core, as if the system were pushing back against the blockages no physician could explain.
> [System Notice: You've triggered the passive trait—Silent Core. Cultivation gains increased by 10% when insulted publicly.]
+2 System Experience. Current Progress: 12/100 (Tier 1 Unlock Pending).
---
As dusk fell, the tea ended, and Serena walked the long hall out of House Velora. Maris trailed behind, clutching her dress like a ghost.
"You embarrassed her," Maris finally whispered, glancing back toward Alina's sneer from the window.
"I didn't even touch her," Serena replied softly. "Yet she felt slapped."
Her gaze drifted toward the horizon. In the distance, the towers of Celestial Academy shimmered faintly beneath the setting sun. The academy that once rejected her.
> One day, she thought, I'll walk through those gates. Not as a rejected daughter of House Valen—but as something far more dangerous.
And when she did, the five realms of Etheria would know her name.
---