The Girl My Family Ignored Became the Warrior They Could Never Reach Chapter 06

The Girl My Family Ignored Became the Warrior They Could Never Reach Chapter 06

That evening, Mom cooked an enormous dinner herself.

This time, a savory baked egg custard topped with lump crabmeat and finished with melted butter sat at the

center of the table.

Celine reached for it with a spoon, but Mom caught her wrist.

“You love meat, so have more of that. Let Rhea have more of the egg custard.”

Celine pulled her spoon back. The color drained from her face, but she forced a smile.

“Once Rhea moves so far away, she won’t get to have your egg custard anymore.”

I smiled when I heard that.

It was not as though I had gotten to eat it often before.

“That’s fine. Whenever she comes home on break, I’ll make it anytime she wants.”

Celine’s eyes slowly reddened, filling visibly with tears.

“I–I don’t want Rhea to leave…”

I looked up at her.

“Evan is staying. Could Rhea stay too, so the four of us can all go to school together?”

Dad put down his fork and frowned.

“Celine, how can you ask something so unreasonable? That’s Silvermoon Academy. Rhea worked hard to get

in. How could she give it up for such a ridiculous reason?”
It was the first time Dad had ever spoken harshly to her. Startled by the rebuke, Celine began to cry.

“I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I just don’t want Rhea to leave…”

Liam instinctively came to her defense.

“Dad, don’t yell at Celine. She just doesn’t want Rhea to leave. What did she do wrong? Haven’t you always told us to give in to Celine?”

Mom could no longer hold back.

“I taught you to give in to her over food, clothes, and outings. We can afford more of those.”

“But I never taught you to sacrifice Rhea’s future for her!”

Liam’s expression changed.

“That isn’t what I meant…”

“Then what did you mean?”

I quietly continued eating as though the argument had nothing to do with me.

Mom and Dad suddenly realized the truth.

I had grown used to it.

I was used to being told to give in to Celine.

They looked from Liam, still defending Celine, to my complete indifference. Only then did belated concern for

me finally show on their faces.

Evan looked increasingly unsettled as he listened.

He knew Silvermoon Academy was in a league of its own.

It meant a future. It meant honor.

More than that, he knew it was the freedom I had dreamed of day and night.

He had nearly sacrificed all of it just to keep Celine happy.

On the day of the celebration, Evan’s parents made it back from the Southern Territory.

When they heard I had been accepted into Silvermoon Academy, they looked at me with open approval.

Evan’s mother even slipped the Luna bracelet from her wrist.

The gesture shocked everyone around us. Mom caught her hand.

“That’s far too valuable.”

“It’s fine. Rhea is so exceptional. Of course I need to call dibs early.”

The adults went back and forth for a while, all of them smiling, before the bracelet was finally offered to me.

With everyone watching, I shook my head and took a step back.

“That wouldn’t be appropriate. Please save it for the right person.”

They tried to persuade me again, but I clasped my hands behind my back and refused to accept it.

Later in the evening, I got up to use the restroom.

When I came out, Evan stepped directly into my path.

In his tailored black suit, he looked polished and composed, but his dark eyes churned with barely contained

emotion.

I calmly looked away and stepped around him to leave.

I had barely taken two steps when he seized my wrist.

I turned back with a puzzled frown.

“What is it?”

My indifference seemed to hit him hard. Evan frowned, restrained pain filling his eyes.

“You blocked me.”

I looked away, letting my silence answer for me.

When I still said nothing, he drew a deep breath, fighting to keep his emotions under control.

“Why?”

The question was almost laughable.

After everything that had happened, he still had the nerve to ask me why.

I met his gaze, my expression cold and faintly mocking.

“What do you think?”

Evan froze.

I wrenched my wrist out of his grip and turned away.

He hurried after me and reached for my wrist again.

“Rhea, just hear me out…”

Pain shot through my wrist, and the last of my patience snapped.

I pivoted with the force of his grip and slapped him across the face.

The sharp crack echoed through the quiet hallway while the celebration continued in the ballroom nearby.

Evan’s head snapped to the side. He remained motionless for a long moment, like a statue that had been abandoned and forgotten.

Ignoring his stunned silence, I pulled out my phone and held the video up in front of him.

“We never formed a mate bond, and you never made any vows to me. You were free to get close to whoever you wanted. I had no right to stop you.”

“But what gave you the right to decide where I would enroll? What gave you the right?”

The color drained from Evan’s face. At last, his eyes reddened.

I raised a hand to stop him before he could speak and took a step back.

“This ends here. I won’t forgive you, and I never want to see you again.”