The Girl My Family Ignored Became the Warrior They Could Never Reach Chapter 07

The Girl My Family Ignored Became the Warrior They Could Never Reach Chapter 07

After the celebration, we returned home.

I thought I could finally get some rest, but Celine came knocking on my bedroom door with Liam behind her.

The moment she saw me, tears began welling in her eyes again.

“Rhea, I came to apologize.”

“I honestly had no idea. I only told Evan that I wanted him to stay with me. I never thought he would actually

stay or switch your enrollment. I really didn’t.”

As she spoke, she swept her loose hair aside, revealing the diamond necklace around her neck.

“I’m apologizing for Evan too. He gave me this and said girls need a few nicer pieces of jewelry when they go

to college. I can give it to you, so please don’t be angry with him anymore, okay?”

Looking at her tearful expression, I finally said what I had kept buried for so long.

“If you don’t want to take it off, then don’t.”

“You didn’t come here to apologize. You came to remind me that he gave you an expensive necklace while all

I got was a cheap bookmark.”

“You’ve already taken everyone’s love for yourself. Do you really need me to stay here forever, miserable, just

so you can look even more loved by comparison?”

Celine glanced at Liam, who was standing beside her, and somehow managed to look even more pitiful.

“No, Rhea. I never meant…”

I no longer cared what Liam thought of me. I stared coldly at both of them.

“Stop performing for me. I won’t be coming back after I leave, so save your act for them.”

“You can have this family.”

Liam’s head snapped up, a complicated expression crossing his face.

Celine tugged anxiously at his sleeve.

“Liam, say something. Rhea has misunderstood me, hasn’t she?”

Liam shook off her hand and looked at her as though he were seeing her clearly for the first time.

“Evan only asked you to apologize for him. Why did you say all that other stuff?”

Celine’s expression turned strained.

“I just didn’t want Rhea to misunderstand.”

I had no interest in listening to them argue, so I calmly closed the door.

A long time later, a letter slid through the gap beneath it.

I opened it and recognized Liam’s handwriting.

[I remember when we stayed with Grandma as children. You were fed shrimp and ended up in the hospital.

I thought I was going to lose my sister. I cried for so long.

When you recovered, I swore I would always protect you.

…..]

The letter was two full pages long. I only skimmed it before folding it and setting it aside.

He had betrayed the boy he had once been–the boy who had sworn to protect his sister–and now he

regretted it.

Unfortunately, I no longer needed his protection.

There were only a few days left before I moved to Silvermoon Academy.

I simply continued following my old habits. When we had watermelon, I gave Celine the sweetest pieces from the center, but now Mom and Dad seemed pained by the sight.

“No, Rhea. You don’t have to give those to her. We bought the watermelon for you.”

Liam speared the sweetest pieces with a fork and slid the plate toward me.

“I remember you like these. You don’t have to give them away.”

Celine smiled and claimed she did not like watermelon anyway, but her fingers had gone white around the

hem of her dress.

That evening, for reasons I could not understand, she volunteered to serve everyone a bowl of chicken soup.

One drumstick went into my bowl, and the other went into Liam’s. Mom and Dad each received pieces of

chicken as well.

When Celine served herself, however, she took only a few bare bones.

Mom frowned immediately.

“Celine, there’s plenty of chicken left. Why did you serve yourself nothing but bones?”

Celine lowered her eyes, looking dejected.

“Back home, the drumsticks always went to my little brother. I never had enough to eat or decent clothes to

wear. I already have such a good life now.”

She clearly expected her performance to make Mom and Dad feel sorry for her, but Mom set down her fork

with a sharp thud.

“Celine, we’ve never let you go without. We took you in because we wanted to give you a good life, and this whole poor–me routine is incredibly disappointing.”

The adults were not so easily fooled.

Mom knew firsthand what it was like to grow up in a family that valued sons over daughters. That was why she had always treated me at least as well as Liam, if not better.

After tragedy struck my uncle’s family, Celine came to live with us.

Mom saw her younger self in Celine and began treating her even better than her own daughter.

How could she not be angry now that she had seen through Celine’s behavior?

The days passed under that strange tension, and soon it was time for me to move into Silvermoon Academy.

The entire family came along, bustling around and taking care of everything for me. Watching them, my roommate said enviously, “You must be the princess of your family.”

I shook my head without answering.

The princess?

That title belonged to someone else.