Chapter 2: The 13th Illigimate Daughter

TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️: This chapter contains scenes of violence that may be distressing or triggering to some readers. Reader's discretion is recommended.

ELISE'S POV:

"Hm? Whose body is this? She looks a bit like me..." I squinted my eyes at the mirror in front of me. The girl I see now is an ethereal beauty.

She has red lips as red as roses. And long golden hair that would likely catch the attention of others. Her skin is as white as porcelain. And her amethyst eyes are so vivid, glittering like stars in the night sky. Her face perfectly matches the uniform she’s wearing.

No doubt. This girl is a real beauty. She would really be my competition if she was born in the world I grew up in.

"Really? This is not the time to admire someone's face... The soul’s mine, the body’s not,"

"Oh? This is surprising," I wasn’t satisfied and continued to touch her face. "What do you call this phenomenon again? Reincarnation? Yeah! That’s it! Then what the heck happened to my real body? Is it... dead already? Is that why I was transmigrated into this body?" I gulped at that thought. Oh... girl. This is just...

"This is the best! So this body is mine now? I can do whatever I want with it!" I exclaimed, unable to stop myself from grinning. I no longer think about what happened to my real body. For all I care, no one’s waiting for me there anyway. And now, I’m in this body. I can do whatever I want without worrying about their disappointments.

"Come to think of it, should I be thankful for that cousin of mine? Oh..." I stepped back from the mirror as something crossed my mind.

"The look in her eyes the last time... what did they mean...? What was she even thinking when I died? I... didn’t see the excitement in her eyes, knowing that her long-time rival was going to be dead," I casually leaned against the wall, crossing my arms and muttering. Those eyes were so vivid. It’s like, no matter how much time passes, I can still remember them clearly.

"Or maybe she’s just like that? Because it was my last breath? Of course, she must feel regret that I died more beautiful than her," I grinned crazily, my expression twisted in amusement.

"That must be it! That’s the only reason she looked at me like that!" I shook my head. Poor cousin. She had to live such a harsh life knowing that I had that advantage over her, huh. I even posed in front of the mirror.

"I see. Even with this body, my beauty is incomparable. Now, who is this? Where should I go? Does this body even have a home-" I froze mid-sentence when I heard voices talking.

"Is there a ghost?" I checked the cubicles. But I didn’t see anyone else. "There’s no one here. Am I just hallucinating?—please stop showing your face here. Yuck! You’re so disgusting! You don’t belong here!" My attention was drawn to the open window near the last cubicle door.

The wind was blowing from there, along with the voice I’d been hearing. I couldn’t help but get curious, so I walked over.

"What’s your problem with me, huh?! I haven’t done anything to you!"

"Your existence is the problem here! A low-rank peasant girl like you shouldn’t be here!"

"You heard that from Stephanie, right? Just follow her! God! Just talking to you, peasant, is making my skin crawl,"

"Ew, I don’t want to! Are you stupid or something?!"

From above, I could see the ground along with three girls who I think were the source of the noise I had been hearing. It’s class hour, huh. They’re lucky. No one’s around to see them.

"I see..." I nodded. The two girls standing must be the scoundrels, and the girl sitting on the ground must be their target. "Ahh... This really is the last straw. If another bully messes with me, they’ll get what’s coming to them!" Or not?

"What did you just say?! This peasant! Jam, let’s teach her a lesson! Grab her bag! Put it in the trash or, better yet, burn it!" The girl named Stephanie’s eyes were full of fury. Her puppy immediately followed her orders.

"Goodbye to your school life, peasant Val bitch!" She tried pulling the bag from the girl named Val, but Val quickly yanked it back.

I couldn’t help but shake my head. "Oh girl, this place should only be for brats," and well, I don’t belong here, obviously.

"Ah! You have no shame! Do you really want to see the real me?!" she snarled as she yanked her bag back again, which the puppy was trying to take.

"Let go, you!" The puppy shoved Val. She fell to the ground in pain, looking like she was about to cry. "Oh, shit." I immediately became alert and couldn’t stop myself from jumping down from what seemed like the second floor.

"Damn! That hurts!" I bit my lip hard. Shit. "This is such a pain," I ignored the wound on my shoulder and stood up. I walked towards them, but I stopped when I saw what was happening. Val was looking down, slowly raising her gaze.

"So this is what you want, huh... Don’t blame me for what you’re about to see!" Her eyes were wide, and she started pulling her own hair.

"Ackk! Arghh! I-it’s coming out! Ackkk!" As she was pulling her hair, she started coughing as if she was going to vomit.

"This is it... It’s coming out...! My true form!" she suddenly cried.

"S-she’ll transform into a dragon! Hurry! Let’s run!"

"Ah...ACKK!"

"Bitch! This isn’t the end of your misery!" Stephanie shouted as she and her puppy scrambled to run away.

I stayed frozen, watching the two of them running off.

"Hmp! Hnkk!" I turned my attention back to Val, who was doing something I couldn’t explain. She’s going to transform into a dragon?! How crazy are people here? I should just stay until she leaves.

"This is it... my real... form..." I swallowed as I heard.

"This is really... my true form—PFTT! WHAHAHA! OMG! These idiots!" She burst out laughing, holding her stomach. "Oh my gosh! How low are their IQs? Did they actually think someone would transform into a dragon? Whahahaha! So stupid! These idiots! Hah..." She laughed so hard that tears started to form in her eyes, and looking like she was about to lose her breath.

"Uh. What in the world did I just see?" I blinked. She’s not going to transform into a dragon. She’s just a delusional idiot!

"Ah!" I shrieked when the pain in my shoulder flared up again. This immediately caught Val’s attention.

"Who’s there?" she looked towards me. "Ah... sorry, it’s not like I was eavesdropping," I couldn’t hide right away, so I decided to come out of hiding. I didn’t think she’d be that dangerous anyway.

"Just so you know, I didn’t really mean to-" just as I stepped out, our eyes met.

Her gaze was intense. It was full of silent threat, and I couldn’t ignore it. That made me feel like I should be cautious. I take back what I said. She’s not just a delusional idiot.

"Sorry for eavesdropping," I said in a serious tone and gave her a stare that seemed to pierce through her soul.

She couldn’t speak. We just stared at each other. After a few seconds, the tension broke when my wound flared up again.

"Shit!" I cursed. Seriously? Right in front of this dangerous, delusional idiot girl?

"Ah! Aren’t you Elise Del Cartienne?" Her face turned back to its usual idiotic expression. I didn’t know why, but I lowered my guard. She doesn’t even know me. It’s better if she doesn’t realize that someone else is in this body.

"Yeah?" I smiled awkwardly and stepped closer to her.

"Can you not tell anyone what you saw? Please? I just want to study quietly, but you know, there are always villains who exist for character development," she scratched her head. I didn’t get her joke.

"Also, what happened to your shoulder?"

I didn’t answer her last question. I just raised an eyebrow. She doesn’t even know me. Why is she so talkative?

"Eh. I don’t think it’s my problem. So I won’t report it. Besides, what you did was right. You stood up for yourself. Though... I still think it would have been better if you slapped them back-to-back," I said nonchalantly.

"Ahh... really? Thank you! You’re the first one to say that! But please, don’t tell anyone, okay? Or else, I’ll really show you my true form," she crossed her arms and looked at me seriously.

"Okay," I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. Here we go again, her being a delusional idiot must be such a pain for others to handle.

"Oh, crap! It’s third period already! Let’s go back to the classroom!" she suddenly exclaimed.

I hesitated. What classroom? I know this is school since this place seems similar... But I don't even know what section this body belongs to!

"Val, right?" I asked. "Huh? Oh, yeah, that's my name. Why?" She seemed confused for a moment, but quickly nodded.

"Uhm, what section am I in again?" I forced a smile so she wouldn't notice anything strange about me.

She sighed. "Oh, right. You haven’t been coming to school for almost a year. You didn’t even show up on the first day. So, I guess it’s not surprising you don’t know what section you’re in." She shook her head.

Shit. Thank God that saved me! They don’t even know me here. I’m not raising any suspicion since they don’t recognize me.

"Is that so? Thanks!" I smiled at her. It wasn’t fake. "Then, can I just join you? Since I don’t really know the way there," I added. She blinked and then gasped.

"Is this for real?" She said it like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"Uh. Yeah? Sorry?"

My heart was pounding. Crap! Did she find out? Should I just kill her now?

"Oh, no! I just can’t believe it. You’re totally different from the rumors. You’re not a spoiled brat, disrespectful, attention-hungry, or, most of all, a bully," she said.

"Ah,"

What the heck...? Again?! Me?! My personality?! You’ve got to be kidding! I admit I was a brat, but I didn’t think I was that bad! Holy crap, this might cause problems later!

I wanted to slap my beautiful face, but I didn’t. Val had already started walking slowly. She was probably heading to class. I followed her.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but ask about Elise Del Cartienne, the previous owner of this body. I really needed to know more about it so I wouldn’t raise suspicion.

"Val, can I ask you about myself? Like who I am, for example?"

"Huh?"

"Hahaha! I mean, what’s my image here? Since I’m back, I might as well clear up the rumors. I just need to know what they’re saying so I can show them it’s not true."

"Ahh, okay. Well, I don’t really know where to start, but let’s begin with you. I’ve only heard this through gossip, so I’m not sure how true it is," she slowed down her walking.

"Elise Del Cartienne. A spoiled brat who ended up at Nocturne Academy. A spoiled brat, always craving attention from those around her, disrespectful even to elders, a bully, hated by everyone, and comes from a famous assassin family. I’m not sure if this is still the ranking, but your family is one of the top assassin families. The Del Cartienne Society is ranked sixth among the top ten assassin families in the world. And lastly, you have like a dozen siblings. That’s what I’ve heard about you, but I don’t know what’s true. Inhale... Exhale..." She seemed out of breath.

"Woah! That’s cool."

Cool my ass. I clenched my fist as I processed what she just said. I even bit my lip until it bled. This is turning into a nightmare. I thought I could play it straight here, but it seems like it’s not the right time yet.

There’s no doubt that people will try to hurt—or worse, kill me—because of what this body has done to them. And what? I’m from some assassin family? That didn’t surprise me. I still have my skills, and I believe I can hold my own against them.

"Is that all? Nothing else?" I asked. She better not add more bullshit.

"Elise Del Cartienne, one of the illegitimate children and the youngest of the Del Cartienne family. You don’t have a second name because you’re not a legal child, and you didn’t care about their ‘heir to the throne’ drama. That could be why you don’t have one," she said.

She stopped in front of a door that sounded like it hadn’t been replaced in a while.

She opened it, and I was snapped back to reality when I saw a teacher beating a student with a long stick. I immediately got angry.

"Ha..." I exhaled deeply, holding back my initial reaction as I glanced at Val, who hesitated by the door.

"Do you have a pen?" she asked uncertainly. "I really need a pen, can you give me one if you have it?" My emotions drained away, and she handed me one without asking any questions.

I walked towards the teacher. There was only a small distance between us, but I didn’t mind. This was better.

"What’s this?" I asked, my voice cold.

The teacher’s attention snapped to me. His gaze was enough to drag me to the ground with how intense it was.

"What?"

"Miss Elise Del Cartienne... And you, Miss peasant Valerie Reign Gauthier, why are you late?" His gaze was deathly serious, and Val was already trembling. What the hell is this guy saying?

Suddenly, the room felt tense. My classmates just sat there frozen. Not one of them bothered to help the girl right in front of them? Pathetic.

I noticed a student at the side. Her cheeks were bleeding, her eyes swollen. She couldn’t even stand properly because of the beating.

I slapped my face in frustration. I’m the 13th illegitimate daughter from a messed-up family. This is an assassin academy, and everyone thinks I’m some spoiled brat. Now I’m witnessing a teacher teaching his students through violence?

"Miss Del Cartienne...!"

The bald idiot seemed impatient with my silence, so he was about to yell when I spoke up.

"Hey, teach. Today’s a real mess, don’t you think? You chickenshit."

I tilted my head sharply, cracking my neck in frustration. Then I didn’t hesitate. I threw the pen I was holding at the old man in front of me. I saw the shock on everyone’s face. Even Val, who was behind me, gasped.

"Shit," I missed his head, but it grazed his ear. What’s wrong with this body? It’s not listening to me!

"A-ah?!"

Blood started dripping from his ear, running down his collar.

He fumbled for it. "Ah... Ahh! Ack! Fuck!" He panicked and quickly ran out. Of course, I didn’t let him go that easily.

As he was about to pass me, I grabbed his arm and pulled him close, whispering near his bleeding ear. I wanted to send him a warning.

"Go ahead, keep talking. Underestimate me. I love proving people wrong. Elise Del Cartienne. Don’t you ever forget that name," I said with a deadpan expression. I exuded an intimidating aura.

His eyes went wide, like prey facing its predator. Bloodshot and terrified, he didn’t say anything else and ran out.

I walked into the classroom and immediately saw others helping the girl, even Valerie, who was still crying on the floor. They quickly comforted her and apologized.

"I see. It’s not that they’re scared. They’re just powerless," I whispered to myself as I was about to sit down when someone tapped my shoulder. It was a girl with pigtails.

"El... Thank you! Thank you so much! You saved us today... We-hik! I don’t even know how to thank you," she said, starting to cry.

"Oh... Really? Haha. I didn’t know?" I said with a clueless smile. I don’t know how to make someone feel better!

"Really, it’s no big deal," I scratched my head awkwardly.

"Wahhh!"

I winced as they all started crying at once, and I had no idea what to do.

"When that bald penguin comes back, I’m going to show him what’s up."

"No, stop it already! What are you going to show him now?!"

I couldn’t stand looking at her face anymore. It was so dramatic! It was traumatizing.

"Ack? Hmpk! Kak!"

I quickly threw the snotty handkerchief I found at Val’s face, and it hit her directly.

Everyone burst into laughter, like nothing had happened. It was just another normal day for us.

"Hahahaha!"

I just shook my head as I walked to the empty seat at the back. I wanted to sleep. I didn’t even care about my wound anymore. Even though Val insisted I go to the clinic, I refused. I’ll think about my problems later. I just wanted some peace, even if only for a second.

"Oh, girl. This is the most exhausting day I’ve ever had..."

"Wonder what kind of look I’ll transform into next time? Maybe a Pegasus? Hmn?"

I ignored Val’s nonsense and slumped into the armchair, eventually falling asleep.

In that moment, I had no idea that the chaos I caused would put a target on my back. This would lead to me seeing my friends, allies, family, and rivals in a new light, as secrets and lies I didn’t know existed would come back to haunt me.

To be continued

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