Chapter 3

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At the sound of her smooth voice, Gabriel’s eyebrows raised up as he looked at Filina.

The small wrinkle of his nose let her know how much he was bothered by her right now.

However, she didn’t care about Gabriel’s reaction.

Her full attention was solely on learning the art of swordsmanship.

Perhaps it would be the most satisfying life she had ever lived.

It was different from her past life where she had a series of defeats and everything was apathetic.

[Cecilia’s Flower]

This was the title of the R19 harem novel that she possessed.

She just fell asleep on her bed reading the novel on her cell phone, but when she woke up, she found herself in a different world.

What’s more, she possessed an evil woman, Filina Debussy, who had been cursed so much by the readers.

She loved the Crown Prince deeply and was jealous of his fiancé, the female protagonist.

The harassment, which started out as a mild prank, became more and more severe day by day, and eventually she became an active participant in the mastermind’s abduction drama and was sentenced to death.

Initially, she knew she had transmigrated in the book she had read, there was nothing she did not do to get home.

But already Filina was dying for the fourth time, and after a terrible regression, she was repeating her life for the fifth time.

The fear that she might not be able to return home for the rest of her life seemed to make her go crazy.

In the face of death, which could come at any moment, she couldn’t bear the anxiety and eventually chose to commit suicide in her past life.

And now she was in a story that would undoubtedly begin again.

The anger, fear, and trepidation that have lingered in her heart. All of these things intertwined to reach a moment where she was no longer afraid of death.

When she killed herself, she understood.

She realized how empty and fleeting death was.

So she decided to take a slightly different path this time.

If she was destined to die anyway, she was now determined to live by all means.

Even if it’s going to end up killing people.

“I would like to learn swordsmanship.”

Now that she had made up her mind, she needed a proper start.

Gabriel didn’t seem to take what she said the least bit seriously.

“If you’re going to be so ridiculous, then get out.”

“Why do you think it doesn’t make sense? I’m sure I told you. I meant it.”

Filina’s steely gaze made the veins in Gabriel’s forehead more prominent.

Laura was watching them in silence, as if at a loss.

“You think swordsmanship is a game played by cats and dogs. It’s very foolish, nothing less.”

Gabriel turned to leave, as if not wanting to speak any further.

Filina, who was quietly following Gabriel’s movements with her eyes, turned and looked at Laura.

“Laura, can you go outside for a second?”

Blinking in dismay as Filina suddenly spoke to her, Laura stepped backwards slowly.

Only Gabriel and Filina remained in the quiet space as Laura completely escaped from the study.

Gabriel hobbled over to put the book on his desk back to its original place.

Filina, who was staring at Gabriel’s back, slowly parted her lips in a calm voice.

“It’s been two years since Ariel came into this house, hasn’t it?”

Gabriel’s hand movements stopped.

Ariel Debussy.

She was Filina’s unrelated sister.

In fact, Filina in the original story didn’t know why her mother went to adopt a daughter, even though the only thing the Duke needed was a son.

Filina couldn’t bear all the grief and swearing when she saw Ariel Debussy taking all the attention from her father she had never received.

Perhaps the person who made the original Filina a villain was her own family.

Gabriel casually continued his hand movements that had stopped for a while.

Filina opened her mouth again in a faint voice.

“How come Ariel is becoming more like father as she grows up?”

Gabriel’s shoulders shook with fright.

The movement of putting the book in deftly went away, and all the movements stopped in place.

Filina lowered her head and gave a small laugh.

Gabriel turned around and looked at her.

“It’s really amazing, isn’t it? If someone saw her, they would think she’s father’s real daughter.”

Ariel Debussy was Gabriel’s half-daughter, conceived by his servant and born secretly.

Of course, when he heard the news of her pregnancy, he sent her away.

The baby the servant gave birth to was, of course, sent to an orphanage, where he tricked Filina’s mother into letting her back in.

To have the audacity to pass on the last name Debussy.

“You…you!”

Gabriel pointed his finger at her with a panicked expression. Filina, who was watching him, closed her eyes and smiled.

“I hope you don’t mind if I tell my mother that Ariel is my father’s daughter.”

Gabriel hastily averted his eyes and cleared his throat.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Filina stared at him as she pulled out a sheet of paper.

Gabriel’s face hardened as he saw it.

“Filina, you………!”

Gabriel called her name angrily, but Filina opened the letter with a serene look on her face.

“Dear Duke Debussy.”

It was a letter that the maid and Gabriel exchanged secretly.

Gabriel straightened up and looked at her blankly.

“I have not slept comfortably for days thinking of Ariel. Please do not turn your back on my daughter, who is the blood of the Master. Please watch over Ariel with love.”

Gabriel’s face twisted as Filina read the letter.

A heavy silence followed in the quiet study.

Holding the letter, Filina stared at him coldly.

“If you are going to say that this is a servant’s trick, you might as well not.”

Gabriel’s shoulders flinched as if her words were right on target.

Filina smiled and parted her lips.

“You don’t think I only have this, do you?”

Lifting her shoulders lightly, she added flatly.

“There is much more evidence than this. Of course, I also have the letter my father sent to his servant.”

At the sound of Filina’s voice, Gabriel screamed with a blue streak down his neck.

“What the hell are you going to do with that……….!”

Filina didn’t have to steal the letters.

It wasn’t enough that she knew everything about the original story; her life had already repeated itself five times.

Therefore, she knew where Gabriel was hiding his secret. She had her henchmen follow the maid, who had been driven out of the Duke’s mansion, and asked her to give the letter that Gabriel had given her.

Of course, Gabriel didn’t know about it.

Filina opened her mouth with a monotonous tone.

“I don’t want to talk to mother unnecessarily, either. The atmosphere in the house is already dim, and I don’t want to add more to it.”

Her eyes, which had been speaking to him with a quiet face, became clearer for a moment. Her lips formed a thin arc.

“So send me to the Swordsmanship Academy. If you do that, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Father wouldn’t want the house to be too noisy, would you?”

Her voice was becoming too calm, almost chilling.

Gabriel stared at Filina and struggled with his lips.

“The Academy of Swordsmanship is not a place for everyone. Especially a woman with no power and no brains like you to set foot in.”

Gabriel picked up his cane in one hand and walked over to the desk.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking about going in there all of a sudden, but it’s absolutely ridiculous.”

“That’s why I came to see father.”

Filina spat out the words with a fresh smile on her face.

“I know for a fact that the admission process is even more disadvantageous to women. Because all the standards are tailored to men.”

“…So.”

Gabriel looked at Filina with his wide opened eyes.

“You want me to help you pass your exams?”

Filina tilted her head and raised her lips.

“Father is very clever. You don’t need me to explain everything, you just understood.”

She reached out and swept one side of the desk Gabriel was using.

There was no dust at all, a testament to his obsessive nature.

“I know that father is friends with Sir Weaver, the Knight Commander of the Cadet Corps. He holds the highest rank, so I’m sure he’ll be overseeing the admissions process.”

Gabriel burst into laughter at the name that came out of Filina’s mouth.

He couldn’t understand how she had known that he was friends with Weaver.

And how could she expect Weaver to help her with her fraudulent entrance?

Andra Weaver was never the type to be easily taken advantage of.

Gabriel put a hand to his forehead, as if he had a headache. Filina, who had been quietly watching him, said in an indifferent voice.

“Don’t worry too much, I’ll do my best to prepare for the exam, and maybe I’ll even pass it on my own. Commander Weaver’s help is just a safeguard to minimize the probable danger, you know.”

Hearing Filina’s matter-of-fact voice, Gabriel snickered.

The entrance exam for the Swordsmanship Academy was very difficult for ordinary men to pass. Even more so with women.

Passing the entrance exam alone was easily the talk of the people.

But, how could she, who had never even held a handle properly, pass the test on her own merits? It was truly outrageous.

Filina bowed without looking at Gabriel’s distraught face.

“Well then, I look forward to another achievement from the esteemed Debussy family.”

Her beautiful voice spread throughout the study.

“I trust you, father.”

She greeted Gabriel with a polite face and immediately left the study.