Hera was sitting at her desk, poring over some documents with an unknown identity.

She was so absorbed in the paperwork that she didn’t even notice Viola entering.

Viola strode over confidently towards Hera.

Ersa, who was standing behind Hera, looked at Viola with a hint of tension.

“Princess Viola?”

Only then did Hera realize that Viola had come.

She lifted her head and gave a light smile.

“Viola?”

Slap!

Without any hesitation, Viola slapped Hera’s cheek.

“Princess Viola!”

Hera caressed her swollen cheek and gestured to Ersa.

It was a signal to step back, indicating, “It’s fine.”

Viola’s heart raced.

‘She… she hit me.’

Indeed, a myriad of thoughts raced through her mind as she marched over to slap Hera.

Hitting someone’s face was an extremely difficult and daunting task for Viola.

Moreover, she had already experienced the terror that was Hera.

Even now, looking into Hera’s eyes, she felt a great fear.

‘Yet… I have to do this.’

With a dull gaze, Viola looked down at Hera and threw the letter down with a flick.

“Why did you proceed with this without consulting me? Just doing whatever you please?”

“…07.”

Hera touched her puffed-up cheek with one hand while examining the letter with the other.

“You slapped me just for this?”

“Just this?”

“It’s true that gifts were sent to Chief Designer Carlo in your name.”

That gift was a head.

“But isn’t this a situation where you should be grateful to me? I took care of details that you overlooked, helping you out! You owe a great favor to Louis Varten because of me.”

Hera’s eyes held not just anger, but a hint of disappointment as well.

It felt as though she was asking, “I worked hard for you, and you slap me?”

Though Viola was terrified inside, she feigned completely different emotions on the outside.

“Sister, I am Bellatu.”

“Do you think I don’t know that you’re a Bellatu?”

“It’s un-Bellatu-like to benefit from something I didn’t do myself.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. You’re way behind compared to Sister Medea. Even if you do everything possible by any means, will you ever catch up to her?”

Viola took a breath without letting it show.

‘At this point… I have to hit her again, right?’

Biting her teeth tightly so that no one would notice, she decided.

Hitting someone really wasn’t her forte.

‘I don’t want to hit her.’

But she had to.

‘”Perhaps… she desires this too.’”

Though Hera displayed her disappointment, it was likely not sincere.

Just as Viola acted out her own feelings, Hera was probably putting on a facade too.

Being a reader once, Han Ah-rin knew that well.

Slap!

Again, she slapped her cheek.

“Don’t force me to be un-Bellatu-like. Walking slowly is fine, but I should be walking the right path.”

“I acted this way for you.”

“And?”

“Is it such a big deal that I acted for your sake and you come out of nowhere to slap me?”

“Are you upset?”

“Isn’t it weirder to not be upset?”

“Don’t be upset. You have no right to be upset. You forced me into an un-Bellatu-like manner without even consulting me.”

Hera fell silent.

She truly looked upset on the surface.

It seemed she felt betrayal beyond just disappointment.

“Because you’re Sister Hela. Because you are my beloved sister. I let this slide for just this much. Consider this a warning.”

Viola turned her body.

“If you feel like apologizing, send Ersa to me.”

Without acknowledging anything further, she strode out and opened the door.

After Viola left, Hera chuckled softly.

“Well, how do you like that? I was right, wasn’t I?”

*

A few hours earlier.

Hera said, “Viola will come tonight. No, she must come. If she doesn’t, I will be disappointed in her.”

“Why is that?”

“Because I gave her an improper gain using her name. Viola will surely be angry.”

Hera looked quite pleased.

“I’m excited about how she will express her anger and protest. I hope she protests strongly.”

“A strong protest means…?”

“Well, maybe a slap to my face?”

Ersa tilted her head in confusion.

“We’re inside Winter Castle, after all?”

Physical aggression was prohibited within the Winter Castle, especially in the Duke’s Mansion.

Only the head of the household, Duke Heron, could permit such actions.

And those who received special orders from Duke Heron.

“Since we’re in Winter Castle, I hope someone slaps me.”

“I just don’t get it.”

Though Ersa had exceptional skills, she only worked as a butler for a year.

She didn’t entirely grasp Hera’s words.

“It’s a method of protesting strongly while also showing me trust.”

Violence was prohibited in Winter Castle.

Yet, protesting against Hera using violence?

It implied that Viola herself would be taking on a significant risk to protest.

“If such a situation were to happen, I would be genuinely happy. That’s what it means when a Bellatu truly loves me.”

“I see how it comes together.”

Ersa gained some enlightenment.

Though it was hard to view their relationship as anything ordinary between sisters, she began to understand the Bellatu family’s way of life a little better.

“I’ve recently grown quite close to Viola.”

“Yes. It’s even more so during this Parah schedule.”

“A Bellatu who has grown soft and can’t even stand firm isn’t worthy of being a Bellatu.”

And Viola Bellatu had excellently proven her worth.

*

Though her cheek was swollen and red, Hera seemed to be in good spirits.

“Is your cheek okay?”

“I guess it doesn’t feel great.”

Despite having magical ointment, she decided not to apply it.

She found the tingling pain quite agreeable.

“Your unwavering Bellatu-like demeanor at every moment is truly beautiful.”

Hera had lost a butler before.

She knew very well why a butler would choose such a path.

“I couldn’t do that.”

She had been unable to part ways due to her emotions.

Ultimately, she couldn’t dismiss the butler, and the butler chose to end his life.

“Viola does what I couldn’t do. That’s the difference between us.”

“I really didn’t see this coming.

It feels like I studied a bit more about Bellatu. I’ll do my best moving forward…”

“Princess?”

Ersa felt something was off.

“Princess!”

Ersa quickly shook Hera’s shoulder.

‘She’s lost consciousness.’

Ersa hastily injected mana into Hera’s body to check her condition.

She took out an emergency potion from her space and poured it into Hera’s mouth.

Gently, she laid Hera on the bed.

Thankfully, it was something Ersa was used to.

In reality, it was a task quite familiar to a martial artist dealing with mana, so she was able to respond swiftly.

‘She didn’t just slap her, but infused mana.’

That could be overlooked.

The astonishing fact was different.

‘She directly struck the brain using mana through the bone as a conduit.’

This was a technique possible only for knights of at least rank 7, often used as a form of punishment by instructors in the knight training academy.

‘Did she manage to do this at just twelve years old?’

It wasn’t easy to conclude her ability based on just this, yet this was certainly close to the prowess of a rank 7 knight.

‘Without any preliminary movements? Just naturally?’

Wasn’t this the White Bellatu, not the Black Bellatu, doing something like this?

Ersa doubted her eyes.

“Princess Medea became a rank 9 knight at twelve.”

Then it meant Viola’s growth rate outpaced Medea’s.

Even more astonishing, Viola hadn’t trained at all as the “Black Bellatu.”

Cold sweat trickled down Ersa’s back.

This was beyond the realm of genius, into another domain altogether.

‘Was she showing her capability while protesting and demonstrating trust toward Princess Hera?’

As Hera, who had lost consciousness, slowly opened her eyes again, she muttered while looking at Ersa.

“I can see clearly what you’re thinking… Ersa.”

Still a bit dizzy, Hera smiled faintly.

“Did you see? Viola is this capable.”

“I saw. It’s incredible. Truly.”

“With Viola, the Bellatu will write a new history.”

Ersa began to think that perhaps there was truth to those words.

*

Back in her room, Viola lay on the bed.

Her body was tired, but sleep eluded her.

‘I did well. Right. Sister Hera must have wanted this too.’

Though she knew it rationally, she still felt fear.

Turning Sister Hera into an enemy was a very frightening thing.

‘She must have hinted at this beforehand. That’s why Ersa didn’t stop me.’

If it were Ersa’s skill, she would have likely protected Hera.

But Ersa didn’t react.

Thinking that relieved her a bit.

‘That’s right. It’ll be fine. I did well.’

Viola recalled Hera’s swollen face.

‘Yet still, I’m not entirely comfortable.’

Despite Sister Hera’s terrors, it was indeed uncomfortable to slap someone bound by the ties of family.

‘Must have hurt quite a bit, huh?’

But still, possessing the body of a Bellatu meant she shouldn’t be seriously injured.

Even if she were, magic would quickly heal any wounds, and—

‘I’m sorry…’

As time passed, her mind grew sharper.

Hera’s swollen cheek and bloodshot eyes kept flashing in her mind, causing her heart to ache.

And so, it became 1 AM.

‘Shouldn’t I be getting sleepy soon?’

For a twelve-year-old body, it was a tough time to endure, yet sleep still eluded her.

Suddenly, a voice came from somewhere.

“That’s too much.”

For a moment, Viola thought she had misheard.

“That’s too much.”

It wasn’t a mistake at all.

“It’s really too much! I’m angry!”

A voice was coming from under the bed.