Chapter 18: School?

To Olivianne’s surprise, after she finished that blunt, direct retort… her aunt didn’t explode in rage.

She had expected Vinosse to fly into a fury and pull out her usual lines—something like, “You ungrateful brat! I’ll cut off your food and let you two starve!” Just like always.

But instead, after a long pause, Vinosse just looked slightly upset, nodded stiffly, and said:

“…Fine. All right, all right. If you don’t want to shell them, then don’t. Xiao An… come sit over here. Auntie has something to talk to you about.”

As she said this, she even forced a fake smile that was downright terrifying and waved Olivianne over in a “friendly” way.

Olivianne and her mother Fufu froze on the spot.

Wait, what…?

This… this is even scarier than if she’d just screamed. What’s going on?! Since when did this wicked fat aunt become so considerate?

A shiver ran through Olivianne. She couldn’t figure out what Vinosse was planning. Could it be that she was just the type

to bully the weak and fear the strong? When Olivianne and her mother didn’t fight back, she took advantage of them—but

now that they finally did, she backed down?

But surely she wouldn’t cave just because Olivianne pushed back once, right? It’s not like what she said was that savage. Could Vinosse really be that easy to scare?

Olivianne didn’t buy it. Her gut told her Vinosse was hiding something. Still, she didn’t back down either. She gently took her mother’s hand and calmly sat on the sofa across from her aunt.

Fufu seemed a bit lost in the sudden change of tone. When Olivianne held her hand, she hesitated awkwardly at first—but

when she felt her daughter’s firm grip, her emotions became complicated. She gave Olivianne a glance, then sat beside her

across from Vinosse.

It was… the first time in years that they’d sat on equal footing.

Olivianne kept her expression cold as always, but honestly, she was feeling pretty great. Heh… Mom’s hand is so soft and smooth. It feels really nice~

【Hey hey hey—this isn’t the time to admire your mom’s hands, streamer, focus!】

【You think maybe the aunt’s actually a masochist? Got off on being yelled at.】

【What if she was trying to awaken the mother-daughter rebellion arc all along? I’m crying.】

【Ugh this fat aunt pretending to be nice is disgusting. Blow her up already!】

Seeing the danmaku comments scroll past, Olivianne coughed twice and let go of Fufu’s hand. Then she calmly turned her gaze forward and spoke in a cool tone:

“If you’ve got something to say, just say it. I actually want to get all the issues in this family out on the table today. No more letting each other stew in resentment. It’s better for everyone if we can all live in peace after this, right, Auntie?”

At those words, a flicker of annoyance crossed Vinosse’s face—it was quick, but Olivianne caught it. She frowned slightly, then saw Vinosse wave her hand and gently push George off her lap.

Then she said:

“What are you saying, Xiao An? What conflict could our family possibly have? It’s just… the past couple of years have

been rough since your uncle passed away. Life got harder. We couldn’t afford servants anymore, so we had to ask you two

for help. It wasn’t easy for anyone—you should try to understand~”

Olivianne smiled faintly. That was a veiled jab if she ever heard one—implying that she was spoiled and unwilling to lift a

finger. As expected, Vinosse really hadn’t changed. Still, Olivianne couldn’t figure out why she was pretending to be so

calm now. What was she playing at?

So, the blue-haired girl decided to provoke her aunt a little more—to see just how far she could push before the act cracked. Because this fake, smiling tiger routine was just gross…

“Oh, I don’t really mind whether or not we have servants. I mean, I’ve got working arms and legs. It’s not like I’m a giant baby who still needs his mommy to feed him, even though he’s old enough to start school.”

She glanced at George, then continued, casually cruel:

“But really—can’t we afford servants anymore? The family business really must be circling the drain. It’s too bad, considering you’re the one running things these days. Makes it hard to say where the problem is, huh~?”

That’s sarcasm. Who says I can’t play that game?

As soon as she said that, Olivianne saw Vinosse’s demeanor shift. Her aunt lowered her head, hiding her expression. One

hand, which had been resting on the sofa, slowly curled into a fist. After a long pause, she finally looked up again—her

eyes filled with thinly veiled rage.

Meanwhile, George—the “giant baby”—just stared blankly, totally confused. Why was his mom being so patient today?

Olivianne was satisfied. Okay, looks like we’re finally getting to the real conversation.

But just when she thought the tension was about to snap, Vinosse… suddenly seemed to cool off again. It was like her rage

had maxed out and then drained away. Her expression returned to calm, and she even gave Olivianne a thin, icy smile as

she said:

“Let’s not talk about those things right now, Xiao An. I actually called you over because I wanted to inform you of something. After this week… you don’t need to go to school anymore.”

Olivianne’s face immediately darkened.

Beside her, her mother was clearly panicking. Fufu’s eyes went wide, and she quickly spoke up:

“Wait—you’re joking, right? Xiao An… she’s just a little unruly, that’s all. There’s no need to go this far, really…”

“Mom—don’t,” Olivianne interrupted firmly.

She turned and stared directly at her aunt, glaring at the smug fat face whose cheeks practically floated with self-

satisfaction. Coldly, Olivianne asked:

“You’re serious? I’ve only got about a year left until graduation. My grades are excellent. And now… I’m not going anymore?”

“Ah~ don’t be so worked up,” Vinosse laughed. “Auntie’s doing this for your own good, Olivianne. You’re a girl—what’s

the point of studying so much? Besides… you know our situation. The family’s been struggling. I’ve raised you all these

years—it’s only fair that you start contributing back to the household, right~?”

Seeing the fire in Olivianne’s eyes, Vinosse grinned and picked up a black velvet folding fan, waving it gently in front of her mouth. It didn’t help much—her twisted smirk was already stretching up to her temples.

Olivianne’s expression turned stormy. She frowned deeply, her voice tight with disbelief.

“Do you not realize how in demand graduates from the Imperial Capital’s Magic Academy are? Do you know how many

doors it opens? I’m this close to finishing, and you want me to quit now? If it’s about contributing to the family—wouldn’t

it make more sense to wait until after I graduate?! You really can’t wait even that long?!”

“No need to get so emotional, Xiao An,” Vinosse said, letting out a mocking chuckle. “When it comes to your future, your auntie here’s picked something even better~”

Her eyes gleamed as she explained, full of excitement:

“Just the other day, a nobleman in his fifties came by our house… to propose to you~”