Due to a traffic accident on the road, the tram had been forced to halt for half an hour. By the time Sonia returned to the university, it was already past seven in the evening. According to regulations, entry and exit were forbidden at Sword and Rose Sorcerer University after seven. Any student returning late had to register their name; doing so more than three times earned them a thorn, and collecting three thorns resulted in immediate expulsion.
However, after Sonia offered a soft explanation, the young guard simply opened the gate and let her in without taking down her name. Noticing the vulgar gaze that seemed intent on peering through her clothes, Sonia smiled and thanked him while secretly sneering with contempt.
Did he truly think guarding the gate of Sword and Rose Sorcerer University gave him a chance to get close to pretty female students?
Without even that much self-awareness, no wonder he was just a guard.
Using beauty to gain advantages was something Sonia had understood since childhood. Yet it wasn't until arriving in Jialesi that she realized just how powerful beauty truly was—compared to that impoverished little village, the civilized folk of the city were far more willing to offer conveniences for the sake of good looks.
At times like this, Sonia sincerely thanked the Starry Law Master. Thanks to this divine lord guiding the Starry Country to become so civilized and prosperous, she actually had an opportunity to squeeze her way into high society.
Had she been in barbaric places like the Blood Moon Country, the moment she began budding into a beauty, some savage would have likely seized her as a war trophy.
She was also grateful to her mother. If her mother hadn't let her study at home as a child instead of working in the fields, no matter how naturally gifted she was, she would have been worn down by the wind and sun into a coarse village girl.
Returning to the female dormitory, Sonia was about to push the door open when she heard Lois's voice from inside:
"It's already past seven. That village mongrel probably isn't coming back tonight, right? Heh, she finally couldn't hide her tail anymore. I bet she's hooked some wealthy merchant."
Oh? To think she had run right into that classic trope of fragile dorm friendships—badmouthing someone behind their back? Sonia froze in place, quietly listening to Lois's impotent rage.
Adele feigned dissuasion. "Stop it, Lois. She might be on her way back..."
"So what if she comes back? I'd love to call her shameless right to her face!"
The more Lois spoke, the angrier she grew. "You haven't seen how flirtatious she acts, making eyes at others right in the middle of class. A country mongrel from the boonies—aside from being slightly pretty, what's so great about her?"
*Heh, being prettier than you is plenty great.*
Sonia sneered inwardly. In the dorm, Lois clashed with her the most. Lois was the daughter of a local merchant in Jialesi, brimming with superiority regarding her own looks. She often took passive-aggressive jabs in the dormitory, making snide remarks about Sonia's humble origins. Yet Sonia was simply prettier than her; whenever the two appeared together, the number of boys showing favor to Sonia was visibly higher by an entire order of magnitude.
Still, during their first year, everyone had maintained a surface peace—until Sonia successfully overshadowed Lois in a campus event and snatched the host position, completely igniting Lois's hostility.
Lois was no pushover either. She repeatedly organized recreational activities for the Water Sorcery Department and even paid out of pocket to treat classmates to high-end restaurants, deliberately excluding Sonia each time.
By showing off her wealth like this, Lois naturally attracted more pursuers.
After all, those seeking shortcuts existed among both men and women. Although Sonia was pretty, marrying a wealthy, attractive heiress like Lois meant saving ten years of hard struggle.
When it came to money, Sonia obviously couldn't win. But when it came to disgusting someone, she knew far too many tricks.
Whenever a boy pursued Lois and Lois began to show interest, Sonia would deliberately stage a "chance encounter," "accidentally" brushing against the boy and giving him a few lingering glances. That alone was enough to bewitch him out of his senses, even driving him to abandon Lois and turn around to pursue Sonia instead.
The reason Lois's temper was flaring so explosively tonight was that yesterday Sonia had successfully "turned" an upperclassman who had recently been courting Lois.
To be honest, Sonia looked down on Lois's taste; aside from being handsome, that upperclassman was utterly useless and oozed superiority. But to spite Lois, Sonia didn't mind batting her eyelashes.
While Sonia would definitely reject his advances, would Lois be willing to date "trash that even a country mongrel like Sonia didn't want"? It was no wonder Lois was screeching so hard her voice broke.
"Speaking of which, I heard Disli say she saw Sonia leaving the school gates at noon to speak with a peasant woman," Adele suddenly remembered. "Could that peasant woman be her mother?"
"Heh, with such a shameless daughter, I bet her mother is just as—"
*Clang!*
Before Sonia could push open the door and fly into a rage, a thunderous bang erupted from within ahead of her.
Realizing what was happening, she stepped back half a pace. Just then, the dormitory door opened from the inside, and a blonde girl with a single ponytail, carrying a sword bag on her back, appeared before her.
"Good evening, Sonia," she said.
"Good evening, Ingrid," Sonia replied.
Without looking back, Ingrid walked out of the dorm, presumably heading to the training grounds for night practice. Inside, Adele and Lois sat dumbfounded, the terror on their faces not yet faded.
On the training punch target Ingrid had bought for the room, a deep dent had appeared that Sonia had never seen before.
Sonia stepped in and closed the door, returning the room to quiet.
Since Ingrid had already taught them a lesson on her behalf, Sonia naturally didn't bother making a second scene. But she secretly noted the debt in her heart, vowing that sooner or later, she would make Lois pay it back with interest.
Having walked around all day, Sonia was exhausted. She sat down and set aside her bag. Her desk was different from the others; although it held cosmetics and skincare products, it was neat and orderly without the slightest mess.
Lois had sarcastically mocked her several times for buying low-end cosmetics from unheard-of brands that only commoners used. Yet over the past year, Sonia had only grown prettier, her complexion fairer and clearer. Eventually, Lois stopped scoffing and even bought a matching set based on Sonia's skincare products.
What they didn't know was that while Sonia's bottles looked like cheap, mass-market goods on the outside, their contents had long since been replaced with high-end formulas.
You got what you paid for; how could merchants leave room for loopholes?
Only a fool would slather cheap goods all over their face.
Not only that, but Sonia had also spent money at "Perfect Starlight," a beauty center for female sorcerers, to undergo minor facial adjustments.
Lois and the others assumed Sonia had truly become more beautiful solely through weight loss and skincare, completely unaware that behind the scenes, she had poured nearly all of her scholarship money into it.
Once Sonia had some spare cash from part-time jobs and scholarships, she didn't directly buy expensive skincare bottles. After all, the dorm had a blabbermouth like Lois.
Sonia was certain that if she bought luxury goods today, rumors of her becoming someone's kept mistress would spread throughout the entire Water Sorcery Department by tomorrow.
The label of "poor, studious campus beauty" served her well, and she wasn't eager to discard it so easily.
Besides, Sonia couldn't help harboring a malicious glimmer of anticipation: if Lois genuinely ruined her face from foolishly slathering on those cheap skincare products, that would be utterly delightful.
Chapter 7