The Countess of Chester ( editing )

Chapter 3

    After her meal Katrina hid the pebble-like bread in a box under her sofa and headed for the study room. She descended the stairs and went to the only door open.

Her half-sister smiled viciously at her. At least she was not two faced, that was a difficult kind. Her ladies in waiting and the instructor were glaring at her with a fervor worthy of a commoner convicted for disdain of nobility.

The first floor of the study was clean, it was where Sarah took her lessons. The second floor on the other hand was a real mess. It's where she was pushed by one of the servant. She had a complete view of the entire floor beneath her from there.

They call it accompanying but truly Sarah  was just flaunting her privileges, looking at her all the times she was complimented as to say « look what you could never have ».

Did it never occur to them that the former Katrina could benefit from those lessons? Cause now that she was here, she sure as hell would.

One of the main arguments of the butler of Chester was that she did not receive a proper education thus could not manage the estate, let alone raise a child. Because yes, there is a little Chester but this would be a concern of another time, she needed to endure here first. 

The former Katrina tried to act brave and emulate her sister when she arrived but was busted in a day. On top of it, her sister was not a good example of a well raised noble lady. Even if she was wrong her instructor and her servants would praise her because they feared the matriarch.

The acting manager, the aunt of the Count, retained the authority and the former Katrina stayed a Countess in name only throughout her marriage. She was scorned and disdained because of her faulty upbringing.

She smiled without caring about the servant who murmured about her being crazy.

Unbeknownst to them, this floor was a gold mine. She knew it thanks to Nina who used the information here to bring the Marquisate down. The training manuals of her grandfather, Seven ring aura sword master, and important archives of this estate are scattered across this room and the attic they threw her in.

Only the heir of the estate could know it. Since her father usurped the position, this information was not available to him. Nina discovered it after years of meticulously searching this building.

This study was her great-grandmother and she loved the attic. She was a literal archmage.

Katrina guessed they did not mind the preceding Katrina being near important knowledge since she wouldn't be able to understand and magic and swordsmanship required practice.

She was a twenty nine years old woman with a degree in Economics, and incidentally an avid fantasy reader. It was like reading in detail the incredible world building details of your favorite books. And she could smuggle them in her weirdly shaped garment after Sarah's lessons.

Thankfully the original work was in English. She wouldn't dare imagine the tremendous work and time demanded to assimilate some weird-shaped language.

Even though she learned a lot in her previous life, she needed to know this world by heart to apply those notions correctly to it. She decided to dedicate her first weeks to general knowledge and watch like a hawk how the instructor conducted herself. She will take the great and throw the bad. The viscountess should have at least some solid knowledge if she was teaching the young lady of Praus. She probably just didn't have a backbone and was a follower.

She had approximately four years before the Marquis sells her off to the highest bidder which is the Emperor.

There was a lot of books in the attic too, she will go through them. The important things will be brought out on the verge of her departure. The deeds and such where safer where they were than in her powerless hands. Again, you never know. If somebody lurked around her room when she wasn't there and found something she would be in deep trouble.

She knew where money was hidden in the principal residence and it was enough.

"It seems you are thinking deeply. What about?"

Katrina turned around. She was smiling at Katrina and approached her curiously. There she was, the cause of my demise. Nina Praus.

Raven-like black hair and dull dark pupils, a disguise. She doesn't look nothing like a Praus. Nothing like years ago.

She actually had chestnut hair and green emerald eyes. Upon the death of her last older brother, who sacrificed himself to protect her from vicious men from the traffickers ring, she awakened her mana and formed her first circle in the face of trauma. She managed to escape and met the mercenaries who will help throughout the story and make her the assassin.

She currently was a third circle mage, and hides her abilities thanks to the camouflage techniques she has learned.  Her so-called big sister whom she goes to see every weekend is her guild master.

"Nothing much" Katrina answered.
"Okay"

The next minutes where agonizing. It was a weird combination of brainwashing. She spent was flattering Katrina, complaining tirelessly about Sarah and emphasizing that surely sh was better than her, and kinder, and nicer, and more trustworthy while strengthening Katrina's inferiority complex.

And finally, kindly reassures her that she was  the Marquis's noble daughter and that in any case she will be the heiress and will be able to take revenge on Eloise and Sarah after her coming of age when she'd turn eighteen.

The former Katrina did not want to listen to her, but she has been mistreated for  years. Nina was a craving and a weakness instilled in her. She presented herself as the only person who understood and would ever help her.

Nina posed and strengthened her hold on Katrina ever since she was a child. And that was exactly why she listened to her to the T.

"It's okay Katty, I'll always be there for you"

She hugged her and left secretly a sandwich.

How insedious!