Avoid The Lead, No Matter What!

7. Novia Scarlett

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At that same moment, a dark-haired woman stumbled towards the grand Scarlett Mansion gates.

Her hair was disheveled and her eyes blazed with determination, as she clutched the hand of a young girl with equally dark locks and haunting violet eyes.

"Tell Lord Scarlett!" The woman declared, her voice echoing through the snowy gates. "If he continues to refuse us, we'll perish right here on his doorstep!"

The guard was taken aback by her audacity. "Heh! Even a noble can't just drop in to see Lord Scarlett! Who do you think you are?! Go away!"

But the woman defiantly drew closer. "Who am I?" She paused dramatically. "I am the mother of Lord Scarlett's firstborn child!"

Just a few feet away, a delicate ice lotus on the outer fence stirred, its petals unfolding like tiny wings. It turned its face towards the woman and child, as its crystalline petals glinted in the weak sunshine...

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Celia's intense stare could have frozen water, as she mentally watched the scene through the Ice flower. 'Novia has arrived!'

She and Novia's ill-fate had begun again.

Back in the classroom, Celia's gaze dropped to Taze's hand, still clutching the Crystal Lily, but her voice was tart as she said, "I was never the owner of that stolen flower, so I don't need a replacement!"

With that, she spun on her heel and stormed away, leaving a puzzled Taze behind.

"Ei? Who else could own it? I gave it to you, even though I had to take it back for a reason..." He muttered to himself, his eyes fixed on the new lily in his hand.

A soft sigh escaped his lips. "I hope you'll accept this one someday..."

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Meanwhile, Celia wandered aimlessly through the school corridors.

'Twenty five deaths...'

And in those deaths, Novia had personally killed her sixteen times, and arranged for her death the remaining times!

Except twice.

Once when Celia gave in to temptation and killed Novia, which led Novia's mother to kill her, and once when Celia killed Novia and her mother, only for a random enemy to avenge them by killing her!

In Celia's first life, she had been ignorant... Naive to the point of stupidity.

As the incredibly beautiful and talented legal child, she was always the center of attention, blinded by the flare of her own brilliance.

Back then, she only glanced in Novia's direction every so often, and though she was polite and kind each time, she could see how that might have hurt Novia, especially since Lord Scarlett himself never believed Novia was his child.

Lord Scarlett did nothing to improve or encourage Novia in any way, and by the time Novia was an adult, all she had was the Scarlett name and her dark beautiful looks.

At first, Celia swallowed and digested Novia's bullshit about being the sad and ignored illegitimate child, so in her next few lives, she had done everything to make Novia happy.

Celia acted excited to meet Novia, and claimed she always wanted a sister, leading her in by the hand and declaring that they would live together.

Lord Scarlett was more accepting of Novia after that, and Celia shared her clothes, shoes, jewelry, gems, gold, and bought Novia expensive gifts, which made her stand out.