The Lady Nun Vows Revenge - Chapter 3: Chapter 3

Sitting in front of the vanity mirror, Eliza was on her own—no maid in sight, so she was left to wrestle with her long hair by herself. She turned, her gaze briefly locking with Dylan's furious face as he stormed into the room, anger radiating off him.
She fought to hold back the disgust building inside and coolly asked, "Dylan, what's going on?"
Dylan glared at her, voice sharp with anger. "I'll ask you again—did you wreck Sophie's gown? How could you be so cruel? You knew today was her coming-of-age ceremony, and you still ruined it!"
Just as Dylan looked like he was about to lose it, the one person Eliza hated more than anyone else appeared behind him.
Sophie poked her head out, flashing a sheepish smile and trying to play the peacemaker. "Dylan, don't be mad. I've already explained, haven't I? Eliza didn't do it on purpose—she's just a bit clumsy."
Sophie, small and delicate, always looked like she needed someone to protect her. Her big, doe-like eyes full of innocence made it impossible for anyone not to feel a protective urge.
Sophie knew exactly how to use that act to her advantage, and she was keenly aware of how the whole Stonor family felt guilty toward her.
After all, she'd only been found six months ago after being kidnapped at the age of three, and had suffered terribly in the years she'd been lost.
The guilt the Stonor family felt made them bend over backward to make it up to her.
Eliza had once thought the same way—Sophie was supposed to be her sister, after all. But in her previous life, that naive thinking had cost her dearly.
Now, seeing Sophie's face again, Eliza felt an uncontrollable surge of hatred.
"Sophie! Why are you so nice? It was clearly Eliza's fault, and yet you're still covering for her?" Dylan grumbled, frustration in his voice.
"No, no, you're not listening, Dylan!" Sophie responded, turning to Eliza with a soft, apologetic look. "I'm sorry, Eliza. I just don't know how to explain things very well. Please don't be mad at Dylan, okay? He's just worried about me."
"What are you apologizing for? She's the one who should be apologizing to you!" Dylan shot Eliza a furious look.
Eliza lowered her eyes, hiding the bitterness simmering beneath the surface, and replied, calm and collected, "Dylan, you're right. I made a mistake the other day. I should be the one apologizing to Sophie."
But the truth was, she was already two days too late. By now, Sophie had already ruined the gown herself and skillfully shifted the blame onto Eliza.
Sophie didn't need any evidence. All she had to do was be seen crying over the ruined gown, and everyone would immediately point their fingers at Eliza.
After all, Sophie had already ruined Eliza's reputation with all kinds of underhanded tricks.
To everyone else, Eliza was a jealous, heartless sister—narrow-minded, vindictive, and willing to go to any lengths to get what she wanted.
So, whenever Sophie was "wronged," everyone just assumed it was Eliza behind it.
Suppressing her rising anger, Eliza gave Sophie a faint smile, her apology sincere. "I've been thinking about this for the past couple of days, lying awake at night, and I regret what happened. Please forgive me, Sophie."
Sophie blinked in surprise, as if she wasn't sure if this was the same Eliza she knew. 'Is she really being this genuine?' she thought.
"Hmph, now you realize you messed up?" Dylan scoffed. "If you weren't my sister, I'd have already sent you to the authorities and let you see what it's like behind bars!"
Eliza smiled coldly inside. 'Sister? Ugh, I don't ever want to be related to someone like you again.'
She remembered all too well the day she'd refused to apologize to Sophie. Dylan had beaten her mercilessly, leaving bruises all over her body—only sparing her face.
And even though it was supposed to be her coming-of-age ceremony, Dylan hadn't shown her any mercy.
Among her four brothers, the twin brothers, Dylan and Matthew , were the hardest to deal with. Especially Dylan—his temper was explosive.
When he was in one of his protective moods, he would take on anyone who dared to bully Sophie. But if he was angry, he wouldn't hesitate to take it out on her.
This was especially true when she had a falling out with Sophie; the moment Sophie started crying, Eliza knew she was in for it.
Eliza pressed her lips together lightly, fully aware that she was no match for Dylan in terms of both height and strength. Trying to fight him would only end badly for her.
So, she chose to bite her tongue. 'It's fine,' she thought. 'I've got all the time in the world to get my revenge.'
But her quick and decisive apology seemed to leave some people unsatisfied.
"Dylan, since Eliza has already apologized, let's just let it go. It's not that big of a deal, but it's a shame about my gown. I might not be able to attend today's coming-of-age ceremony," Sophie said, her voice soft and hesitant.
Dylan, who had initially planned to drop the matter, felt a surge of protectiveness for Sophie after hearing this.
"No way, this can't just be brushed off! She ruined your gown, and who knows what else she might do next? She needs to be taught a lesson so she'll learn her lesson!" Dylan said firmly.
He turned and glared at Eliza. "Since you ruined Sophie's gown, take your own coming-of-age gown and give it to her. As for the ceremony, without a gown, you can forget about going."
Sophie's eyes gleamed with a sly glint, but Eliza noticed it immediately. She wasn't surprised.
After all, Sophie had deliberately ruined her gown and framed her for it, just so she could get her hands on Eliza's gown.
The gown for the coming-of-age ceremony had been custom-made for her by her four brothers a year in advance.
The crown was a delicate emerald-encrusted gold band, and the gown was embroidered with butterflies on exquisite silk.
It was the finest of its kind in Hasen City. When they had designed it, her brothers had told her they wanted her to be the most admired girl at the ceremony.
But now, that title of "most beloved little sister" had been handed to someone else.
Seeing Eliza stand there in silence, Dylan misunderstood her quietness as reluctance to comply, and his irritation grew. "What's this? You don't want to? Or are you just pretending to be sorry, wasting my time?
"If that's the case, don't blame me for being tough. You will give it to her, whether you like it or not—"
"Fine," Eliza interrupted him sharply, not bothering to meet his eyes.
Without a second glance at him, she turned and went to her room to retrieve the gown she had already prepared.
'It never truly belonged to me anyway—why should I care?' she thought.
She handed the gown over with a slight smile. "Sophie, here. This gown is yours now, go ahead and take it."
Sophie was caught off guard by Eliza's calm acceptance.
She had expected Eliza to make a scene and really set Dylan off. With Dylan's short temper, he would have forced her to hand over the gown in the end.
'Why is Eliza so calm about this?' Sophie thought, a sense of unease creeping in. Since this whole thing started, Eliza's reactions had been unusually composed.
'Did she know I wanted her gown all along? Did she... mess with it somehow?' Sophie pondered, a flash of disdain crossing her mind.
Thinking she had figured Eliza out, she sneered inwardly. 'Fool, let me show you who's in control.'
Sophie pretended to reach for the gown, but as soon as her fingers brushed the fabric, she suddenly cried out in pain. "Ah, Dylan, it hurts!"
The gown fell to the floor, and Sophie spun around, throwing herself into Dylan's arms with a look of feigned terror.
Dylan instinctively shielded her, shoving Eliza aside, and this time, his anger was unmistakable. "Eliza Stonor! What did you do to Sophie?!"