I Canceled The Banquet And Let Their Plan Burn Chapter 08
A day later, my mom called.
I answered.
“Nadia…” her voice was incredibly faint, trembling with heavy sobs. “Mom was wrong. I should
have believed you.”
I kept silent.
“I read all those articles online… I finally know that Lyra… she lied to us the entire time. Your
brother knows too. He’s devastated, he drank himself to sleep last night, just repeating how sorry
he is.”
I leaned against the windowsill, watching the kids playing in the courtyard below, completely
detached.
“Nadia, please come home, okay? Mom will throw you a real graduation party. I’ll invite all our relatives back, and I’ll make sure every single one of them knows that you are the true scholar who
scored a 1580-”
“No need,” I interrupted calmly.
“Nadia-”
“I said, no need.” My voice didn’t waver. “I don’t need the party anymore, and frankly, I don’t need your apologies either.”
“Nadia, you can’t be this cold. I am your biological mother-“;
“Are you Lyra’s biological mother?”
The line went completely dead silent.
“You are her aunt, yet you treated her a thousand times better than your own flesh and blood,” I said, each word sharp and clear. “She scores an 820, and you break your heart over her, fund an extravagant party, and buy her designer jewelry. I score a 1580, and you tell me to put on a plain shirt and hide in a corner so I don’t bruise her ego.”
“Nadia, I was just blind, I was confused-”
“You weren’t confused,” I cut her off. “You just never cared about me as a daughter.”
i ended the call and instantly blocked her number as well.
By my fifth day in Aethelgard, Ruby’s cousin, Jonah, returned from his intensive academic prep
camp. He was a tall, lean kid wearing thick, black-rimmed glasses, looking incredibly shy.
“You’re Nadia? Wow, it’s an honor to meet you,” he muttered, scratching his head with a nervous
smile. “My mom told me you’re a National Scholar and a gold medalist. She told me to listen to
everything you say.
I looked at him. “What did you get on your practice test?”
“A 1120.”
“And your goal?”
“Eldridge University,” he paused, his voice dropping slightly. “I know it’s a massive long shot, but I
really want to try.”
I evaluated him for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Then prepare to work harder than you ever
have in your life.”
For our first session, I had him sit through three rigorous diagnostics, mapped out his conceptual blind spots, and drafted a brutal, airtight study schedule.
Jonah stared at the spreadsheet, his jaw dropping slightly. “Are you serious? Wake up at 6:00 AM, study until 11:00 PM, with zero breaks except for meals and using the bathroom?”
“If you think it’s too intense, you are entirely free to find another tutor,” I said levelly.
“No, no, no!” he quickly clutched the paper to his chest. “I actually prefer this level of strictness! My last tutor was way too soft, she believed every excuse I made.”
Aunt Lillian popped her head out from the kitchen, laughing warmly. “Nadia, don’t hold back on him! If he slacks off, give him hell!”
Jonah groaned dramatically. “Mom, am I even your biological child?”
A genuine, radiant smile finally broke across my face. It was the first time I had laughed from the absolute bottom of my heart in a very long time.
