The room was abuzz with whispers as all eyes turned towards Valerian.


    Who would have thought that in this situation, he''d still be ming his sister? Shouldn''t he feel guilty? Shouldn''t he at least show some concern for her?


    Yet, there he was, criticizing her for not presenting evidence sooner.


    "Isn''t that a bit much?"


    "She''s his sister, for heaven''s sake. Even without evidence, he should trust her a bit."


    "Yeah, even if he doesn''t believe herpletely, he should at least question things."


    "Exactly, he believed Lisette without any proof, didn''t he?"


    "This whole mess is Calliope''s fault? Give me a break!"


    "Poor Calliope, being in the Jewell family must be rough."


    The murmurs of sympathy for Calliope grew among the crowd, each person feeling more indignant on her behalf. It was clear she hadn''t done anything wrong, yet her family refused to stand by her.


    She had proven her innocence, but now they med her for not doing it sooner. With that kind of attitude, they wouldn''t have believed her no matter what evidence she presented.


    "My heart goes out to Calliope."


    "Yeah, she''s had it tough."


    "Her own family doesn''t trust her. She must have been truly fed up to leave them."


    "I agree."


    The crowd''s chatter was filled with disbelief and disdain as they nced at Valerian, it was baffling how he seemed more inclined to side with his adopted sister, Lisette, rather than his own flesh and blood


    Calliope wasn''t surprised by Valerian''s reaction. She looked at him with a resigned smile. "So, no matter what I say, I''m in the wrong."


    "If you have something to say, just be clear about it!" Valerian retorted.


    "I''d love to, but some people just won''t ept it, and what can I do about that?" Calliope replied with a lightugh. "But don''t worry, I''m not here for your apologies or anything. I''ve lost interest in the Jewell family a long time ago. Honestly, you all prefer Lisette as your sister. I''m not trying to take anything from you."


    Calliope chuckled softly. "I think I''ve exined everything. Any more questions?"


    She stood and nced around the room.


    "Calliope, don''t forgive them. They''re not worth it!"


    "Yeah, they don''t deserve it. ming you in this situation is just absurd!"


    "It''s shocking how they''ve treated their real daughter. Who would have thought?"


    Her ssmates rallied around her, casting incredulous looks at Lisette and her supporters.


    Calliope remained calm, her gaze sweeping over Valerian and Horatio Jewell. "Don''t worry, there''s nothing to forgive. One, they don''t think they''ve done anything wrong to ask for forgiveness. Two, I stopped caring about them a long time ago. I don''t even waste energy on strangers, so there''s really nothing to forgive, right?"


    Valerian and Horatio exchanged looks, a sense of loss creeping into their hearts. There was a flicker of panic, but their expressions remained stubborn and unmoved.