Dumping The Ice King His Mini-Tyrant novel Chapter 414

"Sorry..."

Her voice was barely a whisper, so faint it seemed to vanish into the air. Suddenly, a hand settled gently on her wrist.

Claudia looked up and found Selene standing beside her.

"Apologizing now won't change anything," Selene said quietly, turning to face Abbey. Her tone was calm, almost serene. "Let me tell you something. When I was twenty, I decided to become a stay-at-home mom too. After I dropped out of Capital University, my mentor, Professor Theodore Shaw, never took on another female student again.

He felt it was pointless to invest in women. In his mind, schools and teachers poured their efforts into us, but after we learned everything, we just went home to raise children.

But the one who took away other girls' chances at higher education was Professor Shaw. Still, the one everyone blamed, the one who carried the reputation of disgrace, was me.

My situation isn’t so different from yours. You resent Claudia for being too talented, for making it harder for other dancers to stand out. It’s the same kind of story."

The soft, amber light caught in Selene’s eyes, making her dark irises shimmer like a pool of clear water, gentle ripples moving across their surface.

"A woman's life is so much richer than a man's. We can experience things like pregnancy and nursing—so why shouldn’t we have more opportunities, more room to make mistakes?

Even if I get married, even if I devote myself completely to my children, I still have the right to an education, the right to win awards onstage. If we keep fighting among ourselves instead of standing together, even more women will lose their chance to become doctoral supervisors or join the country’s leading dance troupes."

Selene’s voice was light and steady. "Miss Hargrove, outside of life and death, nothing else is truly important. Maybe, once you step outside the little world of Charteris Academy, there’s a whole future waiting for you."

Abbey stood frozen, her old grudges against Claudia and her prejudices about Selene suddenly seeming hollow and baseless.

Clarissa had always hinted that Selene used underhanded tactics to become Mrs. Vaughn.

But today, after seeing Clarissa and Quentin’s spectacle in the auditorium, Abbey realized who had truly embarrassed themselves.

"Selene!"

Several mothers approached, gathering around Selene.

"We’ve all agreed—Clarissa shouldn’t be the PTA president anymore. We’d like to nominate you to take her place as chair of the First Grade Parent Council. What do you think?"

The women who approached Selene were those she’d always gotten along with; none of Clarissa’s usual clique were anywhere to be seen.

"I barely have enough energy to look after my own daughter,” Selene replied gently. “But thank you for thinking of me." She declined as politely as she could.

Back when Daph and Dames first started school, Selene had actually thought about running for the Parent Council. She believed she could help her daughters more if she got involved.

She’d even prepared a campaign presentation, but Harrison had stopped her. "Grandmother wants Clarissa to be president," he told her.

"Just give the presentation to your cousin."

"Why? I’m just as capable as Clarissa," Selene protested.

At her words, Harrison’s brow furrowed; the irritation radiating from him made Selene hold her breath.

"You’re the mother of the Vaughn heir. You should focus all your attention on raising Damien Vaughn. Where would you find the time or energy to be Parent Council president?"

Verify captcha to read the contentVerify