Before long, three tea samples, coded and unmarked, were brought in.

I didn't rush to taste. Instead, I turned to Laura. "To ensure fairness, let's each write down our notes. No talking, so we don't throw each other off. Deal?"

A flicker of panic crossed her eyes, but she smoothed it over with a gentle smile. "I'll do as you say, Jules."

I picked up my pen and started with the first sample.

The liquid hit my palate, and I knew at once this was Mistveil Tea, an extremely rare rock tea that grew on shaded cliff faces, seldom seeing direct sun.

Its profile was unmistakable—a cool, mineral spring clarity and a distinct mossy note, like damp stone after rain.

I jotted down my impressions quickly, but deliberately left out the most telling note, the moss aroma. Then, I moved on to the second sample, then the third.

For each one, I wrote 70% of the profile, keeping the remaining most crucial points to myself. Once I was done, I folded the paper and handed it to Dad.

Almost at the same time, Laura finished as well. She wore a confident smile.

Dad unfolded my notes first and read them aloud. "Tea No. 1, prominent orchid fragrance, strong rocky flavor… Not bad. It's quite detailed."

He nodded, then picked up Laura's. "Tea No. 1, orchid aroma, solid rock charm, and… a distinctive mossy note. This is Mistveil Tea."

The moment those words landed, the whole room stirred.

Dad shot to his feet, excitement rising. "Laura, you actually identified Mistveil Tea! That's a rare cultivar that even I can't pick out easily!"

Liam threw me a smug look, his eyes practically spelling out, "You lost."

I didn't react.

So, it appeared it wasn't what I wrote on the paper that Laura was copying. What was it, then? My expressions? My minor movements?

For my second experiment, I changed the setup.

"This time, we taste in a separate room, back to back," I suggested. "We send our notes straight to Dad's phone."

It was an odd request, but Dad, eager to prove how fair he was, readily agreed.

Laura and I were led into two adjacent tasting rooms. This time, the tea placed before me was a rare aged dark tea.

I composed my tasting notes in my head, then typed them out on my phone. This time, I held nothing back, sending every layer and detail of the palate to Dad.

However, just a second before I hit send, I deleted the part about the medicinal note melting into camphor. At this level of detail, unless one had actually tasted it, there was no way to land on it by guesswork alone.

At least that was what I was betting on.

The results were then announced. My notes were rated "Excellent", while Laura's were rated "Perfect".

The reason was that in her description, there was the exact line I deleted about the medicinal and camphor notes weaving together. She even added one more sentence.

"It's like catching the scent of time itself, settling deep inside an old wooden chest."

That line was exactly what I had written in my private notes back in my previous life, the first time I tasted this tea. In that instant, the killing intent in me nearly consumed me.

Could Laura read my memories? My thoughts?

This experiment had failed too.

And with every failure, Liam's accusations grew more blatant and cutting.

"Have you had enough, Juliana? You challenged Laura time after time just to humiliate yourself! Maybe you don't care about losing face, but the Whites and Fords do!"

Mom and Dad's gazes shifted from that initial flicker of expectation to complete disappointment.

"Just stop, Juliana," Dad said, weariness seeping into his voice. "Don't make another scene. Why can't you act like a generous elder sister for once and take pride in your sister's gift?"

Mom's eyes even reddened.

Laura tugged timidly at my sleeve, tears shimmering in her eyes, her voice soft and trembling. "Jules, do you hate me? If my being here makes you unhappy, I can leave the family. I don't need anything else…"

Liam stepped in at once, soothing her, throwing me a vicious glance from the side. "Oh, don't cry, Laura. You're not the one who should leave!"

The more Laura put on that act, the more Liam's and my parents' hearts ached for her, and the more unbearable I became in their eyes.

"Enough!" Dad barked, tapping his cane against the floor. "This family tea-tasting event ends here."

He turned to Laura, his expression and tone softening at once. "Get some rest, Laura. Focus on preparing for the upcoming Crimson Wyrm Tasting."

As Laura left, Mom and Liam followed without a second thought.

I was particularly disappointed in Mom because she seemed to see me, the daughter she had carried for nine months, as no more than a stranger. She didn't spare me even a word of concern.

A bitter smile curled at my lips. I looked up at Dad and spoke first. "I know what to do, Dad."

After a long pause, he sighed. "Go on, then."

The Crimson Wyrm Tasting, an event that would decide the heir to the White family legacy, was set for three days later. The moment the news spread, a restless tension settled over the entire clan.

This was the Whites' highest-stakes gathering. In my previous life, it was the day I was nailed to the pillar of shame, with no way to wash it clean.

The Crimson Wyrm was said to be a rare variant of the Scarlet Mantle trees. There was only a single tin of it across the world. The White family guarded it like their greatest treasure.

Whoever could truly read its hidden notes would earn the right to become the next heir and take control of the entire tea association.

For those three days, I shut myself inside the tasting room and cut off every distraction.

I dug through rare, almost-forgotten texts on the Scarlet Mantle, steeping myself in them until I tuned my palate and nose to their sharpest edge.

Yet trouble always found a way in.

The night before the tasting, Laura came to my door with a cup of hot tea in hand. Her voice was soft.

"Jules, you've worked so hard these past few days, and you've even lost weight. Here, I brewed this calming tea for you myself."

I didn't even bother looking at her. "No, thanks. Just get to the point."

Her eyes reddened instantly, her tears welling up as if on cue. "I… Just don't put too much pressure on yourself tomorrow. The Crimson Wyrm isn't something you can grasp by force.

"It comes down to talent, to state of mind. It's something built over time, through quiet infusion—not something you get by shutting yourself away and cramming."

She said it so eloquently, reducing all my effort to clumsy, brute studying. Meanwhile, she was supposedly the effortless prodigy, someone who never needed to try.

I hadn't even said a word when Liam rushed over to Laura's side, frowning as he scolded me, "She's just trying to look out for you, Juliana! What's with that attitude? Are you mad just because you're insecure?"

"We'll find out tomorrow whether I'm as insecure as you think," I replied coldly, then turned on him. "And you, Mr. Ford—what gives you the right to butt into a conversation between my sister and me?

"Are you homeless? Is your family bankrupt? From the way you mooch off our food and drinks and even stay here all day, it sure seems like it."

He was livid. "You—"

Laura quickly grabbed his arm, tears shining in her eyes as she looked at me. "Jules, don't be mad at Liam. He's only looking out for me. I… Did I say something wrong and upset you again? I'm sorry…"

I couldn't be bothered to watch yet another one of her pitiful acts. I spun around, slammed the door shut, and blocked the two drama queens outside.

Out of sight, out of mind.

The next day, the tea-tasting venue was packed with guests—faces well-known across the tea world, all of them sharp and discerning.

Dad personally opened the antique tin containing the Crimson Wyrm.

The moment the lid lifted, an aroma unlike anything words could capture filled the room. Everyone held their breath.

Laura and I, the only two tasters, took our seats at the head of the table. The tea glowed amber, clear and bright. I lifted the cup and took a careful sip.

Instantly, it was as if a thousand shifting landscapes exploded across my palate—rocky, floral, fruity, and woody notes were woven together, changing and elusive.

Its taste was even better than what I remembered from my previous life.

I forced myself to be calm, focusing all my senses on the tea, unraveling its intricacies layer by layer. When the tasting ended, it was time to report.

Laura went first. She stood, a gentle smile playing on her lips, radiating that kind of confidence that made it seem like she already knew everything there was to know.

"The Crimson Wyrm, an extraordinary tea," Laura began, her voice clear and ringing.

"Its aroma unfolds in nine layers—the first hints of orchid, then osmanthus, then peach… The texture glides down impossibly smoothly. Its spirit, at the opening, is commanding like a king; mid-palate, gentle like a knight; and in the end, ethereal like an angel."

With every word, my chest sank a little deeper. These were exactly the tasting notes I had just formed in my mind, my perfect conclusion. Every word and nuance was identical.

Then, she paused. "And within it, I detected a faint, almost imperceptible trace of iron-like bloodiness. This may be the true origin of the name 'Crimson Wyrm'.

"It doesn't refer to color, but to that thread of ruthlessness in its spirit. You could say it's the aura of a massacre."

The venue went silent. Then, like a kettle finally boiling over, applause crashed through the room.

"A genius! A true genius!"

"This is unprecedented. This level of tasting is beyond masterful—it's divine!"

Dad's face was flushed with excitement, his eyes fixed on Laura like she was the very future of the family.

I had lost. The faint thread of iron was something I had just sensed, so subtle that I was still unsure if it even existed. I hadn't even formed it into clear words in my mind, yet Laura had voiced it aloud.

Just then, Liam stepped forward. He came up to me with a triumphant smirk. "Now, what else can you say for yourself, Juliana?"

I looked up, meeting his gaze in silence.

"At this point, you have to admit the stark difference between you and Laura," he continued. "I'm genuinely ashamed that I once blindly got engaged to a woman as petty and spiteful as you."

He pulled out a document and flung it at my face. The edge of the paper sliced cleanly across my cheek, leaving behind a searing sting.

"Today, I want everyone to know that I, Liam Ford, am officially calling off my engagement to Juliana White!" he announced.

"A narrow-minded, jealous woman like her doesn't deserve to be part of the Ford family, and she certainly doesn't deserve to tarnish the purity of the tea world!"

His voice boomed through the venue. Everyone watched me with cruel delight.

Mom and Dad stood not far off, their expressions conflicted. Despite that, they didn't even try to defend me.

Finally, Dad sighed and declared, "Since the result is clear, I announce that the future heiress of the White family is Laura! The future of the association will rest in the hands of someone with greater talent, and I can rest easy knowing that."

Betrayed by everyone, I felt humiliated to the extreme.

In my previous life, this moment had shattered me completely. I ran from the venue in tears, but now, my mind was sharper than it had ever been.

A single thought struck like lightning, cutting through all the fog.

I finally got it. What Laura had been stealing from me wasn't my notes. It wasn't my thoughts, and it certainly wasn't my memories.