Chapter 74

Chapter 74

11 — Ditch Rosaline

The next day, I woke up very refreshed and had breakfast with Evan after a long time.

“I’ll go with you to the training grounds.”

There was nothing much to do, so I took Evan to the drill hall. A smile appeared on the faces of the servants as they saw us walking side by side.

“As expected, the atmosphere around the Duke and the Young Master changes a lot when Lady Laria is around.”

They whispered as they watched us with pleasing eyes.

After dropping Evan and stopping by the greenhouse, eat the fruit of the Oklasia tree, I walked around the mansion pleasantly while heading to my room.

“You can’t.”

While I was just turning the corner of the hallway, I stopped when I heard Lisa’s troubled voice.

“This is a gift from the Duke to Miss Laria…”

“Then, what about that?”

“That, too.”

“Everything here belongs to the Princess?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Lisa gave a straight answer.

“I hope you understand that the Princess bought all the things she liked at the villa, so even if you say you want it, I cannot give it to you.”

“Well, there are two.”

I poked my head out and confirmed the main character of the voice.

“She will leave it at the Duke’s mansion, anyway. Wouldn’t it be wrong to move it to my room in advance?”

Rosaline raised her eyes and pushed Lisa away.

“…It’s not about moving it in advance… because it belongs to Lady Laria…”

“Regardless, it’s a position she gained because she’s Matilda’s friend’s daughter.”

‘Huuuu…’

I folded my arms and narrowed my eyes.

“But, I’m closer to Matilda.”

“However—”

Lisa was startled when Lady Matilda’s name came out.

“Looking at how determined you are, you didn’t get along very well with Madam Matilda, did you?”

“It’s not it, but…”

“So, why are you doing this to me? I’m the only person in this place that is related to Lady Matilda by blood.”

Lisa couldn’t answer that question in the end. Since I couldn’t stand seeing Lisa being troubled anymore, I appeared from the corner I was hiding.

“Hello, Miss Rosaline.”

I had a bad feeling from the beginning. When you say A I’m already on the Z. And, since the first time I saw her, I knew she wanted to bring me down.

[ T/N: Laria wants to express that as much as Rosaline is cunning she, Laria, is even more cunning. ]

“What’s wrong?”

“Ah, hello.”

Rosalind said, pointing to the jeweled vase adorned by the hallway.

“This is so pretty that I wanted to leave it next to the window in my room.”

“Ah…”

Lisa secretly shook her head from behind Rosalind as if in trouble. She meant I shouldn’t give it to her.

“Though the maid told me not to, so I felt a bit hurt. If Lady Matilda was alive, she would have given me this vase at once.”

Her blue eyes shone confidently. Of course, it was natural for her to think of me as an insignificant kid. That was why she behaved so calmly in front of the Duke and came out too strong in front of me.

A typical two-faced kid.

‘A child who is strong against the weak and weak against the strong, who pretends to be good for no reason, but is filled with greed. However… I think you got it wrong… The kid that behaves like that in this place is me.’

“Ah… That’s right.”

I narrowed my eyes and answered with hesitation.

‘Sad thoughts. Sad thoughts.’

If Princess Elanie wore a necklace different from the original, perhaps an emerald, my whole fortune will be ruined… thinking about it, tears filled the corner of my eyes.

“That’s true…”

Lisa’s mouth twitched sadly.

Apparently, there were other maids and servants in the alley over there, watching the situation.

“You are welcome to have anything you want, Miss Rosaline.”

I wiggled my fingers and lowered my eyes.

“In any case, I also received things beyond my position…”

‘How dare you act like this to me, who is full of intuition, acting, and public opinion?’

If the mastermind villain of this Empire was Duke Icard, I was the mastermind villain of this household. I needed to let her know what would happen if she touched little Laria without knowing the subject.

“Thank you.”

Rosaline nodded triumphantly when she saw me like a cutie. She probably just thinks I’m an easy target.

“Come to think of it, Princess.”

She smiled and looked at me.

“I heard you have a family dinner tonight.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Since I arrived yesterday, I was going to have dinner with Olivia, the Duke of Icard, and Evan. It was my first time having a combination like this, though it was a family meal, anyway.

“By any chance, can you invite me over? I shared the same blood as the Young Master so I can be considered family, too.”

“Yes, of course.”

Needless to say, I was going to invite her first, but it went very well.

“I’ll do that.”

My possessor’s senses were screaming. She wasn’t just a mere kid that came here. If she was a child who really had nowhere to go, there was no way she could make such a bold request. I knew it well, because I’ve never really had anywhere to go in my previous life.

If she’s acting so recklessly, it was because she had a small corner of faith to rely on.

‘Maybe… is it someone who’s aiming at me?’

No one knew what I did, though some people went to jail for trying to beat me, anyway.

As I wiped away my tears and smiled, Rosaline reached out.

“Let’s do a good job, princess.”

‘Oh? Wait a minute. What is this arrogant, merciful acting?’

“I think we will be able to get along well in the future. Let’s get along just like now.”

‘Hmm. If I interpret it, it means that if I act like a pushover like now, you will let me be… She came here for a purpose, but according to my amazing intuition, I don’t think I’m the target.’

I smiled helplessly at Lisa’s face that I was going to die of hatred, and then picked up the vase myself and handed it over to Rosaline. In the distance, I could see the servants talking. It seemed that everyone was paying attention to our conversation.

“Of course… you’re Lady Matilda’s blood.”

I smiled with the most pitiful smile in the world.

“As you said, you’ll be more recognized as a family in this mansion than I am.”

Obviously, she didn’t say that and yet, the rumors around the mansion would be ‘Miss Rosaline told Lady Laria that she should be recognized as family more than her.’

‘A rumor needs to be a bit inflated to be more catchy.’

“Then, I’ll see you at dinner.”

I greeted politely, smiled sadly at Lisa’s gaze, and passed Rosaline.

“Cough, cough.”

At the same time, I didn’t forget to cough a little.

‘If it’s not me, what or who did she come to aim for?’

Well, although it wasn’t my business, some part of me felt offended. The fact that she came to this mansion, stamped over my origins, took away my vase, and belittled me now. I usually was generous with myself and merciless with others.

‘How dare you enter this mansion using my condition as a pretext so easily.’

Therefore, I made a decision. Even if she didn’t even try to harm me, I would reveal the identity of this kid and get rid of her.

It was at the family dinner that evening that I found out what Rosaline really wanted.

* * *

Rosaline confidently entered the dining room.

Kallaudin, Evan, and Olivia looked at her calmly as if they had already heard.

“You’re here.”

Only Laria greeted her with a pitiful smile.

“Yes, I’m the last one. I’m sorry.”

Rosaline smiled at her and sat in the last chair. As she sat down, food began to pass down.

The eyes of the servants who went back and forth seemed to be strangely mean, but it didn’t matter anyway. Almost all of them were bewildered by the word “Matilda’s blood” and listened to the majority of her requests.

They had no choice but to do so.

The red hair that hung down to her waist, blue eyes, and even the white dress she wore was very similar to Matilda’s childhood.

Rosaline daydreamed that everyone saw Matilda in her anytime they watched her. She even drew a dot on her right cheek to imitate Matilda’s charming mole. And, it certainly worked.

‘At the first time, Duke Icard was obviously taken aback when he saw me.’

It was okay not to care about small things, anyway.

For example, there was no need to consider a girl like Laria, who was insignificant just by looking at her appearance. She went to recuperation because of lung disease, though her complexion itself didn’t look too bad.

“There’s something strange about that girl named Laria. She has no background, no ability, and is just a sick girl, but she seems to be driving strangely good luck. That’s why I heard that Duke Icard is quite fond of her.”

Seeing how she almost bent on her knees, it was certain that she was just a weak pushover who understood the subject well.

It seemed that she was being adored merely because of her cute appearance, fluttering movements, and proper understanding of the subject… It was only a matter of time before she was pushed back by Rosaline, who would soon become the ruler of this mansion.

Rosalind used a fork to pick vegetables from each dish. Each time it happened, she could feel Kallaudin’s gaze fixed on her. Evan or Laria, who had never seen Matilda, couldn’t know, but everything was Matilda’s habit.

Eventually, Kallaudin will not be able to let her go.

“You look a lot like Matilda,” Olivia said, staring at Rosaline.

“How can a mere niece from a distant cousin look like a daughter?”

“Are you complimenting me? My parents always said that Lady Matilda is the most beautiful woman in my family.”

Rosaline replied with a smile.

“As I grew up, everyone said that Lady Matilda seemed to have come back alive. That if she would have been alive she would have liked me very much. I was very sad.”

There was a moment of silence.

Since Matilda’s death, her name has never been mentioned so openly at any meal like this. In particular, Evan even put down his fork as if he had lost appetite. At that moment, Laria, who was squirming while eating, intervened with a soft smile.

“I see. Then, you must have known from a young age that you were a person worthy of love in the Duke Icard’s residence. Welcome.”

Rosaline smiled satisfactorily inwardly.

She seemed to understand why Laria was able to adapt so well. She chose and picked the words cautiously.

“I will take care of you so that you are comfortable here. It’s nice to see a friend of my age coming in.”

She had neglected her earlier, and it seemed that Laria had decided to be of help to her.

At Laria’s words, Olivia sighed and muttered, ‘That good thing…’

“Will you be able to stay at the Duchy until I go back to Borotna? If you are uncomfortable with this place and want to leave as soon as possible, let’s go together…”

‘Ah, you were only saying nice things so far, but that’s too much.’

Rosaline, who had no intention of going to that corner-like Villa, quickly cut off Laria’s words.

“No. I don’t feel uncomfortable at all, and I want to stay for a long time.”

“But… customarily, at our age, you can’t stay long as a guest. I also lost my parents, so it’s not like I can’t relate…”

Laria glanced sideways with her purple eyes and added sadly.

“Isn’t there a better way?”

Rosaline quickly rolled her brain.

Originally, she planned for her words to come out slowly and naturally, though it was also a waste to miss the timing of such active support.

She had heard that Kallaudin really cares for Laria… If she drove this momentum and earnestly asked for a favor, it seemed that the work would be completed sooner and easier than expected.

“Well…”

Rosaline replied slowly.

“Miss Laria entered this mansion as the Icard Princess with the position of Young Master’s wife, so if I want to stay here, too…”

She hoped Laria spoke at that moment, but the pink-haired girl looked at Rosaline with a face full of ignorance.

“I, too, need to have Icard’s last name…”

Olivia’s forehead wrinkled at those words. However, after looking at Rosaline and Kallaudin alternately, she sighed and said nothing.

Even if she had told this much, Lariat still looked at Rosaline with her eyes full of expectation, as if she had no idea what she was saying.

In the end, she spoke slowly.

“Like an adopted daughter or something…”

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