Chapter 13

Chapter 13

I glanced back just in case, but Lucas, who had already bowed his head to me when the woman named Vivian was approaching and stepped back, had already taken a seat on the opposite corner wall and was looking at me. It was at the place I was wishing to be.

‘He goes to the ideal spot, and leaves me in a war zone…’

No matter how lacking my knowledge about escorting was, I was sure it wasn’t like this.

I turned my head when Lucas lifted his glass lightly in response to my glare. No one in the world would help me.

If I ran away, they would be surprised and would go to catch me.

‘Should I run…?’ While glancing at my shoes with a serious look, Mia spoke to me.

“Now it’s just the two of us left, Selena.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Really… Are you still using honorifics? It’s upsetting…”

Mia frowned as if she was genuinely upset and looked around a few times. Everyone kept their attention on us, but they all pretended not to.

Perhaps satisfied by all the peering eyes on us, our attention seeker Mia smiled and moved her face towards my ear.

“So… Have you really lost your memory? Or are you making up a fun plan?”

‘Ah… you’re such an emotional lady…’

Standing in the middle of a stormy season, she still saw herself as the eye of a typhoon. The majority of people watching us were probably thinking the same about themselves. They didn’t even know they were fallen leaves swept away by the typhoon.

However, life was more comfortable following the majority opinion.

‘If a bothersome tackle* appears, push the guy next to you and he’ll take it for you.’

In that sense, I just decided to adapt myself to this place.

‘Yeah, whether you want to be a typhoon or a bully transfer student, just do whatever… But let’s keep our distance.’ With that thought in mind, I took a step back.

Along with my actions, the red eyes that seemed bewildered shook aggressively and followed me. I lightly held out my hand in front of my body to keep a proper distance.

‘This far is good.’

“It seems to be true that we used to be close… However, I can’t remember a single thing right now.”

Mia, looking at me with her mouth open, glanced around, unable to change her expression. She had showed a relaxed expression at her joke, but now her eyes were shaking as if she had heard an earthquake alarm.

“It’s a little… bothersome.”

People’s eyes eagerly glanced around. At this moment, there were several groups at the engagement hall.

There were those who were eager to be seen by the crown prince, who was present on behalf of the emperor. There were those who wanted to be on the good side of the duke and his wife. And there were those who wanted to be on good terms with today’s main characters, the princess and the young lord…

There were also men and women who wondered how they would be able to befriend the sickly little princess who had lost her memories and became quite interesting.

In conclusion, this party was like a field of reeds swaying in the wind. Among them, young ladies were busy rolling their eyes in search of shining men who would be their potential partners, although everyone’s eyes were on the knight who escorted the duke’s young princess and then disappeared.

Anyways, in the end, unfortunately, a young girl with navy-blue hair lost her first round in the project of getting acquainted with the princess who lost her memory, which was the original purpose.

The navy-blue-haired young lady was Vivian Jonas, Count Jonas’s daughter, who made a name for himself in the fashion business.

Nobility businesses were mostly run by guilds, but in most cases, some nobles added their spoons indirectly with investments or similar forms.

Count Jonas was one of those families. Most of the fashion stores in the capital had Count Jonas’s investment in them, so Vivian naturally became a fashion leader.

Vivian, who had a very coveted title as a noble young lady who was a trend leader, was searching for a group to mix with since her debut last year. To put it simply, she was looking for a group to spend time together with, have tea parties with and join when going to banquets.

Of course, their true purpose wasn’t to have a pure friendship, but to have a good marriage and business, hear interesting and profitable rumors, and so on…

Vivian, who decided to take over her father’s business, decided on the group she wanted to be with after finishing her search for the year.

The group, of course, was the one where Princess Selena White was the leader.

‘From what I’ve heard, Princess Selena’s temper is not normal. Everyone says it’s hard to keep up around her.’

Nevertheless, the people around her didn’t leave her easily. What could be the reason?

‘Because they use the benefit of being acquainted with the princess.’

In fact, the group didn’t accept other people well and tended to pretend that Selena’s title was their own, so Vivian gave up halfway…

But suddenly, the princess lost her memory.

Nobody knew to what extent, but considering that the duchy had decided to spread the news that it could become poisonous, it seemed they wanted to prevent rumors from turning worse.

‘She must have forgotten all social etiquette, and she may even not remember how to interact properly. This is it.’

It was an opportunity for Vivian. And everyone around her had the same mindset.

If she could capture Selena’s heart here, she could not only belong to the group but also have a fairly high position inside it.

Vivian smiled as she set her eyes on the beautiful sky-blue-like doll in the distance. The young ladies around her were all looking for the right time to go and talk.

However, Vivian knew the most important thing in business was timing and confidence. If you stick around and do nothing, you’re already missing making money.

‘The one who has beauty…? No! I want to be the one who has a bunch of money.’

Vivian took a step forward, imagining her successful future.

And soon after she was flustered.

Based on the experiences she gained from working with her father from a very young age, Vivian knew that Selena was not interested in her.

Really! Definitely! Not even a li~ttle bit.

It was clear that she just answered reflexively because Vivian was talking.

Still, Selena’s aura was quite different from what Vivian recalled from the last banquet.

In the past, it wasn’t like this. It was more simple… a bit more… emotional… So Vivian planned to praise her until her lips fell off…

However, today’s Selena was far from being emotional or shallow.

It seemed as if she would leave her seat with goosebumps after hearing praise, so Vivian talked about trivial things while contemplating the atmosphere.

‘What is this? If you lose your memory, your personality changes like this? Should I lose my memory to confirm that?’

When she heard the exact same answer from Selena for the twenty-first time, Vivian felt people’s attention shift away from them.

Clack, clack, clack.

‘Only one person could show up and want to get so much attention when everyone else is trying to take light steps… Mia Rashapel.’

Still, no matter what topic Vivian brought up to Selena, she was on the verge of getting upset because all she could hear was a simple, soulless ‘Ah…’ as an answer. And yet, she wanted to swear with her whole body, ‘Princess Selena’s best friend is me and no one else can intervene.’ No, looking at her made her stomach churn.

‘Today is not my day.’

Mia used honorifics to talk to Vivian but spoke informally to Selena, saying they had that kind of relationship. She even addressed Vivian by her full name and title, to confirm each other’s positions. Seeing such an appearance, Vivian shook her head inwardly and stepped back. Still, she didn’t feel too bad about it.

Because… while talking to Selena, Vivian was wondering, ‘Am I talking to myself while looking at a doll, or am I talking to a real person…?’

‘Hah! Feel that, Mia!’

Vivian was convinced that Mia would experience the same treatment.

‘Hey, you should get it, too.’

Vivian, exhausted, picked up a drink prepared nearby and gulped it down. It wasn’t really a noble attitude, but the important thing was to suppress the fire inside her.

And just as Vivian expected… Mia was very astonished soon after.

‘What’s wrong with-‘

A girl who usually spoke informally to anyone, regardless of whether it was the first time they spoke or not, was now speaking politely and with honorifics…

‘And what did she say? She- she feels bothered?!’

Mia took a quick look around. It wasn’t obvious, but it was clear that the whispering among people was about this humiliating scene.

‘Ha!’

Her face was completely red.

‘How hard it was for me to occupy the place of her best friend, but only because of her memory loss, that place now is… This is impossible.’

…Right, she was a wicked girl by nature. Mia knew that. Because she felt it while being close friends with her. She was a bad girl, she was a real b*tch. Villains are drawn to evil deeds.

Just because she was hiding her claws didn’t mean that a puma would become a cat.

In addition, she knew the moment when Selena’s evil deeds shined the most. If she created the right situation, nature would pop out and would soon be the key to her recovery. After thinking, Mia rolled up the corners of her mouth again. It was clear that everything would go her way.

“Hey, what do you mean by that? I’m hurt~ we’re so close!”

The young ladies around them saw Mia’s actions and bit their tongues inwardly. Seeing that she didn’t back down despite such humiliation, it was clear that they had to deal with Mia approaching Selena today.

In the end, they all stepped back, talking about their personal life, looking for the next opportunity.

Of course, they still glanced back just in case there was a chance.

Mia in front of me seemed to be unable to understand what I was saying. Not only did I imply to keep our distance because it was bothersome, but I also said I didn’t remember her, so ‘just go away.’

But instead of walking away, she only paused for a moment and then lunged harder.

I guess she felt a sense of crisis that someone took a step further away.

‘You want to have all the attention in the world, but you can’t.’

Now that I was slowly appreciating the acting at the level of a musical rather than a theatrical performance, I sighed inwardly.

‘Yeah, you can do everything.’

Mia, who was talking about the memories that I couldn’t even remember let alone feel in my heart, stopped her mouth for a moment and opened her eyes. Her bright red lips seemed to announce, This is a villain.’

“Oh, I’m thirsty. I want something to drink.”

I didn’t think much of it, I just watched what my pitiful friend was trying to do.

‘If it’s a musical, I think it’s time for the song to start…’

Every rude, loud footstep passed by me. Wherever Mia was headed, there was a person I knew well.

‘Aiden.’

Mmh… To be this simple… How foolish.

If the villain was such a vague idiot, she would even gain sympathy from people. That was the reason why Mia wasn’t the ‘main villainess’ but just her right hand.

Even my solo act when everyone laughed at me was more interesting than this.

Feeling completely cooled down, I watched Mia’s behavior with icy eyes.

“Oh gosh, who is this? Isn’t it Selena’s faithful servant? How come you’re at the party?”

The nobles had no interest in Aiden. No matter how unrivaled his appearance might have been, his looks were only external, and his bloodline wasn’t noble. It might’ve been nice to look at him from a distance, but he was treated like someone with less value than a painting.

Also, he looked like a beggar.

——

*tl/n: tackle: in rugby, the tackle is a technique used by the defending team to stop the advance of the attacking team and provides an opportunity for the defending team to get the ball.