Chapter 31

Translator: Nabi

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Chapter 31

“…Yes?”

I screamed out of shock.

Ruined…?

The face of the kind-hearted Ian Camero popped into my mind.

“Did you say Camero? I felt sorry for him. It turned out that he bought a variety of tulips for a huge price.”

“….”

“Not only that, it seems that people who approached him to do business have deceived him as well. So, it was completely ruined. If you have not taken your hand off before…”

That is absurd…

Camero must have been hurt so badly by me that he has even sworn he would never do business with anyone again. Something I did not know must be happening beneath the surface.

As I tried to listen to the Duchess’ while trying to stay alert, I heard the following words clearly…

“So, sweetheart, I am going to hold a ball to congratulate you and officially announce that you are the daughter-in-law of our family… What do you think?”

“…Yes?”

I doubted my ears for a moment.

I had been throwing away so much all this time, so I could not believe she was going to say something like that.

No matter how successful the investment was, I deserved to be reprimanded for sending that much money, though now, the Duchess’s reaction was the complete opposite.

“Thank you for your words, but I am not even married yet, so the ball for me is a little…”

An ominous smile appeared on the Duchess’ lips.

“As expected, he is my son. Where in the world did he bring such a charming girl. But, you do not have to be so humble.”

Contrary to the Duchess’ unsuitable, caring tone, my face became more and more stiff.

“Madam, I am not saying this because it is not humility, though because I think it is really over-compensation.”

“Oh, what do you mean Madam? You do not have to be too formal. You can just call me mother.”

Formally, I think that would be better…

‘Wait a minute…’

My eyes gleamed.

It was because there was no need for me to accept the Duchess’s friendliness. She was clearly expressing her affection to me.

So, what if I openly reject it and cause embarrassment instead?

No matter how successful this investment is, it would be impossible for her to keep being nice to me.

“I do not want to.”

“….?”

The eloquent reply from the Duchess stopped for the first time.

“I have only two mothers, the one who gave birth to me and the one who raised me. The Duchess is none of them. So, I cannot call you mother.”

A moment of silence passed.

I waited anxiously for the Duchess to express her anger or displeasure.

“…Ha!”

I blinked my eyes.

It was obviously a laugh that came out of the Duchess’s mouth. No laughter or ridicule, just an ordinary laugh.

“Haha… Ha—Haha!”

The Duchess barely stopped her laughter, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“I am sorry. It made me laugh at the thought that my son had brought a really interesting Young Lady.”

Again, it was a sarcastic reply.

It was interesting, no matter where you look, isn’t that a compliment worthy of a noble girl?

Fortunately, it did not seem like my intentions were completely wrong. I opened my eyes wide and decided to pretend to be naive and ask

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No.”

The Duchess replied with a plain tone.

“There is nothing wrong with what you said. Young Lady had not officially married my son yet, but it was my fault for treating her like a daughter already.”

“Pardon…?”

I became dumbfounded.

This was absolutely not the response I was hoping for.

“Think of it as an adult’s silly thoughts. I just wanted to get to know the Young Lady as soon as possible, although I did not think it through too much.”

There was sincerity in every word the Duchess had said.

At that, I opened her mouth blankly.

I could not think of how to rectify this situation.

In the midst of passing time without responding, the Duchess nailed it.

“But, will you accept the prom to welcome the guests, not as my daughter, right Young Lady?”

* * *

Two weeks later.

Already, the ‘ball to welcome the Count Evelyn Garneid, who is engaged to the heir to the Duke’s,’ was fast approaching.

…Like, right now.

“You seem nervous.”

Cassius smiled gently and gazed down at me.

“I am not.”

I gave my eyes strength.

It was true that I was nervous, though I did not want to reveal my weakness to him.

“It is just a ball. You have been to such a thing countless times so far, so what is there to be nervous about now?”

“Hmm.”

Cassius made an unexpected sound.

Since I did not want to think about the meaning, I looked at the aristocrats who attended the ball instead. More familiar faces stood out. All of them were people who were whining about the crazy Young Lady of Count Garneid.

Well, I did not really want to blame them because my actions were not so great but there were a few people who went too far.

For example, to disgrace me by spilling wine on my dress to kick me out of a tea party or banquet hall…

“Young Lady Garneid!”

“….?”

I blinked my eyes.

The Marchioness Gargantia was approaching me with a smile.

Perhaps, Cassius felt that my privacy should be kept. He turned his back on me and began to speak with the Duke’s vassal.

If the Marchioness and I had been close, it would have been appreciated. However, the problem was that she was the one who spilled wine on my dress just a few months ago.

My body naturally tensed.

No matter how much I have gone through all sorts of things, it was not a pleasant experience to have your dress covered in gooey liquid.

The Marchioness handed her traditional greetings and spoke as she patted my shoulder as a sign of her affection.

“I usually praise the Young Lady’s beauty, but you look even more beautiful today.”

As I was standing blankly at the unfamiliar compliments, she continued to pour her praises.

“Besides, how about the splendid tiara that is around your neck? After all, the Archduke deserves to fall in love with you at first sight.”

“….”

I was speechless for a moment.

Obviously, this person who was reluctant to even be in the same room as me and kicked me out is now coming and praising me diligently.

The Marchioness did not stop at her simple compliments.

She tilted her head slightly and whispered in my ear.

“Young Lady, are you interested in jewelry? I sent an emerald brooch that I brought from my family. Make sure to check it out later.”

And before I could react, the Marchioness hurriedly retreated into the crowd.

It was an act that stood out for her determination not to even give a thank you.

Thirty minutes later.

I came to realize that the Marchioness was only the beginning of this.

People who had treated me badly before took the lead and came up to me, complimented me, and even gave me presents. Obviously, even though I have heard those people say ‘Evelyn Garneid is crazy’ with my own ears!

I sighed.

All of their actions were establishing my position as the daughter-in-law of the Duke. At this rate, far from breaking the marriage, I would only be treated as a lump of luck for them.

As I went to the corner, avoiding the annoying people, a familiar face caught my eye.

‘Ophelia!’

The prerequisite for this ball to be held was ‘Ophelia’s attendance.’

It was because he wanted to make sure that Ophelia, who was treated as a rogue by both the Duke and Duchess, was treated at least. Even if she was an illegitimate child, if she was valued by the aristocratic family to which she belongs, others would treat her the same.

The beginning was just like this, taking part in the official event.

Of course, the Duke did not like it.

Nevertheless, the tug-of-war between me and the Duke ended unexpectedly because the Duchess raised the white flag as soon as I showed that I did not really want the ball to be held.

“How are you? Is it bearable?”

I smiled at Ophelia and approached her.

Ophelia was really beautiful today, too.

Although she was dressed modestly compared to me, her beauty was shining more than anyone else in the ballroom.

“…Yes.”

Saying so, Ophelia nodded her head with her anxious eyes. It seemed as though she was constantly looking for someone in the crowd.

“Just hang in there for a little bit. The more you show yourself in a place like this, the stronger your position will be.”

“I can do it.”

Ophelia smiled faintly.

The surroundings seemed to shine softly in the light of her beauty like a pure white crescent moon in the night sky seemed to beam softly around it. Unfortunately, I have not been able to chat with Ophelia for a long time.

Because as soon as the dance started, Cassius grabbed my hand.

“Please dance a song with me, Lady.”

There was no reason to refuse, so I grabbed Cassius’ hand and started dancing with him.

He was a natural dancer.

It was kind of hard for me to follow.

As I churned several songs in a row, I was already gasping for breath. So, while I rested against the table, Cassius left for a while, saying he would bring a drink.

That was then.

“Miss Ophelia, it is good for her to be modest, though it is not good for her to be too coy.”

Hearing those words, my head turned to the source of the sound on its own.

Baron Sabe, who had been clinging to me a little while ago, continuously praised me. However, next to Ophelia, he was spouting dogs, garbage, and even nuclear waste remarks.

“It is a rare opportunity on a day like today, so it would have been better to come out wearing a finer dress… or she could have given me the honor of making a fine dress with my own hands.”

Ophelia only looked up at him with her pale face, though she did not respond.

‘That crazy bastard…!’

It was time for me to be brave, grab the hem of my dress and get ready to run towards Ophelia. Meanwhile, Cassius, who had already returned, handed me a glass of champagne.

I gently pushed his hand.

“I am not in the mood to drink.”

At that, he followed my gaze and stared at Baron Sabe, who was accusing Ophelia.

“Is it because of that person?”

“Yes.”

Cassius chuckled.

“Why are you flushing your face because of something like that? I will handle that.”

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