CH 76

“…!”

The eyes of those who witnessed it widened. For a moment, there was a terrible silence. It was an even more bizarre sight because the music that flowed calmly had stopped.

Camilla was in the center of the gaze, and her face was already pale. As if she squeezed her breath, the young lady made a scream.

“Kyaa!”

“D-doctor! Call the doctor immediately!”

“Lady Camilla. A-are you okay?”

“What on earth is going on!”

They quickly became noisy and surrounded Camilla as if protecting her.

The young lady who had screamed earlier wrapped a handkerchief around Camilla’s hand, which was bleeding, and said, “I think Lady got cut by something sharp.”

“Oh my. She’s still bleeding… What should we do? The wound must be quite deep.”

“Who on earth did this!”

“Flower! It’s because of that flower. I saw Lady Camilla get hurt while touching that flower.”

Someone shouted like that, and another suffocating silence fell. Dozens of pairs of eyes instantly turned to the flower scattered on the table.

“Oh my god!”

The muttering young lady stretched out her fingers and carefully lifted the flower.

“There is still a thorn.”

“Oh my gosh! Why does that thorn still remain?”

As everyone was flustered and acting agitated, Camilla caught their attention with a relatively calm tone. “I was careless. You shouldn’t touch it with your hands.”

“This is nonsense, Lady Camilla. Isn’t it natural to touch flowers if they’re pretty?”

“That’s right. This is the fault of the person who trimmed the flower like this.”

Anna, who was supporting Camilla, responded loudly. “Couldn’t it have been instigated by someone who is jealous of Lady Camilla?”

“Oh my. That’s ridiculous. Who dares to think of targeting Lady Camilla?”

“Could it be Lady Eirin?”

“Are you saying the young lady who was severely scolded for chasing after Lord Noel?”

“Ah!”

“Everyone, calm down.”

Camilla shook her head, covering her finger, which had already completely stopped bleeding.

“I know how worried you’re about me, but I hope you don’t misunderstand someone with pointless assumptions. There’s someone who said she’ll take responsibility for her work until this banquet is over. It’s just simply… umm, a little accident.”

People’s eyes flashed fiercely at Camilla’s words as she endured the pain.

“Is that person still here?”

“Good. Lady should definitely call her and ask her for sure how this happened.”

“That’s right, Lady. You can’t let it go like this. As she’s the one who left scars on Lady’s hand, we have to determine whether she is guilty or not.”

“I will ask her about that separately later. So everyone, please enjoy the banquet I prepared.”

Camilla asked with a face asking for their favor. People’s anger deepened at her benevolent appearance, which seemed to protect her opponent until the end.

It was then. A servant appeared out of nowhere and quietly approached Camilla and whispered.

“Lady. The branch owner of the fragrant garden asked to see you.”

After her words, the servant quietly disappeared, and Camilla raised her hand with a smile of consolation. “Ah!

Camilla raised one hand with a smile of satisfaction as the attendant disappeared quietly.

“Ah! There she comes! That woman is the branch owner of the fragrant garden, which adorned the Louver Hall with flowers.”

* * *

This crazy…!

Elusiana quickly bowed her head. She knelt down at the thought that there might be someone among them who would recognize her face.

They can’t find out that I’m the daughter of Viscount Waieos. Elusiana didn’t mind her getting insulted. She had been through that a lot in her previous life, so it wasn’t difficult to pass her ear. But when she thought of the pain Simon would get because of herself… She couldn’t bear it.

I thought I already ran away well. It was her failure to forget this body was bad at directions. After running for a while, she ran into the Louver Hall, where the banquet was held.

I knew it. I thought it was suspicious that they just let it go even though I said I wanted to go back.

When Elusiana remembered the fishy smile she had seen at first glance when she left her seat, she gritted her teeth. But what was even more devastating was when she was caught in the hands of the servant who was standing at the entrance. That’s why the servant dragged Elusiana into the banquet hall.

…That dog. Elusiana gritted her teeth as she looked at the back head of the servant, who was stepping down with a mean smile. However, once she entered the banquet hall, leaving on her own feet became impossible.  

In addition, those fierce gazes touched her sharply as if they would pierce her skin. She didn’t know what had happened, but it seemed clear that the situation was already at its worst.

Did they go this far because they had a grudge?

Why!

Elusiana’s uneasy gaze naturally turned to Camilla. However, the beautiful woman you could never see again in the world, was just looking at her with a pale face.

What on earth is she up to?

For a moment of frustration, Elusiana’s gaze soon reached the red bloodstains on the white table. The moment she saw it, she felt something shady. It was because that exceptionally pure white cloth looked like a prop to decorate the finale of a play.

Don’t tell me. Is it on purpose?

Elusiana, who was staring, shook her head soon. But did she use a pure white cloth to show those bloodstains? However, she couldn’t help feeling anxious the more she thought about it.

At that time, Anna, who was supporting Camilla, added her words with a sharp look. “Is this that woman? The one who severely hurt the Lady’s hand. What nerve.”

“You don’t intend to deny your wrongdoing, do you? There is clear evidence.”

Anna, who was completely intimidating, showed her anger by pointing at the floor.

This.

Fragments of crushed flowers lay ugly on the marble floor.

No, what’s wrong with this?

As Elusiana tried to pick up the flower, Anna slapped her on the cheek. Slap!

Ugh! For a moment, her eyes flashed and blinked. Without knowing what was going on, Elusiana instinctively covered her cheek.

To suddenly slap me like this?

No matter how much she knows her status as a commoner, isn’t this too much?

“Ha.” She was so dumbfounded that she burst out laughing.

Anna glared at her with eyes that seemed like she would rip her apart at any moment. “You don’t even know your subject now, but still being this cheeky? How reliable is your backing that you can relax in this situation?”

“…”

“I knew it would be like this. Who on earth is it? Who gave orders to hurt Lady Camilla’s body?”

“That woman’s eyes are shaking. There must be someone behind her back.”

“If there’s no one behind here, there’s no reason to be so anxious. Or is it because she’s afraid of being cut off?”

Before she knew it, the nobles surrounding her began to pour out their words, targeting her. Elusiana hadn’t even made a proper excuse, but people here were already treating her as the culprit. It was fortunate that her identity wasn’t discovered, but this seemed to be a big deal.

It was fortunate that her identity was not discovered, but this seemed to be a big deal.

“Sir Hail. This woman have her kneel down on the floor. Even standing face to face with her is so unpleasant.”

“As Lady wishes.”

Hail, who had been occupying Elusiana’s back, stepped in front of her, glaring at her with snake-like eyes.

No, what are these crazy bitches talking about?

Before she could say anything, Hail mercilessly pressed down Elusiana’s arm.

“Urgh.”

Elusiana, who was kneeling on the floor at the sudden thought, couldn’t hide her anger and shame.

At that time, Camilla stopped Hail. “There is no clear evidence yet, Sir Hail.”

“It’s not a problem that can be solved by just covering it unconditionally, Lady Eragost. This kind of thing should be severely punished. She’s a vicious woman who doesn’t feel sorry at all for wounding Lady’s beautiful hand.”

“Then, let me ask her myself. Don’t stop me from doing that.”

At Camilla’s earnest request, Hail reluctantly stepped back.

They play drama among themselves, and it’s very chaotic.

Elusiana looked up at the beautiful red-haired woman who stepped in front of her and gritted her teeth. She is a woman with a sad expression no matter who sees her. But Elusiana knew that expression well. They were deceived by her look. That sad look always turned into a dagger and stabbed the poor in the back.

From the beginning… she had no intention of letting me go. She’s going to end it like this.

Only then could Elusiana be sure that this trap was carefully planned. No, it seemed that she could finally face the fact that she had ignored it until now.

The woman in front of her now would crush her for any reason. Whether using humiliating insults or just taking her life. And that woman had the ability and position to do that.

However, Lady. You’ve gotten the wrong person. I’m a bit tough, even though I might not look like that.

How many years had she endured living alone in her previous life? It was like a medal for her life. A person like her, who grew up in a nice house, wearing nice clothes and eating only good things, could never understand or imitate her suffering. Elusiana’s life was too worn out to be destroyed with mere lies and agitation.