Chapter 18
Once we stepped out, the refreshing sea breeze felt great. As I stood there, gazing at the waves, something dark suddenly covered my vision.
Startled, I turned around to see Lilianne grinning as she placed sunglasses on my face.
Huh? Sunglasses?
“Where did you get these?”
“Do they even have sunglasses here?”
Sabrina, who had also received a pair, examined them with curiosity.
Lilianne smirked proudly. “I had them custom-made by the March family’s personal optician.”
Of course, a rich girl like her could do that!
Before long, the three of us, as if we had planned it, strolled elegantly across the sandy beach with our sunglasses on. But we couldn’t hold back our excitement for long—soon, we were dashing toward the waves.
“Kyahhh!”
“Yahoo!!”
Forgetting all about the dignity of noble ladies, we ran into the sea like carefree teenagers.
With half of our faces hidden behind the sunglasses, we felt bolder, less worried about others’ stares. That didn’t mean people weren’t looking, though.
Among the nobles, who were tightly wrapped in layers of dresses and ridiculous pumpkin pants, we stood out in our bikinis and monokinis.
“Oh my goodness, what a disgrace!”
“How shameless!”
Ladies in fancy dresses, even at the beach, fanned themselves and whispered in shock.
“Aren’t those the daughters of the Sinclair Marquis and Devonshire Count? And that mysterious beauty with them?”
“How improper! They look like exhibitionists!”
“You’d think high-ranking noblewomen would have more class!”
Some were criticizing us, but not all were, and some young noble ladies in their puffy bloomers sneered at us.
“Well… their outfits do look comfortable for playing in the water.”
“Where did they get those black glasses? I kind of want a pair…”
We didn’t care what they thought. That day, the sun was bright, the waves were cool, and we were having the time of our lives.
It felt like I had played harder than I ever did in kindergarten swimming lessons. Exhausted, we let the maids drape towels over our shoulders and headed to a prepared table.
Sitting under a parasol, sipping fruit juice while admiring the sea—now this was the life!
Feeling relaxed, I crossed my legs, only for Sabrina to chuckle mischievously.
“You were embarrassed before, but you ended up having the most fun!”
“Perhaps this was Claire’s dream all along and not mine?”
Lilianne teased, giving me a playful smile.
I cleared my throat, trying to act cool, and sipped my juice. But then, someone approached our table.
A man, clearly a noble, gave us a small bow.
“Good day, beautiful ladies.”
His face was flushed—probably from drinking. He eyed us up and down in a way that made Lilianne and me frown in disgust.
Ew, wipe your drool.
Completely unaware of our growing annoyance, the man smirked and continued,
“You ladies seem to enjoy a good time. Why not join us for an even more exciting one?”
Would you like to leave instead?
I glanced in the direction he was pointing. A group of young noblemen was gathered at another table, drinking and cheering, waving at us like drunken fools.
They had to know who Lilianne was. But fueled by alcohol and their male bravado, they must have thought they could challenge her.
I sighed, about to reject him—
BAM!
Before I could say anything, Sabrina extended her leg and slammed her foot onto the table with force.
The man, who had been leaning on the table, jumped back in shock and fell flat onto the sand.
Lying there, he stared up at her in disbelief.
Still resting her foot on the table, Sabrina smirked down at him.
“If you don’t want to get beaten up, I suggest you leave.”
The dangerous glint in her eyes finally sobered him up a little. He dusted himself off, looking annoyed.
“Do you even know who I am? How dare you—!”
But before he could flaunt his noble status, he met Lilianne’s icy gaze.
Her eyes said it all: And who do you think you are?
Realizing he had just tried to show off in front of a Marquis’ daughter, he awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Still unwilling to walk away empty-handed, he muttered,
“W-Well, we happen to be very respected members of a high-class social club, you know.”
But we just stared at him blankly.
Unable to bear the silence, he quickly backed away.
“Aha… ha… well, looks like you’re busy, so I’ll just go now!”
As soon as he scurried off, Sabrina snorted and lowered her foot.
Lilianne, who had calmly continued sipping her tea, finally spoke.
“Good job, Sabrina.”
Sabrina shrugged. “That was nothing.”
Watching them, I smiled to myself.
Yep, I really made the right friends.
At that moment, Lilianne casually brought up another topic.
“By the way, Claire, I heard the Duke’s family paid you compensation for breaking the engagement?”
“Oh, that?”
The land and buildings I received from the Laurentiano Ducal family… my biggest dilemma lately.
“Yes, I got some property near the capital.”
Sabrina’s eyes gleamed as she rested her chin on her hand.
“Oho, land near the capital? That must be worth quite a bit.”
“Yes, but I don’t need the money right away, so I’m thinking of waiting for the value to rise…”
Lilianne tilted her head knowingly.
“You’re planning to use novel knowledge to increase the land’s value, aren’t you?”
I grinned and nodded.
“Exactly.”
“That’s a good idea. So, do you have anything in mind?”
“That’s actually the problem. As you both know, the male and female leads in this novel aren’t really interested in business.”
“That’s true. They were too busy flirting and fighting over love.”
At Sabrina’s comment, Lilianne seemed to have a thought and lifted her head.
“Do you remember what that guy said earlier?”
I was thinking the same thing and quickly answered.
“You mean the part about the social club? Actually, I did consider running a salon like that. It was even mentioned a few times in the novel… But the problem is, high-ranking nobles would be my main customers, and the building I received is on the outskirts of the capital.”
Sabrina, who had been quietly listening, smirked.
“Isn’t that even better? The more secretive something is, the more people want to do it in hiding.”
“Something secretive…?”
“What do you think happens in these social clubs? Gossip about nobles, betting on the latest scandals, pretending to be classy while indulging in pleasure—it’s all part of the atmosphere, right?”
Lilianne nodded in agreement.
“It is true that they’re more discreet and revealing than regular social events.”
At that moment, something clicked in my mind.
Sabrina’s hint had sparked a brilliant idea.
“A social club…”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Freya• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
If you want to support the translation and the translator, you can buy a coffee~
