Treasure hunt (3)
I was shocked to speechless when I received the first hidden attack. The followers had no hesitation in arguing as to whether they believed or not in the case of the emperor behind the Valliere family. Suddenly, my mother’s instructions came to mind.
“Just because it hurts doesn’t mean you’re weak. You know Mom always favors Eunjae right?”
There was only one reason why these ladies could do this despite knowing that the Clemend family would be behind their backs. The power of a group. These ladies had been working together all this time and they had been making valliere powerful in this way.
‘It’s not surprising that the methods of bullying are so similar in this world and the other.’
Even though I only went to school for one year. None of my friends approached me because I couldn’t walk without crutches.
The kids in my class hated me for limping, for being in crutches. At first, they harassed me to a negligible degree but it got so bad over time that I was even locked in a warehouse. This incident became known throughout the school and the perpetrators were punished. but from that day on my mother always said it to me as a habit.
─From next time, if someone hits you hit them too! Don’t just sit back and be bullied! Rebel even if it means swinging your crutches! You have to show them that you are not easy!
As I looked at the ladies who were looking at me with disapproving eyes the voices of the perpetrators that I had long forgotten for a while seemed to resonate back.
─Isn’t that lame thing putting on a show?
“Isn’t losing your memory a play on your own?”
“You can justify your shameful actions by acting pitifully.”
─Teachers tell us to take care of you. What sin have we committed to deserve this? Aren’t you a shameless bitch?
“It is selfish to think that all your actions will be forgiven just because you have lost your memory. Watch it now! Laughing at this!
“Lady Clemend! Are you going to stay quiet after being humiliated like this?”
─If you are disabled, you have to go to a special school.
Ah, maybe. Do your parents think of you as normal?
“I’m sorry for Duke Clemend. How could it be possible to adopt such an uncultured person as his adopted daughter… … .”
Finally, I heard a voice breaking out of my head.
“… “Whether it was then or now, you don’t mess with your family.”
As if they didn’t hear me muttering lowly, the ladies’ questioning gazes were all focused on me.
I looked straight at the ladies who were talking openly with my cold eyes and icy glare.
“I guess the ladies don’t really want to be friends with me, do they?”
“yes?”
they doubted me for a second but…
“In the spirit of a fresh start, I tried to forget everything about the past and build relationships again. I guess I don’t fit in with you ladies. Where are you from? count? viscount?”
Those followers who were criticizing me fell silent at my indirect question.
In the past, she was just a physically challenged child with no money or support but here she is a healthy princess from a powerful family. In short if I could only reshape my reputation I would be at the top of the social world.
I smiled leisurely and spoke in a generous tone, knowing for sure my position in the social world; thanks to Isabella.
“I will remember all your ladies’ faces.
“I’m not a leisurely person kind enough to be friendly with ladies who don’t like me.”
I have to train, do missions, increase likability and there’s so much to do in this world! I don’t want to come here and get into a childish war of hormonal teenagers!
“understand!”
“Did you learn to threaten the young lady with power as soon as she woke up?”
… … Of course, if an argument breaks out, you will have to respond.
Lady Dorothy Valliere became angry on behalf of her followers. My blank eyes moved to Dorothy.
“Do you think I am intimidating? Lady Valliere seems to be afraid of my family. It’s just that I won’t be friends with ladies who are unkind to me.”
“… … !”
“Wasn’t that what you all wanted too?”
Dorothy and her followers flinched at my words. I spoke while making eye contact with each of the ladies who I assumed were her followers.
“I treated you ladies with good intentions. There is no need for me to be generous to those who ignore me and do not even show basic courtesy.”
“Isn’t that right?”
The ladies’ faces turned pale at my harsh voice. A cold silence passed around and a neatly dressed woman with auburn hair who had been observing the situation was the first one to come out.
“This is Vanessa Familla, the first daughter of the Marquis Familla family. I wanted to congratulate Lady Clemend on her recovery.”
As soon as she spoke taking the first step, the ladies began to rush to greet me.
“This is Tania Trouen, the second daughter of the Count of Trouen family. I’m glad Lady Clement has woken up!”
“This is Scarlett Berno of the Baron Verno family!”
“I am of the family of Viscount Winston…”
“… !”
The game has now completely turned. Lady Valliere’s face turned bright red as she was unable to stop the ladies from introducing themselves. And consequently expressed their recovery quotes.
I ignored Lady Valliere and treated the ladies who greeted me as kindly as possible. The ladies who believed in Princess Valliere and criticized me without hesitation looked at each other with perplexed expressions.
As the ladies gradually flocked towards me, Lady Valliere stood awkwardly and was run over by the ladies. When I saw that, I slowly raised the corners of my mouth and said.
“Could you please move aside? I have to say hello to the ladies.”
“Really, get out of the way? Are you telling me to get out of the way?”
I asked softly still smiling harmlessly at Dorothy who was upset.
“I thought you just forgot your manners.
“Do you know who I am?”
‘This is truly intimidation by power.’
If Roella had been oppressed by the power of the group before then the situation was completely different now. While Lady Valliere was arguing with me, only a few ladies who supported Dorothy remained. If Lady Valliere ignored her authority and continued to act viciously, she might be ostracized from social circles like Roella before.
Dorothy, who was upset about losing the battle and remembering the consequences trembled and left. The only ladies who immediately followed Dorothy were the three who had openly criticized me with her.
Isabella, who was watching the entire situation from the side, smiled with relief as if she had just had a blaster party.
“I guess you can stop learning how to socialize now?”
Isabella whispered to me and I answered quietly.
“It’s thanks to the teacher who taught me well.”
Isabella suddenly burst into laughter at my compliment.
* * *
Kai kept looking backwards and was clumsily putting food in front of him. At that time, Louise with a shy face stood in front of him.
“?”
When Kai looked at Louise with a puzzled face, Louise hesitated and asked him.
“Hi, by any chance….”
“… … ?”
Kai looked at Louise intently, as if surprised that she had spoken to him first.
“Does Roella have a guy she likes?”
“!”
Kai’s expression hardened in an instant. He continued to observe whether he knew Kai’s feelings or not.
“She seems to be interested in men more and more these days. You’re close to Roella, so you probably know something.”
Louise’s hand holding the food continued to move slowly as if he felt awkward to ask Kai this question. Kai’s gaze suddenly lowered.
“I do not know.”
“Yeah, really?”
“… …”
“Is there really a man Roella is interested in?”
Louise nervously ruffled his hair in response to Kai’s sharp question.
“No, Roella suddenly asked what kind of women men like. Do you have any guesses why so she has been looking at it ?”
“… … .”
─Have you found a guy you like? But the reply was that
Suddenly I’m interested in this kind of thing.
─Yes, yes! That’s it!
Kai remembered Roella’s question that had been bothering him for ten days, but he didn’t bother to tell Louise about this. In response to Kai’s silent response Louise let out a sigh with his devastated face.
“How long has it been since she woke up? Has she ever had a chance to meet?”
Hearing Louise’s muttering Kai suddenly remembered the incident on Rumansee Street, where Roella was the only one who went out.
‘No way then… … .’
Roella showed up late at the appointed place, and the Mage Tower ruler and the crown prince happily walked to Roella’s celebration.
‘Then person of interest is among the crown prince and the magic tower lord?’
Kai’s eyebrows narrowed at the speculation that flowed like water.
* * *
After conversing with the noble ladies. I quietly left the garden to look for the crown prince.
When I asked Chase he said that the crown prince had already had his face stomped before the banquet began. He couldn’t have just said hello and left but no matter where I looked around the banquet hall, the crown prince was nowhere to be found.
‘I heard there are a lot of ladies targeting the Crown Princess so it would have been noisy if he had appeared at the banquet hall.’
Looking at the silence it seemed like the crown prince was hiding from the ladies who were currently targeting him.
I searched around the garden and for places where the crown prince might be hiding. However, the deeper we went the less we could see the shadows of people let alone nobles.
“Where the hell are you!”
I stretched my exhausted body, leaning against a tree. The moment I tilted my head back towards the sky, I noticed something sparkling among the leaves.
“uh? that… … .”
Golden key?!
I had forgotten about it for a while as I was dealing with the red-haired lady and looking for the crown prince. A special event that will give you a bunch of golden keys as rewards until the end of this banquet (there was no such clause)!
I got so excited that I jumped up from my seat. I craned my neck and looked up at the golden key. The golden key was spinning around with a soft glow between the green leaves as if giving a reward.
“You are mine!”
The golden key hanging from a tree branch was the first reward of the event, discovered more than an hour after the banquet began.
I climbed the tree without hesitation.
“Ugh!”
Climbing a tree was not as easy as I thought. The height was not very tall and the surface was rough, so I thought I would be able to climb up somehow but my strength and stamina, which were much lower than that of an ordinary person were making it definitely difficult. I gritted my teeth and desperately climbed the tree.
“Got it!”
How much time has passed? After falling a few times I got the hang of it and was able to climb up to the desired height with a funny look.
It was precarious to rest on a tree branch the size of a man’s forearm but I lowered myself as much as I could and crawled towards the golden key.
‘Just a bit more… … !’
And finally, the moment I held the golden key in my hand, a large system window greeted me.
[Special event reward!]
[Golden Key: Restoring and Upgrading Existing Items (All-Purpose Blank Potion, Telepathy (10 minutes))]
“omg!”
oh my god!
Did the item you used before come back to life? Even better?! It was already a shame that I spent it all on one person!
It was a moment of cheering with joy. She missed the branch and her body lost balance and tilted.
‘I am Falling…’ … !’
I was so shocked that I didn’t even let out a scream. The hours of training, studying, and missions to live well and the unfinished bucket list passed by like a lightning bolt.
‘Are you going to die like this? ‘So vain?!‘
Flatly!
At the same time that I felt unfair a soft feeling hit me. There was a warm scent like fabric softener as if I was buried under a blanket. I slowly opened my eyes which had been tightly closed.
‘Did she survive?’
When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a strong arm and a hand wrapped under my knee. As I raised my head, I made eye contact with a silver-haired man looking down at me.
‘huh?’
