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Joseph: “My lady must be very tired. It’s been a long time since you’ve attended a party, so you might feel tired. I’ll take you to the terrace.”
Keira: “Then, I’ll get going.”
“Have a good rest.”
Her original purpose of attending the banquet was not achieved, but at least she was freed from the awkward atmosphere. Still, she didn’t know if she should call it a good thing.
Joseph whispered to Keira.
Joseph: “Would you like to go outside?”
Keira: “No, I’ll sit there and sate my hunger.”
Emily and Lira said that they had to starve to fit well into a dress, so she followed them and skipped lunch.
Keira now regretted the decision. Her fatigue doubled as hunger was added on top of her uncomfortable clothes.
There were simple finger food displayed a little away from her seat. Joseph pointed there and said.
Joseph: “Then I’ll bring you something to eat. Please wait here for a moment, my lady.”
Keira: “Please bring me something simple.”
Joseph: “Yes.”
Keira: “Haa…”
Her body loosened up. Keira leaned back on her chair and sighed.
‘I wanted to talk to other people, too.’
At that time, she heard a few young ladies laughing. She looked around and saw people her age sitting around a table and chatting. They looked like they were enjoying themselves.
‘Yes, just like that.’
Her gaze naturally focused on them.
“Do you know what she said then?”
“What?”
“She told him she didn’t need a son like him, and kicked him out while threatening him with a candlestick! How exhilarating!”
She didn’t know what they were talking about… but it looked like a lot of fun.
‘I want to join you. I want to join you and play… I came here because I wanted to have fun, too…’
But she knew that if she stepped in, she would only ruin the atmosphere.
Dealing with noble ladies her age was twice as difficult as dealing with noble lords.
This was because she couldn’t figure out how to have a smooth conversation.
She envied them.
‘If I had such close friends…’
She eyed them with such envy and soon realized her mistake. She remembered the maids who scrambled away in panic.
‘If they notice me staring, they might feel burdened.’
They might run away like the maids.
If she couldn’t join in on the conversation, she wanted to watch it from afar.
Eventually, she turned her head away and stared at them from the corner of her eyes.
“That’s how my father acquired the tears of the goddess.”
“Wow, you’re so lucky.”
“Right?”
“You should wear the necklace someday. I’d like to see it.”
The tears of the goddess are one of a series of necklaces made by a dwarf craftsman.
Keira thought.
‘One of the necklaces is in my family… The Imperial family should be the only one who’d be in possession of the better one in the series…’
‘I’ll show you that, so can you let me join you ladies?’
However, she could guess the outcome of the conversation even with her lack of social skills. The moment she said that, the atmosphere would rapidly cool down, and they’d probably think she was a strange person.
But it was then.
When one of the ladies turned, she noticed Keira staring at them.
The esteemed daughter of the Parvis family was side-eyeing her and her friends.
*clatter*
The lady dropped her fork on the table. Her friends followed her gaze, wondering about her abnormal behavior.
“What’s wrong, Miss Sasha?”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost–Ah!”
“Ack!”
“Why? Who is that?”
Soon, they turned as pale as Miss Sasha.
…No, wait, hold on.
Keira was dismayed. It was deja vu.
Before she could speak, they jumped out of their seats. Their faces were still pale.
“P-pardon!”
“We had no idea that Lady was resting here and we disturbed you. Please rest comfortably.”
“W-we dared chatter without knowing you were here, ahaha.”
Then they all ran away.
“Ah…”
‘You can talk more.’
Keira reached out into the air toward the fleeing young girls.
But it was impossible to bring back those who had already left.
She wanted to enjoy vicariously through them…
She wanted to cry.
Looking around, everyone was chatting in groups, or eating simple food.
Lonely. It was lonely.
‘I came here because I wanted to have fun…’
She felt like a returning student at a freshman welcome party.
I want to step in and play, but I can’t. That sad feeling.
‘Where is my partner, leaving me alone?’
Her disappointed shifted to her partner who had gone for food.
The waiter, placing a drink on the table, approached her and said.
“The Marquis of Edinburgh is looking for you. It’s the third left, second floor balcony from the exit.”
Keira: “Grandfather?”
Only then did Keira recall that she had planned to meet her grandfather here.
‘I have to tell Sir Joseph that I’m leaving for a while…’
How far did he even go to get food that he hasn’t come back yet.
Keira called a waiter who was around to deliver the message to Sir Joseph.
Keira: “You there.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Keira: “When a man with black hair comes back, tell him to wait a little bit here. I have someone to meet for a while.”
“Yes, my lady.”
After she said that, she stood up with her glass.
Meanwhile, Reina’s plan was steadily under way.
The snake, who dared to seduce the lady, was flirting with another woman, holding her in his arms.
It was repulsive.
However, more powerful evidence was needed to take off the rose-colored glasses from the innocent lady’s eyes.
Reina: “To bring a lover who is not a noble to the ball, he’s a guy who doesn’t really care about what people think.”
Arthur: “Do you know her? Who is she?”
Reina: “A high-end prostitute who lives in the snake’s house.”
Arthur: “Wow… I don’t know if he just lives the way he wants or if he lives without thinking at all.”
Reina: “Let’s say it’s the latter.”
Then the two people, who were kissing lightly, began to move to another place. They looked like they were going outside.
Reina: “I’ll be back, so wait here.”
Arthur: “Okay.”
Reina stepped behind the two and moved.
It was disgusting to see the snake keep kissing the woman’s cheeks or ears as they walked.
Shortly before disappearing outside, Reina communicated to Arthur with a hand signal.
‘Garden, on the move, deliver to Group B.’
Arthur signed back.
‘Got it.’
He immediately passed Reina’s message to group B, who was hanging around, and followed her outside.
Group B also faithfully fulfilled their duties.
They told Joseph, who was carrying a plate of fruit, to take the lady to the garden.
Joseph: “Okay. Continue updating me on the target’s exact location.”
“Yes.”
But that’s where the problem started.
The person who should be in the place where he left her to get her a plate had disappeared.
A waiter approached Joseph, who was disgruntled.
“The lady who was here asked me to tell you she has someone to meet for a while. Please wait here, she’ll be back soon.”
Joseph: “…Damn it.”
They needed her to see it with her own eyes, so they had to time it well.
But she disappeared at the most crucial moment. It was incredibly frustrating.
Joseph: “Did she say anything else?”
“She didn’t.”
Joseph: “She didn’t mention who she was going to see?”
“She did not.”
Joseph had no idea who their lady had left to meet.
Joseph: “I understand. You may go now.”
“Then, excuse me.”
Joseph looked around in a hurry.
He didn’t see a single hair of Keira in the lounge.
‘But you can’t open the lounge door one by one.’
If he did, he’d be gossip fodder for at least a year.
Joseph wandered around the place, his face crumpled.
Soon after, Group B came to him.
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