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Riley Magner.
As the name suggests, she was Count Magner’s daughter and Shannon’s half-sister.
In the original, if Merria went mad because of Altheon, Riley was the one who went mad because of Reukis.
Count Magner was a supporter of the second Prince Dominic.
So Reukis, who absolutely supported the Crown Prince Altheon, was like Romeo and Juliet.
Because of that, Riley couldn’t reach him even though Riley fell in love with Reukis at first sight, and she only suffered.
However, it wasn’t enough that Shannon, who she initially thought was her maid, became her half-sister, and she even won the heart of her unrequited love, Reukis.
Riley’s role was to bully Shannon, who came out late to society because of her jealousy.
She was, of course, at a tickling level compared to Merria’s evil deeds.
‘But now, I occupy the seat next to Reukis.’
In other words, Riley’s jealousy for Shannon in the original would be directed to Merria.
In addition, the Rackester family was a neutral family.
It was a fact that everyone knew, needless to say, that there were no obstacles in her love other than Riley.
‘It must be twisted.’
There was no interruption from the family, and she also won the heart of Reukis.
Even if Merria gets engaged or married to Reukis, Riley won’t be able to do anything.
Riley eventually seemed determined to treat him as cursed because she was missing out on Reukis.
So, how dare you, a lady from a Count family, to talk with your mouth of the tragedy of the Grand Duke.
“So, it was Count Magner’s daughter.”
Merria slowly blinked her eyes and sighed.
Riley, who thought Merria had recognized her family, proudly raised her chin.
“‘Count’ Lady Magner.”
Merria, who saw her frugal momentum, observed them one by one.
The usual Merria wouldn’t like to point out her position.
It was because I thought it was meaningless to campaign for what I gained without effort, as sometimes I felt it was childish.
But she wasn’t noble enough to let it pass gently, even when she first showed hostility against Merria.
Riley, who was obsessed with her jealousy, came out rudely, so Merria was determined to break her with everything she had.
After she implicitly pointed out that she was arrogant in front of the princess, she said, with Merria putting on a pitiful look on her face.
“All of the Magners should be kicked out.”
“What?”
Riley retorted, frowning bitterly at Merria’s absurd words.
Merria was pleased with Riley’s reaction.
It was nice to see her useless pride that she admires herself and responds to every single word I say.
Merria placed her palms on her cheeks as she shook her head, hiding her excitement.
“Shouldn’t she be punished for putting such a vain rumor on her lips and dishonoring the Grand Duke? What a curse.”
Merria didn’t forget to add laughter at the end.
Riley’s expression hardened as Merria looked like she was holding back her laughter.
“Do you believe such a fairy tale really exists, Lady Magner?”
This world was a place where magic and divine power existed.
But that’s only the level that makes life richer.
The curse-like thing was also nonsense in this world.
When I looked at Riley with the eyes of a child defending Santa Claus’ existence, her face grew cold.
“I don’t think people like the Count lady or the girls here would have said such a foolish thing.”
“That’s-”
Merria spoke quickly before Riley could open her mouth.
“But I’m sure the servants of the Grand Duke’s residence did it earlier… Oh, did you know someone who was kicked out of the Grand Duke’s residence?”
The nobles didn’t want to hire a flawed servant because everything was directly related to their honor.
Bringing someone who got kicked out from somewhere into his mansion meant two things.
One was to reap the spy planted in another mansion.
And the other one…
“The lady must have been kind and generous, but… Maybe there are some people with bad intentions among them. Didn’t you know that a large number of servants were kicked out after stealing the necklace of the late duchess from the Grand Duke’s residence?”
Showing off your ignorance.
Both had bad meanings, so it was common to secretly implement them when hiring servants for the first reason.
But Riley chose the Grand Duke’s servant to support her own words.
This made her the second most incompetent noble.
A poor noble who was ignorant of information and brought thieves into their house.
It was nothing short of a choice to erase the pride of the nobles.
“A thief?”
“You didn’t even know…”
“Oh, my!”
Gossip flowed among the young nobles who were holding their breath watching their confrontation.
Merria lowered the corners of her lips as it was about to rise, making up a sad face.
I feel sorry for your stupidity. But I decided to bury it my heart in peacefully
Of course, in the past, servants had never stolen the Grand Duchess’ necklace.
I don’t know exactly whether there was such a thing or not.
I’m simply borrowing the part where Harriet framed and kicked out the servants who made fun of Reukis a little bit in the original story.
‘He deserves respect, but Reukis must have forgiven them.’
Riley didn’t know that it was her luck that only drove her out quietly in return for daring to speak and act disrespectfully toward the Duke’s daughter, and Merria even thought that she wanted to cut off the tongue of things that spit out bad rumors against them.
Riley couldn’t refute Merria’s comments amid the growing chattering among the young ladies.
It was because Merria’s words, which she had properly connected to what Riley had said earlier, matched perfectly.
If there was one thing that Merria had said was wrong about her, it was the reason she had hired an evicted servant from the Grand Duke.
Riley, who began to have a heart for Reukis, hired his servant without her parents’ knowledge.
The decision was made in consideration of gaining favor from Reukis, referring to the words of her closest aide.
Riley was prepared to abandon her family if Reukis proposed to her.
When she heard that Reukis was passionately courting the gloomy Princess Rackester, she initially dismissed it as a false rumor.
So Riley saw Reukis at the end of a park where she happened to pass by and thought that fate was something like this.
‘Your Majesty… you’re looking at the flowers! I’m the only one who knows about this.’
The war hero, Dark ruler and the only Grand Duke of the empire.
Her heart, which had been suppressed by the fact that she had seen the other side of Reukis, began to swell and flutter.
Riley watched the scene for a long time and then decided to speak with courage.
But before she could even reach Reukis, Merria arrived and stole her spot.
She hated Reukis, who was acting like he was at a loss because she was precious, more than Merria, who was playing friendly pranks.
Jealousy and obsession, eventually the pink tender heart, which was beating for the man turned dark and full of hatred.
Love and hate made Riley want to make Reukis suffer.
When the servant saw Riley like that, she felt that her feelings were the same as her own resentment for being expelled from the Grand Duke’s house.
-‘Actually, the Grand Duke was cursed. If you stay by his side, the curse will spread.’
The tongue-tied words spurred Riley’s love and hatred.
But it was Riley’s mistake for not being able to confess her heart.
As if to prove it wrong, the consequences were right before her eyes.
Riley was just jealous and spit it out.
Merria’s words have damaged the prestige of her family.
If she denies it blindly, she would be criticized for making up the story.
However, to stay still, the fool who fell for the lie would fall behind from the bottom.
While Riley’s mind was overloaded and unable to decide which action to take, Merria quickly wiped her friendly smile.
Then, for once, Merria decided to become the arrogant Rackester princess.
Recalling her past life, Merria, who had never worn the mask of villainess before, spoke in a clear voice.
“I don’t want to hear any unpleasant rumors about my ‘lover‘ in the future. If you’re smart, you won’t be talking lightly about today’s events.”
Anyone who talks about the curse of Reukis in the future would be treated like an ‘idiot Riley‘ who was persuaded by the thief’s words. So be careful with your words…
It was a word full of threats.
“I’m going to get some fresh air.”
With her usual smile again, Merria left Brana behind, who was holding her hand and staring at her with twinkling eyes, and left the party straight away.
She was exhausted by the unplanned brawl and the announcement of their relationship.
“Hoo. My head!”
Taking a deep breath of fresh air, Merria, who repeatedly exhaled, pressed down on her throbbing forehead and walked away.
I just wanted to go back to the mansion already.
As Merria thought, her steps gradually moved further and further away from the banquet hall.
While walking like that for a long time, she didn’t notice the man coming out from the corner and bumped into him.
Her palm resting on her forehead obscured her view, so she naturally walked looking at the floor.
“Ah!”
Merria, who bounces off from the man’s solid body, staggered and her hand stretched out from the front.
But there was a faster hand that held her from the back.
Merria, who turned halfway in an instant, lowered her hand from her forehead to check on the man with a startled face.
At the same time, the familiar scent of Reukis body relaxed her.
“Lady, are you all right?”
“Are you hurt?”
The low voice coming from the back and front was enough to make me feel ecstatic, but imagining myself in Reukis’ arms in front of strangers made me want to get out of this situation quickly.
She nodded her head a couple of times and tried to pull herself away from him, but for some reason he wouldn’t budge.
Merria slipped away from his chest and arms, which was still holding her dearly.
The broad chest that had obscured her view was gone, but Reukis was still glued to her.
She was unfamiliar and could only see the face of the man who bumped into her after she took a step back.
His half-swept, fine wine-colored hair and clear silver eyes shining like the moon in the dark hallway were staring at her.
He also opened his round eyes like a rabbit as if he recognized Merria.
“Dylan?”
“Long time no see.”
As a friendly name came out of Merria’s lips, the faces of the two men reversed.
Deston’s lips loosened and he looked delighted.
“To see you again in a place like this. I must thank my mother for pushing me today.”
“I’ve been thinking about Dylan ever since.”
Reukis, who was watching Merria happily talking with a stranger, glared at Deston.
(N: Dylan was the name of Deston’s dog.)
His gaze, filled with pressure telling him to greet and disappear quickly, as if poking Deston with a needle.
Deston, who struggled to ignore his gaze and smiled, spoke more intimately.
“Then why don’t you come to our mansion next time? We’ll be able to eat together and take a walk.”
‘When I thought of Dylan running to me with red ears, I wanted to follow him right away.’
However, Merria wasn’t so open as to have a private meeting with the man she had only seen for the second time.
“Um… well.”
Moreover, since she had a lover who couldn’t express his dislike clearly, his invitation was quite difficult.
First of all, I thought it would be better to say no in front of Reukis.
While Merria was contemplating about choosing the words for refusal, Reukis was shocked to see her unable to answer immediately.
Who’s that man and how could he approach my lover in a friendly manner?
Why does Merria greet him and call him by his name?
Are they close enough to invite each other for a walk together?
Anxiety filled Reukis’ head.
For some reason, Reukis’ head fell due to the sense of isolation from their conversation.