/
Madam Anton let go of her doubts and spoke gently to comfort Margaret, slightly patting the other woman’s arm.
“It’ll be good if you do that.”
“Of course. I’ll do exactly that.”
While listening to the other wives, Margaret laughed inwardly.
For her, Radis’ reputation—and her entire future for that matter—was no more important than eye booger.
Therefore, she had no guilt whatsoever.
It was much more important for her to protect David and the family.
To the point that Radis was truly nothing to her.
When the conversation lulled for a moment, Yurhi pulled on Margaret’s sleeve.
“Mom, Mom!”
“Oh, my daughter! What’s the matter?”
“Look at Radis over there.”
With her fan, Yurhi pointed to the corner of the banquet hall near the ladies’ water closet.
Radis stood alone among the pillars, so far from other people.
When they looked closely at what she was doing, they saw that she was staring at the balcony on the second floor.
Margaret snorted.
“Does she have no shame? Does she think she’ll be able to seduce anyone looking like that?”
Yurhi covered her face with both hands.
“Ah! So embarrassing!”
“Others feel shame for her, but she herself is so shameless.”
Margaret’s eyes twinkled in glee as she looked sideways at the banquet hall. She stroked Yurhi’s head, then spoke.
“Go and meet up with your friends.”
“What about you, Mom?”
Margaret’s eyes sparkled insidiously.
“I’ll give her a taste of reality.”
* * *
‘The Russell family holds subjugations regularly, but sometimes their knights are sent as back-up for Imperial subjugations. Will they be there? Of course, they wouldn’t know me now, but maybe I could join the subjugation. It’s not like there weren’t any women at all. If I could just meet that person and take the test
’
Radis was looking around in search for a familiar face, but her expression hardened as she realized that Margaret, with her lips pulled up into a wide smile, was approaching her.
And beside Margaret, a man was escorting her.
Perhaps they were talking about Radis.
“She’s here now, but the moment we separated, she can’t socialize at all. That child is really lacking.”
“Haha, that’s how most young ladies are.”
“Will you escort Radis, Huber?”
“It’s my honor.”
Margaret came closer to Radis and stared right at her. She grabbed Radis’ arm as tightly as possible, then whispered quickly.
“What are you doing right now?”
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean nothing!”
With a distorted expression, Margaret yelled at Radis.
“Do you think I don’t know what’s on your mind? You look like a woman from the streets while looking up at the second floor with slutty eyes!”
Radis frowned at the unexpected insult.
She glanced a lot towards the second floor, but she wasn’t the only one. In fact, most of the people gathered on the first floor were looking up.
In particular, there were many young ladies buzzing around underneath the balcony hoping to see even the shadow of the Third Prince.
Including Yurhi.
Radis shook off Margaret’s hand and was about to shout.
“Just what did—!”
Margaret covered Radis’ lips.
“Don’t you dare humiliate me here!”
Radis shook off that hand as well.
But she couldn’t say anything more to Margaret. A little ways away, Huber was looking at them with a curious glance.
Margaret spoke as though she was sincerely advising her.
“Wake up and face reality. That guy is perfect for you. He’s my gift to you because you looked oh so lonely.”
“Gift?”
Margaret clutched Radis’ forearm as though she wanted to tear it off.
Then, with a very low voice, she whispered.
“There’s a rumor that he’s quite rich even if he looks like that. Isn’t this too good to be true for you? Good luck. You never know, maybe you can get married to a rich man who wouldn’t need to receive any dowry. If it’s like that, then I’d finally feel rewarded to have a daughter like you.”
Throughout Margaret’s verbal abuse, Radis grew pale, then she pulled Radis towards Huber. She disappeared with a huge smile on her lips.
‘Is that really something a mother would say?’
As she watched Margaret’s retreating figure, Radis shook her head.
‘No. I don’t need to be hurt again.’
Then, Huber talked to her.
“My, oh my. I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Huber Cradium.”
Radis turned her gaze at the man.
‘This guy, Huber. He’s here, too.’
She knew him.
Of course, he was someone that the twenty-six-year-old Radis knew, not the sixteen-year-old Radis.
As she recalled her memories, she almost snorted.
While rubbing the arm that Margaret tore into, she responded roughly.
“I know.”
Huber’s eyes glimmered.
“You know me?”
“Aren’t you a merchant from Gillem?”
Radis nodded slightly.
‘And I know more than that. Being a merchant from Gillem is just your front, but in truth, you’re a mana stone trafficker. You extorted mana stones from the people in my family without telling them the true market value of the mana stones.’
As Radis stared at him, she swallowed back these words.
In her previous life, Margaret and Jade were responsible for selling the mana stones that Radis got after hunting down demonic monsters.
They were acquainted with Huber, but it was Huber who first approached them with ill-intentions.
He desperately blocked other merchants from knowing about the mana stones and persuaded Margaret to let him buy them at low prices.
Of course, that ridiculous stunt didn’t last even half a year, but Huber made quite a profit during that short period.
Margaret and Jade, who were swindled without them even knowing, were so humiliated—but they couldn’t complain about it anywhere.
As these old memories came back, Radis immediately wanted to punch Huber in the face.
But those were old memories. Those events haven’t happened yet to the sixteen-year-old Radis.
Sighing briefly, she caught the man staring at her.
Huber’s fraud had yet to happen—no, it will never happen in this life.
First of all, Radis would never bring mana stones home.
Radis spoke coldly.
“I don’t need an escort. I like being alone.”
However, Huber just smiled and didn’t let the situation go.
“Who in the world would be happy to be alone like this?”
“

”
Radis turned away from him without even answering back.
She was obviously ignoring him.
At this, Huber frowned.
Although externally he looked fine, the same was not true inside. There’s no one here who didn’t know that the Tilrod family was like a sinking paper boat.
However, such a family’s young lady just disregarded him.
Huber, whose mood was souring, changed his approach and spoke in a sarcastic tone.
“By the way, the Tilrod family seems to be quite enthusiastic.”
“

”
“That dress looks familiar. It’s in the Rhode store’s catalogue priced at 50 percent off at first, then 60 percent, then 70 percent one year after another
 Isn’t that the dress that gradually became 90 percent off? Aren’t you ashamed to wear such clothes?”
Shortly after saying that, Huber himself realized that he went too far.
The person he was talking to was a sixteen-year-old girl who had no socializing experience.
His words and actions were too much just to retaliate to an arrogant girl turning away from him.
However, Radis smiled and said only this.
“You seem to be interested in women’s clothes. It’s kind of suspicious.”
“

!”
“I’m sixteen years old. I have no choice but to wear what’s given to me. Wasn’t that also the case when you were the same age?”
Huber couldn’t say anything back even as he mumbled. Radis continued.
“But if it’s something to be ashamed of, then it must be shameful just staying beside me.”
Radis narrowed her eyes as she stared at him.
“Then, I’ll be on my way. I have something to do, even while wearing a dress such as this.”
The Huber in front of her wasn’t the same man who swindled her and the Tilrod family.
But that didn’t mean she had to be nice to him.
‘It’s probably best not to be involved with him.’
But apart from that, she saw a familiar person on the second floor just a moment ago.
‘Robert.’
But she wasn’t sure.
And if it was really Robert who she saw, it was strange why he was here in the first place.
Anyway, she wanted to go and look if that person really was Robert.
But.
“Wa—it a minute!”
Huber was persistent.
“Please excuse my bad manners. As expected, it was a lady-like response from a noble family. To apologize, would you like to dance with me?”
Huber’s voice was even more layered than a while ago, and his eyes twinkled with thoughts she couldn’t read.
When their eyes met, Radis could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand.
‘Dance?’
She didn’t want to. How dreadful.
Going into the forest of demonic monsters with nothing but the clothes on her back was an even more appealing idea than to dance with Huber.