Chapter 12
"Come on, let's go. There are people I can introduce you to."
"That makes me feel like a real aristocrat."
"Just pass out anytime. Then I'll treat it as if you had just gone through the welcoming ceremony**, remember?"
I guess I forgot about it.
(**If u need to remember the context of these words, please refer to this chapter. Meanwhile, read the excerpt at the end of this chapter if you want to know the context without rereading another whole chapter, which I very much recommend)
"I couldn't believe it, but it's as rumored."
I took a half bite of the tart and turned my head. Then, in an instant, I closed my eyes tightly, and then quickly opened them again.
Oh, Estelle...!
It was because the young lady in front of me was quite similar to my milk sister.
Her detailed features and turquoise eyes were different, but her wavy, aqua-colored hair and her slender, delicate aura made me think of Estelle inevitably.
To be precise, the very Estelle who had grown up as I had imagined.
Before I could say anything, she spoke again.
“You are Sasha Sanchez, right? I am Flor di Saloma de Vivora. You know who I am.”
De Vivora was one of the names of the Serpente collateral family. It was not unreasonable that she looked so similar to Estelle, even for a moment. Because they share the same blood.
She’s their collateral relative...
“Yes, I understand. It's an honor to meet you, young lady."
“It almost sounds sincere. That's great."
“Such sad words, do you really mean it?”
While I smiled brightly, Flor scanned me from head to toe with her big eyes, making a sound that resembled a snort. Rather than sincerely evaluating me, she seemed to be subjectively judging me.
“You don’t seem to have changed much from when you were younger.”
“Have I ever met the Young Lady? I do have such a bad memory so…”
“Why would I pay attention to the daughter of my relative’s older sister’s nanny? I could not help but see you, because you wandered around so conspicuously there. It’s the same then and now.”
“Oh, thank you for the compliment.”
"Now, how could this possibly be considered a compliment...?"
A nearby group of people looked at us curiously, prompting Flor to lower her voice and whisper in annoyance, tucking her aqua-colored hair behind her shoulder.
"Serpente has a shorter history compared to other prominent families, but they place great value on bloodlines, just like my deceased uncle did. At first, I couldn't believe it. There's a rumor going around that my older cousins, who normally pay no attention to their blood relatives, are obsessively favoring the daughter of a nanny, lavishing her with everything. Today's events seem to confirm it."
Right. From the perspective of their esteemed children like her, who were unaware of their parents’ actions and favoritism toward their precious blood relatives, it appeared that they were only isolating themselves.
Everything that they could have been enjoying solely by being Serpente's kin seemed almost restricted.
Despite exchanging smiles and greetings during important events or in official meetings, that's all it was.
No wonder rumors were circulating about the Serpente brothers seemingly pushing out their blood relatives.
It created a situation where only the immediate family benefited from the reorganization of debts and all related businesses.
It seemed like they were inviting trouble upon themselves. This was just the beginning.
"It was unbelievable. You must be proud. Even the most difficult people to approach, like venomous snakes, seem to come to your aid when you're in a bit of trouble. How on earth did you manage that?"
"Ask your parents."
"What... What do my parents have to do with you?"
It matters a lot. But even if you asked me, I wouldn't give you a straightforward answer.
I swallowed a bitter smile and turned around to indicate that I was leaving. However, to my surprise, Flor held onto my arm, keeping me in place.
"I'm not done talking to you yet. Want to hear an interesting story?"
"Taking care of someone you just met for the first time isn't interesting, Lady. You're still naive."
Her innocent face seemed to flush red, but soon a twisted smile appeared.
"Do you know what happened here last year?"
"Well, you know, I've been busy with my school life. I was a pretty good student."
"As I thought, you don't know. Well, everyone is probably being tight-lipped in front of you because of my cousins."
I pretended to listen, pulling my arm out of Flor's grasp. As soon as her anger reached its limit, she began speaking as if she couldn't wait any longer.
"It was such a huge event that everyone in the Imperial capital knew about it. It's not unusual for employees to be replaced regularly, especially in a Duchy like this, so it didn't surprise anyone."
"So, what's so remarkable about it?"
"I heard that the servants conspired to steal the precious letter you sent from Vibrato. They must have been curious about you. Why would someone like you, a mere nanny's daughter, be pampered while studying abroad?"
"I suppose I would have been curious too."
"Don't interfere! Ahem, the problem is that those fools didn't clean up meticulously after reading it, and they eventually got caught. So, do you know what happened next?"
I have no idea...? But I can imagine the Duke of Flame and Fury raging.
"Is that supposed to be an interesting story? Did the servants end up getting fired for daring to steal and read a letter intended for the duke?"
Flor's turquoise eyes gleamed with a sneer as if she had been waiting for my response.
"They got fired? Wow, haaa. Who's being naïve again? ... no way, they're dead."
"Dead? Who?"
"All of them. Everyone died here, in this hall."
"..."
"They were lined up against the wall and shot in the head. Benya-oppa did it."
A brief silence followed. While I remained silent for a moment, Flor added, smiling, as she studied my expression.
"Can't believe it? I felt the same way at first. But it was true. How terrible it was, even the officers who came to investigate..."
"… so?"
"What... So, are you not afraid?"
"Frankly, it's far from being an interesting story."
Flor looked at my face for a moment, seemingly embarrassed, then uttered a "ha" and stuck her tongue out in a teasing manner.
"Does this sound like a made-up story? Or are you just that self-confident? Don't you understand when everyone is hushed about something like that? Don't be mistaken, no matter how the world changes, nobles are nobles. Even if you're as powerful as Serpente, you could find yourself in the same situation if you've done something wrong..."
"I'm surprised the Young Lady is so concerned about me."
"Who's concerned about who?! No, don’t you think it's awful? Aren't you even afraid?"
"If I was going to get scared and run away, I wouldn't be here in the first place. Don't mess with me, Young Lady. Even if I disappear, you'll gain nothing from it."
Now, Flor was glaring at me with so much animosity that it seemed she wanted to kill me on the spot.
It was rather amusing to see the face of a deceptive doll turning red. Just as she was about to speak again, a voice echoed from behind me.
"Phew, I must have missed something interesting. By the way, is that your friend, Sasha?"
I blinked and turned my head, seeing Valentina, who must have been standing there for a while.
Judging by how she casually sipped her wine and carefully observed my expression, it was evident that she had overheard our entire conversation.
And as her anger flared up again, the Young Lady, of course, expressed her displeasure at the question.
"Who's friends with this gold digger?!"
"Oh, you may appear precious, but you should be careful with your words. The host of this banquet would be offended if he heard you."
Flor, conscious of the surrounding gazes, tightly closed her mouth and then turned to leave.
As I watched her curly hair sway angrily while she walked away, Valentina touched my shoulder and gave me a gentle pat.
"Never mind it, Sasha. They're pretty divided among themselves right now."
"Looks like you know who she is."
"Of course, I do."
"Did you know what happened here last year?"
Her green eyes seemed to waver for a moment, but then they sparkled with a searching light.
"I can't help but know. Should I apologize for hiding it?"
"I didn't even ask in the first place, so there's nothing for you to hide. Where have you been? Did something happen?"
"Rather than something happening… The two engaged individuals got along well and created a sea of tears."
Two engaged individuals? Are you talking about Young Lady Orsini and Lethias? The two of them created a sea of tears…?
"After coming up, the Young Lady must have been quite shocked, so she cried and begged me to take her home, and the duke went into such a drunken frenzy, as usual, and locked himself in the study and wailed… Well, that's how the Prince had to look after the Young Lady, and now he's trying to comfort the duke."
I had a feeling it was more like Benya was harassing him rather than comforting him. Ugh, my duke, they say you become less attractive if you cry on your birthday...
Anyway, I'm relieved that nothing major happened.
"Everyone is working hard."
"In less than a day or two, only the poor chief aide and the butler had to deal with those headaches."
"It's admirable to see how hard they've been working all these years."
"Usually, the Prince is very kind. Few nobles take care of their vassals and their families as he does. That would definitely be the case... If you don't cross the line, things will go smoothly for you. But there are always people who can't resist crossing it."
She was referring to the servants who were shot dead. It was as if she was defending him.
An Excerpt from Volume 2, Chapter 3 of
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