Chapter 94
That’s how she lasted for years.
She kept all the humiliation she was being subjected to a secret from her family.
If her parents were to find out, then they would immediately tell her to stop doing such futile things.
But she couldn’t let that happen.
She couldn’t let all that time she endured become nothing.
She had reached this point already. So, Evelyn forced the corners of her lips up.
This forced smile was something she was used to now.
“I’m sorry if you felt uncomfortable because of me.”
Evelyn apologized to them with a trembling voice.
She didn’t do anything wrong, but even when things were left unsaid, she was always the sinner.
As they heard Evelyn’s timid apology, the other three stopped laughing at once.
“Why are you being so serious again?”
Shrugging, Pia said this with a mocking smirk directed at her.
At the same time, there was a rough pat on Evelyn’s shoulder.
And it happened to be the right shoulder. She was holding her hand with her right hand.
The force of it made the red liquid spill over, soaking Evelyn’s chest.
Dazedly, Evelyn looked down at her dress, which had soon become red.
“Oh my, what do we do. Evelyn, how could you spill your drink and waste it like that?”
As Evelyn was at a loss for words, Melissa’s voice rang.
On the surface, she sounded worried for the other young lady, but her eyes were inundated with ridicule.
“Yeah, how could you. Since it spilled like that, you should lick it, right?”
“Goodness, you dirtied the only set of clothes you have? It doesn’t seem like you could have brought any extra like us.”
The two young ladies spoke one after another.
Their blatant cackles spilled through their red lips.
Evelyn closed her eyes tightly.
She just wanted to sink to the ground and scream.
That laughter. Those voices.
Just as they said, her dress had been spilled with a red drink like this, yet she didn’t have any spare clothes.
The whole situation was just so horrible that she wanted to scream.
With her eyes shut, with her eyes covered.
She wanted to shout so loudly that she could see nothing, hear nothing.
“Excuse me…”
It would have been like that, really—had it not been for the unfamiliar voice from behind her.
Proof enough was Evelyn’s half-open lips. After hearing that voice, however, she was jolted back to reality and she came back to her senses.
‘What on earth was I going to do just now…’
If she had screamed here, she would definitely be the only one seen as crazy.
The other three would have laughed even more at her if she acted in such a way. Far louder, more malicious.
“Huu…”
After letting out a long exhale, Evelyn opened her eyes.
Her boiling nerves gradually cooled down.
‘Huh?’
Calm now, after Evelyn opened her eyes, she could only tilt her head to the side as the three other people came into her view.
Those three faces, which had been making such sardonic sneers, were making strange expressions.
They all looked so shocked—as if they were facing a mythical creature.
All their eyes were staring at something behind her.
Perplexed like that, Evelyn slowly turned around, following their gazes.
Then, she saw two women standing there.
Dazzling silver hair and l.u.s.trous blond hair.
Both were unbelievably beautiful, and both had golden eyes.
Golden eyes.
Was there a n.o.ble out there who didn’t know what that color signified?
‘Valentine…’
Absolutely dumbfounded, Evelyn mentally recited the name of the household which these two women belonged to.
The Valentine Duchy.
It was the very household embroiled in the most recent rumors causing uproar as of late.
The four people, including Evelyn, remained silent as they were enraptured, and so, the silver-haired ducal lady slowly opened lips first.
“What happened here?”
Indeed, her voice, just like her curved eyes. How mesmerizing.
* * *
What happened here.
The ambiguous question was met with silence that lasted for a moment.
However, that moment of course ended.
As the most sensible of the four, Melissa took half a step forward and greeted the new arrivals.
“I greet the Ducal Ladies of House Valentine.”
It wasn’t an answer to the question, but it wasn’t bad to start in this way. After all, greeting one another first was only natural among strangers.
Rosetta nodded silently.
Even if she greeted back only with this, the others might accept it, but no other words came back in response. The only other change was the slight change in the way her eyes curved like bows.
‘So it’s natural to know that you’re from House Valentine, but are you saying that you want me to suck it in and introduce myself?’
Melissa bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to read Rosetta’s intentions.
By nature, n.o.bles would not need to introduce themselves.
Even if they didn’t, the other person would naturally know who they were.
However, Melissa wondered how the ducal lady could act so nonchalantly despite never having been to any social gathering before.
‘Is it because you have different blood coursing through your veins?’
However, there’s no point in trying to ask a question that couldn’t be asked out loud.
As the silence became more prolonged, Melissa once more opened her lips, which were quivering this time.
“I am Melissa Merlin.”
“Ah, I see.”
The elegant voice expressed only indifference.
Though they were curved, her golden eyes held no interest at all.
Melissa’s expression became distorted because of this humiliation.
Either way, whatever.
Rosetta slowly looked at the other young ladies standing behind Melissa.
Alicia stuck close to Rosetta, making sure to follow Rosetta’s gaze as well.
Whenever the two pairs of golden eyes met theirs, the young ladies introduced themselves.
“I am Julie Presso.”
“I am Pia March. It is an honor to meet you both, Lady Valentine.”
These words were conveyed with a friendly tone, with smiles on their faces.
n.o.body would be able to imagine that the same mouths had been talking smack about Rosetta and Alicia just a few minutes ago.
“Ah, yes. Nice to meet you.”
Rosetta responded only after they greeted her one after another.
Alicia didn’t even speak to them.
To hide her nervousness, she was just trying her best to control the look in her eyes.
Rosetta glanced over to Alicia and brushed against her shoulder lightly.
Soon, that slow-moving golden gaze turned to the last remaining person.
To Evelyn.
Her eyes met with Rosetta’s gaze head-on. However, she lowered her head unconsciously.
She could heel the ducal lady’s gaze boring into her bowing head.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Valentine. I am Evelyn Riddle.”
Her tense voice uttered the greeting a little awkwardly.
‘What’s with the trembling voice, you sound like a fool.’
Rebuking herself, Evelyn bit her lower lip and raised her head.
However, she fixed her gaze at something indistinct because she wasn’t confident looking into the eyes of the ducal lady. Not after that stupid mistake earlier.
But, after that.
“If you’re Evelyn Riddle, then are you from the Riddle County?”
With a response unlike before, everyone’s eyes turned to Rosetta.
Evelyn was too dazed to respond and so she instead nodded. At this, Rosetta gave her a soft smile.
It was not like the insincere smile she had given until now. This time, her smile held a little more emotion.
At a loss for words, Evelyn could only stare blankly at Rosetta.
Her beauty seemed to shine even more brightly as she now had a genuine smile.
“It’s nice to meet you, Lady Riddle.”
Rosetta faced Evelyn with a warm, tranquil smile. Then, as though she had just noticed, she blinked confusedly.
“But Lady Riddle. It seems as though your clothes are a bit soaked.”
Rosetta carefully broached the subject, but this made Evelyn hastily cover her chest.
She was so shocked by the sudden appearance of the two ducal ladies that she forgot how her chest had been soaked with her drink.
“I…”
Evelyn trailed off, not being able to answer.
‘I spilled my drink over my dress, but I can’t change because I don’t have extra clothes.’
It was such a lame and humiliating excuse.
As though faced with splendid roses, Evelyn felt like she had become nothing but a detestable weed marring the garden.
Melissa stared quietly at Evelyn for a short while, then she smirked.
With a hesitating prey right in front of her, Melissa did not miss this chance.
She quickly hid that smirk then donned a look of pity and regret.
And, with words that matched what Evelyn had been thinking, she opened her lips to speak.
“Lady Riddle accidentally spilled her drink over her dress.”
After stepping forward and speaking up, Melissa patted Evelyn’s forearm gently.
As she felt that gentle touch on her, gooseb.u.mps ran down Evelyn’s spine.
Just thinking about what kind of spectacle Melissa would make out of her, Evelyn’s fingers started shaking.
With a low, sidelong glance, Melissa saw those trembling fingers and clasped them with one of her own hands.
Then, she let out a deep sigh before she continued.
“She spilled a drink on her dress, but she couldn’t prepare any extra clothes because her family’s circ.u.mstances are a bit…”
When she trailed off like that, her underlying insinuation became more p.r.o.nounced.
It might not be easy to notice because of her tone.
However, Evelyn had known Melissa for a very long time. She knew she was being ridiculed at once. Her fingertips, as they were being held by Melissa’s slender grasp, grew even colder.
“Oh gosh.”
Though Alicia kept silent until now, a small cry spilled through her lips.
On the other hand, Rosetta said nothing in return as she stared at the young lady’s strange expression.
Julie and Pia noticed that Melissa was trying to humiliate Evelyn, and they stepped up as well.
They didn’t know why the ducal ladies were showing an interest only in Evelyn, but if Evelyn were to be removed from here, then the ducal ladies’ interest would be theirs to have.
‘The first to build connections with the two ducal ladies of the rumors.’
What a coveted role to have.
Although those two were the esteemed daughters of the Valentine Duchy, the other young ladies here were from va.s.sal households of the Carter Duchy. So, there was no harm in making friends with n.o.bles of a higher rank.
The two young ladies geared up to speak. And so they did, one after another.
“We wanted to lend her some of our clothes, but it’s a shame. It doesn’t seem like they would fit her.”
“That’s right. But look at you, all soaked. Why don’t you go and get a bit of rest, Evelyn?”
What reached her ears was malice masked by false concern.
At the wave of shame rushing at her, Evelyn bit the inside of her cheek once again.
They’re doing this in front of people they’re meeting for the first time. They were the same age, but it was in front of a duke’s daughters.
For them to do this to her right here. It felt like Evelyn was going to suffocate from all this shame.
Just like what the other three wanted, Evelyn wanted to leave this place.
If she wouldn’t leave, their ridicules would just worsen, and in turn, she would just become more miserable.
But…
‘This is a rare opportunity to talk to high n.o.bles…’
Besides, the high n.o.bles here were, for some reason, showing interest in her.
There was no better opportunity in the world.
If she could establish connections with high n.o.bles, this would be one step closer to solving the problem of her father’s lacking investments.
The reality of her situation and the emotions right now clashed together in her mind.
What choice should she make?
Her short, yet lengthy contemplation left Evelyn conflicted.
However, her relentless dilemma ended without results from herself.
Because of sudden high-pitched shrieks.
“Kyaah!”
“AHH!”
“Oh my G.o.d!”
Those were the screams of Melissa, Julie and Pia.
One after another.