RYL Chapter 09

Chapter 09 

I ignored the stares around me and smiled calmly at Ophelia and Sophia.

Then, my 2ec2f7a716 eyes landed 04f782fb9d on Sophia’s 28e79a5a09 neck.78e43f2dce56f42f

She was 0393c69f7d wearing the 384c9bc62d red ruby 2dac0323cc necklace that b0a114432c was originally 104431b5c9 meant for 5386f91c44 me.8c432d9f1dd03de8

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Seeing her 1b3547764c proudly wearing bc10983edf it, I b7ce53fdaa smiled gently 1445eb5db1 and said,
“So, you decided to 5891349d4c wear my necklace after 709271833a all.”0224afeac30abb8b

Sophia flinched fb71e039d2 but quickly daba2d1bf8 responded with 1ce4388ea6 confidence.
“What, are 52da9d505c you saying e9f892372b you can’t b095676c41 even lend 45115d30fd your sister f63539c3a8 a necklace?”1cff47dba5fcb13e

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I looked at f8283bc4b1 her with a e38c9326e4 calm smile and 4bdb57c15c said,
“Sophia, taking something without 8692b7afca the owner’s permission is 2145bf7968 not called borrowing. It’s called stealing.”ffa2780bc60e406e

“W-what?”14c9ee0a80a90c3d

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Sophia’s face turned bright fca420f640 red with embarrassment.b356bfd83c55dd27

Ophelia, who was 60c079aed2 standing beside her, f51d8940d5 stepped in with 5562b978e3 a displeased look.
“Claire, you’re d916d155e0 the older 08fbceee69 sister. Why are 60af91572c you being 077e809e03 so petty?”939229c18bbc9dd8

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Older sister?
She never treated me 350c008d63 like family before, but aa9da66e86 now she wanted to 9b08b3c2be act like my mother?35fabbf8ef4ad15c

I let 90f4da649c out a c8ba39f698 scoff in 18f27568d9 disbelief.5035b5d2bf4bdc9c

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Just then, Sophia, d26005f23d not wanting to 975d0e2e18 back down, gritted 11eb4b8c90 her teeth and db8aa59879 snapped,
“You’re getting arrogant db681e2a66 just because the fee92a818d Marquis’ daughter is cfc8045973 being nice to 6034a0c311 you! Know your place! You couldn’t even 6708efb625 keep your fiancé 12d9e34992 from straying! She’s probably 3ea0d33735 just hanging 344b3cb961 around you 0bf5936163 to make 87273c83b9 herself look 4955fad214 better.”255be8d741fd130f

Wow. I was seriously tempted a0b3b10e1c to slap her.48eb29be807066ad

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As I aabb4976cc was debating f90d9da9bb whether to eacc2f98b2 do it, 672d83ba10 a familiar 69007c5498 voice came 580d0fe0fd from behind.0f06d1d9e6648daf

“Who said that? That Claire c0012eae92 is just be7f7ac455 my accessory?”0f1f6ffe04cf9368

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I slowly turned my 807c0a42bf head.7856706f1482af93

Walking down the e62ab1f833 stairs was Lilianne.75ab359c2742e83e

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She wore a graceful 0f3a2901b3 dress of blue and f975bd20a2 silver, looking like the 0be96ec864 queen of the north.01d028da5115c7b9

Her silver hair was c25d7961b9 elegantly styled, and her 60430d32f5 cold expression made her 5da0440c99 seem even more intimidating.48fd29a1d9510609

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Lilianne approached Sophia and d22000bbaf tilted her head as 69b104ae16 she examined the necklace a64fd6f6d3 on her neck.af0961bc4cb81b1c

“This looks like 922864ab85 the necklace I 61816396aa gave to Claire efada3502d as a gift…”86fc6d2ee1676995

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Moving slowly, she 4a7482377c reached toward Sophia’s 94868b8283 neck.3c41eb5353d70496

Before Sophia could react, 61cf2499f6 Lilianne grabbed the necklace 0ed33b47e1 and yanked it off.202b12c5ffd2819b

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Snap—690361d7b2b684f3

The necklace broke 495fca1b65 easily, and Lilianne 4cf10cdeb4 held it in 20915bc22b her hand.636888e58d2c78b8

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A few 598d1ac2e4 jewels fell 6f664a2716 to the b01accff70 floor and ffa091fd7b rolled away.acf8f35acc856349

Sophia clutched 4917494e72 her neck, 06e6e3cc85 staring at fc75ac257f Lilianne in 7d4daa4bfc disbelief.78a85f40e1fa7893

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Lilianne looked a7aee2ab55 down at 1a252f0f4b her with 1a16dd9a45 disgust and 2f850c6c2e smiled coldly.32da230089803b4e

“A jewel b5d6b788e0 without its 52657e3761 rightful owner b918cc5336 is just 07627de075 trash.”6b49e4b5968f60b1

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Her icy voice 88abb58775 sent shivers down 3b4d7cce22 my spine.b4805fcd28fdd09b

Sophia trembled and, with 52682f010a tears in her eyes, 6e7f66b9ee ran out of the 7776c05410 ballroom.ad945a9757012b1d

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“Sophia!”39cc459e18a198dd

Ophelia gasped and d144565a1b turned to glare 5443481ee5 at me.0ba6cad68ba8ca24

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Huh? Why was she glaring 0ffb079eba at me?e48f830c144654de

While I 7b109cfaad stood there, e2335ddd89 baffled, Lilianne d08cec1ffd stepped closer 6673cbbc1a to my c85f2b3ddd side.448d765655bb0e67

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Ophelia quickly averted 2df2a25a1d her eyes and f545852cbd hurriedly followed Sophia 23ced8a16f out of the ae3ae2f3fb ballroom.0b79a3c68975fa06

Watching them 33951a7205 leave, I fcce185daf sighed deeply.9ce6310eb2dda659

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Lilianne whispered, “Sorry. I wasn’t going to 9a038ac5f7 step in, but I 644d713ca4 just couldn’t stand seeing 80c74ff8dd you being treated like e1f80d4928 that…”8300674d5b1ee134

Just a moment ago, 8e44e3d701 she had been like 1ebb13c163 an ice queen, but 40b48616cb now she looked shy c9c3afd741 and timid again.f14afb365493dd14

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I stared at 6bb4f84753 her in disbelief.6619afaae0b63a50

Then, in a 746fc38db7 small voice, she f65149de3a asked,
“But… was 3af33db5b3 I okay? Did my acting fb88ee1eee look natural?”5a2d37a097424904

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Wait. That was an eaaf767ff6 act?95eaa47f914f25e9

Even now, I could 46cabae6ac still feel goosebumps on 91ab70b50a my arms.34425ba0afe1ddc3

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I stared at her 42d0d897b5 blankly before slowly giving 06c77bdc82 her a thumbs-up.9e9968ea487e5828

Lilianne blushed 8ac2ea12bd with embarrassment.e452f29d69e472fa

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Oh, right—Sabrina 8e31cf7029 was also a78fa4523c supposed to 0efe7db61a be at 9fa0820136 the party.251dd04e5c29d8c4

“Where’s Sabrina?” I asked.33f4f1f4d4a626c2

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Lilianne looked around 605320d3af and said,
“She hasn’t arrived yet. I didn’t send 3ea5346593 a carriage for d29b3b6b9c her because I a8872c66c6 didn’t want the 37a7934870 villain to notice.”ee5ef45e70a9d0be

It was hard 63299bda45 to believe this 9077e74eac was the same 571b6d3675 person from before.d5e18880d15030e6

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“She’ll be 5fe25cd28d fine,” I 30f45c5241 reassured her. “Sabrina can a4720fe55c survive anywhere.”19ab60a45d8ba00a

“You’re right.”35f6638826ec345a

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As we talked, I cd6a954543 noticed people whispering and 0eee26aa45 glancing at us.645f3c58b67e658f

They were probably surprised 3e6d07307e to see the host 14afe9a0f0 of the party, Lilianne, 93bcc1f726 acting so familiar with 6b18725512 me.8951a1cef7a8c6d2

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Lilianne seemed 77d5a8f701 troubled and 68fc26d6e9 said softly,
“Um… maybe we should af50f5ea29 keep some distance for 30f70cfb2c now.”30effe9062c7d50f

I nodded in e3f1a2f553 agreement.1c5a5f5ebf51fe97

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“I’ll step out d59baee5e7 for some fresh 00e75430bb air.”cfd58ebd825dbf17

Maybe if I disappeared 10c535b2c0 for a while, the be1a8fe499 situation would calm down.df15c9771fd7d644

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Lilianne nodded in eaf32c7ad1 understanding, and I 6326c77744 left the ballroom.da4d81d554079758

Still feeling 5bee2b17be frustrated, I d50d3fecc2 headed toward dea043b924 the garden.e096b15f5a36eb55

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There was an fade299740 outdoor party happening 9e7e4af86b nearby, but I 05860b5b9b purposely walked toward 09ef26fe81 the quieter area.93a392668566e0be

Then, I saw 5502cf5206 someone familiar.f61ff83ddede14d3

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A man had just 99a3d8a97f stepped out of a 6fc64c6583 carriage and was heading 441fc2fbe3 toward the building.d953abc9ae343fd2

Mathieu—my worthless fiancé.4fc43008d44803c1

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I ran into 28173efeee him head-on and bd49cfe134 had no chance 1034d31814 to avoid him.cecc8ea37bc8bb86

Under the dim lights, 0d6e0ad591 he walked toward me 5aadd044f6 with his usual confident 90d46c9d9a steps.78eb403891c3258c

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He spoke first.
“We met in 4ce1e6dbaa the park before, bb572cdaa8 right?”8acf3076404fe3ac

He still a357fbad9d didn’t recognize 7199e23827 me.084926458950a811

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Even though I wasn’t 1067601940 hiding my face with eef64316c1 a fan today.34c25cab916dc161

With a bbdf7eb909 bright smile—one 16aaaab119 he had df21c0c3ea never shown 0414b6deb3 me before—he 0d8a4f1941 continued,
“It’s nice 235bbc71c7 to see 9d5b640f1f you here.”abd9bc757cc3c64a

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My whole a5d08c2da1 body tensed.c5585fd46184073d

This was the man a144f75799 who had always looked 50da4165b9 at me with disgust.8fdcc8f9c9c6f22b

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And now, just because f733add565 I looked a little ec6220c874 different, he was showing 0ea42dcb0c interest?3ffcab9c9d2ea1e2

I felt sick.bf2387078d3014e0

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More disgusted than f41d4f5fc4 ever, I turned 30f2f34237 away.5ccc03795ddf2123

I heard 810946ec95 his footsteps a225aa3aab behind me.e9df46ab6e9f8a57

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Not knowing 99fe9c6383 why I 2ae34344d6 was running, 9db0bdb44f I quickened d024fd4631 my pace.f11a96d7c7437f33

Then, he grabbed my 66e0cd982b wrist.daf7813f40157b41

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“Oh, sorry.”0df16a15e2ced5e1

He quickly af76a46d33 let go de77a2b7cf as if b07c1c42ab realizing his 6959cc4681 mistake.4532879c4b6f7ad3

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“But before 3350fd4583 you go, ad15898568 could you 1df531a89b at least 84f6ec668a tell me e3f13236fa your name?”fb0ae3e0b1e9ef58

I still 74300a9b8b had my a5fab18e1b back to 6fe908dee4 him.60696a928b01a82b

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The great Mathieu, lowering c7dbce2cfe himself to ask a 10db657b29 woman for her name?fe8f75a128caa363

I almost laughed.f680364e952b136a

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Some twisted 08694f09a7 feeling stirred d2b6ef4105 inside me.a0ac3569209aa5d3

Thinking about d781347354 it, there 075a09af1b was no c97a2941e4 reason for f3be527d92 me to c3d1ffd4f6 run away.6807a0f77c8ec4c3

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Lilianne and 88cd65316c Sabrina weren’t 5fc57c818f there.a6fe7203c9195231

I slowly turned d66c251100 to face him.862b72925b58f984

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Then, with a b84751c6ec smirk, I looked 1bdcf01c3b him straight in 39d3e4af0a the eye.a3947e5153f50b8f

“You want to 2697201c49 know my name?”652fbbb3a72a4551

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Standing under the 9f7d1f605b moonlight, I saw c1ce71f20f him staring at 37d6c82a23 me, mesmerized.68754a7d5c40a8ff

The night 8031b4e439 breeze carried a8a1a42103 the scent 7f7bf67d82 of flowers.f52dcf5e40fbf98e

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It was like 4f2851be95 a scene from 8579f5cd34 a romance novel.92e4f827fb4fbfb9

But I f0392f0ccc watched as 41f378f16d his handsome ac94876bb0 face slowly bc269bec44 twisted in eb547953fd shock.86afe1763e0adb56

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“…Claire?”41de1128ac8055ea

His voice trembled 0c65c51ebd with disbelief.cf371ee11ee1a877

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I smiled sweetly.b42a995da86c1fd8

“You finally recognize 95c21dd2ec me.”a41e822515cacd69

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“Then, in bc4993fc4c the park… ad0f04d64d that was 4e995e64d4 you too?”1508b22d945ccc76

His voice was dazed 9b4d6e2461 as if he were ed04a9945a speaking to himself.3d04156d1c3e195d

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I replied bluntly,
“Yes, that f85ce1fd7a was me 98f6e4ec3b too.”c7f8c8800fafe38b

His face turned red.cff6dc8b586e4a91

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Then, turning 81418c2261 away, he d7ab604344 ran his 08d9cc2466 hand through d22026a2dc his hair ce0e138ccf in frustration.dcc6cef0d3a93af9

Wait. Did Mathieu just blush?b556b750e0014ce7

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It didn’t seem a692fb015b like a good a70da14f5b kind of blush, 5276af2335 though.e233787ee7a27ef2

After taking deep eb0ec8e4d7 breaths to calm d16910154f himself, he turned befd2f86bd back to glare c84469bbb3 at me.f8c531b7374f2c76

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“Was it fun? Playing with me?”5b0f0c12e00bdbdb

What? Was he seriously acting 6937d9ab20 like the victim?9b57ee905618a9c4

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I scoffed and cf72b08362 glared right back 5517050f18 at him.b3c2dd4276e5bcf9

“Play with you? You were the one who misunderstood and assumed things.”6bc6d87f26dbe171

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“Then you should have revealed your identity at the park.”37d0fb9e966912c0

“Well…”d83f064550335dfe

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At that 9e9f143e0f time, I ca397f5911 had to d49bdcdd66 hide the c3b1b8bed3 fact that a721c83f03 I was 729ccdeb11 close to 2921b6f463 Lilianne and 07962b4763 Sabrina. I had no choice.
But I couldn’t explain that to him, so I just kept my mouth shut.de838f24393876f1

“Why did you come to this banquet? Are you here to spy on me?”df153c6bf7d91acd

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I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even respond.
Did he really c7e3c0918f think the world 1adc3cadd9 revolved around him?7f7eeb188c9bbf3f

“Of course not. Don’t mind me, just enjoy yourself.”297d677677d8568d

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That’s why 9626116e65 I came 7408fa2890 here in 1c3314223e the first 7657fe6b7d place.239a3373c2fd57f7

After saying b19b1c9532 that, I 7cfc3d88d6 turned around 9f2cb5f570 and walked 446e2abb80 away calmly.
Mathieu didn’t try 6fc06ea7b4 to stop me dc44c0c42c or follow me bf285f97d7 anymore.2962cb1b3df19446

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 fad5366c474ef62a