RYL Chapter 24

Chapter 24050ffe95d42d98b5

As soon 0d4dfa9adf as I 05aab32799 entered the 043de1eb60 banquet hall, 98a882a969 I quickly 1b88fccaeb looked around 71a24f07fe for Lilianne 8c417ddd00 and Sabrina.b08bd6be8dfdaeb6

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Sabrina must have already f2dedf36b0 told Lilianne about the ac0b52e487 Crown Prince, right?90eb7888158955b1

While anxiously 9bae135a4b scanning the 506a38a9a8 room, someone d2849d72f1 suddenly grabbed 7415a93500 my arm a786731f97 from behind.4ebfb11b15e71241

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Startled, I 7e10bf207e turned around 93c56aa74c to see 70595b7dc4 none other ed9dda1c6a than Sabrina.3dddaf48d8079f11

“Where’s Lilianne? Did you tell her the Crown Prince is here?”3ea9ce1e009e0e24

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“I did. But that’s not what’s important right now!”3261634c5535cbe4

“Then what is?” I asked, confused.c9c2967990116da0

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Instead of answering, dd814cc554 Sabrina pulled me a47a738a0c along urgently.5c1e026f90718bce

“Where are we going? And where’s Lilianne?”1fb2fdf184ce89e1

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“We don’t have time to explain! Lady Simona is looking for you!”a6f9eace9a81847f

My eyes widened in e314c703fa surprise.14055a291a6443d9

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“She’s looking for me?”f1b2b144d992a8b1

Could it 0a0bc58e46 be that 20a24f83ee the message aa43041655 I sent d74348a2ef through Marquise f9fb7a6c2d Beuclard has d1a9711e8d already reached cbd459b166 her?001df5f42ffc426d

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Before I 819017de2a could think 87faac6426 any further, 788ee7adee Sabrina led 0238da22d2 me toward 3deb271fce an elegant ad4d026382 door inside b2b99d0843 the banquet 3f5c12bbc0 hall.2a7514e7104fde2d

It was a private 4ef6b1494c lounge set up for 57eed47f06 the event—a place where ada5dc8bf3 noble ladies could escape 740f53c31f the noise of the 2de06f0e9f party to rest and 72b6fdde2a enjoy refreshments.d7ec3ea56fe17cf0

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When we f2a95b4afd reached the edef5a4cf5 door, Sabrina 31a1f7defe gave me 3ad3baeefa a serious 03232647a5 look.cc2f267f86e85e2c

“Lilianne is already inside.”179195782a162994

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It seemed she couldn’t af9cd5c90f enter since she was 8503f98b70 a maid.9131e9692eb75a58

I swallowed hard 7b4cf728e9 but nodded at 56e2656a39 her reassuringly before 644fa60957 pushing open the de93e530d9 door.b00d1ebd323f5960

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As I stepped inside, 491cb4e82d the eyes of many 7e85f713db noble ladies turned to 0cc438ad6f me.5aa4502748e8c3be

At the cb4c05ff10 center of 00cfc143b2 the room 80edfd6260 sat Simona, 7fbf430769 the star 9827441ff2 of this e76241f4da banquet, exuding 170095dfbc elegance.095462b42d616117

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“You’re here, Lady Devonshire. I’ve been waiting for you,” she said smoothly.3b3ed7c765d46ba5

I glanced around and a0562b474d spotted Lilianne sitting quietly b992261d07 across from Simona.1de7ee47c36fd0d6

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Keeping my composure, I 424cb7549e walked toward the empty 8b74c2fa2c seat beside Lilianne.36cd373d1953cf29

Even though Simona was 7685f65a1c smiling elegantly, the walk 6a6ff059dc to my seat felt e9952f2b8e like walking on thin 2ca13549ad ice.a6d956cd68cd4433

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Ignoring the many cabc1d24d6 gazes piercing into a796440934 me, I held 21ea9e4bfb my head high b05641edb7 and sat down.3bc04d58fba13cff

Under the table, 3b9eedae51 Lilianne gently squeezed 85cbe563af my hand.56898aedf1c3a2d5

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When I ea4aeb5c1b looked at 436405d557 her, she 3a30c3e274 smiled warmly, 8358faa2ec easing my 86bdb0a426 tension a 231ea08cd6 little.da1c8300a955ce58

“Now that we’re all gathered, shall we have some tea?” Simona said.9916d0226ae1cd42

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As soon 425b24d37c as she 9528efff84 spoke, the 7e9094f745 maids swiftly 1219698fa9 set the 383fc447f4 table with 903b76397c tea and 97f77c412e refreshments.b8fa68ebfca93492

The ladies in the 726039c554 room were all unmarried 073ca3b5f0 noblewomen in their late fc93e61481 teens or early twenties 97c92af3a6 from prestigious families.eb59456c3404e53d

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Among them, Simona, the 12067cd6f5 daughter of the powerful a397f3f3d8 Belfour Duke, was undoubtedly 6b05a8228a the highest-ranked lady in aca9a2bf75 high society.46ae2446e37a9f31

And right 5286b570a8 now, I 858fab8fdb felt like da48438b9b a piece b098ee6c4e of meat feef33f710 thrown into 3f67cfc3c0 a den 387855801a of wolves.e689b0d96f730bd2

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I swallowed nervously.5026f11c3607dca3

“I haven’t had the chance to get close to Lady Sinclair before, so I’m glad to finally meet you,” Simona said, looking at Lilianne.27a7cb7359b92e8c

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Lilianne remained perfectly 26f5e1ba69 composed, lifting her 96f1b90fb5 teacup gracefully.9db94f093842faf1

“The feeling is mutual. It’s an honor to build a connection with you, Lady Simona,” she replied smoothly.1e7685ed6771c0cc

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As expected of Lilianne.94a36b170e30b907

She wasn’t ae43c9d987 the least 7ac5853f63 bit intimidated 2f32463bfb by Simona, cc9c02a30a the infamous 7bf6d86d7e villainess.48ee31c44a620604

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Then, Simona’s 30b75a2fe0 gaze shifted b9074434f7 to me.3666166533d39916

“Felix spoke to me about you, Lady Claire. He said you were an intelligent and well-mannered young lady.”1ab8655c3349a977

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Felix was d9368b1339 Marquise Beuclard’s 8810930ef2 name.3a4ee9ec9fd38ca8

It seemed my 4d62e68a8f efforts behind the 118ab42b64 scenes had paid 120f3a567a off faster than dd012b61cb expected.58af18d2efc63c09

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“I’m grateful that he thinks so highly of me,” I replied with a polite smile.b3ff1792c5583fb9

“It’s rare for Felix to praise someone like that. I must have misjudged you at first.”8e6290f6ca35b637

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Her words were 7e663dcd56 cryptic.f6139492339166bc

I kept my expression calm as I asked, “May I ask what kind of first impression I gave you?”66a4ad03e98fe4b2

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Simona took cbd3fcdbca a sip 4d1a2bbbb1 of her 48f262c19a tea before 808239e9d1 elegantly crossing d389673cd3 her legs.a7d60395c2a8bbf5

“Let’s see… A stray cat sneaking into someone else’s house to steal fish?”bce9a73c3b8d10f0

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The room fell ffeb8f0d35 silent.f49081a1d7ac6bba

A heavy tension 84b6fc2d71 filled the air, ba656b7605 but before I 5000578ea6 could respond, Lilianne 55e53d18c5 spoke up first.96760b70c4d1fc53

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“Lady Simona, what do you mean by that?”ef2a4331cc1eb834

Under the table, 1b528ec1ba I pressed Lilianne’s ab0a041fc6 hand firmly, signaling d0313984de her to stop.ee375b7d93631036

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She frowned but a15209365b remained silent.a5bf2fa8d7c65592

I appreciated her 5666b57cb1 stepping in, but 38e975bec4 this was a e92cd40c90 conversation I needed 281c4042ed to handle myself.f132f7df8f81bacf

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“Why did you think that?” I asked calmly.6ee695d75c8b6baa

Simona sipped her tea 1ac768529d again before answering.0c740005f4b78a94

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“Oh, it’s nothing. You know how rumors work. They get exaggerated and twisted if you don’t see things for yourself.”2bc6f62506353f7c

Her words e963efb39e were vague, 3774ebc795 making it f2855d2232 hard to 105a15be2c read her 1b7c4869d4 true intentions.157fc66693c902b2

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As I processed her 7542c60bf6 response, Simona put down ba361f0340 her teacup and looked b2b4611b86 at me directly.203a367e52be5a69

“But tell me, Lady Claire. Why did you approach Felix?”7e41135a31777813

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Her eyes held 010abc32ce clear hostility.80264e5bd48f6752

In the original novel, c172dfc67a Simona had cleverly harassed ffce2dbc1e the heroine and ruined 09ced64f56 her reputation in high 2fdfe1e105 society.dab86c0f4f29511f

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Now, that afcd6f1028 same gaze db487e3d87 was directed 97b5df46ca at me.45aad6287d26c760

Where did things go c94d3ff0b3 wrong?d7cb8e94415d556c

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Or had she disliked b99b8b03c1 me from the beginning?793cc60a29f37077

Was I c1c3de5340 too naive 62a5cb80e0 to think e632e00904 I could fbc1567680 befriend a 570b142acb villainess?f9ce214a293a842d

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If I tried bbd2b21038 to explain myself f83e9e5179 now, it might 5ff25dbe65 only make her 00164b62d1 more suspicious of 970cac23cc me.5a683f3994b33a54

After a moment of 2e9950632c thought, I met her 71b067e8f9 gaze and spoke clearly.5e7b2e97c7143d32

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“Because I wanted to be friends with you, Lady Simona.”84a7463fbf648823

For a moment, 63b0083412 Simona looked stunned, 550b7d4096 as if she 6625bcb364 hadn’t expected my 9c53b5ade3 answer.ccf346d967ad3e4c

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“I will apologize to Marquise Beuclard, but I got close to him because I wanted to be friends with you, Lady Simona.”ad9f7072e26d2424

The room 8eb6de6594 fell into 20d97bfe3c silence again 7c975e23fc at my e0928328ac rather bold e595243a1f statement.8fd62516a0e25257

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I could feel 1e11ad910d Lilianne’s anxious gaze 92fe5cbd0a on me.131e649e712d0286

I had just 2655b8e742 openly admitted to e1688be259 using the Marquise, 51f2176a6c Simona’s beloved cousin, e0c15c0bfb for my own 916da015e6 purposes.48f23625aceb6438

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But from a06fe4d5f9 what I 698ef10e43 knew about 1a9900866e Simona’s personality 019e0203e6 through the 8eeb38cef4 novel, I 7c1e479652 figured facing cc6e4c2c7d her head-on 9321561ba6 would be 627495bace a better 8003ad7149 approach than f4d15260fb trying to 5cc13e9d3c be subtle.3f550476bcf52399

The noble ladies around f21c7cb80b us whispered to each a991c6adc2 other. They were 26874c1131 probably mocking 3bf2c2df3d me.94aeeb204aa35afe

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Then suddenly, Simona covered 6719585a9b her mouth with her c28d703bd4 hand.8ba037bf90b2db1c

“Pfft—”d76b530856841fef

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Everyone turned to b6293ea68d her, confused.f9ea9218163b3000

And then, out of 469a82dbe6 nowhere, she burst into 988ef96c9a laughter.8e61a2876a624f8b

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“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”80217575f4c7c8d5

Her laughter was f5990a693c loud and unrestrained—far 4326d30225 from the refined 4a85c8934f giggle expected from d4d99aa70c a high-ranking noble ee3cb6474d lady.fb67782ef898a141

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She even teared 12621a830f up from laughing 78dce97555 so hard, leaving 0cafa5d93b everyone in shock.41c8e9783994e5b1

Not knowing f074638d8c what to 7d6adfa9db think of 942fa100ea her response, eaf2a96416 even I 91f27d7330 was surprised.2691db3288555195

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After wiping b106f8d8e2 the corners 0d18849f48 of her 1244a56ac7 eyes, Simona 3c8a0ec4e2 looked at 8d268bc390 me with 76e4a8d4dc a wide adc305ed97 grin.7884336bc5be1c9b

“You really are an interesting young lady, Claire.”3ce13785e7c4717d

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Resting her d5b61152f7 chin on 3a219211e5 her hand, bca8826b7b she studied 325d12efe4 me intently.73509e8fad24b83f

“I like interesting things. No one has ever spoken to me so directly before.”fe8060c758ac1f8b

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Then, she playfully winked d48773c8fd at me.fbcc3e3fb90f31d3

“Poor Felix. I’ve stolen Claire from him, haven’t I?”ac096f3d754f5d4f

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With a mischievous 28d6edf03f smile, she lifted 795427be49 her teacup toward 80b481a89d me.c42bd359b0c1be5e

“Let’s meet often from now on, Claire.”bf92c829cd16caa8

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…Wait. Did that f115124698 actually work?f0c380246ca7c8ad

***ca2080596dfbccd8

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“Do you really think Lady Simona wants to be friends with us?”7efb6a2a51dd99a6

Lilianne asked as 6f9421284c we rode home 94ad093b46 in the Devonshire ccb5fcc6f8 carriage after the 2aaf556d42 banquet.3419f4a40e85030d

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“Simona was always hard to read in the novel, so it’s impossible to predict what she’s thinking,” Sabrina added.7c8f6b990b4e07b8

I smiled.b789b49cae43f261

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“We don’t need to know her true feelings. What matters is that we’ve established a public connection. Our goal was achieved.”2f8683dffe511290

I turned 91247d7202 to look 5447908190 out the 2d9c659a9b carriage window.bed3f5e28caab067

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We were almost there—I 0caeac7fcf could see the building e7b1860660 in the distance.337b16062f022678

It was a b2293e10ed property I had ee4d7d655a received as part def0c9f8f1 of my broken 169ab99074 engagement settlement, located db9f94a9ff on the outskirts b40808cbdf of the capital.fdb7732ae99c9501

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As soon as the 6f489aae55 carriage stopped, I stepped a9f662bb53 out and looked at 7799da92d6 the building with satisfaction.3f330fc325baf318

It was an 8912f86c77 old, three-story building 24869f84d2 that hadn’t been 759c8f7c2e used in years.b9311ff8cdf1c270

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With its run-down appearance, 1d5b42ea38 it looked like the 6eaaec86ed kind of place where 00b8ad2047 ghosts might lurk.cd44735ee9895869

Lilianne, looking worried, 13e5e68472 hesitantly asked,58f44a1125538a86

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“Are you really planning to open a salon here…?”fb499e3ec0c69750

 fd09fec4a763307e

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