RYL Chapter 24

Chapter 243b6b985dbd2250f2

As soon as 52976fe7ef I entered the e90b9684c5 banquet hall, I be709bb208 quickly looked around 7678d6ac7f for Lilianne and 3bb786ffc9 Sabrina.2c24ae9527792e60

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Sabrina must cb26c25a5e have already 7d3451eac2 told Lilianne f4e8ed1ce1 about the e0e98ba2ac Crown Prince, e7467216b8 right?72561fbdaea2eabc

While anxiously 72e44d07f0 scanning the 679056d24b room, someone fb4120e936 suddenly grabbed a08a18452a my arm a8fecc3826 from behind.0ade919109184daa

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Startled, I turned around f58302cb73 to see none other 0cfbc150ce than Sabrina.ba7f80aadbd80043

“Where’s Lilianne? Did you tell her the Crown Prince is here?”4e43f420e9804e29

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“I did. But that’s not what’s important right now!”174ee9ca0a22b106

“Then what is?” I asked, confused.d4d3b7efccec057c

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Instead of answering, Sabrina 1139ce1ac3 pulled me along urgently.772022a8704fe236

“Where are we going? And where’s Lilianne?”12e85e48522ce754

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“We don’t have time to explain! Lady Simona is looking for you!”b446785de62d2913

My eyes 1636580ed2 widened in 5b16e47883 surprise.135b5c3e2ecad3c0

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“She’s looking for me?”cdfa0ec42afc9af2

Could it be 67412d705b that the message 87c9f3d9a6 I sent through a68e5fdb9c Marquise Beuclard has 55ac667ad0 already reached her?4abb7ba569d3e94a

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Before I could think 25a8c5161a any further, Sabrina led 818acf798e me toward an elegant 14b67ee620 door inside the banquet 6cf5040557 hall.3bde1b1232de9613

It was a private b3b94b2c58 lounge set up for e42b22221a the event—a place where 689fce160e noble ladies could escape 652f31e47f the noise of the 740b926a80 party to rest and 8d9b7f1535 enjoy refreshments.eeafea3ce4b3747f

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When we 854f422f09 reached the a09bf61a02 door, Sabrina 380243c8df gave me af537b1d44 a serious dc351b15e9 look.9138758423c9488a

“Lilianne is already inside.”f0e2c963b64ff8d5

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It seemed she f406984e8f couldn’t enter since 7478e2d0d3 she was a 75d8f95921 maid.ab3187124ce879ea

I swallowed bfc591eba7 hard but bdad88cbf8 nodded at cc8795b35c her reassuringly d2034c2708 before pushing 4c7d6aa87e open the cce29a41d6 door.935e45f4c5517e05

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As I stepped 25ce51a435 inside, the eyes 2a39e824de of many noble 4a3d9cd8f3 ladies turned to 87ea155057 me.890b94312effc241

At the center e6765ce737 of the room c550b89cb4 sat Simona, the 5a0acaf407 star of this c66b04a3da banquet, exuding elegance.0c08649ba4a71eac

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“You’re here, Lady Devonshire. I’ve been waiting for you,” she said smoothly.fff96029091a9f44

I glanced 52775d660f around and 8e2d8c796f spotted Lilianne 38d2d0b2d9 sitting quietly c31dfd654a across from c3190984ce Simona.a63ea009b9854036

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Keeping my composure, 943152cb1e I walked toward a3720da7e6 the empty seat 1945fbe9da beside Lilianne.db69626c9192ffc6

Even though d27b25c966 Simona was cc94abb34a smiling elegantly, 582295507f the walk d199b50bb7 to my cf78aa5186 seat felt 752a0248e1 like walking d0c3988dd0 on thin ef206ba127 ice.5b660d2bd963659b

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Ignoring the 749eaccb21 many gazes b2d4164259 piercing into fe9f569208 me, I 99c1ae7c34 held my e15a7bb23b head high 02f1242797 and sat de28652c84 down.b876e40f989444c9

Under the table, Lilianne d175ef2ff2 gently squeezed my hand.7125bd3a74adf552

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When I looked cee825f48a at her, she 69994d71ae smiled warmly, easing 710015554a my tension a 6cc0de18de little.9a4d8ec1441a0d5a

“Now that we’re all gathered, shall we have some tea?” Simona said.21acbfbc6b250bb6

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As soon 88a071213a as she 32473ee467 spoke, the 9c508bcb72 maids swiftly c8ba363b7b set the d61f0cbff4 table with 0d8ca83421 tea and 8189406f30 refreshments.40781c1432992556

The ladies in the 9dc2927000 room were all unmarried 3707a4faee noblewomen in their late 00c244e580 teens or early twenties d74d56e5d6 from prestigious families.4b12e8a4bb9aa3ab

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Among them, Simona, the 760f5091f4 daughter of the powerful ac32aa696e Belfour Duke, was undoubtedly 7153be1596 the highest-ranked lady in ab864bca2a high society.e549ab360640dd9e

And right now, 9ab025a714 I felt like 696eb3e493 a piece of ebed7e674d meat thrown into 9eedce37d7 a den of f00b69e827 wolves.df52da044e1c6366

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I swallowed nervously.8ac4748f1ef90b15

“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.aaf27312b7de2611

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Lilianne remained perfectly 28c1024f02 composed, lifting her af9ad16cd9 teacup gracefully.d6ece58dd29d049f

“The feeling is mutual. It’s an honor to build a connection with you, Lady Simona,” she replied smoothly.124c5ced49bcd500

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As expected of 7163f8cf3a Lilianne.a13f5c3efd5b43b2

She wasn’t 3c6947549b the least bd4a553236 bit intimidated 4a580ec24d by Simona, 3b15eb6b7e the infamous e875488b11 villainess.ab5d59a8babc7104

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Then, Simona’s 35229c2f02 gaze shifted ac1a844eeb to me.6235f2c3bfaa048f

“Felix spoke to me about you, Lady Claire. He said you were an intelligent and well-mannered young lady.”0ec088ecbb90377d

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Felix was Marquise d7449cbffb Beuclard’s name.052c85e93b118bec

It seemed my 98633a9400 efforts behind the 4acfa6014f scenes had paid 13309dc106 off faster than 6f417362eb expected.ea3e355418cebbbb

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“I’m grateful that he thinks so highly of me,” I replied with a polite smile.cbe276241f4593d3

“It’s rare for Felix to praise someone like that. I must have misjudged you at first.”903c88822a8bf039

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Her words were a9c899a4a3 cryptic.1a38f916d53e348e

I kept my expression calm as I asked, “May I ask what kind of first impression I gave you?”38427ad3398b98a1

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Simona took a 8064bc7163 sip of her cdad3b4e93 tea before elegantly d2645186a2 crossing her legs.7a99388b26300e3d

“Let’s see… A stray cat sneaking into someone else’s house to steal fish?”54c816b188711ff4

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The room fell silent.5d0404bd7ecf7f70

A heavy tension cdad0f747b filled the air, f97f34771f but before I 5f9b07f33b could respond, Lilianne 899cc723bd spoke up first.44c34e23a9f28288

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“Lady Simona, what do you mean by that?”cbfde4854275e87d

Under the c2e2dfa1b4 table, I c83d53d43f pressed Lilianne’s e29e530c18 hand firmly, 83a730b033 signaling her ffca31b043 to stop.bbdf807918d604cf

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She frowned but 51ac3e6cdc remained silent.abb64d44cff9d454

I appreciated her 0214a87766 stepping in, but 5a32ef90e3 this was a e7a606c43a conversation I needed bd75c2c550 to handle myself.121edf5af6762b3d

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“Why did you think that?” I asked calmly.a020aa1267e6e360

Simona sipped her tea beed1cba5e again before answering.dde6312127dec980

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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.”38215eb65ac1e3ae

Her words were f78ecdf64a vague, making it f9b3b7a366 hard to read f9e24e1092 her true intentions.07ed71a60899ec99

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As I processed ac428c676e her response, Simona 690002801c put down her edcbfcfe4f teacup and looked d40a6ee023 at me directly.54e641d0b8690b9d

“But tell me, Lady Claire. Why did you approach Felix?”bf491b5038759c4d

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Her eyes 8c5e214bbd held clear bc76f43b41 hostility.911d3c4416570e2d

In the original b590f4d8f9 novel, Simona had a37612fc5e cleverly harassed the 91ad637e24 heroine and ruined e1ebb1e4ad her reputation in 9dab3b49c1 high society.7eb9e021427f64c2

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Now, that same 3adb412d5d gaze was directed b8fc4f42a2 at me.02679a50be576dff

Where did 4683a198b7 things go 92b42e670c wrong?b8cd0be402eaade8

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Or had she disliked bcdc4a98c9 me from the beginning?95caf9df48b400ea

Was I too e8ec2b3786 naive to think 0ce747fd0b I could befriend 2c7d3becab a villainess?0a8c3811279ad8bf

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If I tried to 7f80f9e65e explain myself now, it a745779591 might only make her dd455ff5ea more suspicious of me.408cec0ab7f913dd

After a moment of da1c2e42a8 thought, I met her 58ed38a810 gaze and spoke clearly.9ffe2fc839980fe1

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“Because I wanted to be friends with you, Lady Simona.”8f399f9a00574d4e

For a moment, 2e539f1110 Simona looked stunned, 456d3cbe7b as if she 5559834959 hadn’t expected my 4a7d95e6ff answer.ef8811eb37b788e1

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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.”a92039cc7714c3db

The room 505fd06172 fell into aaf3124da4 silence again 130740ae04 at my ea5802996c rather bold de1246a09a statement.4618f62372517651

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I could feel f9f32049a3 Lilianne’s anxious gaze 2f7227d0f9 on me.b56ec771acc441ab

I had f26407333c just openly 7ddb3a1cdc admitted to 978fbfba15 using the 8ef8b572cf Marquise, Simona’s 5fe774f2a7 beloved cousin, 04ab29c0db for my fbc4c90817 own purposes.05fb9a51f18cd0e4

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But from what 965555618b I knew about 480d76061f Simona’s personality through 3498581b59 the novel, I 0cbfca630b figured facing her 6d5e6a6b69 head-on would be a257507178 a better approach a01b941cae than trying to 2e2e7922e1 be subtle.4fb6e0372f6605d8

The noble ladies around cbc5d6a221 us whispered to each 26fb3584f3 other. They were probably d221680ae9 mocking me.f4f9ea98caf05de2

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Then suddenly, Simona 18d72d3d71 covered her mouth e0c954771f with her hand.d0c51b1a9d3762b5

“Pfft—”9b5c9aa6c99d9fad

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Everyone turned 422a0d108b to her, 12e274399c confused.95d53060a691c658

And then, out 3fd9ecb8be of nowhere, she c40a560d1f burst into laughter.b48205a914ace0ac

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“HAHAHAHAHAHA!”ef031ed4b2cfea8c

Her laughter was 0da1613c43 loud and unrestrained—far 9982b99b97 from the refined a7b156e782 giggle expected from 14a2af9ba6 a high-ranking noble 351c8f7fe3 lady.116fcc85903eaaba

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She even 05210ba514 teared up f7aba9700d from laughing f5255e9256 so hard, d08ca3cffe leaving everyone db87bbc2d5 in shock.5c159ba22aa3717e

Not knowing 6790a8a40d what to 6c1e5b0458 think of a2485cf4f2 her response, 5320587c8d even I d2f4d83493 was surprised.65ac76263ce81517

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After wiping the corners 341e2ffb38 of her eyes, Simona 048765fc70 looked at me with 9d86c0c2a4 a wide grin.dd3d194d6daf4271

“You really are an interesting young lady, Claire.”e6f567a617ac1670

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Resting her chin on 9513c8d5a7 her hand, she studied a711b94068 me intently.c2626f9aa732b092

“I like interesting things. No one has ever spoken to me so directly before.”e584ca5f0628dc12

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Then, she playfully 8e4d777ef9 winked at me.52c666d3ebca2a7f

“Poor Felix. I’ve stolen Claire from him, haven’t I?”bba8407d9765abb1

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With a mischievous smile, f5db6b66b5 she lifted her teacup 7db2c5dd71 toward me.ad044eb00d86ce76

“Let’s meet often from now on, Claire.”a162cde542573df4

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…Wait. Did that actually 94e08a7045 work?f5cd0646a625b447

***25556ae9e22ab174

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“Do you really think Lady Simona wants to be friends with us?”1d9ac6ad658c7ab5

Lilianne asked as we a1c197983d rode home in the 267cbc4866 Devonshire carriage after the 162523470f banquet.233347a80514b984

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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.802eb20d46e1e743

I smiled.f49cced159d924a8

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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.”46143183232fc19a

I turned to 98cb1afac5 look out the cad779f74c carriage window.d70eac23463d8d1f

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We were 6d83e9043a almost there—I 813703f5de could see f0ab14696a the building 845f591bc0 in the 99f487b47d distance.4e382c4a2911002a

It was 5273ccb709 a property c5f51eb7d3 I had 084d7ece21 received as c7fc757348 part of 15c4fdcebb my broken a62a08c127 engagement settlement, e15db0cf9d located on 193b5a42dc the outskirts 2c5d6748d8 of the 3d58aca58d capital.507188ea3f7e268f

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As soon as 206a51026a the carriage stopped, 2bbb5f1e8f I stepped out 2f771407e2 and looked at 01c346bb7c the building with c149b9a933 satisfaction.444d2c656fd6b9a2

It was 15031de9cb an old, 5226885146 three-story building abe8e83acf that hadn’t 7cddcc9284 been used ee639d3adf in years.373a278ffdccd5c6

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With its run-down appearance, 4b6a8dcefd it looked like the ad8705566a kind of place where fc61c3d467 ghosts might lurk.d7a19bc2a543561b

Lilianne, looking worried, 7e1d9e8238 hesitantly asked,0efac75d8f11d874

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“Are you really planning to open a salon here…?”e76bc8a02bc66c03

 b80991acf10a844a

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