Chapter 130

“T-That was too harsh, Belze.”d779971229b98a83

Diana, her eyes 3204888fad brimming with sudden 36430fc080 tears, for once b0aa232302 raised her voice 3d8b17c430 and flushed red 0f4a4cc606 in anger.4e96f802b6209219

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“Are you saying… that my mother intentionally dropped hints so Adolf could copy your salon’s interior?”3837b7f32fcb99c6

As expected of 53ae840bb7 someone so socially 542c3b266a skilled, she raised 6340e2afcc her voice just 1593ddffea enough to seem 881026031d outraged—like I had 9cd420c96d just delivered a ed62519503 deeply unforgivable insult.0884ddcf71425fe0

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The moment she 490090b587 said that, I a1c796bebe could feel the 3bf4ac26a6 gazes of the b5a623abb4 bystanders shift and 32835ffd15 focus even more 53cadfdb6b sharply on us.0546ac5770eabcd5

“Now that you mention it, Lady Diana makes a good point.”417e45c4d8bdb2bf

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“Tsk. Must be her commoner blood. How vulgar and ill-mannered.”6f5c8b6976bb5b4b

That’s not even what I ae4632aa6b meant.888d597f989d4d21

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In the blink 66e1260428 of an eye, d14eb3ef95 the conversation was 4fa89eac01 twisted, the nuance 2beacd1768 deliberately bent, and 7b4d87eb51 just like that—I 365d89737b was being painted b90d12d145 as the aggressor.ebcbea095e65bfd3

If this were 30162e5fdf my past life, 42981fc2db I would’ve stumbled 1dc1470c71 through this, unable 94b951f725 to respond properly.7427169dd245fd2b

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And eventually, I would’ve 3c6aced7f9 exploded, yelling in frustration, 43f643b0c6 unable to express myself b7e74aa847 clearly.0c21298d67b9cb4f

But after enduring this exact cdc4d7f22b same situation more times than 05238ce988 I could count in that 475df978eb past life, the experience had 73a4f55dc9 hardened me.c2780c89c7bb5dc2

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All those wounds had now 5c700dc414 become armor.3e3d4638cf52a46f

So this time, I didn’t c65cb1c8bb feel ashamed. I didn’t even 2882f8415d feel angry as d1735626bc the crowd whispered 0dfd4c46c3 and stared.c6e05d411a6b4f86

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“I never said the Marchioness intentionally helped Adolf, Diana.”e69176acc5bde7fd

“Then what did you mean by it?”68f570ed747dc161

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“If people are close, things can slip out naturally, can’t they? Just like how you know quite a bit about our salon.”87f6684923c96a8f

“…….”02c3e8150c45f2a4

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I replied calmly, a faintly 047885460c meaningful smile tugging at my c0fbab1ac1 lips.885059ece8c97090

Diana’s expression instantly hardened.bb308ebf9bf514bd

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‘Got her.’861e52a87b86d587

It was a sharp 5cf5258c54 jab—and it hit where aa30fbb23a it hurt.a8037129d2d25f88

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Because the truth was, Diana 23999e5eda didn’t actually know anything about c6130ebe7b our salon.a42955de32c7896a

She was the 6c7e1dc255 same age as cf6d426dfb me, and the 2e79a32b67 only part she’d d452b6f5ef ever visited was 0a2ec7632d the first-floor drugstore.cbaf1d99d84291e2

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She had never set 4b68aaee91 foot in the upstairs 0691f641e0 massage area.b65f68e1f34f0b2d

Yet when I 813646d3e0 confronted Adolf for 65ea3a55f9 copying the interior 30c15163b7 design of that 53e043ac52 very space, she eef32edbcf hadn’t looked surprised d30e54ba08 at all.253ef32062a2bb2f

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She didn’t ask what I fc85ea42cb meant, didn’t look confused—just started 880fc4d9a5 making excuses and apologizing.02b165a4cde18a1b

It was obvious.a3e6be33aeb75c1f

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She was playing the 2ed742f696 third-party bystander while deeply d29343f177 involved in Adolf’s new 97220dc9d7 business from behind the 429905df7d scenes.79b7a3aba2eeb13e

‘Did the failed healing of the Empress’s great-grandfather cut off her donations or something?’a8536c6268fc659f

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As I quietly mulled over 801f117923 what would’ve driven Diana to c545372181 suddenly partner with Adolf—8387b75d1c8a109d

“M-My mother isn’t close enough with Adolf to be seeing him privately!”2e2c5f4800413fac

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She blurted the eaada34f75 words, stumbling and fdbc1e1e6c visibly flustered.ac58b11727d46321

It was clear ffc7d3a933 she was worried 117cd7cf21 the Marchioness might 49ddda36e2 get dragged into 7aa0a11210 the scandal.8137ce16229c73c7

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And seeing her like that 48d5b114f5 gave me… a strange feeling.78db8e0fc134826a

‘So even you have to bow your head in front of me now, huh…?’8d797a112459e95e

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“Belze, please don’t be angry! It’s all my fault! I’m really sorry!”903f31b3b77c1e4b

Every time I 9d7009753b tried to speak cc08d24d82 up about something bbfe939796 unfair, Diana would 9527592040 always jump in 9d0cc44ec6 and apologize first—cutting 82d2ebd9a2 me off before 109ec2b5b6 I could say b3d762f9fd anything. And just like that, I’d 42defbaa51 be left to take the b4b7c521ef blame and the rumors.4ca846842d2b4036

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But this time?91ae1988b0cad5d2

This time, the 31ff2920f4 tables had completely e269f2a3dd turned.33e75368a2653d4b

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“I see. Sorry, Diana.”63377ea993311a43

The apology slipped from 04c6bf1683 my mouth easily—because I c8f527390a didn’t mean a word f2227c74e4 of it.039f029cd00325ed

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I smiled, lips curved into c8a702a6a0 a sweet, insincere arc.23c1900152359c06

Then I added, as 8db689b48e if just remembering:0aa87201fc7e2fa1

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“But… that means you are admitting it, right?”5577b71bc3319416

“Admitting what?”eda3b36576382718

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“That Adolf Galagos copied my salon’s interior and business model. You saw it earlier too, 36a15b0b4d didn’t you?”fe6a9b087e306efa

“A-Admitting it?”12d3cd2c50ab964e

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I tilted my chin 7770aa31b1 toward the building behind 7321dd1d08 her, and Diana flinched 8828431b3e slightly before quickly backing 606b62d79d off.2f202609f412b5b1

“S-Sorry, Belze. I’m not really 28a3d59bd0 sure… I’ve only bb8b8c18c5 ever seen the 0326921f3d first floor of af930d5f37 your salon, so…”29091ba9689f0d6e

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“Is that so?”fd4a168592fd9777

What a weak excuse.573da66960957e91

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I latched onto e50a96336a her words like 3ca66bbaa1 a hawk.f14d52512d12ae96

“Then Diana, how about this? I’ll show you 69017e98b1 the entire layout fd38896ed4 of our salon 3f7cd9a5ca now. As an old friend, 3d2f4ef552 would you be willing 35489f2360 to testify later as a720b5ecf6 a witness?”11958f2a1be81c5e

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“W-Witness?!”eeaffd6098eb7b35

Diana recoiled like 11532f2e26 she’d been slapped.e0b71634b3573537

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The lawsuit was ea3d8ab99d already a sure 5e53e91086 thing—but this? This was a finishing move. I wasn’t going to 84b33de9b1 leave even the tiniest 3d9f432b13 crack for them to 210a7da174 climb through.de516a634ae1027c

I nodded calmly, voice de59595f12 pleasant and casual.5ed021bf403f54a6

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“Yeah. You’d just have bf255b17df to confirm that 7f08e814ca the interiors look c09a6e502c similar. That’s all.”40918378ad541bcb

“…”ecc664f17b94f2a7

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“Besides, if the business items overlap, that’s a clear patent violation.”70fe704a25db6974

“W-Wait, are you really suing him?”71f62dce3541c7e3

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“What, you think I’m pretending to?”515c363d6024e5ee

I let out 9cdccdc7f8 a quiet laugh 2dd43b4833 like she’d said a2435839e8 something ridiculous.ef507b07d8f74475

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Diana went silent.b475ddb15b50e35f

She must’ve assumed I 9073cd0ba5 was bluffing, throwing out f055e9f7dd threats with no real 8440f12ed9 intention behind them.2b1fa999ce75ec26

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She paused for a moment, 7b8696ff57 eyes flickering with thought, then 6ec9d36d1d cautiously opened her mouth.3ff14588b1af60a5

“B-But Belze… I don’t think Adolf meant to copy your business.”281e9720891c94a6

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“Oh yeah? And how would you know?”8ef74547744d3a3d

“Because… he asked me for help.”b86043abdea06354

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“Help?”d04ab2fa9257a6fa

She nodded, hesitant but honest.437c566162493399

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“He’s planning a business to help people with health problems.”c29a2237b8a12e9d

“So… like a hospital?”2ff1c3b3d0f32ec5

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“Not exactly. It’s more like… selling 326deebc14 health supplements, and offering 5dc71a3cd3 general wellness services.”ba6bfca20c994ae7

It was similar—but just a8fe4189e6 different enough to avoid 58437efc7a being identical.7747f8b52a923382

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My business focused purely on fb3a6c0910 beauty and cosmetics.0272767b5a35dab2

His sounded like it 963c60a13d was aiming for wellness 6116ee8282 and lifestyle.71e545df88a5987f

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But still—why go through ec2041c1b0 all that trouble for d28a044359 a business like that?68595a6709901759

“We already have clinics and herbalists. Why would anyone d83df6bd6f bother with his a5d2db1908 setup?”85ba96a8817e1af5

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Diana offered her explanation gently.a1203ff30312255c

“Hospitals and clinics are limited in number, and always overcrowded. Plus, there’s no guarantee 77f536f394 they’ll actually cure you.”bef9158ef698acfd

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“…”02d266137f78d098

“Adolf just wants to make health more accessible to everyone. I… agreed with that idea.”f7bc4cc88c716e17

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“…”face5dcf9375318f

“Just like how you sell products to commoners too, Belze.”c42e651ef99a3e16

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I nearly laughed.8553133162a85c9c

I held it back 828a49c958 with effort.9359a1b84bb1dd98

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‘So now you want to reach the commoners, huh?’1be141dbe4e73a90

It was suddenly crystal clear 6582ee86f9 why Diana had teamed up a04e874366 with Adolf.bfbaae87a7e52f80

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She still hadn’t made a 7032b0b252 name for herself among the 13b75a762f common folk.c8f4c4284f164a18

And seeing me build 9702b56535 a reputation through the caa291b463 Minola cure and affordable af75b57256 beauty items must’ve lit 60bffbc081 a fire under her.7ec0865548a01e8c

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“So then… you’ll be the one doing the healing at that place?”91cc119c54f7a04c

“Yeah. It’s what I’m best at.”8a6d1770f0d2196d

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Diana gave a soft, 1945913741 bashful smile.823e2894c842dd3a

‘Didn’t think you’d stoop to healing commoners, Diana…’9ca10af6e05d7144

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In the original story, fe567d2bfc she didn’t start healing 630eaaf549 the lower class until 62cb76be79 after enrolling in the 476d0a7559 Academy at age 14.bb64b048052439a9

And even then, 80dba254df it wasn’t through 0d130932e9 some weird startup b75f56a740 business venture.4fce4a5b795c3c50

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‘Guess all the changes I’ve made have started shifting the story, huh…’1d99e1403e32db06

Cutting the Minola plague 16c3c20dfe short by five years 8190f1c333 was bound to change 151b27a74d the flow of the 0909b09388 original.290e61452e01611e

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As I thought 4f984d705a about how off-course c8529b1dca the plot had ba5da0e37c become, my head f894190a29 grew foggy.529442e094e55923

My response came out 361d3b6408 flat, without much care.b144211474c4304e

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“I see. You’ll be busy after eaa29fd5aa the launch, then.”adc06dd4854fba56

“Mhm. That’s why… please don’t think 3b2b242554 too badly of us, Belze.”d8f2beba0d64e4e3

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Now that she had regained ce04a8fc38 her composure, she spoke with da4e18da08 a soft, sorrowful look on ad8a1ee4f8 her face.017fabf0bee10baf

“Adolf really didn’t mean to copy you. Please believe that.”79b6d888d50fa1c1

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“…Sure. I’ll keep that in mind.”897ffa5a51ddbabb

I replied, pretending to be 3f0d51b086 agreeable.8df8ddaa6e26c24f

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‘Didn’t mean to, my ass. Are you blind?’9a5333d85e73f40f

I wanted to say it 785b53fcc6 straight to her face like 11923b8231 I had with Adolf.0b2466a7f51269c5

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But with so 9cbf1a80ee many eyes on c53a9e97a0 us, I held 58c30fa376 back.9803f5acfe92e395

Instead, I plastered 5efec444a5 on a professional 0cdb80a475 smile and started d43cd37a54 wrapping things up.1cc3852fdb60fd39

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“It’s getting late, Diana. It was nice seeing you. I have to f466588a04 head back—I’ve got 7328bc20b1 work.”ad57ed1956d75eca

“Ah… right. Sorry for taking up your 5931cd9c80 time. Take care, Belze.”5d921f1b4b3a1e70

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Diana waved goodbye a919150ddb with a gentle 3e6a454b82 smile.21061d07cfb7718f

“Let’s meet again soon. I’ll definitely invite you to 05fd8bd22b our launch party!”c93aedd20fab4052

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Yeah.eb8fd8843c196980

Not a chance 787003fe53 in hell I ec88bc3d7f was smiling back ab8511154b at that comment.197df070b734eda3

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I walked past 545ebdc379 her like I 18691c2d4c hadn’t heard it, 2e5b94e279 blaming the noise 745e5f1a0c of the street 508799a5c6 and a passing fe630a84c0 carriage.0778200340aa5749

“By the way, Director,”fa141538204493d1

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Charlotte finally broke dc70098a26 her silence as 5c7ef7ec33 we crossed the 97cfa00b7d street to our e42e2f5e52 salon building.f96c1aa65dd93ba9

“That girl never once said she’d testify for us. Not even once. It’s not even her fc9818247b business, so why is fc326cc56f she protecting it so 6981452bec hard?”543eacbb14984e28

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I shot her a sideways 0d6b40bcf1 glance, one brow slightly raised.b182e9b1b4f25946

“Catch on just now, Charlotte?”11197fb2716639bd

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“Huh?”dd476c32ccb7c334

“Keep your guard up. She’s not going to 9b802cd540 be easy.”37ff57c86372d099

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And with that, I e3855b41d9 let out a long, 712b705101 tired sigh as I 1f6a82eafe called for our legal 5dfc183a37 advisor.f57602ce8336d18e

For some reason…a312f12989bfcb7f

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I could already 15e442e571 feel the exhaustion c6acb0cd3b of all the a5ea38ca1d trouble ahead creeping 15dcad22fa over my entire 0d84ea3799 body.439b89787fb6bd04

* * *6b4fd9ef2c374c23

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ChatGPT said:4374a18979b4f8f6

After having my energy fcc0eac251 completely drained by that aadb652654 damn Adolf Galagos and d1c0947e28 the heroine, I decided 947a37a3f1 to clock out earlier 8592b1ccc7 than usual.7bd36540b1cd2d1b

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Just as the 60360a41c0 carriage carrying me a92876f837 home to the 99b52064dc duke’s estate began 300b1b9884 to slow—8eebdc8f349e5aa8

“Huh?”62563488cd453220

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I noticed a 2bb47c25e7 carriage I didn’t 29e78509b8 recognize parked in f863228d54 front of the bf387e862d estate’s main entrance.70113d7cc357d6a8

Its exterior bore a 13dbd342a5 family crest I’d never 3189eb5383 seen before.578521cf41d4a4bf

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“A guest?”72954c539694192d

I tilted my 10063030d3 head, puzzled, and 9c8ac97ddb stepped down from eb0067d0e8 the Kallios carriage.43b0515072c5a8e4

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But just as 1eaec5a09e I was making a0764ed297 my way toward 0288eb8099 the front door—bb6d18a7eb1aea0f

Bang!9430769dbb78973a

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The door of the unfamiliar deaf5b2630 carriage burst open, and a 1f1cb59128 white-haired old man stepped down.eae5f43cfddc7d16

His face was db8c96afa7 lined with deep 065ec5dc94 wrinkles, yet his 0896fe58c9 figure was large 0ce5822795 and imposing for 6b8069ebaa someone of his 3b87013759 age.2d5040682d22fcfa

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He leaned heavily on 8f498e9ec4 a cane, clearly having 749831c122 trouble with one leg, dfceec72d5 and walked with a 8a4a7f54dc noticeable limp.5bc22d4422b2f271

His face stirred 710273fec4 a strange, nagging ff6fcacca9 familiarity in me—like c33ca6b84c someone I almost d0a423efa5 recognized but couldn’t 7f39e1fe31 quite place.e8f8c51f55d25835

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I paused mid-step.25122606e7eba2a0

And right at 6d4186f9b2 that moment, our 76e1aca60f eyes met.71accd3c7a6d1309

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“Uh… Hello.”bc65387c0f41baee

“Hmph.”84689cd99ae539c0

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I offered an awkward greeting.50b343858713d5ea

The old man immediately frowned, ab98d7f947 his displeasure plain.e1615138e110a42f

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Then, in a f65680487d sharp, gruff voice fbc0021ba0 filled with disdain, 54411eb34c he barked—0166330f3a8e2a55

“So it’s you?”ba88bd4e33d9346d

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“……”b5b727f508449c17

“The commoner girl who’s been clinging to my grandchildren like a leech?”c77cbe2d7dc3a24f

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