RYL Chapter 09

Chapter 09 

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

Then, my eyes landed 361f038729 on Sophia’s neck.b30b8fec04d3d507

She was wearing 6fe025db6f the red ruby 358ad588be necklace that was 46fe88a515 originally meant for 78c6142104 me.077a653a1071c0cb

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Seeing her proudly e3445b37c2 wearing it, I 318e2c2cf3 smiled gently and eb815f8ca1 said,
“So, you 4bcb7b0966 decided to 8da0c80673 wear my 171d260d30 necklace after fed81190d0 all.”0052c8bc49969313

Sophia flinched dc519f0b1f but quickly 01c442a559 responded with 36ee6f3dab confidence.
“What, are you bcf59fa327 saying you can’t 247bf77789 even lend your 5ec928df2e sister a necklace?”be6d4cf2e4ac009f

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I looked at ec186c0ef8 her with a 035040f90d calm smile and 6783e75451 said,
“Sophia, taking 54aefd2aaf something without 65cc16be11 the owner’s 7ef5e82e1d permission is 62f603b562 not called ec1fa679e6 borrowing. It’s called stealing.”c45e456e0801ee6f

“W-what?”4a5e3fc3e7efb8b5

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Sophia’s face turned 452361fc0b bright red with aa2dfffb2e embarrassment.8dfaa7048b8a52b2

Ophelia, who was standing 5c9fc2e624 beside her, stepped in 8df7d67ce7 with a displeased look.
“Claire, you’re the 932a814f14 older sister. Why are you a7661f25dd being so petty?”87b5dfde890b5c85

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Older sister?
She never 137a5cfc3f treated me 677890bf9f like family 700aae862f before, but 9ed235de94 now she e7cf88cfcf wanted to a16126a305 act like 8fce995a2a my mother?52b8dc1dd45b5261

I let out a 8b76f929f8 scoff in disbelief.0e1794eb29627a51

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Just then, Sophia, 55d4affc6c not wanting to 2f8c4fd7db back down, gritted 3ff476384a her teeth and 35e064e6f5 snapped,
“You’re getting arrogant just 20d4c0402b because the Marquis’ daughter 3507ade42b is being nice to bdb1eccfd2 you! Know your place! You couldn’t 0708daf9d1 even keep 39f2b578c6 your fiancé 776b4a89db from straying! She’s probably just hanging da92ac2331 around you to make 3720052f3c herself look better.”d8d8438949526d5a

Wow. I was 430f39aa88 seriously tempted c988e62d75 to slap 35a66892b4 her.8d8a10e6e5909b0a

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As I was 1cc16d4dc8 debating whether to 075eb31ad3 do it, a 0c1e9c09f9 familiar voice came 2ef388568d from behind.535adbb33d3f9ef7

“Who said that? That Claire is just 1442ea73a2 my accessory?”9de9d80dbd5a9ba0

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I slowly turned my 2135b018ef head.3f2721a19ee075e8

Walking down the stairs 22050bc3e2 was Lilianne.d260024b677c1130

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She wore a graceful 1b5fdcb667 dress of blue and e4e6dddb9f silver, looking like the 12a001af1d queen of the north.f853796d7df00ebc

Her silver hair was 4481662f67 elegantly styled, and her ce1fee8bfb cold expression made her b3dac02342 seem even more intimidating.728b4675fd5f08c0

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Lilianne approached Sophia and 367a23dcde tilted her head as fc2ccc6228 she examined the necklace 1c1de4e526 on her neck.be48477b76750a90

“This looks 24cf55bb6e like the 3e7f3be2cb necklace I 76368b3db5 gave to 36c51b930f Claire as 1bcee09dab a gift…”a80cfabf6ef6116b

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Moving slowly, she reached ce946d6a70 toward Sophia’s neck.7cec6b49c3c6d488

Before Sophia could react, f0d9d562e5 Lilianne grabbed the necklace 8b22804832 and yanked it off.50a5bb8ceae0e70c

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Snap—3033ad7843d82da7

The necklace broke easily, c00a417114 and Lilianne held it 5e4affb731 in her hand.31810a2f40a1647d

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A few jewels 3464faaacb fell to the 25a7b83a96 floor and rolled a666f94316 away.3753f5ce5132f601

Sophia clutched her fbe154fa06 neck, staring at 45c290d22b Lilianne in disbelief.f7b4903cf708ffcf

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Lilianne looked 8f3b67b0f1 down at 7a7ad60f24 her with 23cb2f8920 disgust and 4a78b862ae smiled coldly.09718c0cd6b2bf5b

“A jewel 747a989313 without its 1cb847dd69 rightful owner 632f3b8e84 is just fb59b0910f trash.”0e65d72f99fae5f8

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Her icy voice a2f4e49f11 sent shivers down ebce599b2a my spine.dfa7114b4a078695

Sophia trembled and, with bc3207d23e tears in her eyes, 1ca5c2d1f7 ran out of the 10f1de454d ballroom.07bac85adde2194d

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“Sophia!”718dd8ec9c9e3c62

Ophelia gasped and turned 52e1cafbd6 to glare at me.cb404b68170994d1

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Huh? Why was she bf472eeebd glaring at me?e2a250ee04b8ac57

While I stood 101c797172 there, baffled, Lilianne f66b29276a stepped closer to 736039e7b8 my side.110fcbc7dcf11480

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Ophelia quickly 1fd39879c9 averted her 1656980a07 eyes and 8d88731221 hurriedly followed 5d56d40714 Sophia out dc8b32d412 of the 540b43c68c ballroom.c8f4ced2b60c7338

Watching them leave, I e4ebbba582 sighed deeply.7edb74f27a5b3b1b

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Lilianne whispered, “Sorry. I wasn’t c092879b6f going to 7b45341e3d step in, 226263a1bb but I d1f9b8500c just couldn’t 914facc79b stand seeing 9bb64023b9 you being 457f8c6db4 treated like b4eb0cb85b that…”6311348d7db59b02

Just a moment 2040c940ae ago, she had ba823aea6c been like an a36074cbb9 ice queen, but 33a90393cb now she looked b0e00aa67f shy and timid 3ec084db89 again.bd82fdfee78e32ee

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I stared at her 589322d2a5 in disbelief.e8f6a49d6188ded6

Then, in 443441847c a small 564985d8e3 voice, she 0deef538a9 asked,
“But… was 4d530ebe20 I okay? Did my acting 0252a89eba look natural?”26eae9551990ad9d

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Wait. That was an act?07c16a8fa7cd7c34

Even now, 2acddc7b01 I could b08e9af812 still feel f66cada4cd goosebumps on a6d9a5ee79 my arms.3b57593a4fe1c1ff

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I stared at her dc5b202266 blankly before slowly giving 2e77410ece her a thumbs-up.96704f3ab4334d0d

Lilianne blushed 3cd33d724e with embarrassment.d265bc5ab3ec112e

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Oh, right—Sabrina 57cda1f94b was also 0ba4d89423 supposed to 963af1e556 be at 85b51cfe78 the party.f9cf55cd16213110

“Where’s Sabrina?” cf04ed5eab I asked.a4d3ef20cf35dba0

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Lilianne looked 36ee6ec348 around and a082cb2472 said,
“She hasn’t arrived d0a149439a yet. I didn’t send 9bbc8e12d2 a carriage for 4961d64cfe her because I 3f4e68d80e didn’t want the 5dcd2528fe villain to notice.”bd98a4744b5fca89

It was bc500aa716 hard to 53b60bb64b believe this a6f58c9444 was the df495b3c7b same person 0d855c3f48 from before.5452b0a11b4f6923

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“She’ll be 1f26ee4c85 fine,” I 43b59f64ea reassured her. “Sabrina can survive 843a7f1673 anywhere.”9ad5ac1322eeac70

“You’re right.”e3e519cfdee48adf

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As we 9f5e85d973 talked, I 9d7f7dbbd4 noticed people 0fdd8e0dae whispering and 2939ae37c7 glancing at 1719d2620d us.6198358759680a2f

They were probably a1899158b6 surprised to see ca7062bdd1 the host of 69ab0a72c8 the party, Lilianne, eff983d94e acting so familiar e55b3ea1ca with me.b62557ca48cf0225

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Lilianne seemed dbb6b46c34 troubled and d8cd4ee619 said softly,
“Um… maybe we should f7dd6979c1 keep some distance for 98c0c026f9 now.”7f4c4cfe6169f992

I nodded in agreement.58f68187b8893eec

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“I’ll step out 9c136e674c for some fresh a6edd87e16 air.”4d0a6e7f6d8a5984

Maybe if I disappeared 3664951192 for a while, the c707cf7155 situation would calm down.db9915290686b492

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Lilianne nodded in c7a7f6275e understanding, and I b9764845c6 left the ballroom.a397bceb513f5bd7

Still feeling frustrated, 73d74c29b7 I headed toward b84e847785 the garden.c37e9f27f91d3e76

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There was 546a83778a an outdoor b211dce9d5 party happening 17d7e50cd2 nearby, but b36874abb6 I purposely 73c55a3565 walked toward 5b07046018 the quieter d4bcaf0638 area.4b13076df5dc2281

Then, I saw 4280ffbe73 someone familiar.e477211895fc3602

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A man ca684f4ffb had just 27aabb7260 stepped out 9aeee34393 of a 1140baa18d carriage and 0e603b113d was heading 7e5b71074a toward the f5b94cdecc building.ca592da469786f6a

Mathieu—my worthless fiancé.b327c36ffca28410

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I ran into 16179905ac him head-on and 558bfa4064 had no chance 4890741afd to avoid him.a35c30f7553ac87e

Under the dim 094b20d687 lights, he walked b13a43f0a3 toward me with 17e17a7918 his usual confident 9c1161ac98 steps.5b168f4838b908ce

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He spoke first.
“We met 1171ccecbe in the 65694934b0 park before, d4823d92cb right?”c32d7134a0cb0c88

He still didn’t 97ce844f7e recognize me.86f93602b2c70bd0

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Even though I 5bf20835f3 wasn’t hiding my 564216faf6 face with a 376947d3d5 fan today.c263252d291f5bd6

With a bright smile—one 39039a8cf3 he had never shown 8dd6e441f6 me before—he continued,
“It’s nice 0aedfbcbe0 to see 77f3e8638a you here.”214faac061df08d2

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My whole body f16bb6d4c4 tensed.671148f58803a726

This was the 3ae57cbd13 man who had b5dda26346 always looked at 2b2a3253b6 me with disgust.8576e2f38f6f1506

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And now, just because fcc4ebd046 I looked a little 06ac2b44d9 different, he was showing 0f097e1ec8 interest?f1593cb9586903de

I felt sick.5e31cc19fd051208

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More disgusted than d9ce0d3b53 ever, I turned 7dd8365b62 away.c040849c2e57d27e

I heard his footsteps 6a18953566 behind me.9661ebdd3cfeae58

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Not knowing why b0a776dade I was running, f431ff4842 I quickened my b53eae0c17 pace.35ce976ebf1e6044

Then, he grabbed 822213e98d my wrist.fea202c62d85a3e3

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“Oh, sorry.”27011ccf8f814f65

He quickly let 5051a293a9 go as if d2e754239f realizing his mistake.039c9ee1a3f1271a

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“But before you 27c5181e05 go, could you 4c022f9df1 at least tell c6eb85cfce me your name?”c77d7f2783717c00

I still 4fc2a08002 had my 446552fe52 back to 5cc5e6721d him.22c3732b59b8b9b0

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The great 46a7dc938e Mathieu, lowering 65666aa492 himself to e42b57a4ae ask a 40082c6a2b woman for 19531dc44f her name?829711b03f8ef2fd

I almost laughed.958f6a4f599bf3e5

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Some twisted feeling 8a43f4e4b8 stirred inside me.382dc07afe825275

Thinking about 54cd3a5bf8 it, there 852489e8a4 was no 6aec70d129 reason for 98ba0ada13 me to fcf56253b0 run away.f606c4b4c06a69e9

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Lilianne and Sabrina weren’t 9bf0ca4e25 there.905c5923e9384727

I slowly a86b4f6f66 turned to 321dad75ab face him.185943338b2f2477

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Then, with a6f96e8ca5 a smirk, 78a8d53be8 I looked 10d96f9bb0 him straight f7af91fdbe in the f9b1f40ed1 eye.a52f50e0a7a501cf

“You want to a5f5cba54c know my name?”8d8e3c8def9cadc9

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Standing under the c009e9c9c3 moonlight, I saw 44c8ed94a1 him staring at b8a2dee108 me, mesmerized.e1182b460afb4c37

The night 1c3316c54e breeze carried 1c38cc6bf2 the scent b100edc6af of flowers.028d1536a5ec9dc6

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It was 570cf2f8e7 like a 24c3c81795 scene from dd1d77eb4b a romance 826cb17a88 novel.586b1214ea68f6e3

But I watched f8e4c5c2b2 as his handsome c0bbbe3adf face slowly twisted 4692507773 in shock.21d2f6c1512606e4

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“…Claire?”1ca1eadc1a3a1f76

His voice trembled with 07a0a0c945 disbelief.10c5fcb7cc896160

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I smiled sweetly.5a4a1ba198063b53

“You finally recognize me.”0fd44f0960103669

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“Then, in a300d2183d the park… 525bb6ac7f that was efae22da4b you too?”ece819c64557418b

His voice was 12861c033d dazed as if 2b3266202b he were speaking 23c11d5e39 to himself.00bbcf050eace4d2

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I replied bluntly,
“Yes, that was me 65900efed9 too.”ccae5a470f155ead

His face turned cf2a5ea63e red.e9a131e81cb0c02f

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Then, turning c97913f243 away, he ef0bf5a9b3 ran his 33eaef4995 hand through 356fe373db his hair 764fbeb314 in frustration.e0f298013796f002

Wait. Did Mathieu just e530c3e69d blush?37fcf9f8d9737ee2

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It didn’t seem 8fb3f628c8 like a good 0206c0964b kind of blush, 3b33cf958c though.e9e86ce19db506b6

After taking deep breaths 1c1608bc36 to calm himself, he 23ceedb3d5 turned back to glare a8099065c0 at me.67e7b9a229925b5b

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“Was it fun? Playing with me?”eebaefbf5ea3e8f0

What? Was he seriously ae6d6dedd7 acting like the 37a68c7cc7 victim?3019e2bdf10b0688

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I scoffed and 51f21d64e3 glared right back 6de395a2e0 at him.20b174c512dfa076

“Play with you? You were the one who misunderstood and assumed things.”adafdab0a0d01fe5

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“Then you should have revealed your identity at the park.”efdf3698a86abc5a

“Well…”f10d673b16c1824c

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At that time, I 840df2c16b had to hide the ab4c42099e fact that I was ae14f245be close to Lilianne and 8b92d14d90 Sabrina. I had no choice.
But I couldn’t explain that to him, so I just kept my mouth shut.e802b1519426ce4f

“Why did you come to this banquet? Are you here to spy on me?”38237c491b91d412

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I was so dumbfounded that I couldn’t even respond.
Did he really think 81e63c18cc the world revolved around 16428ce9c8 him?2651846311e25fc0

“Of course not. Don’t mind me, just enjoy yourself.”757d9b1567b9df85

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That’s why I came 07436dfd33 here in the first 61ad26de99 place.222e7c1ce928bc23

After saying that, I c1fb1e5aca turned around and walked 76da63b209 away calmly.
Mathieu didn’t try to c920762437 stop me or follow 2e2d8923b6 me anymore.6ec14a5a9d554cac

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