RYL Chapter 20
by FreyaChapter 20
I took the 1d7b488083 letter with curiosity 38735b5560 and widened my 16cffb36db eyes when I 5bad7e50dc saw the family 99654f989f name and the 7bf7b034e3 seal on the 65b01330e7 envelope.c0f617ca13ff0c86
“This business plan will 2dac4359e2 require strong social connections. You should attend 14da3d858b the Belfour Duke’s 68d01dd6f3 banquet as Devonshire’s d6253de8ae representative.”0ff1b61677d42679
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Originally, this invitation 8fcec9b39b would have been ffcdc5cb9c given to Ophelia, b7b1003021 the lady of 31869f7299 the house. But now, it 7f71dcc069 was in my 27372b9bd7 hands.bc15e0fda48dcb02
An invitation to 97ffd30393 the Belfour Duke’s 980a843210 Banquet.9505f690a993edaf
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The Belfour family was 533bba3551 one of the three 79d054e277 great ducal families of c529289539 the empire, along with cb9df8d64a Laurentino and Valerian.dd9b5059355781fd
And…8e55569084591a2f
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Simona von Belfour.037faa703d11c45c
She was the villainess c5c83dce2e of this novel, and 122cc4fa1e this was her family.bce40e5e5a3d8eac
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As a noble among db042ad8dc nobles, Simona had an f0dd511102 extremely high status. That’s why 21ec5ad183 I had 3c8cd317a8 never seen 1445a365bd her at ab1d315bb9 just any 147aa19483 banquet before. She only appeared at 62fad19083 gatherings for the most 80550f41c5 elite aristocrats.312c8e4d3b2b54e4
But now, I 4afd885aca had been invited 027d682a87 to one of b932924a64 those events.fdcfa5a499ad38e8
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This never 067293a563 happened to 382207ab32 Claire in 7cea4b860c the original c76996de67 novel.24c2033737716d05
Simona was always 987839b54f desperate to ruin 9084f5f0f7 the heroine’s life, 88863e8588 but that was 2be55f6514 only toward her.094260e58620e6dd
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What if I 4055186ca5 could befriend the ae9c393872 queen of high 1b3efe7b43 society instead?d3420dcf5d83e811
With Lilianne and 38a53eb977 Sabrina on my d3d72346bf side… and now 8463e51831 Simona too?d950a2a13cf6463e
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I might ffa9bceaa6 as well 082b635914 have an e28220589d army behind e241173bba me.dd78f4c3f492d25f
Smirking, I d84b4be05e turned to 93074473f6 the count b67a4fe959 and expressed b517e1e86a my gratitude.4bc1f1b17b38fd42
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“Thank you, Father.”879fd71e93a448cf
The count c25e5fdb7d patted my 9167668b3b shoulder, wiping d921d0e389 away his 32639b8e06 welling tears adf1846537 with his f01b844d3d fingers.72bd00a09724bd2f
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“No, I d144431670 should be 0304c6ce98 the one 0f44e7afb6 thanking you. You’ve grown up so 82032058c4 well.”6ee7b40f1ad86062
I only used my 1771094bbc past life’s skills, but e47b03a6a9 he seemed to think c9af6d5584 I had been studying 3586e6e13a all this time for fd42f12c56 the sake of the 46fbb710dd family.54a54479a3a682b4
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No need to 2800d9f3e2 correct him.000fae43f957bcdb
◇ ◇ ◇
As I stepped bc675dd920 out of the 8b33f205b1 study, I spotted 14add21b3f Sophia standing right 212794a70b by the door.7197326d5dcc0c29
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The moment I e95f34419e appeared, she quickly a90606cc88 stepped back.3df65a81d7d7140e
It was dac44b6feb obvious she 3f01a798dd had been 888d84c6a9 eavesdropping.bcb7fdea51750a95
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I frowned deeply.3e1951f4f36e0035
“What do you ee415904f9 think you’re doing?”06d3aba5fd113382
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At my cold ec84cc78ee question, Sophia awkwardly 04f5cb762c adjusted her dress fba0f20270 and avoided my 24c106cf86 gaze.ed582fe991a9a991
“I was just… passing 7efaa6b671 by.”7253b7bc29bcba68
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Of course, she wouldn’t ee4e5375b1 admit it.de82012bb935d573
Clicking my tongue 5fd5e6c355 in irritation, I ae8e0100ea turned away.9ac28e52108579f6
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For some reason, though, fdab335078 Sophia hesitated before following 5f2a1349a6 closely behind me.1c00f87deea30a4d
“Hey, Claire.”7d7f3ec6e0e0f368
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“…”761008d6252245f1
I ignored 1e7fb08caf her and 36f4a13497 kept walking.380ef2d2b9cdc743
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After hesitating, she finally 24982fddc8 said,eba279a0c4423dde
“…Sister.”7db4cb5322643c42
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I suddenly stopped.b46520049bfaa614
Not because I was 87e7288378 moved.84d08f90f6b201a7
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I was just curious 3f3f456060 about what nonsense she 326c21d952 was about to say.6ebfe343b26eff43
“What is it?”1b8a69a0ee260721
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She nervously fidgeted 22ac040343 with her fingers 813f18dac7 before cautiously asking,2eaa3a3bcf9cd3d1
“Did Father… give dee3a6bfa3 you the Belfour a76a70fbf7 Duke’s invitation?”1a422e0356da8f01
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Oh?20c005a6e552a102
“And what 15104f1e8f if he 978c73331c did?”376acdd55036cd6c
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She hesitated before 0ee318a536 forcing a fake 26082d9575 smile.756cde0be68e9db7
“You’ll take 88505e3fef Mother and d2383cc3c6 me with 60e5682d41 you, right…?”0f3e8e74340a9bc2
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I couldn’t help it—I f0a8d44520 burst out laughing.2d70b2bc242cad47
“And why 117a3cc5d1 would I 3e52f1b9f1 do that?”df4b710a3a69ff0a
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“What? Because Mother 1b3f54f0f1 is the 2b293a2d8c lady of 5dc7d5b5d6 this house!”d68c00de4dcaa613
“Hmm. Then I’ll take her, b55e41e911 and you can stay 7f6c61e504 here.”574292527fc33ab2
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“WHAT?!”09a772e73ed3add8
She was furious 191e937ede but couldn’t throw e3786c5d9e a tantrum like 7dcf6e56be before.637e9c362bdcafbf
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I walked past 6e8a0ca760 her, speaking casually.aaa4ef9f9ae08dce
“If you want to d347aedce4 go that badly, come 1cd621db4e to my room and c82698dd87 beg me on your b34ed13a7c knees.”7931f5526ad9e4ba
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“…!”ab43fd82e9c0894d
Leaving a shocked Sophia 3739b9d7a4 behind, I walked away 125d413886 with a satisfied smile.98b74579aaf9648b
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◇ ◇ ◇
Late at night.1b155a72cb5ee04a
Sophia stepped out of b8d82a11ad a carriage, wrapped her fae6839c61 cloak tightly around her, 1426583506 and cautiously looked around.4064204244f11958
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Then, she hurried ba4a90bec8 into a luxurious-looking 0a9c18051f building.6c7041551084da9d
Like everyone else 836f1337f7 entering, she wore 0a1cdfbdb2 a mask to 3dd9f21300 hide her identity.f1f690f97ce2bc3d
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A large man—one of 70263f3b4a the waiters at the d95997b9d1 entrance—blocked her way.e63598ff4eeba9ec
“Do you f78eba421c have an 147814e0eb invitation?”b11af634effed0d4
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Sophia quickly pulled cf0535487c an invitation from 24b32f1d6a her pocket and 189d152034 handed it over.5c7fa07d871752c8
It was a social 1bb3ccbcbc club invitation she had 93d4ce5eea managed to snatch from 1ed50f3b11 a noble’s banquet she 8c16cb62b8 attended with Ophelia.e9e075184c6671a9
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The inside was just 77b153a135 as elegant and grand a3ab94fa5a as a noble’s ball.6c3e4c255333c24a
The difference?11e71f732ada5803
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Everyone wore masks, 6e311bd096 and the air 3c81c8e0b0 was filled with 080ebc0b08 smoke—probably from cigars.a0c57087205cde9f
Unlike formal banquets, people a48198853f here were much freer afe8447c2f and bolder.4d021bc1413584c5
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Men and women laughed cc6d1bc6a3 loudly, sitting closely together 7d5b898055 on sofas. Some played cards at 8ce8ebed9c tables scattered with alcohol 9f0d88eb85 and cigars, while groups a180137cc4 of ladies gossiped behind 0094aa7a65 their fans.67a20cb7a35e3ea2
Sophia made her way 6712f3152b toward a group of 46d03a003c masked women and sat bf2096b685 down.38d1d34a4bd623b2
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A woman in acdaf8db8f a red mask a5749fbfc7 noticed her.4e06dc64b1b9971b
“First time here?”42f2066d65811680
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Sophia tensed 44c313b900 for a 2f088107b8 moment, but aaea08e356 after taking f5b52812db a sip 3f89c192c5 of the cfbd5bec2d brandy offered eb13c1e897 to her, 8e97e2d8c5 she coughed fc6273b43b and gagged.a34ef01eccd82958
“Oh my, which a72b742a00 noble family’s little d768de833e princess are you?”2db1c61f7d059f47
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Sophia quickly hid her c1903a0ce6 irritation.35b59f9d6a18df9e
“Aren’t we supposed to 8c7e1a8701 keep our identities secret 7346650ddd here?”6df3eedf3cfcb3b2
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The woman smirked.078c15164d84a083
“You’re right. That’s what makes e6d88df4e4 this place fun.”bea39e5764b1053c
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“Your enemy might dad7c2a622 be here.”fa3f694567b1db7b
“Or even your df92c49f01 fiancé.”c8f4c765ce8dc251
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“It’s not really 72714f2467 a rule—just an 9ff6530302 unspoken agreement.”dceec19858fb958f
She took 675f6ebdc6 a sip d1fe9bd091 of her 328fe3dc39 drink, then 73e8e47834 asked casually,632997fcae9a39db
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“So, what brings f37a5e3b38 you here? It’s not for 3d4a7a316a drinks or gambling… 8fc35ad25a Looking for a faa298a0c2 man? Or maybe some 6b260018a6 gossip?”885ffee275c97f9a
She was 93fb6da754 curious—exactly the 0430225dfb type of ef12090ac5 person Sophia ab562808d8 needed.c5c70d384930f773
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Swallowing the strong 543ac0ab92 brandy, Sophia took bc5296813b a deep breath 848150a2a1 and asked,ac44713dd2a84003
“Do you know a6d42d08ea about the upcoming 60a72ac742 Belfour Duke’s banquet?”ab7d36de2247d932
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The woman’s eyes 3a4d0a512b sparkled with interest.139d59dda5304fb7
“The Belfour Duke’s?”cf536253de4b050e
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“Wait… Don’t tell me—you dc5dac6ba0 got invited?”4a58b44169dac36b
She grinned.caf5e9fcf3173611
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“Looks like you’re 074e329219 more important than bac4a0ec55 I thought.”8b7d7366d31aa7c3
The sharp ffdb9b3ce7 voice of b6eb603e5c the woman 88fd511168 drew even 6d37268ee9 more attention dc332891da from those b930e1a082 around them.3191bc948defdba8
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“You received an invitation 1deda0a125 to the Belfour Duke’s dc3f461a50 banquet? But isn’t that only 1818320057 for the highest-ranking nobles?”15afc14dbd85bdf7
“I heard their 9e1b1223c1 invitations are decorated 04e6f4ee70 with gold foil. Is that true?”702a97579f0549f5
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“No, no! I heard 726a9eb37d they even f6281ae561 put diamond a67251be97 chips on b0b8359ea2 them!”93677e7dffe1f0c7
With all f9b6c4dc2c eyes on 2b193dacc9 her, Sophia 1d622ce55c straightened her 79d490e124 posture and c9057cbe97 cleared her 34415b93c0 throat.7e5ebff6eff4e3d4
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“I was supposed be6e75bcc9 to go, but… da05eeea57 due to certain 334d22e342 circumstances, I can’t 54b40a8858 attend.”c6a2fd1c238abe36
Hearing this, fb7cb8fc87 the women aebc2be62c lost interest 6b3cb4df42 and turned a0214fb025 away, as ce8e9b49d6 if they 5feb71c36e had expected d7f4a18101 as much.012a06a38550efdf
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Annoyed by their reaction, 30a0f006bf Sophia suddenly spoke up.9b381c2f2ab6d482
“But… have 9cee7797f1 you heard e6ab4354d2 the latest 678991d51d rumor?”5c032f70fc7c515a
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The mention a2be03cd00 of gossip a0710bfb7a immediately pulled 9367b18578 everyone’s attention 346dba6c8a back to 41b81bc5b5 her.82009cf277012a0b
These high-society women cba0e56c99 came to this 3b129fc2d8 social club specifically 38450a21cb to chase after e68d7a2442 rumors.efd8c0edd03f5609
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With their lazy, be7872dd46 incompetent fiancés, overweight 57b785e978 husbands, and boring db17951f58 lives, gossip was 3146e8b444 their favorite meal d602c42f81 and dessert.b2cfc12eaa62c632
Especially if it involved 9b05218660 the upper-class nobility.4f7bbf8cbb215442
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“I heard that 70dd31ed05 the Devonshire Count’s af090ab251 daughter has been 39b287f91d boasting that she bb2d5808cc will be the 55b1c0e3cc ‘Belle of the 4a3266c508 Ball’ at the 52b901c821 Belfour Duke’s banquet.”810f01e67cabdbe8
At this, a woman ac46851cab sitting deep inside the a7d12a65ca room perked up with 63d50b2894 interest, resting her chin 9ac7b5f23f on her hand.1f756a86d65e6da0
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The ‘Belle of the ccc47d9fd0 Ball’—as the name suggests—was e187be699f the title given to be79c8f2d3 the most glamorous and 82a48f7a82 popular young lady at caa3d2385b a banquet.970a8d70be144516
Usually, this title went a5d10913c4 to a member of 636f7ac094 the host family.a3754712dc04cf9e
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And now, 99067e8182 some random 57027abfec count’s daughter 14e821eb71 was declaring 343905c3d2 she would 21b83eecb9 take that 1280b4f8dc title—against the 39276a4fda Belfour Duke’s 10fc64058f daughter?!e1b2343a12afe20d
Some women looked shocked, 9512cb006d while others were intrigued.8190402d03c4f41f
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“The Devonshire family? Aren’t they e125d936c7 just a 2f6ff69c33 low-tier noble 79129ad47f house that e85e334832 survives on 1b2f9fa8c8 a few 2575544dc3 businesses?”c2e354e90f2ed382
“Well, the 51572dc3d7 Devonshire Count d96b4876fb is known a8c5417ccd to be 18d950ef3d close friends 1cad947ccf with the 628600920d Laurentino Duke, d7b025843e so maybe 30415958d5 getting an 3bcde5c362 invitation wasn’t a85492f3fb that hard.”17b023b0880ef143
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“But still! Saying she’ll d89def801f be the ea00858105 Belle of af4f1cc496 the Ball?! Against the Belfour f6e027d1e9 Duke’s daughter?! She must be c50ba706df out of her d8f274e889 mind!”0e337adea2c83538
“I heard that Devonshire’s 0cdee4395b daughter has been acting 5888dcb582 arrogantly ever since she af5bc6b36c started hanging around the e795ecdfdc Sinclair Marquis’ daughter.”050fd62c3ed2088f
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“Oh, I 94fea55766 heard that c481d1b21c too! And apparently, 68838c4565 she even 7488509b0f swam naked 2eac28f713 at the 3f304e7b3b beach recently!”f265e4fc78a98055
“My goodness! She’s completely lost 3fc5626ea5 her mind.”e9dd3e06eb706547
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Sophia’s lips curled 10e84ad43d into a satisfied 524e9ef7b0 smile.19e2148ed575271c
In a place like 8a0680d6d3 this, the truth of 085fa23f16 a rumor didn’t matter.b02d74885df28cb8
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All that mattered 3c19fee481 was having fresh 8477158b5a meat to tear b3702adf98 apart.1953c22211d8522c
52ce7e4003b1961f
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