Chapter 99

Sarah Fog trembled and looked at Arilott.

"Why do you speak in such a way? Others might misunderstand."

"Huh?"

"If you speak like that─!"

Just as she was saying this, Catherine entered.

Catherine frowned and looked at Sarah Fog.

"Why are you raising your voice at Arilott? What did she say to you?"

Lumelissa crossed her arms and scanned Sarah Fog from head to toe.

"I don't know. I can't tell. From what I've heard, Lady Astra has never been rude enough to deserve such words."

The other young ladies also looked at her disapprovingly.

Sarah quickly looked at the young lords. As usual, she was on the verge of tears, but no one came to her aid.

Catherine and Lumelissa approached Sarah.

Catherine asked,

"Tell me, what did she say to make you embarrass Arilott in front of everyone?"

"I, I never said anything bad about Arilott!"

Lumelissa burst into a hollow laugh.

"Then why did Arilott say it was fine?"

"But if you say it with that expression, it could be misunderstood!"

"What expression?"

"If you say it with that kind of expression, as if you're implying something─!"

Just as Sarah was shouting, Arilott stepped in.

"Lady Lumelissa, Lady Catherine."

Arilott stood between Sarah and the two, as if trying to calm them down.

"I'm fine."

Lumelissa sighed deeply.

"…Lady Arilott is too considerate. It's a virtue, but sometimes it hurts."

"Lumelissa…"

"Do you know what Lady Fog said about Lady Arilott?"

Arilott smiled bitterly.

Sarah took a deep breath.

'What, why do I seem like the villain…!'

With Arilott's reaction, it seemed as if she had indeed been spreading malicious rumors.

Sarah shouted,

"I never said anything wrong!"

People stared at Sarah Fog, who was shouting with a red face.

* * *

I suppressed a laugh.

She fell for it just as I planned.

People like her attack others but can't handle being attacked herself.

Everyone has seen this type of person at least once in their school days.

They spread rumors about others but can't handle it when it's their turn.

'I knew she would tremble when attacked in front of others.'

She would also try to assert her righteousness.

To do that, she could only say, 'I never lied.'

'She probably never lied.'

She always twisted the situation cleverly.

But.

'You're a fool. If you say that, it just makes it worse.'

Do you really never say anything wrong?

Catherine narrowed her eyes.

"Lady Arilott, you said she tried to stop us from going to the banquet, right?"

"I asked Arilott to bring the young ladies, but no one came."

At that moment, Lady Michal, who was closest to me on the stairs, frowned.

"I heard it wasn't a request?"

"What…?"

"Lady, you only said, 'Arilott, I'll be waiting.'"

"So, you were waiting for the young ladies to come─!"

"How could anyone understand that?"

Other young ladies agreed.

"I decided not to go to the tea party."

"Me too."

"Me as well."

"It wasn't because of Lady Arilott, but to protest your outrageous behavior."

Sarah trembled.

Catherine looked at Sarah with an indifferent expression.

"You were angry because you said we were ignoring you."

"That's─!"

"When did we ever ignore you? Lady Carain was looking for you all day."

"…"

"Wherever you went, you always brought a young lady with you."

Lumelissa burst into a hollow laugh.

"Did you say that was to treat her like a servant?"

"I swear, I never treated a young lady like a servant. It was the young lady who wanted to be called 'Flower Castle,' right?"

"…"

"The young lady's father called her 'Flower Castle' because of her sparkling eyes, right?"

"…"

I was staring at Sarah between Lumelissa and Catherine, trying hard to suppress my smile.

'See, if you claim you never said anything wrong, it just makes it worse.'

The young lords' expressions twisted.

They had been protecting Sarah out of kindness.

But now they realized they had been fooled by her cunning words, so they were understandably angry.

Lord Oshuron frowned and shouted,

"What do you mean, Lady Fog?"

"I, this, this is…."

"Wait a moment."

One of the young lords raised his hand.

"Is it true that Lady Astra was rude to Lady Fog?"

"Was that a lie too?"

"Really?"

Sarah's face turned pale.

I knew what Sarah had said about the incident from Joshua.

But I said with a nonchalant tone,

"Me?"

"That's true! Isn't it?!"

Sarah hastily spoke, and I tilted my head.

"Ah, I remember. I did say that."

"See! I didn't say anything that wasn't true─"

"The young lady called me 'dirty blood.'"

"…!"

Others gasped.

My birth is a well-known story.

But it's a huge insult to say it to my face.

Especially the term 'dirty blood,' used to mock me, is something that should never be said in front of me.

"I, I never said that…."

"You came to me later and said it."

I tilted my head and looked at Sarah straight.

"You said that someone as considerate as me couldn't have half a lowborn blood. So, you apologized for misunderstanding me."

"That, that's…!"

"So, I told you that it was still rude."

"…"

"Was I wrong?"

Lumelissa's face, who values manners, was completely twisted.

"How could you say such a thing…"

The expressions of the young ladies who liked me also froze.

Of course, the young lords' faces turned sour.

"Disgusting."

"Wow… I've never seen such a strange person."

"It's shameful to have been manipulated by such a person."

There was no one left to help Sarah.

It was obvious how she would try to get out of this.

'Going to cry again?'

Given her strange personality, she would use tears as a weapon.

Sure enough, tears welled up in Sarah's eyes.

But.

"Sniff…."

I was faster.

I covered my mouth and trembled slightly.

Catherine and Lumelissa stood on either side of me, protecting me.

"Lady Arilott, don't be swayed by such words."

"It's a statement proving she's trash."

"Despite that, you remained composed, which made us realize how amazing you are."

Other young ladies quickly came to my side.

The young lords hesitated and said,

"I'm sorry, Lady."

"To be swayed by such words and hurt you…."

"What should we do…."

While everyone gathered around me, Sarah stood alone.

Sarah swallowed hard.

"That's not it, I, I…."

Catherine glared at Sarah Fog.

"You shouldn't think this will be easily forgiven."

Lumelissa wiped my tears with a handkerchief.

"Lady Arilott, don't worry. We'll make sure you never see Lady Fog's face again."

Catherine and Lumelissa were princesses of the social circle.

I had given them a reason to act.

Now, Sarah Fog would never be able to show her face in the social circle.

'Alright, done.'

With Sarah Fog's social circle ruined, all I needed to do was find Dalia….

Just as I thought that, a familiar face appeared in the open door.

Fiery red hair like a burning sun, black eyes like the night, and golden hair and blue eyes like the sea.

The twins.

Balzak looked at me with a stiff face.

Joshua's expression was also cold.

Their gazes slowly shifted to Sarah Fog.

Balzak's hand on the doorknob trembled.

"You, you made her cry…?"

"…You made Arilott cry."

Mom!

I looked at the two in panic.

"O, older brother, it's not like that, I didn't cry…!"

I couldn't say it was fake tears, so I panicked.

Kwakwakwakwak!

The floor shattered, and rocks began to rise.

People were in a great uproar.

"Th, this…."

"Can't be…!"

I quickly shouted,

"Run!"

It's Joshua's blessing, <Compression>.

A powerful area-of-effect skill that even participation in training at Astra Castle is difficult.

Combined with Balzak's blessing, <Enhancement>.

This happened once three years ago.

When I was with the steel crow, Ragon, and almost died.

I remember clearly what happened to Diamond Province then.

'Eclipto Castle will collapse…!'

While people turned pale, I quickly grabbed Lumelissa and Catherine's hands.

And I shouted to the young ladies,

"Run, quickly!"

Of course, I wanted to make Sarah suffer, but I didn't expect this!

* * *

Thirty minutes later.

The young ladies and young lords gathered in the garden with shocked expressions.

Fortunately, Richmond quickly teleported the twins, or the castle would have collapsed.

Even with the quick teleportation, the grand hall was destroyed.

'If we were hit by that….'

The young lords trembled.

Catherine and Lumelissa glanced at each other.

The Astra twins were being scolded severely by Arilott.

"Activate a blessing? An area-of-effect skill?"

"…"

"Balzak, as an older brother, you didn't try to stop it, but enhanced the blessing?!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

The two stood with their heads bowed like mice in front of a cat.

The children realized.

'The leader here is….'

'Yeah, the leader is….'

The terrifying twins couldn't do anything against the smaller Arilott.

The children understood why the Astra family is called the strongest spear.

The Astra family, famous for its powerful offensive blessings.

Among them, the brothers from Diamond Province with the strongest blessings.

Above them….

The children swallowed hard.

'Never mess with Arilott Astra.'

No one knew where Sarah Fog had gone.

She probably fled to avoid the twins.

She would never be able to show her face in front of Arilott Astra again.

The young lords glanced at the young ladies.

They were trembling like the young lords but quickly recovered and held communication stones.

"Sarah Fog. The Sarah Fog from the Fog Viscount family!"

"Really shocking…!"

"Poor Lady Arilott!"

They were reporting to the grandmothers of the social circle.

And Catherine and Lumelissa….

"Yes, Mother. I spread false rumors about being ignored!"

"Sarah Fog is really strange, Father!"

The young lords thought with shocked faces.

'Never mess with the young ladies either.'

* * *

At that moment, in the bustling area of Eclipto Province.

Han Ji-hyuk frowned and held a piece of parchment.

'So, this is Dalia.'

It was a portrait drawn by Arilott.

But no matter how he looked at it, this was….

"It looks like a frog."

Arilott is good at everything, but she has no talent for art.

It's strange that she can recognize and buy good paintings.

This morning, he received the 'list of orphans moving to the newly constructed orphanage' from Conrad, and Dalia was not on it.

That means Dalia hasn't been moved to the orphanage yet.

"She must be in Eclipto Province if she's not in the orphanage."

"Why?"

"After becoming an orphan, she would have come to Eclipto Province, right? Since she's from Eclipto Province, she must be in the local orphanage."

"Hmm…."

"I can't leave because of the inauguration ceremony, so you investigate."

Han Ji-hyuk sighed.

'Finding a needle in a haystack.'

How could he find Dalia among so many people?

He's really good at using people.

'I'll start with the slums.'

Han Ji-hyuk took out a pocket watch from his pocket.

He would patrol the slums until evening, and then enter Eclipto Castle to attend to the brat.