In the Midst of Revenge on Cinderella (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“To be honest, a few days ago, I happened to overhear noblewomen talking while passing through the inner palace….”
I trailed off, watching Floria’s expression carefully. When I hesitated and merely moved my lips, Floria leaned forward and took my hand.
“Please speak freely, sister.”
“…Your Highness, may I ask what color your chosen dress is?”
“It’s yellow.”
I swallowed a sigh, and Floria asked,
“What’s going on?”
Her mouth tightened, clearly displeased by my hesitation. Feeling I’d waited long enough, I spoke.
“It seemed the noblewomen were planning to wear blue dresses.”
“What?”
Floria frowned, forgetting even to compose her expression.
In the kingdom, there was a custom where lovers and family members would tie scarves for knights returning from war. It was common to gift blue scarves symbolizing victory upon their triumphant return, while yellow scarves were buried with those who had fallen in battle.
Floria knew this tradition well. However, as someone who hadn’t yet firmly established her position, she couldn’t ignore what the royal noblewomen said. Though uneasy, she never expected they’d stoop so low as to set such a petty trap for her.
In the original story, Shanna magically changed her dress color at the last minute just before the banquet. This time, since I’d acted first, the noblewomen wouldn’t get the outcome they desired.
“It seems the noblewomen are trying to play a cruel prank.”
“That’s…”
Floria’s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. To others, it might look like her timid self was startled—but this trembling came from anger at nearly being made a fool of.
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
When I asked worriedly, Floria shook her head, her lips quivering.
“I’m fine. I almost committed a grave discourtesy toward His Royal Highness, the First Prince, and the knights upon their return.”
“They’ve gone too far! How could anyone think of such a crude prank?”
“I knew they didn’t favor me, but I never imagined they’d go this far… My heart aches terribly every time something like this happens.”
Floria wiped away a tear with her finger. Watching her sadly, I reached out and took her hand.
“There’s no need to let such people hurt your feelings. I’m right here with you.”
“Thank you, sister. Thanks to you, I won’t ruin the banquet’s atmosphere.”
“I shall summon the salon immediately.”
Shanna, who had silently listened until now, interjected. In the original story, the situation had been urgent, forcing her to use magic to change the dress—though her identity as a fairy was meant to stay hidden. Thus, calling the salon was her way to avoid suspicion. But this time, all the credit should go to me.
“It’ll be useless. Blue silk for dresses is already scarce, and the noblewomen have surely bought up every last bit.”
“You don’t need to worry about that…”
“Instead, how about doing this?”
I cut off Shanna’s words and pulled myself upright. I saw Shanna’s arrogant expression twist in irritation.
“How?”
I smiled gently at Floria, who tilted her head in confusion.
“Wear a white dress.”
“But then I’ll stand out alone among the noblewomen in blue.”
Her eyes clearly asked why she should expose herself as someone ostracized by the royal court. I gave a faint smile.
“Exactly. Everyone at the banquet will wonder why only Your Highness wore a different-colored dress. They’ll soon guess that the noblewomen deliberately didn’t inform you of the dress code—though they likely won’t realize they told you to wear yellow specifically.”
“Oh.”
“Your Highness has an excellent reputation, so criticism will surely turn toward those petty noblewomen. Unlike yellow, white carries celebratory meaning, so no one will think ill of you.”
In the original story, Floria avoided humiliation by wearing a blue dress thanks to Shanna—but that was all. I intended to use this incident to strengthen her standing. Only then would Floria grow fond of me, increasing my chances of survival here.
“On the contrary, public opinion toward Your Highness will improve even further.”
After all, those lacking tact are ignored, harsh judgment falls on bullies, but when a kind person suffers cruelty, it evokes sympathy and compassion. For well-regarded Floria, this was a golden opportunity to solidify her position.
Floria looked tempted but feigned hesitation, softening her voice.
“But won’t the noblewomen be hurt…”
“Your Highness, they started this conflict. Imagine what would’ve happened if I hadn’t overheard by chance. Just picturing it makes me shudder. Her Majesty the Queen would have been deeply disappointed too.”
At the mention of the Queen, Floria’s eyebrows twitched.
“I understand your gentle nature makes you hesitate, but if you let this slide, it’ll happen again—and next time, you might not escape unscathed.”
Though she’d already made up her mind, Floria clung to her virtuous pretense until the end. I took her hand.
“As your elder sister, I offer this advice out of concern. Please heed it, just this once.”
“…Alright. If you insist so strongly, sister…”
“And later, in case the noblewomen try to find fault, how about spreading word that I tore up your prepared yellow dress?”
“What? But how could you possibly…”
“Don’t worry about me. For Your Highness, I’d gladly bear any slander.”
See? I’m useful after all. I smiled faintly.
[This is the timeline separator]As I stepped out of Floria’s room, Silvia, who’d been waiting for me, hurried over.
“Are you alright, Lady Reneola?”
“Yes, perfectly fine.”
Seeing me in my fluffy dress, Silvia sighed in relief—but then scrunched her face in a way unlike her usual self.
“It’s obvious Ginger deliberately spilled water! And then she acts so sweetly afterward—it made me furious just watching!”
I looked at Silvia, who was fuming. Among all those people in the hall earlier, she was the only one who believed me. Even though she favored me, the fact that she trusted me completely despite what she’d witnessed filled me with gratitude and wonder.
“Aren’t you disappointed in me? I spoke quite harshly.”
“Not at all. It didn’t seem like the usual Lady Reneola, but I figured you must have had your reasons.”
“How can you trust me so easily?”
“Because I’ve seen enough of you. Lady Reneola, you’re a bit…”
For some reason, Silvia’s cheeks flushed slightly before she continued.
“…Your tastes may be unusual, but I know you’d never hurt someone without cause.”
My tastes are unusual? I stared quizzically at Silvia, who nodded confidently. Avoiding my gaze with reddened cheeks, she finally pouted.
“But why did you stop me earlier? I wanted to step in and support you myself.”
“There was a reason.”
Silvia sensed I didn’t wish to elaborate and stopped pressing, though her expression remained dissatisfied.
“It saddens me that everyone misunderstands Lady Reneola.”
In this place where everyone turned against me, Silvia was the only one on my side. Recalling her worried eyes amid all the envious glares softened my heart.
“Thank you, Silvia.”
“Huh? For what?”
Silvia tilted her head in confusion. Finding her blinking wide-eyed expression adorable, I ruffled her hair and asked with a grin,
“By the way, where is Ginger now?”
After all, Floria got to present herself as intended—and the sudden drenching I received must be repaid, shouldn’t it?
I headed straight for the garden where Ginger was. Upon spotting me while chatting with other maids, Ginger let out a mocking snort—a stark contrast to her earlier pitiful cries on the stairs. But as I strode purposefully toward her, she flinched and stepped back.
“What—what do you want?”
I didn’t stop, marching directly toward her. The closer I got, the faster Ginger retreated. My imposing presence even made the maids beside her panic and scramble backward.
“Why keep coming closer! Stand there and talk!”
“In the place where I used to live, there’s a saying: ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’”
“What?”
Ginger frowned as if I were spouting nonsense—then staggered violently.
“Kyaa!”
She shrieked briefly before toppling backward straight into the fountain. Soaked head to toe, Ginger gaped dazedly as water continued pouring down on her from the fountain above.
“It simply means returning exactly what you received.”
“You—you…!”
Ginger glared at me, trembling with rage. Folding my arms, I looked down at her and smiled.
“What kind of stunt is this! Are you insane?”
“Sorry. I didn’t notice the fountain behind you. It was an accident.”
“What?”
“Well, why provoke someone standing still? If you ‘accidentally’ spill water on me once more, next time it won’t be a fountain—it’ll be a lake.”
“What—what kind of nonsense is that?!”
I clicked my tongue, looking down at Ginger as she shrieked furiously in her disheveled state. Glancing sharply sideways, I caught the maids covering their mouths in shock—they flinched and shrank back instantly. When I widened my eyes at them, they scurried away even faster.
Playing the villain to perfection, I sneered at them and turned away without a second thought.
“Hey!”
Ginger screamed desperately, but I didn’t look back. In the distance, Silvia gave me a thumbs-up with an awed expression.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Shes really got caught by the demon king. Good luck for the grim future
Boy u going to hell. Just wait until karl come and get you, you psycho