The Villainess Intends to Have It All - Chapter 46

“It’s been almost two weeks since we met, so that’s understandable. I understand, Lady Asilla.”

Rose’s face twitched, but only for a moment.

She noticed that Erina had deliberately mentioned the date they first met.

In fact, Erina had a specific reason for mentioning the date.

She hoped that people would guess why Rose, who had been attending various gatherings, had temporarily reduced her activities in social circles.

People might not know it was because Rose had entered the Eolse mansion, but the more people talked about Rose, the more she would struggle not to be discovered.

Erina wished that Rose would wither away day by day from anxiety.

“Then let’s look forward to a memorable meeting next time, Lady.”

“…It’s an honor, Countess Medelia.”

Erina forced a smile on her lips that were about to twist at the sight of Rose still greeting her beautifully.

It was truly shameless and despicable.

When had she acted as if she would throw everything away for love, and now she was disgustingly greeting her with a pretense of innocence.

She wanted to shout to those watching that the scandalous adulteress they had been looking for was right in front of them.

But Erina held back, again and again.

Only then could she and Feiron fall together into the mud.

“Lady Asilla, I’ll definitely see you next time.”

With that, Erina turned her back on Rose and moved away.

Rose struggled mightily to maintain her upright posture and smiling face.

Watching Erina’s back as she disappeared, Rose had to swallow the curses swirling in her mouth.

Even after Erina had disappeared, there were still many eyes watching her.

As Rose waited for the unwelcome attention of people to disappear, her composure was suddenly disrupted by Idelli’s approach.

“Lady Asilla!”

It was Idelli Modim, the only person she had encountered on the day of the national founding ceremony when Rose had gone to the imperial palace, enraged about the lost mana stone mine.

She was a woman known for being excessively bright and tactless, capable of saying anything.

Nothing special had happened when they met in front of the imperial palace, but she was like a bomb that could deliver any ordeal under the name of innocence.

“Lady Modim.”

Rose had to smile even at Idelli, who was merely a baroness.

She still needed to appear to everyone as a kind and pitiful woman who was loved by all.

Not as Feiron’s hidden lover desperate to steal from Erina, but as the beloved Lady Asilla.

“I’m so glad to see you looking better today! I was so worried when you looked so ill then.”

Fortunately, as Erina left and Idelli approached Rose, the crowd of onlookers seemed to thin out a bit.

Rose smiled kindly at Idelli while keenly observing her surroundings.

“Thank you for your concern.”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Ah, that’s right!”

Suddenly remembering something, Idelli rummaged through her handbag and pulled out an ornament to present to Rose.

“Here, Lady. You dropped this when you were leaving the imperial palace that day.”

Rose looked at the ornament Idelli was holding out.

It was a bracelet with a large, eye-catching bright orange fire opal.

Rose felt as if all the blood in her body had turned cold.

She wondered if this stupid woman was doing this to her on purpose.

Or perhaps she had been put up to this by Erina.

The whispering of the nobles who had not averted their gaze began again.

“Oh my, isn’t that the Sun’s Tear?”

“Yes, it is. A bracelet with a fire opal of that size must be the Sun’s Tear.”

“But doesn’t the Eolse family own the Sun’s Tear?”

“Yes, I believe it’s a family heirloom of the Eolse family.”

With the people’s conversations, the gazes and attention that had disappeared now poured back onto Rose and Idelli.

Rose felt her head spinning with anger and embarrassment.

It was the bracelet Feiron had given her as a gift on the day of the national founding ceremony, saying he was sorry he couldn’t accompany her.

He said it was a bracelet passed down to the Countess of Eolse for generations, but Feiron hadn’t given it to Erina, misunderstanding her as someone who was excessively fond of luxury.

At the time, Rose had said that he should give it to his wife now, but Feiron shook his head and put it on her himself.

Saying he was sorry that he couldn’t readily give her the place by his side even though he loved her.

Although Feiron’s one-sided love was ridiculous, Rose had smiled with satisfaction, feeling elated that she had something Erina couldn’t possess.

It was the first piece of jewelry from Feiron that she actually liked, so she had been wearing it constantly, but now it had come back to bite her.

Once again, the whispers accumulated and grew until even the tactless Idelli could hear them.

Rose bit the inside of her cheek to regain her composure and responded with a troubled expression.

“I’m, sorry, but that bracelet doesn’t seem to be mine.”

“What? But you definitely dropped it…”

“You must be mistaken, Lady. I’ve never seen it before.”

Interrupting Idelli’s words, Rose hastily replied, wanting to slap that annoying woman’s cheek right then and there.

If she was stupid, she should at least have some tact, but there was nothing likeable about this woman.

“That can’t be…”

“Lady Modim.”

As Idelli mumbled, Rose drooped her eyebrows and put on a pitiful expression.

She had to escape this situation somehow.

While continuing the instinctive conversation, her mind was racing furiously.

“Are you perhaps doing this to me on purpose?”

“What? No, no! That’s not it, I really saw…”

“Why would someone who knows jewels better than anyone else do this to me?”

As the Modim barony ran a jewelry business dealing in rare and famous gems, Idelli couldn’t possibly not recognize the bracelet she was holding.

Idelli was extremely flustered by this situation.

She had only tried to return it because she knew the bracelet she was holding better than anyone else.

On the day of the national founding ceremony, Idelli had quickly picked up and checked the bracelet that the sickly-looking Rose had dropped as she turned to leave.

She too had recognized at a glance that the fallen bracelet was the Sun’s Tear, known to be an heirloom of the Eolse Count family.

Idelli had wondered why Rose had dropped an heirloom of the Eolse family, but since Rose had been carrying it, she hurried after her to return it.

But Rose’s carriage had already left.

She had kept it, wanting to return it if they met, and had hastily presented it, but incomprehensibly, Rose denied knowing it.

If only she had just ignored it, but Idelli began to arouse suspicion instead.

“Or are you trying to frame me?”

“What? There’s no way!”

“Otherwise, why would you hand me an item of the Eolse family at a time like this? This is too much, Lady.”

Seeing Idelli jump in surprise, Rose laughed inwardly.

Rose, who had become suspicious to people due to Erina’s actions, had found a way to escape.

It was difficult to manipulate people who were clumsily smart, but Idelli, who still struggled with high society, was really easy.

It wasn’t difficult for Rose to escape this situation by sacrificing one baroness.

“Lady Modim, surely you’re not deliberately handing me your own item?”

Rose covered her mouth with one hand and trembled her eyes.

Seeing Rose trembling in shock, those watching around let out sighs.

Her pitiful and sorrowful appearance naturally drew out their protective instincts.

Then, completely changed whispers began to be heard from around.

“Could it really be something the Modim Baroness had?”

“That’s right. Everyone knows that Lady Asilla went to recuperate for two weeks due to her health.”

“Then, if she has that…”

“Could it be that this woman is the Eolse Count’s mistress?”

The target of interest and suspicion changed in an instant, just as Rose had intended.

Before entering the Eolse mansion, Rose had already told people around her that she was going to recuperate due to poor health.

Erina must have stupidly mentioned that period without knowing this fact.

When Idelli presented the bracelet, Rose was flustered for a moment, but she turned the crisis into an opportunity to escape.

“No, no!”

Startled by the absurd sounds coming from around, Idelli burst out in denial.

But all that came back were gazes judging her as the Eolse Count’s mistress.

Idelli took a step closer to Rose in surprise and held out the bracelet.

“Lady Asilla, please look carefully! You were clearly wearing this with a pure white dress!”

Due to Idelli’s excited shouting, all eyes in the banquet hall began to turn towards her.

Even the nobles chatting nearby and Erina, who had turned her back and was heading elsewhere, looked at Idelli.

Rose inwardly swallowed her curses towards Idelli at the renewed attention and racked her brain.

If Erina intervened in this situation now, it would be entirely disadvantageous for her.

Moreover, since Erina was not far away, it was only a matter of time before the situation Rose had barely turned around would become unfavorable to her again.

She had to get out of here, even if it meant giving up what she had planned for the celebration.

“Lady Modim, this is really too much. That morning, I was wearing an amethyst set from Merdiana Jewelers that my father had given me as a gift.”

Rose let a single tear drop and trembled her lips.

“Did you really have to go this far?”

With those words, Rose turned and quickly left the banquet hall.

“Lady Asilla!”

Idelli reached out to grab Rose, but she couldn’t catch her.