Chapter 56: The Beginning of The Change (2)
“Did she actually send it?” I sighed. A few days later, I received an invitation to Livya’s tea party. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
I attended the tea party with a nervous mind, worried I might be harassed, but fortunately, that didn’t happen. At the party, there were only girls who were close to Livya, and none were bold enough to give me a slap. Livya herself greeted me warmly.
“I hope you enjoy the party comfortably, Lady Fiona,” Livya said with a beautiful smile.
In the original plot, Livya wasn’t just someone who gave a pure favor. I wondered what Livya might be thinking as I sipped my tea calmly.
Livya took the lead in the conversation. “I heard Lady Fiona made a bet with Duke Ernest.”
The young ladies’ eyes widened, and they perked up, intrigued by her words. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“Are you Lady Fiona?”
“What kind of bet?”
Geez, was the rumor already circulating? That was fast. But I smiled brightly.
“It’s not a bet, just a small promise.”
“What’s that?” one of the ladies asked curiously.
“If I win this hunting competition, Duke Ernest has promised to officially acknowledge me as the heir to Heilon.”
In truth, it was amusing that Duke Ernest was meddling in the Heilon family’s affairs. However, if I didn’t address this in advance, the sabotage would become even more troublesome. It was better to negotiate like this. It seemed Duke Ernest took pleasure in this bet, judging by how quickly the rumors spread. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com. He likely decided to circulate it among the noble social circles, confident that I would fail. But, as I’ve said, dealing with these things was much easier this way. I welcomed it. With the rumors spreading, he wouldn’t be able to make another bet like this at future official meetings.
“Winning? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“A monster? That’s scary.”
The noble ladies lived distant lives from battles, so their reactions were not unreasonable.
“Yes, I’m actually very nervous. I hope the ladies will support me.”
“Absolutely!”
“It’s impressive to be recognized as the heir to the family.”
I hadn’t yet revealed that I was a magician. Not so much because it was a secret, but because I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. Additionally, I didn’t want to introduce an off-topic subject while surrounded by chattering ladies. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
A girl tilted her head. “Oh, Lady Fiona, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“This is just a rumor I heard. They say there’s a very scary magician living in Heilon.”
Pardon?
“Oh, I heard that too!”
“He’s strong but very cruel, and when he gets angry, there are snowstorms and lightning?”
I blinked calmly. I laughed inwardly. I was the only mage capable of making lightning strikes in Heilon. Could it be that the rumor was about me?
“I heard that he laughed while slaughtering the monsters and turned the land into a sea of blood.”
Ack! I’ve never done that before!
Apparently, since the capital was far from Heilon, various rumors had been mixed and distorted. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
Meanwhile, the ladies looked at me with wide, twinkling eyes.
“Is the rumor true?”
It was very burdensome to have those innocent eyes focused on me. If I answered with a ‘haha, that’s me!’ I would obviously never be able to get close to these pure ladies again. I couldn’t terrify my peers. I needed to adapt to the social world for my future.
So I laughed casually.
“I actually don’t know about that. But isn’t it just a rumor?”
I wasn’t lying here.
“Is that so?”
Livya suddenly intervened. “The capital is far from Heilon; there can be many groundless rumors spread around.”
That’s right, that’s a baseless rumor. I’m such an innocent Fiona. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
While I was grumbling inside, Livya turned her gaze to me.
“But the rumors I heard are different.”
What were the rumors this time? I was starting to get a little worried.
“There is a very strong mage in Heilon. They say he has never failed to defend Heilon’s walls.”
Fortunately, this time, it didn’t seem like a bloody rumor.
Livya continued speaking as if she were singing. “A mage who protects Heilon, which experiences winter all year round.”
As I breathed a sigh of relief, my eyes met Livya’s red-brown eyes. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
“That’s why everyone in Heilon always praises this mage.”
Livya smiled and spoke in a dreamy tone. “That person is the guardian of winter.”
To be honest, my heart skipped a beat seeing her smile while saying such a cool thing, even though she was a woman. Read the translation only on itsladygrey.com.
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