Dylan de Beaumon, the adopted daughter of a Duke, recalls the memories of her past-life after hitting her head. Upon realizing she was a villainess character in a novel, she decides to use her intellectual giftedness to get a good career and run awa...
Dylan stared at the fancy envelopes with a calm, expressionless face. Sixteen. She received sixteen in the past week alone.
"Milady has many options to choose a partner from," said her maid.
Dylan's popularity skyrocketed after she demonstrated her swordsmanship skills during her match against Lucas. Truth be told, many of the guys in the club developed crushes on her.
There were also rumours, stories told under hushed voices, saying the Duke would eventually name her as his successor. On account of this, many nobles wanted to form relationships with her, and several men sought to covet her future position.
Whether they offered to be her partner with pure or impure intentions, she still didn't care. Dylan needed to attend the ball with Grisa, otherwise her plan wouldn't work.
"Get rid of these things," Dylan said, plainly disappointed. She hated the sight of them all.
Jessie wanted to protest, but instead she quietly sighed and replied, "If that is what milady wishes."
She assumed Dylan was waiting for a partner request from a particular gentleman. Both Lord Laikin and the Crown Prince seemed to be smitten with her. Jessie thought she was probably waiting for a request from one of the two.
Contrary to Dylan's suppositions, the week flew by in a blink of the eye. With midterms approaching, she spent most of her time studying and attending classes. The Duke also permitted her to stay at the academy for the weekend in order to prepare.
Dylan was on a permitted period of time away from swordsmanship club to recover. Her wound had almost entirely healed, and a pink scar was now starting to form on her neck.
And most importantly—
"His Grace sent you a gift. It's a new product that's popular among the students here."
Her new writing tool was officially released to the market this week, and instantly became popular among both commoners and nobles.
"Really?" she asked, failing at concealing her newfound excitement.
Mina reached into her apron pocket, withdrawing a rectangular shaped box. Dylan already knew what object was inside as she gratefully accepted it.
'Just as I thought, things are going well.'
Since Dylan couldn't manage her own money without getting caught, she paid Lord Whittle to do it on her behalf. He often sent her written summaries of her growing funds, and even gave her a ring with his business insignia.
The purpose of the ring was to allow Dylan to make purchases using the money she made from her invention. If she showed a merchant the insignia, they would send the bill to Lord Whittle's business.
'I wonder what Whittle thought when he received a bill charging me for the hire of a mercenary.'
Mina, who was deep in thought, said, "What will Lady Dylan wear to the ball?"
Dylan had never been to a ball before. She knew nothing about balls or what was considered proper attire for one. She sighed and flipped the page of her textbook.
"Lady Dylan has plenty of high-quality dresses that are in season," Jessie explained. "I had some made for her before we arrived at Faerchester."
'As expected of Jessie.'
"Shall we pick one out?" exclaimed Mina, skipping over to the wardrobe excitedly.
Dylan glanced up from the equations she was studying. Mina and Jessie looked like children playing dress-up in their mother's closet. She smiled slightly at the sight of them swinging pretty dresses around.
Knock. Knock. The knock on her door interrupted her just as she was burying her nose in her books again.
"I'll get it," she told them, not wanting to interrupt their playtime. She went to the door quietly and opened it just a little to see who it was.
The servant greeted her respectfully and then said, "Lord Laikin de Frederique sends Lady Dylan a request to partner at the upcoming ball." He held out a sealed letter.
'Not this again.'
Dylan frowned. "Tell him that I'm not accepting any partner requests," she said. "I plan on attending with Lady Grisa and the Duke."
"I will," the servant replied. "Please excuse me then, milady."
The servant walked away, leaving Dylan alone to struggle with her own thoughts. Why are women required to attend with men? She couldn't understand it. Dylan was perfectly capable of going on her own. As she closed the door, she thought she heard the crunch of a shoe around the corner.
After Caspian heard the sound of Dylan's door closing, he slumped against the corridor wall. He held the magnificent necklace in his trembling hands, and looked at it with a distraught expression.
He made Victor go to several different jewellers to find a jewel that resembled her honey-coloured eyes. Caspian planned to ask her to the ball with it, but his effort was futile. She didn't even want a partner.
***
After midterms, the time for the ball had finally come. Dylan glanced up at herself in the mirror, staring intently at her reflection. She had a hard time falling asleep last night and on the next day got up feeling completely drained of energy.
"Milady looks beautiful," said Jessie, admiring her work.
Dylan's hair which she wore partly loose on her shoulders, and partly braided on her forehead was interwoven with beautiful white roses. The strands loose at her shoulders fell in perfectly tamed curls, shining gold.
The light makeup on her face gave Dylan a sense of freshness and elegance. It highlighted her natural beauty while accentuating her best features.
She was a perfect fit in her beautiful white dress. It fell over her slender hips as though it had been designed for her, laying off her shoulders and showing off her neckline. She chose the dress for two reasons—the colour white representing innocence and the neckline exposing her pink scar.
The right side of her lips tugged itself upwards, creating a sinister smirk that contorted her beautiful face in the mirror. Tonight was the night Axil de Beaumon would fall.
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