TL: Zimmings
I looked at the chairman and continued.
âInstead of going to the mercenary guild, letâs look around the shopping district. Also, please call Lane.â
âWhat should I tell him?â
âTry to influence the nobles. So that we can receive disrespect rather than disregard if possible.â
As I laughed, the chairman frowned.
âWhat are you thinking of? Alright, I will do it.â
âYes, please.â
I replied as I looked around Lululala street.
***
In less than a day, the high society was buzzing. It was because of the rumors spread by Lane, my ball-jointed doll who had received my orders.
âIt was about me not being the child of fate. My date of birth is not accurate. She cuts off contact with the temple under the pretext of being a Dubblede. Because when the temple re-evaluates the child, she must give up all rights she enjoys as a child of fate.â
In addition,
âLane had proof that Iâm not the child of fate!â
Along with my failure to heal Marquis Shuheil, that possibility will be ingrained deep in everyoneâs mind.
As always, rumours can be powerful and will spiral towards other aspects.
Why did the child treat Cecilia Olga so nicely? Maybe that child is Cecilia Olgaâs daughter.
Itâs also strange that the Duke of Dubblede adopted the child of fate sent from the temple.
Ah, thatâs right.
Leblaine must be the illegitimate child of the Duke of Dubblede and Cecilia Olga.
No, I heard from my nephewâs friend brother-in-lawâs cousin that the duke is also being deceived.
Cecilia Olga lied to him, she wasnât the dukeâs child.
Oh my God, thatâs terrible.
Rumors spread from high society to the commoners. Those in a hurry to camp in front of the temple and demanded an explanation.
Things started to escalate.
And a person from the Vatican came to Dubbledeâs mansion.
It was Cardinal Reginald.
He got to the point after he greeted my dad.
âDo you know how much damage the temple is suffering from your hasty actions?â
âIs it hasty?â
Reginaldâs mouth twisted when he was asked back.
âItâs an untested medicine. Even now, the situation is escalating out of control, but if Marquis Shuheil is called by God, how big a storm would that be?â
Johann, who meet the cardinal with me, said, holding a teacup.
âSo?â
ââ¦â¦Pardon?â
âDonât beat around the bushes. Say it.â
âStarting today, I will take care of the childâs education and protection at the temple.â
âThatâs impossible.â
Johannâs cold gaze and the cardinalâs arrogant gaze clashed in the air.
âDubblede is responsible for that unruly behavior.â
âThose in Godâs arms, look out for the weak. Isnât that the doctrine of the temple? As the child of fate, my younger sister only followed the word of God.â
âThatâs only when she has the ability.â
Isaacâs body shook in rage.
âNo, no!â
I quickly blinked, and Henry grabbed Isaacâs wrist.
I pretended to be stunned.
âI healed Marquis Shuheil. He hasnât woken up yet, butâ¦â
âChild, itâs not that I donât understand your desire to be with your family. But do you have to lie?â
Thatâs right. As I thought he wouldnât believe it.
The cardinal continued.
âIf you reject the Vaticanâs decision, we have no other choice than to put every blame on you.â
ââ¦â¦.â
âIf that happens, imagine how difficult it will be for your loved ones. This servant of God is looking forward to your growth.â
My dad said, âStop.â and looked at the cardinal.
âDonât intimidate the child.â
âPlease make the right decision.â
The cardinal, who bowed his head in front of my dad, smiled slyly.
I pretended to be terrified and hid behind my dadâs back.
The cardinalâs visit to the mansion further inflamed the rumors.
It was something about me causing another trouble that the cardinal had no choice but to visit me.
The situation worsened.
That was probably what Cardinal Reginald was aiming for.
Pressing Dubblede to make them have no choice but to give me in the end.
***
The next day, I went to a party out of necessity.
My godmother Camilla, who came to the party with me, said with a worried expression.
âItâs not a good situation now. How about going back to the mansion today?â
âIf I hide, it really seems like I sinned. Ceciliaâs charity party invitations are being rejected over and over again because of my rumours, so I need to get rid of them at this point.â
As I clenched my fists lightly, my godmother sighed softly.
âYou are too brave sometimes, Iâm worried. â¦â¦Then letâs go inside.â
I took my godmotherâs hand and entered the party hall.
Todayâs party was hosted by one of the socialites, the Countess Wiltro.
The party where I met the Duchess of Vallua and her son Niep for the first time in this life was also on her 10th wedding anniversary.
Mrs. Wiltro came to me in amazement when she saw me with my godmother.
âOh my God, I didnât know Ms. Dubblede would come.â
My godmother grabbed my hand and looked around the party hall that was starting to buzz.
âIf a godmother has an invitation letter, there is no need to announce the presence of her foster daughter (another name for a child educated by a lady).â
âOh, of course. I also have several foster daughters.â
Mrs. Wiltro smiled kindly at me and beckoned Isabella Hadero here.
âIsabella. Let the young girl know where the lychee juice is.â
âYes, godmother.â
Mrs. Wiltroâs foster daughter, Ms. Hadero, quickly approached me.
As I followed her, Mrs. Wiltro whispered my godmother.
âWhy did you bring Ms. Dubblede?â
âWhy? Is there something wrong?â
âIâm indebted to you. How could I think ill of the child. But Iâm worried about the rumours that circulate-â
Ms. Hadero, who heard them with me, laughed awkwardly.
âLady, thatâ¦â¦ not everyone believes rumors.â
âWhere is the lychee juice? I love lychee juice!â
Ms. Hadero, noticing that I was deliberately changing the topic raised her eyebrows.
âItâs over there.â
I walked to the table, alongside Ms. Hadero.
The juices prepared by Countess Wiltro, who had the largest fruit farm in the Empire, were both sweet and delicious.
While sipping the lychee juice, I grabbed the glass with a smirk.
A voice started to reach my mind.
âMy body has fully recovered. Storas must be back.â
It was late by a day or two because I had a lot to worry about the rumours, so my body didnât recover as well as I expected.
âLetâs clear my thoughts now.â
I closed my eyes tightly and thought.
If I suceed, it difficult for Storas to read my thoughts.
âI have no thoughts. Iâm stupid now. Donât think-â
âLady Hadero!â
A familiar voice came from behind her.
A group of girls and boys were watching me and Ms. Hadero.
The orange curly-haired girl in the group beckoned to Ms. Hadero.
âWhat are you doing?â
âPardon?â
The girl quickly grabbed Ms. Hadero by the arm and pulled her towards the crowd.
âDidnât you hear the instructions?â
âB, but thatâs just a rumour. I donât like that-â
Then Blake Arabelle, who had her arms crossed in the center, opened her mouth.
âMs.Hadero is kind. However, it is necessary to distinguish between kindness and ignorance. Even though the engagement was broken, you are still the ex-fiancee of young master Shuheil right? Remember how much that family has helped you.â
âThatâsâ¦â
âWeâve seen their kindness since young, thatâs why Iâm taking their side.â
Then the others joined in with Blake.
âDonât be swayed by your feelings.â
âFeelings?â
âI know how deep your love is to one of Dubbledeâs young master.â
âAh, I heard about it too. You mean about that Ms. Hadero stalking Henry?â
Pft.
As the laughter erupted, Ms. Haderoâs face turned pale.
âI-itâs not stalking! I, Iâ¦â¦.â
Blake smiled kindly and grabbed her shoulder.
âDonât misunderstand. There are rumours like that, so donât act rashly. This is an advice.â
âThen⦠b, but, Iâ¦!â
I clasped Blakeâs wrist on Ms. Haderoâs shoulder.
Blake quickly looked at me and clasped her other hand in mine.
Slap!
With a sound, the back of her hand became hot, and every eye was focused on me.
Blake frowned, stroking the wrist that was holding me.
âHavenât you been taught that touching others without permission is disrespectful?â
âI do know. However, I thought we disregarded that rule, because you touched Ms. Haderoâs body without permission first.â
Then she bit her lips.
âMs. Hadero and I have known each other since we were born.â
âThen you can touch her body without permission? If so, can the coachman, the butler, and the slaves illegally bought by Count Arabel from abroad touch you?â
âWhatâ¦! Stop saying such a vulgar thing!â
âIs it more vulgar to grab someone or to make a rumor and shun people?â
Blake burst out laughing when I asked with my eyes wide open.
âDid you think weâre bullying youâ¦â¦ Iâm stunned.â
I glanced at the clock on the wall for a moment.
â7:54.â
As time passed, I looked at Blake.
âThen why are you guys ignoring me?â
It was shameful for me to speak out about my situation here. Blakeâs crowd couldnât hide their sneer.
Blake shrugged and looked back at her group.
âDid we?â
âYes. You do that just now.â
âLady, I will teach you as the leader. It seems that the lady doesnât know the situation well. There are very vulgar rumors about you. Itâs about you not being the child of fate.â
âSo?â
I shook my head and looked at Blake.
âIf youâre not a child of fate, that means youâre just a commoner. Can nobles be friends with commoners?â
âOh my, youâre pitiful.â
It was an act of mockery.
I said casually.
âSo, do you know why?â
âItâs because youâre a commoner. Lady, donât be so upset-â
âNo. You just have no other way to attack me.â
â⦠What?â
âIâm a Dubblede, child of fate and had the honorable title. You mustâve taken this chance to attack me.â
â⦠Youâre very confident.â
âThen tell me. What makes you better than me?â
Blake frowned as I blinked innocently.
âI donât want to make such a low quality comparison!â
âWhen Iâm not there, thatâs all you talk about right? Me being a commoner? Couldnât you say anything else?â
Everyone was bewildered.
Blakeâs face turned red.
The gaze I give to her was as if I had the upper hand.
When we panic, emotions take precedence over reason.
âIâ¦!â
âSee, you have nothing else to say.â
And I pushed her over the edge with an attack.
âI understand it too. If lady had divine power, do you think you can be a child of fate? Do you also think you can receive the honorable title? If you didnât have your title, youâre just a useless child. Actually, youâre scared of me, right?â
Then someone from afar scoffed.
Blake blushed and was about to run away.
Blake was never known as a good person. It was a well-known fact.
I grabbed her wrist and whispered.
âYouâre the one who attacked me first. Everyone here is a witness, right?â
ââ¦â¦ What?â
Slap!
Blake staggered backwards as she grabbed her cheeks.
âYo-you hit me? How dare a commoner hit a noble!â
âBut Iâm not a commoner currently right?â
âYou are a commoner! Youâre not the child of fate! You killed Marquis Shuheil! A killer! You will return to being a commoner!â
At that moment, the clock struck 8 and ring a bell.
Just in time, someone came to the door.
âMarquis Shuheil has awakened!â
ââ¦â¦ What?â
Blake opened her eyes and looked at the man.
The man continued,
âHis legs have fully recovered. The child of fate succeeded in healing! Itâs an unprecedented ability-!â
Then, the faces of the crowd mocking me, including Blake, turned pale.
âDid you succeed in healing? Then youâre really the child of fate?â
âBut I have proof from Sir Lane that sheâs not the child of fateâ¦!â
âBlake, how did this happen!â
I give out my one last blow.
Dubbledeâs excecutive including the chairman come inside the room.
Thwy pushed a piece of paper to Count Arabel, who was rushing towards Blake.
Nos, the head of the administrator, said in a low voice.
âBlake Arabel has spread malicious rumors about Lady Dubblede, and weâre making a formal complaint to the Imperial Palace.â
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