Tadadat!
Vivian ran into her room as if fleeing. Her heart pounded and her breath grew heavy.
Suddenly, Navia felt like a terrible monster that had come to ruin her.
Impossible!
Vivian couldn't believe this absurd situation and just stomped her feet, yelling at the maids in a sharp voice.
"Get out!"
"Oh, Miss...?"
"Everyone out! Now!"
As this commotion unfolded in Vivian's bedroom, Charlotte looked at the spot where she had run away with dumbfounded eyes.
'I knew Vivian's maids were negligent, but to act so recklessly in front of others...'
Charlotte sighed internally and looked away, frowning.
The employees were glancing back and forth between the spot where Vivian had left and Navia.
'So much for a boutique that only deals with aristocrats, their staff management is a mess.'
Charlotte glanced at Navia.
'But should I just leave it like this?'
Navia, feeling everyone's gaze, briefly stared at the spot where Vivian had left.
She tilted her head in confusion.
"Huh? Is something wrong?"
As Navia tilted her head, her silver hair cascaded down.
With her repeated reincarnations, Navia had an aura that others couldn't possess.
It was dreamy and mystical, like being shrouded in fog.
As this mysterious aura emanated, the Ansier staff whispered in awe.
Charlotte coughed softly and then reprimanded coldly.
"What kind of disgrace are you showing in front of the lady? You wouldn't dare be rude, would you?"
"Oh, no. We're sorry."
They quickly organized the boxes on the big table.
The employees lined up and bowed respectfully.
"We'll leave now, Lady."
After the employees left, Charlotte asked.
"Are you sure it's okay to leave Miss Vivian like this? There might be unpleasant talk."
'They'll say a mere daughter of a lowly noble received too much.'
This would hurt Vivian's feelings, turning Navia into a wicked step-sister.
It wouldn't have been a problem if Nikan had prepared something for Vivian too from the start.
Navia calmly said.
"It's fine. That's why I told you to keep the Ansier story secret."
At her words, Charlotte's eyes sparkled.
What was Navia planning this time?
Her heart started pounding with a strange anticipation.
Navia quietly looked at the boxes, lost in thought.
'My stepfather is arrogant.'
He believes everything is in his hands and fully controllable.
It was Nikan's deep-rooted thinking and source of confidence.
So, it had to be left alone.
'That way, the dissatisfaction of Wood, Vivian, and even the servants will grow rapidly. They'll start doubting the leader's judgment.'
Nikan was convinced that adopting Navia as his foster daughter was the right decision.
This would only lead to greater friction and cracks in the community.
"One, two..."
Charlotte counted the boxes.
Vivian usually received over thirty gift boxes.
'It's fifteen boxes, but...'
Still, gifts from the Ansier boutique were almost exclusive to the aristocracy.
Receiving such gifts meant Navia was being treated properly as a noblewoman.
"Please open them, Miss."
Charlotte said with an excited expression.
Navia knew better than anyone that the gifts casually thrown by Nikan had no impact on his wealth.
Such showy gifts.
'He thinks I'll be happy and cry with just any expensive thing he throws at me.'
Navia emotionlessly opened the boxes one by one.
A velvet dress with lavish ribbons, a cloak densely embroidered with delicate stitches, cute winter boots.
Indeed, the products from Ansier boutique showcased exquisite craftsmanship with their elegant and adorable designs.
"Look at this, Miss. All the items are top-notch!"
Charlotte happily presented the new clothes to Navia but closed her mouth slightly in surprise.
Navia chuckled as she looked at herself in the large mirror.
"It's as if I'm stealing Vivian's things."
All the items Nikan had gifted were perfect for Vivian. They were colorful and cute, matching her pink hair and green eyes. For Navia, they seemed childish and excessive.
She looked like someone who blindly imitated noble ladies, relying solely on her split-face appearance, lacking discernment, and appearing foolish with a humble background.
Charlotte, with a perplexed expression, swept the items back into the box. Among them was a hairpin, undoubtedly a bonus thrown in as Lyndon had mentioned, made of iron with a single pearl attached.
"I guess this hairpin will look the best."
Suppressing her disappointment, Charlotte decided to leave the hairpin for Navia instead of taking it herself.
She intentionally spoke in a cheerful tone, "By the way, Miss. There's orange marmalade in the kitchen today. Would you like to try it with scones? I'll quietly bring it so that there won't be a repeat of yesterday's incident."
Navia nodded, feeling Charlotte's effort to improve her mood.
Charlotte, hoping to improve Navia's mood, hurried to the kitchen. It took some time to warm up the scones.
With Charlotte gone, Navia gazed at the boxes in front of her, deep in thought.
Only two days remained until her escape from Agnes.
Navia had a reason for choosing five days later as the day of reckoning when she made the contract with Edward.
It was because of the Empress's invitation.
Nikan would have to respond to that invitation, to change the prince’s fiancée once Vivian's illness was cured.
Once Nikan left the house, Navia planned to escape to Eseled with Wood dragging her out of the mansion.
Navia thought about the head of the Eseled duke's house.
Duke Lark Eseled was a very peculiar person in many ways.
He was a mysterious figure, having never left his mansion.
He even ignored the Emperor's summons.
There was a lot of gossip surrounding him.
He was a talented magician but ugly, so he didn't go out, or no, he was incredibly handsome but suffered from madness, or in fact, he wasn't human but a monster.
"Hmm."
'What's the reason for not showing himself? The rumor that he's ill seems the most plausible.'
The Eseled duke's house had fallen into decline to the point of being nicknamed a garbage dump, yet no one dared to tamper with it rashly.
It was because the current duke had turned the mansion into pitch-black darkness with magic when he was only eight years old.
There was a lot of talk outside about such showy behavior.
The dominant opinion was that the duke was showing off his power to pressurize the surroundings.
But that rumor quickly faded.
He was a great magician but did not come out. He didn't even have a fiancée, let alone get married.
'Then, at the 8th round, something unusual happened.'
The 8th round when Navia first survived until twenty-two.
Prince Creed, the second prince born to Empress Estel who died after taking poison, appeared out of nowhere with the Eseled duke's house as his backdrop.
At that time, Prince Creed's appearance was quite shocking.
Not only did he resemble Empress Estel with his black hair and incredible good looks, but he was also able to use various magics despite not being a copycat magician.
'No, maybe it's because of his appearance?'
Navia had nothing to do with him, who made the hearts of young ladies of marriageable age flutter.
Ah, there was one time.
'Was it at the royal ball?'
When Navia's engagement with Prince Ares was broken and the humiliating rumor that she was 'an inappropriate body unable to have an heir' spread in society.
At that time, many opportunists took advantage of Navia's miserable situation.
Her dress was stained with drinks and she fell over badly because of those who rudely persisted that day.
Even when she fled to a terrace where no one's gaze reached, there were those who followed her.
"Get lost."
His indifferent blue eyes. His cold expression that was hard to read. His overwhelming presence.
That was when Navia saw Creed up close for the first time.
Creed looked at Navia with an indifferent gaze that had driven away the ruffians.
"Are you Lady Navia Agnes?"
"…Your Highness Prince Creed."
"That's enough. I am under the care of the Eseled duke's house, not a prince."
He seemed as unsociable as the rumors said, not speaking more to Navia and was about to leave.
But then….
"Please take this coat."
He indifferently took off his jacket and left the terrace.
Navia couldn't wear that coat.
She didn't know what scandal would attach to it. But she took it anyway, separate from that.
…It was the first act of kindness she had ever received.
'Anyway, Prince Creed said he had entered Eseled before he was eight.'
Creed was a year younger than her. So, he must have gone to the Eseled duke's house within a year.
Navia remembered what the Empress had said angrily.
"I should have placed my man as Eseled's heir early on. The monster who is difficult to kill has taken refuge in Eseled...!"
'Even when Prince Creed appeared, the Duke of Eseled still did not show himself.'
She didn't know exactly when Prince Creed appeared in the Eseled duke's house, but when the time came, she planned to hand over the position she had taken to the original owner.
'And then I'll leave.'
A child of a noble family can become independent through marriage. So, Navia was determined to find a marriage partner in her favor and become completely independent.
Until then, she had to survive.
Step, step, step, step!
Urgent footsteps were heard outside. Navia opened the door slightly.
“Bring the Master! Lady Vivian has fainted!”
Navia, who heard a loud cry, closed the door again.
Vivian’s collapse was probably due to Navia receiving gifts.
It was a good situation for Philippa and others who didn’t want Navia to bite. But she wasn’t nervous at all.
‘A crisis can be turned into an opportunity.’
Navia picked up a box.
Click.
The door opened.
