KFBRV Ch 65

[Noble] "Would you be so kind as to write my name on your dance card, Lady Albrecht?"

Under normal circumstances, Paula would have stepped in immediately to block him. Instead, she looked away, pretending to be distracted by something else. She wanted to see how Odette would react.

She's definitely different lately.

[Odette] "No. I refuse. A mere son of a Baron having the audacity to ask me for a dance? You clearly don't know your place."

But she rejected the young man like a textbook villainess, exactly as the Count had trained her to do.

As the embarrassed noble hurried away, Paula caught a glimpse of Odette's fingertips trembling. It was the same old habit—she would always shake in secret after being forced to act out.

Paula finally snapped out of her suspicion.

What was I even thinking?

It was the same old Odette. She was nothing more than Ferdinand's puppet, a girl who couldn't do a single thing on her own. She was an illiterate fool who didn't even know how to accept a dance request properly.

Could she even leave her room without permission? Does she have any money? A girl who can't do anything...

She found her own thoughts ridiculous. It made sense that Odette hadn't been affected by recent events. The girl didn't have enough of a sense of self to be hurt by anything. She was just an accessory of the Count's estate.

She let out a short laugh.

'Mother hasn't returned even though it's almost nine o'clock. I must be getting anxious to have such useless thoughts.

Nine o'clock was the specific time Gisella had warned her not to miss.

If I'm that worried, I'll just ask Gisella later.

She considered Gisella her benefactor. When she first went to see her for a reading, she had been skeptical. She had even wondered if the woman was a fraud whose only goal was to have her set fire to the laboratory.

However, that fire had actually turned Sasha's luck around.

Because of the fire, the Count and Ferdinand had briefly left the mansion, allowing Sasha to reclaim her authority within the house. Moreover, a timely anonymous letter had arrived, exposing Mrs. Becker's misdeeds.

If one thought about it, Sasha's ability to attend this ball was a direct "butterfly effect" from Paula setting that fire.

Besides, even though it was such a massive fire, the police said they couldn't find a single shred of evidence of arson.

That, too, had happened exactly as Gisella predicted. Therefore, she had no intention of ignoring the time Gisella had given her.

But why isn't Mother back yet? I can't delay this any longer.

She checked the golden clock in the ballroom with growing impatience.

[Gisella] "The benefactor who will turn your fate into that of a true noble isn't your mother—it's a man. He will appear at the Imperial Ball on the first day of the social season. The reading says you will meet him in the garden of the Banquet Palace."

[Paula] "The garden of the Banquet Palace on the day of the ball. I understand. What is the exact time?"

[Gisella] "Since you are under the protection of Libra and Sagittarius... hmm, it will be nine o'clock at night."

[Paula] "Who am I meeting? Give me a name. I need to know exactly who it is."

[Gisella] "The crystal ball doesn't reveal people in such specific detail. However, it appears to be a guest visiting the capital for the first time. Do you happen to have a blue gemstone ring? That is your lucky item, so make sure you have it with you."

Even while giving advice, Gisella had maintained a certain air of detachment. Her observant attitude seemed to say that she didn't care whether Paula believed her or not, as it was all a matter of fate anyway.

That attitude had actually made Paula trust her more, which in turn made her more anxious now.

Nothing seems likely to go wrong today. Do I really need to keep watching her?

Tick, tock, tick, tock.

As the clock hands struck exactly nine, she became desperate. While she was stuck here staring at a stupid doll decorating the wall, she might be missing the moment her destiny changed.

Mother will be back soon anyway. It should be fine to step away for just a moment, right?

However, she couldn't help but feel a lingering sense of unease about leaving Odette alone. Especially today, there seemed to be an unusually large number of young ladies looking at Odette with interest.

[Lady A] "Should we ask who designed that dress?"

[Lady B] "It's dangerous! That's Lady Odette. Don't you know her reputation? If you talk to her, you'll just end up being the target of her tantrums."

[Lady A] "But I'm so curious. I want that dress so badly. I absolutely have to wear something like that to the opera. I need to secure the designer before anyone else—"

Just as the noble lady began to walk toward Odette, Paula took a sharp, deep breath.

Holding her own drink, she intentionally slammed her body into Odette's hand.

Crash!

The glass in Odette's hand shattered against the floor.

[Paula] "Aaaah!"

She screamed and collapsed onto the ground. She immediately began to sob, rubbing her hands together in a desperate plea for mercy.

[Paula] "My Lady, hic, I'm sorry! Please don't be angry!"

She kept her head low. She had to hide the fact that she wasn't actually crying.

[Paula] "I'm so sorry someone like me dared to compliment your dress! I was wrong. Please don't hit me! Uuuuhh."

A maid trembling and begging for her life atop shards of glass in such a public place—it was a shocking sight. Even the orchestra stopped playing in surprise, and a heavy silence instantly filled the surrounding area.

[Lady B] "Look at that. Don't go over there, My Lady."

[Lady A] "Oh my, thank you for stopping me. I almost suffered a terrible humiliation instead of that maid."

The noble ladies who had intended to speak to Odette exchanged hesitant glances and quietly backed away.

There. That should do it. No one will dare come near her now.

The Albrechts had spent three years carefully crafting this infamous reputation.

She looked up at Odette with a triumphant gaze.

Yet, Odette showed no sign of fluster. Her face remained as perfect and still as a doll's.

Always maintain a doll-like expression in unexpected or untrained situations. She was following her instructions perfectly.

See? She's just a mindless doll. I was worrying over nothing.

She lowered her voice so only Odette could hear her.

[Paula] "My Lady, I'm going somewhere for a moment. Stay right here, just like this. Keep decorating the wall quietly. Don't you dare move. Understand?"

[Odette] "......"

[Paula] "If you move even an inch without permission, I'll make sure there isn't a single unbruised spot on your body with my riding crop. Do you hear me?"

Her voice was intoxicated with a sense of victory.

[Odette] "......"

Odette simply stared down at her with that blank, doll-like expression.

[Paula] "And that compliment from Countess Lilienthal? Don't let it go to your head; it's not that big of a deal. To praise such cheap pearls... it seems even the great Countess has terrible taste in jewelry."

[Odette] "Paula."

[Paula] "If I had shown her the ring on my hand, she would have fainted. All the pearls you're wearing combined aren't worth a single one of these stones."

As the guests resumed their chatter and the orchestra slowly began to play again, Paula stood up. She waved the blue diamond on her finger in front of Odette.

The price of every jewel Odette owned couldn't even reach the value of this ring. It was a rare gem, one of only three in the world. It was a gift she had received from Mother on the day of their reunion. It was a ring of astronomical value—flawless, high in carats, and featuring a rare, vivid blue hue.

It was the only blue jewel she owned, so she had brought it along, but she felt it was almost a waste even to show it to someone like Odette.

[Paula] "Stay still. Just like always."

With those final words, she turned on her heel and walked away to meet her destiny.

At the exit of the ballroom, she glanced back at the wall where Odette stood. She was still standing there calmly, exactly as ordered.

She furrowed her brow. She was the winner, yet she felt an odd sense of defeat.

Odette looked exactly as she had before the warning. It was as if her threats hadn't affected her more than a speck of dust.

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Paula ran through the bush-lined paths of the Imperial garden.

The garden is way bigger than I thought! How am I supposed to find someone in a place this wide?

What if she had already missed him? She kept running, looking around anxiously.

Gisella had described the person she would meet as a "guest visiting the capital for the first time." While it sounded vague, it was actually very specific information.

Only a select few members of the nobility were invited to the Imperial Ball on the first day of the season. Most were naturally residents of the capital, so a "first-time" visitor was rare.

She hadn't let that information go to waste. Since Mother had regained her power in the mansion, she had used every connection available to get a list of the male nobles invited to the ball.

There was only one man who fit Gisella's criteria.

It was then. As she rounded a sharp corner in the shrubbery, she collided with a man who suddenly stepped out from the turn.

Thump.

Paula fell flat on the dirt path. In the process, the precious ring she had been holding flew from her hand and landed in the garden.

[Paula] "What the—?!"

[Man] "Oh... My apologies."

Impatient and frustrated, she snapped at the man.

Startled, he hurried to pick up the ring from the dirt and immediately handed it back to her.

[Man] "I was careless. May I help you up?"

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