KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 13
- 14 hours ago
- 5 min read
Although Odette actually lived, Karin had once plunged into deep despair, believing she was dead.
During those miserable times, the existence of Charlotte, who constantly mentioned 'Odette', was an absolute horror to Karin.
Even when she curled up in her room, refusing food and drink and merely lying there, hearing Charlotte's name triggered a visceral reaction.
Karin barely suppressed her burning frustration while waiting for Odette to finish reading the article.
She believed Odette would erupt in even greater fury than herself after reading the entire text.
However.
[Odette] "Hmm......"
She offered only that response. Judging by her gaze, she lacked interest in the article.
[Karin] "Is that your entire reaction?"
[Odette] "I read it well. Thank you for bringing the newspaper."
[Karin] "Good heavens. Odette, how can you be so oblivious?! Doesn't this article infuriate you? My blood is boiling because of her!"
Her voice rose another pitch in disbelief.
[Karin] "Can you forgive this? She sells your name to secure her own position every single time!"
[Odette] "Well. It happens all the time. Don't bother getting angry over every little thing, Karin. Come, step inside. I happen to have some perfectly dried tea leaves. I can brew you a delicious cup of tea."
Karin narrowed her eyes, identifying Odette's attempt to pacify her. Having lacked friends in the past, she always looked forward to their companionable tea times.
She knows I have a weakness for tea time with her, so she always pulls this trick.
But today, she possessed zero intention of falling for that diversion.
[Karin] "Haaah. You know what it means for this girl to officiate the Victory Day ceremony, right? The Temple intends to back her completely. As your replacement."
[Odette] "More than a replacement. If they are entrusting her with Victory Day."
Victory Day. That was the day Rosaline, the first and greatest Purifier recorded in the scriptures, performed a miracle.
On that day, Rosaline's purification restored all the Transcendents in the ward, securing humanity's first-ever victory against a Calamity.
Because the event symbolized Rosaline herself, history held no precedent of entrusting the officiating duties to another Purifier.
When Odette first awakened, Count Albrecht's proposal that Odette officiate Victory Day sent the Pope and High Priests into a rabid frenzy, denouncing it as an absolute insult.
[Karin] "You know that perfectly well, yet you refuse to respond?"
Karin demanded, her frustration palpable.
[Odette] "There are more pressing matters right now. Aren't you curious about the tea leaves I dried myself, Karin? The aroma is incredible."
She simply smiled and gently took Karin's hand.
It was Odette's subconscious habit.
A habit that surfaces when she wants to avoid a topic.
Whenever she wore that specific smile, she would only deflect the conversation, regardless of how furiously Karin reacted.
She will only smile, no matter how much I rage.
Therefore, Karin's only option was to exhale a sigh and drop the subject.
[Karin] "You are excessively oblivious to being wronged."
Her trailing words carried a deep pity for her friend.
To the hostility directed at you, to the damage to your reputation. You refuse to get angry and ignore it every time.
She assumed Odette's attitude stemmed from an overexposure to others' malice.
She never confided in me, but it is an absolute certainty that the Count exploited her from a very young age.
She had absorbed the brutal lesson that resisting hostility proved utterly useless. Or perhaps it was a deeply ingrained helplessness.
Acknowledging that Odette's comfort with malice over kindness was a scar from a brutal childhood made her chest tighten with renewed sorrow.
I should be the one to step up.
She cemented her resolve internally.
Karin was already obstructing Charlotte. She actively wielded the Brentano Duke family's influence to prevent the girl from expanding her foothold in high society.
That alone was insufficient.
Disciplining high society also fell under the duties of the Empire's sole Duke's daughter. She needed to forcefully realign the social climate.
A fleeting look of distress crossed Karin's face. True to her status as a Brentano, she masked the emotion instantly, but Odette naturally recognized her friend's inner turmoil.
Contrary to Karin's assumption, however, Odette was not passively enduring the abuse. She was biding her time for a devastating counterattack.
Charlotte possesses more than a few bizarre anomalies.
The most glaring discrepancy was her rank.
Charlotte, destined to be an S-class like in the previous life, received an A-class rating in this timeline.
One might dismiss it as a mere one-tier difference, but that was completely wrong.
In this world, S-class signified an existence beyond measurement. The rank applied only when a Purifier's purification capacity defied calculation.
Dropping from the immeasurable S-class to the A-class—which merely denoted an excellent purification capacity—meant her purification output had plummeted drastically compared to her past life.
Another anomaly existed.
Following Charlotte's appearance, Calamities ceased manifesting entirely across the continent.
The Calamities that had spawned countless times in her past life, triggering massive catastrophes. Threats that undeniably should have appeared in this life vanished, completely severed from existence.
But I can't discuss the settings of <The Only Savior> or my past life with Karin.
Therefore, she could only laugh it off in front of her.
[Odette] "You are already punishing her sufficiently, Karin. My best friend is openly fighting Charlotte on my behalf, so what reason do I have to be angry?"
Karin offered a light glare. Despite her pretense, the phrase "best friend" clearly softened her stance.
Though spoken to placate her, the words carried Odette's absolute sincerity. Recognizing that truth, Karin dropped her stiff expression and let out a soft laugh.
In this life, Karin worked tirelessly behind the scenes to deny Charlotte any foothold in high society.
She aggressively leveraged her network of high-ranking noblewomen, eliminating any potential chaperones to sabotage Charlotte's grand debutante ball.
She forced Charlotte into a meager debut, squeezing her among the countless debutantes from lower nobility that year.
Social standing originated from one's position during the debutante ball. Karin possessed perfect knowledge that a meager debut guaranteed high society would treat Charlotte accordingly.
Consequently, unlike the game where Charlotte easily seized the "Heroine of High Society" title alongside a lavish debut, the Charlotte of this life wielded zero social influence.
Odette linked arms with Karin. Karin sighed in defeat.
[Karin] "You're cunning. How can I stay mad when you say it like that?"
With those words, Karin finally followed her into the cabin.
Karin remains entirely unaware. She doesn't know how obsessively I observe Charlotte.
Over the past two years, she employed every available resource to investigate Charlotte. Even Karin's casual opinions on the scriptures during their chats provided crucial intelligence.
Now, she was finally piecing together the vague outline of Charlotte's true identity.
And the ultimate goal the girl desperately coveted.
After concluding their brief morning tea time, Karin returned to the villa.
Following the send-off, Odette picked up the yellowish-brown newspaper Karin had left on the wooden table.
She then meticulously reread the article Karin had pointed out earlier.
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