‘I’m the one who got dumped.’
Those were the words of the first prince.
Dorothea’s company was stunned, the eavesdroppers were stunned, and so was Elodie.
“Farewell, ladies.”
Adenmir’s firm voice passed by the bewildered girls with their lips trembling as if they couldn’t believe it.
Elodie stared at the handsome silver back of his head as she followed him to the balcony. She had a reasonable suspicion.
“This man, is he really addicted this time?
[It seems so.]
Even Greed agreed.
***
“…….”
In the banquet hall from which the two had disappeared, only the calm sound of the orchestra’s performance echoed for a while.
No one dared to break the silence.
It wasn’t until some time had passed that a young man who had been observing the situation shouted out loudly.
“What’s going on? Didn’t he say that the Lady of Perdia broke off their marriage?”
In response, his partner tilted her head in confusion.
“Yes, they did. But Lady Perdia rejected the First Prince? What on earth does this mean?”
The news of the breakup between the First Prince and Lady Perdia had already stirred up the social circle as much as their presence did.
After the official announcement from the royal family, various newspapers flooded the scene with breakup-related articles.
But since neither of the parties had spoken up, no one knew the details. It was all just speculation.
Amidst that, the story of “Elodie Perdia being dumped by the First Prince” was treated as an established fact.
Therefore, when the First Prince personally declared, “The brekaup was her doing,” and left with Lady Perdia, it had a tremendous impact.
“They broke up, but how can they be so intimate?”
“Well, even if they broke up, there’s no need for them to blush at each other….”
“Who on earth told you that Miss Elodie was dumped?”
Having had their beliefs refuted before their eyes, they turned to look for the source of the first floodgate.
“You. You told me that Lady Perdia was dumped. Who did you hear it from?”
“Me? I was at the club and heard it. I think Nerwen told me.”
People started questioning each other, looking for the person who had first spread the rumor.
People interrogated each other, trying to find the person who first spread the rumor.
Finally, the questions reached Dorothea.
“Dorothea, didn’t you tell me? You said Elodie was so pitiful-“
Dorothea calmly denied the words.
“No, I didn’t. I heard it from someone else and told you.”
“Who else told you?”
“Well, I can’t quite remember.”
Though they looked at her with suspicious eyes, they couldn’t say anything more. After all, no one wanted to be out of favor with Dorothea, who was directly related to Angellus.
Dorothea tried her best to maintain a kind smile, but it didn’t go as she had hoped.
‘What’s going on? Why did it turn out like this?!’
Imagine her delight when Master Gabe handed her the newspaper with the news of the breakup.
With nothing to show for her but the fact that she was engaged to the First Prince, Elodie had nothing left.
She was nothing more than an illegitimate daughter of Perdia with no power.
So, Dorothea took Gabe’s mysterious concoction to treat her skin, and attended all the tea parties she could to hide her shame.
She even attended parties hosted by the Hanmihan family, which she wouldn’t have bothered with in the past. It was truly a blow to her self-esteem.
There was only one reason she was doing it.
The more Elodie’s reputation is tarnished, the more her own honor as the only female direct descendant of the Four Families will be enhanced!
Dorothea couldn’t give up the glory that was meant for her alone.
So, at every party she attended, she would mention Elodie’s broken engagement with feigned sympathy.
‘It’s so unfortunate…’
As Dorothea spoke, other ladies eagerly jumped in.
‘She was dumped? I knew it. What man would like such a lady?’
‘That’s right. Elodie has nothing to boast about except her appearance.’
‘Yeah, yeah. Acting so high and mighty without having any power like Dorothea.’
With just one comment to instigate it, the noble ladies added more and more rumors and gleefully discussed the matter.
It was ridiculous that they had chewed so gleefully on the misfortunes of others, and now they were accusing her of being the cause.
As Dorothea clenched her teeth and observed their reactions, the surrounding young ladies gradually dispersed, cautiously avoiding her gaze.
Soon there was no one left around Dorothea. And she stood alone, eavesdropping on other people’s conversations, just like Elodie used to do.
“By the way, where do you think Elodie got the dress she’s wearing today?”
“I’ve never seen that accessory set before…”
“Isn’t that the ultra-expensive accessory set that came out last month?”
“Wow, Perdia is Perdia after all!”
The intervention of the Crown Prince Adenmir had a tremendous impact.
With just one word, Elodie had gone from being a brokenhearted damsel in distress to being the one who had dumped the First Prince.
‘This time it was I who was supposed to be the protagonist, and yet again, it’s that damned Elodie Perdia?’
While Dorothea directed her arrows of anger towards Elodie, Felix, the organizer of today’s fashion show and reception, also observed the situation with great interest.
Since this reception included invitations to the royal family and most of the nobility, there were many attendees.
So, what happened today would spread throughout the capital city of Somnia in less than a day.
‘You’re attracting attention everywhere you go, Lady Perdia.’
It turned out he was not wrong about recognizing people.
When he returned to his homeland after a long stay abroad, he heard rumors surrounding Elodie.
Elodie Perdia was the established troublemaker of the social circle.
However, Felix simply laughed it off. He believed that you shouldn’t judge a person until you’ve actually met them.
In reality, Elodie Perdia was more than he could have imagined.
She was outspoken, but she knew how to hide her true feelings and didn’t reveal the most important parts of herself.
Her actions were also remarkably bold.
The first time he saw her was when she unexpectedly appeared at the Temple of Ishtar, and the second time was when he saw her disguised as the wizard Elby in the drawing room of the Magic Tower.
‘Well, she truly is an intriguing lady.’
Felix chuckled at the memory of Elodie, who had long since disappeared, and suddenly locked eyes with Dorothea.
‘Oh, my lady, be merciful. If you touch her, you’ll bleed.’
Felix quickly averted his gaze and took his place in front of the guests as the host of the event.
Regardless of the circumstances, he had the obligation to suppress the surging atmosphere.
“Everyone, thank you for attending today’s demonstration. As I informed you in the invitation, the magic tools will be sold in limited quantities.”
Limited sale!
The nobles’ eyes flashed combatively at those words.
“I must buy it. If I don’t buy it, my wife will beat me to death!”
“I can’t be the only one, right? I’m in the same situation.”
The topic of their conversation, which just moments before had been excitedly chattering about the prince’s broken engagement, quickly changed.
The subject was Elby’s next release, a communications tool from the rookie wizard who had developed the temperature-keeping tool.
It was a revolutionary innovation that would free the world of the old ways of communicating, which relied on letters, postmen, and telegraphs.
Although the communication range was currently limited to the capital, it was valuable enough with just that.
‘If it’s limited or special, everyone will scramble to buy it, right? The more expensive, the better!’
‘Isn’t it too expensive?’
‘On the contrary, that’s even better.’
‘………’
Elodie had been right.
Felix, who had his doubts, admitted that his judgment was wrong.
Despite the ridiculous price tag, the nobles’ eyes lit up at the prospect of getting their hands on one of the communication tools. The idea of getting their hands on something so elusive and expensive had really stoked their vanity.
Observing the nobles who were eagerly demanding the start of the sale, Felix smiled awkwardly.
Then he began his prepared speech.
“The quantity is limited, but since everyone wants it this badly, there’s nothing I can do. We will distribute papers, and you can write down the amount you are willing to pay. We will sell them in order, starting with the highest bidder.”
This was also a selling method devised by Elodie.
A contest of wits among the nobles!
If they wrote down too little money, they wouldn’t be able to obtain the magic artifact. So, they would write down the highest amount they could afford.
That was Elodie’s ultimate goal: to rob the rich nobles of their money.
‘I love how evil and wicked she is.’
It’s a shame, really, because she’s a very capable person whom he would love to have at his disposal, if it weren’t for the fact that she was a Perdia.
While Felix savored his newfound pleasure, people began discreetly writing down their amounts, exchanging glances with each other.
“Madam, do you know what? The wizard Elby gave his investors a special communication tool.”
“Didn’t you say there was only one investor for the wizard Elby’s tool?”
“That’s right, it’s an investor named Lili Arcel, but no one knows who she is.”
This was the story of Elby the Wizard’s sole investor and the special tool she had been given.
“How good is this special communication tool? Do you know anything about it?”
“Of course not, I don’t even know who this Lili Arcel is.”
“There’s a rumor that she’s an incredibly wealthy individual.”
“Oh my, I heard she was a foreigner?”
“No, you got it all wrong.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“My husband told me that it’s someone from the temple, actually.”
“Is that so?”
Baseless speculation about Lili Arcel filled the air.
As the only investor who discovered the potential of this groundbreaking magic artifact and invested in it — it was inevitable that people’s attention would be drawn to her.
From start to finish, there was someone listening closely to everything that was going on in the tower.
“They dare to harm my kid?”
It was none other than Isis, Lord of the West Tower, who had been observing the situation in the form of a young child.
He had been gnashing his teeth ever since Dorothea and her flock started biting at Elodie.
It happened then.
As the auction proceeded and a noblewoman who submitted her written amount noticed Isis in the corner.
She couldn’t see Isis’s face because it was covered by a hood, but the petite stature and the innocent exposed hands were unmistakably those of a young child.
With a concerned heart, the noblewoman kindly spoke to the lonely child.
“Little one, what are you doing here? Did you lose your mother?”
“…….”
“I don’t have a mum. She’s dead.”
“… And your dad?”
“Also gone.”
“Eh, really?”
Isis brushed past the dazed noblewoman and strode across the hall of the Magic Tower.
‘Those brats, I’m not going to let them get away with this…….’
No one noticed the terrifying thoughts beneath the cute face.