* * *
Three days had passed. Hwairi was quietly earning a good reputation in the mansion. Using her divine power, she healed the injured. Every time she saw someone in pain, her eyes would well up with tears. It was said that she was starting to attract followers who were moved by her delicate and pitiful appearance. Meanwhile Giselle…
“Ah, that was a good sleep.”
“Lady Giselle, you’ve now slept for over twenty hours.”
“Hmm… Right, I figured it’d be about today.”
“Pardon?”
“No, it’s nothing.” After stretching, she casually tossed off her clothes.
Rudensha was helping Giselle change into a dress when she paused, noticing Giselle slipping rings onto her finger. “What are those, Lady Giselle?”
“Oh,” Giselle said with a smile. “The rings for all ten fingers that the duke gave me.” Her fingers were adorned with silver thread rings, ruby rings, sapphire rings, and more.
Rudensha’s eyes widened, as if she were witnessing the culmination of all their love gathered in one place.
* * *
And so, Giselle finally left the room where she’d been holed up for days. As she strolled along the mansion’s garden path for the first time in ages, she stroked her chin and mused to herself. “The atmosphere is definitely a bit ominous.” Murmuring to herself, she leisurely wandered the path.
In the distance, Hwairi spotted her and hurried over. “Lady Giselle.”
“Hello, Hwairi.”
“Yes.” Hwairi glanced around, then gave her a bright smile. “Lady Giselle, why haven’t you come out of your room all this time? I missed you.”
“I didn’t miss you.”
“You don’t like me, do you? That’s why you didn’t eat the ginger pie, right?”
“Hmm, not really. Hwairi, do you hate parasites that only live in some part of the southern continent?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s not a matter of liking or hating. I just don’t care about you.”
Just as Giselle lightly provoked her and tried to pass by, an unfamiliar hand grabbed Giselle’s arm.
“Please don’t go, Lady Giselle.”
The grip was so strong that Giselle flinched. But Giselle shook off the hand with force. It came off more easily than expected.
Hwairi whispered in a low voice. “You’ll regret ever insulting me, you half-baked duchess.”
Giselle stopped and turned to look at her. The corners of Hwairi’s eyes instantly turned red.
“Sniff, sob.”
Tears welled up and fell from Hwairi’s eyes. Only then did Giselle take in the atmosphere around them. In the distance, Garno, Neslan, and Yuliana were walking over.
“Oh my, would you look at that. Impressive.”
“Hic… what are you saying?” Hwairi’s shoulders trembled delicately, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
Giselle gave her a crooked smile. “I was just wondering if you’d calculated when they’d be out here for a stroll.”
Normally, Giselle takes her walks around the mansion at ten in the morning. Garno, Neslan, and Yuliana would usually take their walks around 10:20 in the morning, so she made sure not to overlap with them. There wasn’t any particular reason for that. Giselle just didn’t want to match her schedule with theirs.
“As if. Why are you twisting things like that?”
“Your acting skills need work.”
Finally, just as Hwairi had planned, Yuliana, Neslan, and Garno appeared.
“D-Do you hate me that much?”
“Huh?”
“I’m sorry, I won’t covet Lady Giselle’s man anymore…”
“What is this, some trashy soap opera script? It’s so childish and tacky. Who came up with this?”
Even with Giselle’s biting sarcasm, Hwairi stood her ground. She rubbed her reddened eyes furiously.
“So I’m supposed to play along, right?”
Play along my ass. Hwairi scoffed inwardly. Garno had already seen her crying, and so had Neslan and Yuliana. In just a few seconds, they’d be close enough to witness everything. It didn’t matter what excuse Giselle came up with. Whether the rumor spread that she bullied Hwairi or that they fought, it was all fine. The important thing is that people think she bullied me. She’d be the victim, and Giselle the villainess.
But Giselle chose a response Hwairi never saw coming.
Slap!
“W-What the!”
Giselle slapped her across the face. And she did it with a hand covered in rings! Blood instantly filled Hwairi’s mouth.
“That’s for daring to put something like ginger pie on my table.”
“W-What is this…!” Hwairi’s eyes flew open. She’d expected Giselle to make excuses or play along with her act, not to slap her across the face.
“You’re not fighting back.” Giselle raised her hand again. Slap! This time, the slap was even harder, leaving Hwairi’s cheek swollen.
Wait, if I act, i-isn’t the o-other pe-person supposed to act too? Is she really just going to keep slapping me like this?
But Giselle’s lips curled into a cold smile. She stared straight at Hwairi and tilted her head. “These rings? It’s from the duke you’re so obsessed with. How does it feel to get slapped with them?”
At that moment, Hwairi thought of the words she had heard before.
“Don’t touch the young madam carelessly.”
“There’s a reason she’s the one who rules this mansion.”
“We never, ever do anything to upset her.”
She finally understood what those words meant!
With both cheeks swollen, Hwairi glared at Giselle. But Giselle just shrugged.
“What are you looking at?”
“…Y-You. I-I mean, why are you so vicious?”
“Mmm, I’m the worst person in the world, and Hwairi is just the sweetest little angel.” Giselle leaned in close, her voice dropping to a low whisper by Hwairi’s ear, as if she could see right through her. “I know you want to make yourself look like a ‘good person’ by making me out to be the villainess…”
“…”
“Do I look like someone who cares about getting a bad reputation?” Giselle smiled like the devil incarnate. She looked so delicate and frail, but the chill that ran down Hwairi’s spine was enough to make her skin crawl.
It was at that moment that Garno, Neslan, and Yuliana hurried over.
“W-What is this?”
“Oh dear, Hwairi! Sweetheart!”
The once-peaceful path had descended into utter chaos.
Garno, embracing Hwairi as if to comfort her, rebuked Giselle. “How dare you hit Hwairi? Your wickedness knows no bounds!”
“Yup~! Giselle’s always been very~ wicked!”
“Ha, then shall I discipline you as well?”
But Giselle just beamed and waved her hand cheerfully. “Nope~”
“…Tch.”
“The duke abso~lutely hates seeing Giselle get scolded!”
While Garno and Giselle bickered, Hwairi, Yuliana, and Neslan could only stare at them in a daze. They simply couldn’t keep up. It was beyond their understanding.
Watching Garno rub the back of his neck again, Neslan muttered to himself without realizing it. “Our daughter-in-law is so strong.”
“I’m actually worried. Just how badly must she want to slap her? To wait on the path just to hit her like this… she must be really angry. I feel sorry that, as her mother-in-law, I failed to recognize that.”
Hearing his wife’s words, Neslan thought she had a point. His face turned pale. “Honestly, for Giselle, this is such a mild response. That’s what worries me…” He’d been through all sorts of battles, whether on land, sea, or even in the air. But he was surprised by mere slaps.
It was while Garno and Giselle continued their heated argument. Yuliana stepped a little closer, glancing at Hwairi with a hint of reproach. “What’s wrong with you? You just let yourself get slapped without fighting back? Honestly, you’re so weak.”
“Hic, hic…”
Even while he was confronting Giselle, Garno’s ears were open. He quickly moved to shield Hwairi. “Don’t say such a thing to Hwairi.”
“Father-in-law…” Yuliana smiled gracefully as she spoke. “I’m holding back, too, you know.”
“…What?”
“Just be grateful I haven’t thrown her out already. From now on, make sure she never appears before me, my husband, or Giselle again.”
“Ma-Madam Yuliana!”
“Honestly, it’s just that she has no manners.” It was a starkly different remark from Yuliana, who had once told Giselle that having no manners was a good thing.
Now, having been slapped and insulted, Hwairi felt doubly wronged and burst into tears.
Seeing this, Garno’s face twisted in anger as he strode over and spoke to the servant at his side. “This is infuriating. I can’t let this go.”
“Lo-Lord Garno?”
“The duke is away at the council meeting, isn’t he?”
“Yes, but…”
“Drive her out before he returns.”
“Pardon?”
“Go up to the second floor right now. This is an order from the former head of the family. Throw out all of that wretch’s belongings.”
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