A World Where You All Are The Villains - Chapter 28.1
The Duke had given me a present.
I was stunned. Truly shocked.
Blinking blankly, I looked down into the box again.
“…Blue diamond.”
“As expected of our lady! You recognized it at once!”
The butler beamed proudly, as if my instant recognition brought him great joy.
But honestly, as an ordinary person, it’s not like I’d seen a lot of expensive gems in my life.
— Sol-ah, look at this. They say an incredibly special diamond was found inside the Gate this time.
— Look at the color. Doesn’t it look just like the sea itself?
One of my few good childhood memories.
The gemstone my mother showed me in a newspaper before she died was a blue diamond.
A gemstone only found inside Gates, it was exceedingly rare and valuable even in the modern world.
It was also one of the very few things my depressed mother ever said she wanted.
But even my father, who was the Supreme Commander, never managed to get one for her.
‘Wasn’t the final auction price something like seventy billion won…?’
After I became an adult and saved up a bit, I remembered it one day and looked it up.
And the number of zeros made me click off my computer, tongue-tied.
“This blue diamond set, you see, is a treasure of the ancient Carlan Imperial Family. They say the auction price was about the same as four townhouses in the capital!”
The butler, now thoroughly excited, continued his explanation.
I didn’t know the exact value of currency in this world, but I could tell it was incredible and fantastically expensive.
But…
“…Why is he giving this to me?”
I couldn’t figure out why the Duke was giving this to me.
‘It’s not like he’s trying to foster family harmony now, after all this time.’
He didn’t even need to bother. Edith’s jewelry box was already overflowing, just from what her maternal grandmother and mother had passed down.
While I stood there baffled, the butler answered confidently,
“Why, isn’t it obvious…? It must be to commemorate your first banquet appearance since your recovery!”
“Mm…”
Bullshit.
After thinking for a bit, I came up with a more plausible reason.
‘Ah, that’s it.’
He must have felt guilty for using his ability on me a few days ago.
No matter how much I’d lost my memory, what kind of father can’t even recognize his own daughter?
And since it was a situation that could have been dangerous, he must have felt embarrassed and had his pride hurt.
“Well, whatever the reason, since he gave it to me, I’ll accept it gratefully.”
After all, you can never have too many expensive assets saved up for the future.
“I’ll wear it tonight, so get it ready.”
“Yes, Milady!”
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After a process too long to even describe, I was finally ready to leave for the banquet.
By the time I put on the final dress, the sun was already setting.
‘Is this even reasonable?’
Waking up before dawn just to prepare for an evening banquet… never again.
As Nancy fastened my necklace, she spoke up.
“Maybe because you lost your memory, but your taste in dresses has changed a lot, Milady.”
“What was my taste like before?”
“You used to prefer something a bit more extravagant, with lots of frills and lace.”
You could tell just by the kinds of dresses that filled the wardrobe.
‘Well, a villainess always has to be flashy.’
But I dug and dug through the closet to choose the plainest ivory evening gown I could find.
It had a slit up one leg for easier movement, and with Edith’s sharp, feline features, a dress that showed off her figure suited her better anyway.
But I waved it off lightly.
“With accessories this flashy, if the dress is too showy, I’ll look like a clown.”
“A-A clown? Milady, you look beautiful in anything! Even when you wore a maid’s uniform last time, you looked… Well, you looked just like an angel!”
“You really… Maybe you should get your eyes checked by Eston when you have time…”
As I absently responded to Nancy’s flattery, a sudden, ominous thought flashed through my mind.
‘Come to think of it… There’s no guarantee things will follow the novel exactly.’
In fact, so far, nothing had gone according to the original plot.
‘What if the female lead doesn’t show up at the palace tonight after all?’
Then I’d only be pouring fuel on Male Lead #4’s suspicions for nothing!
Paling at the thought, I turned urgently to Nancy.
“Nancy, we still have a bit of time, right?”
“Yes. If you’re hungry, should I bring you something to eat?”
“That’s not it. Go and fetch Eston for me.”
The more thorough the preparations, the better.
As I waited for Eston, I started racking my brain for any possible contingencies.
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