Chapter 116
The evening banquet had continued past 9 p.m.
When Odette returned to her room, Dolly pulled out a pair of red cuffs.
“Master requests that you come to the Foreign Garden immediately.”
“That’s strange. Why did Father speak to you separately? He was at the banquet just a moment ago—he could have called me himself.”
“Well… perhaps he has something urgent to discuss privately?”
Dolly replied nonchalantly.
Odette tilted her head deliberately, amused by how nervous Dolly looked.
“Miss, this isn’t the time for that. Master called urgently, didn’t he? We have less than forty minutes, and it takes quite a while to get to the Foreign Garden from here.”
“You’re right. I’d better get ready quickly.”
Odette secretly smirked as she watched Dolly slip the cuffs back into her apron pocket. Pretending to prepare in a hurry, she entered the toilette room and summoned her inventory.
‘Bring out the parchment I used for tonight.’
Odette had stolen a few sheets of discarded documents from the Count’s cabin aboard the royal tour ship to Athena Island, anticipating a moment when she would need the Count’s handwriting. After receiving a message from Karin, Odette had painstakingly crafted a single letter. She placed parchment over the stolen documents and carefully copied the Count’s handwriting, letter by letter.
*”Vanessa.
I have urgent matters to discuss with you. Please come directly to the Foreign Garden.”*
After dozens of trials and errors, a convincing letter was finally completed. Naturally, she kept the failed drafts hidden in her inventory to leave no evidence.
Odette slipped the letter neatly into her sleeve and left the toilette room.
“Dolly, aren’t you coming?”
“Master specifically instructed me not to follow you. He wants you to go alone, it seems.”
Odette inwardly laughed at Dolly’s reply but nodded.
“Then could you fix the last bit of my outfit? I’m sure he’ll scold me if I look sloppy.”
Dolly, who would normally grumble, quietly focused on adjusting the ribbon around Odette’s waist. Seizing the moment, Odette brushed her hand across Dolly’s apron pocket.
“All done. Have a good trip, Miss.”
Unaware, Dolly willingly let Odette go alone.
‘So, Father’s orders to keep an eye on me are going in one ear and out the other, huh?’
A cute Dolly, easily ignoring her master’s orders when her own desires took over. Thanks to her, Odette had gained her freedom.
Following the stairs down, Odette paused briefly on the first floor, then headed toward Mrs. Becker’s room.
Knocking lightly, she slipped the parchment and ruby cuffs under the door. Hearing Mrs. Becker acknowledge them, Odette quietly turned and made her way to the summer palace lobby.
The main palace lobby opened directly to a beautiful beach.
Odette walked toward the nighttime shore and then started running along the coastline.
‘Activate inventory. Bring out the robe.’
She put on a long robe with a large hood to conceal her face and elegant attire.
Her destination: Athena Island’s “Disaster Shelter.”
‘During the royal visit to Athena Island this year, a disaster occurred at this exact time.’
As she recalled, at exactly nine o’clock, Dong! Dong! Dong! The bell tolled across the beach.
The bell tower’s chimes announced the disaster to the night sea around Athena Island.
The disaster had appeared in a seaside village opposite the summer palace. It would cause numerous injuries.
Thanks to Johan and Zion’s rapid response, no one was sucked into the disaster, but the sheer scale had created many casualties, swept up by accompanying storms.
During evacuation, people fell, collided, and were badly injured. Some who might have survived with prompt medical treatment had no proper care and sadly perished.
[ Current negative reputation you hold:
▶ Malicious villainess (0 people / ▼32)
▶ Selfish purifier (11 people / ▼4)
▶ Arrogant socialite (8 people / ▼18)
▶ Empty-headed noblewoman ]
Odette intended to use this situation to improve her reputation.
There were nineteen guests who held biased views of her. The key negative traits were ‘selfish’ and ‘arrogant.’
By widely publicizing her good deeds today, she planned to create the opposite impression. Naturally, she’d also avoid Dolly’s schemes in the process.
[Disaster Shelter]
‘The wind is incredible. Even this far from the disaster site, it’s hard to open my eyes.’
Despite the distance, the presence of the disaster was palpable, as if it could pull her in at any moment.
Suddenly, the sky turned pitch black. Odette looked up.
‘Good heavens… what kind of disaster is so grotesquely enormous?’
The disaster, about half the size of the island, moved with terrifying force, as if it would suck the island into the sky.
Grabbing a nearby tree as the wind intensified, Odette felt the immense power firsthand.
Then, Krrr-! A tremendous thunderclap rang out.
Bang! Bang!
Lightning split the sky, illuminating the dark sea like a flash grenade.
Odette instinctively knew:
‘Johan has arrived.’
Johan’s supernatural ability subdued the massive disaster. Hovering above the sea, he struck it with lightning, appearing almost like a sea god.
The previously sky-engulfing disaster shrank to the size of a sailing ship, thrashing violently.
‘…It’s completely different from watching it in the game. The pressure is overwhelming.’
The shrunken disaster slowly moved toward the sea, guided by Johan’s lightning, and the wind gradually calmed.
Odette stared in awe.
‘An entity utterly incompatible with humans.’ She felt the truth of that again.
Fortunately, the disaster was fully over the water. Zion soon arrived, sword in hand, ripping the disaster’s tongue apart. With a plop, it fell into the sea, appearing like a giant whale descending from the sky.
‘The disaster won’t recur now.’
She breathed a sigh of relief. But from inside the shelter, she heard a child crying.
‘…Ah. This isn’t the time.’
Momentarily overwhelmed by the transcendent beings, Odette remembered her task and entered the disaster shelter.
Inside, it was chaos.
There was not a single doctor, and the patients were overflowing.
Many had been scratched, and numerous people had broken limbs due to hurried evacuation.
‘Good thing I looted plenty of medicine from the infirmary.’
Her eyes fell on a severely injured pregnant woman, her lips pale and barely breathing.
Odette activated her inventory as she approached.
‘Put hemostatic herbs and clean bandages into my robe pocket.’
“Extend your arm. If the bleeding doesn’t stop, you’ll lose consciousness.”
Even her polite tone was strategic.
Odette planned to conceal her identity until the photojournalists arrived. Revealing herself too early could hinder her good deeds. She wanted to save as many people as possible to ensure a sensational story later.
She worked diligently, taking several emergency measures.
The woman, who had barely been breathing, could now speak faintly.
“Th…thank you.”
“Don’t speak. This is just a temporary measure. Later, make sure a doctor examines your wounds.”
As she applied the crushed herbs, Odette checked the time.
‘It’s almost ten.’
Rudolph and Dolly’s scheming was about to begin. Odette intended to perform her good deeds here throughout their plot.
‘They won’t even be able to drag me into today’s incident.’
Some time passed. Wearing her wide-brimmed hat, Odette finished treating her fifteenth patient.
A ding sounded in her ear.
Looking up, a status window appeared—she hadn’t summoned it.
[ Be careful outside the door. ]
Outside the door…? Before she could question the unfamiliar tone, Odette reflexively glanced at the shelter entrance.
A woman in a lace bonnet stood there.
‘Why is she standing outside instead of entering—’
Odette’s thought was cut off.
‘H-How?’
Hair she had tightly hidden beneath the bonnet fell lightly.
‘…Charlotte?’
Moonlight revealed the unmistakable pale pink hair.
