Chapter 59…
But after hearing Grace’s words, Cynthia could understand her cold attitude.
Well, Elizabeth’s bad reputation was no small thing. If she had only heard awful things through the maids, Cynthia supposed she, too, would have seen her through a tainted lens.
“So, I followed along because I wanted to see which sly woman had managed to fool my brother so completely. I was the one who asked him to introduce me to you first, Lady. But do you know what my first thought was when I saw you?”
Grace really did seem to be the type who loved riddles.
How many questions had she asked in the past minute already…?
“What did you think?”
“It was strange.”
She replied without a moment’s hesitation.
“At first, I thought my brother must have mistaken you for someone else. Just because someone has green eyes doesn’t mean they’re all Baileys, right?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“You don’t have the sly, calculating look unique to the Baileys, my Lady.”
Cynthia quietly lifted her head.
“Instead of looking cunning or sharp, you just seemed… naïve and innocent. It was weird.”
…Was this supposed to be a compliment or an insult? Cynthia blinked.
The Castillo siblings seemed to have a mysterious talent for complimenting someone while somehow insulting them at the same time.
“Then when you said I seemed strange earlier…”
“Oh, you heard that?”
“You said it rather loudly, my Lady…”
Grace burst out laughing and nodded.
“Yes, I said it because you didn’t seem like a typical Bailey! Honestly, if you had, I was planning to challenge you to a battle of wits on behalf of my maids who don’t like your family.”
Cynthia stared at her, dumbfounded.
So… had Grace figured out her true identity or not? And why was she even telling her all this?
“See? I’m bad-mouthing the Baileys right in front of you, and you’re not even flinching!”
“Ah…”
Cynthia hesitated, wondering if she should act offended now. Ah, it’s too late anyway.
“But when you get a little temperamental, like a kitten puffing up, you do seem a bit like a Bailey.”
…A kitten? Cynthia frowned at her.
Honestly, there was something seriously off about these Castillo siblings.
“Anyway… it looks like the rumors going around were exaggerated. The Bailey lady I’ve met doesn’t seem that ill-tempered, nor so reclusive and gloomy that she’d lock herself in her room all day. I guess my maids mixed in a bit of gossip.”
Grace shrugged lightly.
“In any case, I want to apologize properly again for my earlier behavior. I came in with too many prejudices.”
“…It’s fine.”
“I hope you weren’t too upset, and that you’ll continue to maintain a good friendship with my brother.”
Grace gave another deep, polite bow.
Cynthia, flustered, bowed back out of courtesy.
“Then, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll go find a better spot to watch the show.”
Grace smiled and turned away.
“Ah, wait! What show—?”
Cynthia tried to ask what she meant, but Grace was already gone.
She disappeared into the crowd with quick, deft steps.
“What on earth is everyone watching…?”
Left alone, Cynthia replayed their conversation in her mind.
So she… didn’t seem like a Bailey?
“So vile you wonder if a person can really be this awful! Sharp-tongued and ruthless!”
That was what Dale had repeated endlessly when she first met Tesion.
“Right… Elizabeth was proud and rude…”
Cynthia murmured.
Maybe she had forgotten what Elizabeth was really like. If it were Elizabeth, she wouldn’t have hesitated to raise her voice or throw a tantrum in a place like this!
She was the kind of woman whose mood could flip in an instant.
“Even when Tesion figured out who I really was, I just froze up like an idiot…”
Maybe that dull reaction had only made him more certain she wasn’t truly Elizabeth.
Now that she thought about it, she regretted acting so timidly, intimidated by the scale of the banquet and the dazzling nobles.
Wait a second—if that’s the case… maybe tonight doesn’t have to be my last chance after all.
“Since it’s come to this…”
Just as Cynthia was lost in thought, a nobleman, pushed by the crowd, stumbled hard into her shoulder.
Cynthia staggered backward, barely managing to grab the stair railing.
“Ah…!”
“Oh—are you alrigh—”
The startled man turned toward her. But when he realized the person he had shoved wasn’t some large man but a small young woman, his expression changed instantly.
He scowled and spoke rudely.
“Damn it! Why are you just standing there blocking the way?”
“…Excuse me? What did you say?”
Had she heard that right?
Cynthia slowly lifted her head, disbelief spreading over her face. Her shoulder throbbed painfully.
As people began to glance their way, the man puffed up even more and raised his voice.
“There are tons of people here—why the hell are you standing in the middle like that? Unbelievable… Watch where you’re going next time!”
Her energy drained for a second, then rage surged up like boiling water.
He was the one who bumped into her, yet he was yelling? Something deep inside her snapped.
The man brushed off his clothes with a scoff.
“Hmph, I almost got my expensive outfit dirty.”
“…”
“Well? Aren’t you going to apologize?”
“…You.”
“What? What are you mumbling about?”
Cynthia couldn’t hold it in any longer and shouted.
“You’re the one who hit me first, you jerk!!”
I am Elizabeth Bailey. I’m sharp, temperamental, and vicious Elizabeth Bailey!
She repeated it over and over in her head, breathing heavily.
“W-what did you just say?”
The nobleman’s eyes widened.
Cynthia inhaled sharply and continued.
“You weak-legged idiot! You stumble into someone who was just standing here and then have the nerve to yell at them?!”
There—it was out.
Cynthia brushed the hair out of her face, breathing hard.
The man’s face flushed red as he sputtered, clearly flustered.
“Y-you… Wh-who do you think you are?! Which family are you from?!”
“You’ll regret knowing. I’d suggest you get lost while I’m still being polite.”
“What…?”
“And you? What family are you from, huh?”
“M-me? You’re asking who I am?”
Their voices grew louder, drawing more people around them. The man glared, breathing heavily through his nose.
Then whispers began spreading through the onlookers.
“Green eyes…”
“She was with Grand Duke Lumanov just earlier…”
The man flinched, turning to look at Cynthia again.
“G-green eyes? Wait—y-you’re not… B-Bailey…?”
“That’s right. Now that you know who I am, it’s your turn. Which house are you from?”
“M-my apologies! I’m the second son of House Illies! I didn’t recognize you and behaved rudely. Please forgive me!”
Thankfully, he was quick on the uptake.
Cynthia stared at the top of his bowed head, breathing heavily.
So this is what power feels like… The Baileys—one of the wealthiest families in the Empire—were nothing to scoff at.
“I’m truly sorry!!”
If this dragged on any longer, Tesion might show up. She didn’t want to draw any more attention.
“Ugh, what an eyesore. Get out of my sight!”
At her shout, the man bolted away in a panic.
Once he fled, the surrounding crowd began to disperse as well.
Ah, that felt good! I should’ve done this from the start…!
Though her legs were trembling and her heart was pounding—probably from the adrenaline—it didn’t feel bad at all.
Cynthia turned around proudly—
“…Ah.”
—only to come face-to-face with someone.
“My Lady…?”
Tesion.
He stood there, eyes wide, staring straight at her.
“…”
So… uh…
Cynthia froze, locking eyes with him. She swallowed hard and managed to ask:
“H-how much did you see?”
“From ‘You’re the one who hit me first, you jerk,’ onwards.”
…Oh. So, all of it.
