With that, Jill grinned again. It seems that he takes great pleasure in smiling with his gums bared.
Whoosh!
"…!"
But the laughter didn't last long.
"Wh-What are you doing?"
This is because Ravi hugged him, putting his arm around his shoulders.
Ravi whispered in his ear as he pulled Jill even closer into the sudden embrace.
"Is that all you got?"
"What?"
"The only thing you got to show off is your family?"
"You-! Get off me!"
"Well… There's definitely a reason as to why you'd brag about a family like that. Judging by this incident, it seems that they'd been pretty helpful to you."
"What are you talking about—"
"I've heard the rumors."
"What?"
"The payments."
"…!"
"For your thesis; I heard the teachers were particularly helpful."
Ravi hugged the flinching Jill even harder.
"Continue taking care of your family."
"…"
"Since without that, you're a foolish idiot with nothing else to brag about."
Pat, pat.
With those words, Ravi let go of Jill. Ravi patted him on the shoulder as his face flushed with anger, and headed back to his seat.
No, he was going towards it.
But he paused.
"…?"
If it weren't for the weird vibe he felt at that moment.
Suddenly, a hush descended over the presentation hall, which had been somewhat buzzing with people greeting each other.
He turned his head to find everyone staring at the same place, and Ravi followed suit.
Ravi's eyes widened as he looked out into the crowd.
Someone walked into the room with a big smile on their face.
A woman in a red dress reminiscent of a blooming rose.
'…What are you doing here?'
It was Camilla.
* * *
"Duke, Young Master Ludville had just arrived at the entrance to the estate."
"Really?"
Duke Sorpel, who was pacing around in his chambers, nodded vigorously at the words of his aide, Jakter. At last, the long-awaited return of his first son.
"Would you like to go out?"
"Of course."
The Duke of Sorpel was willing to go out of his way to greet his son, who led the battle to victory.
"There won't be any problems with the festivals and party arrangements, right?"
"Of course. The whole estate is in the streets right now, desperately waiting for Young Master Ludville and the other soldiers."
"Let's leave now."
"Yes!"
"Oh, that's right."
The Duke of Sorpel paused for a moment as he headed for the door.
"What about Camilla? Maybe she could come with us."
Come to think of it, he hasn't seen Camilla all day today.
Was she busy preparing for the celebration? She didn't even bring any gypsophila to his office today.
"Ah—"
"What? Did something happen to Camilla?"
"Miss Camilla is not here right now."
"She's not?"
"She left in a hurry a little while ago."
"Where to?"
"She went to the Magic Tower."
"The Magic Tower? Why is she going there all of a sudden?"
"Perhaps she's gone to see Ravi."
"Ravi? Wh—!"
The Duke of Sorpel quickly realized his mistake.
He had completely forgotten about it, too engrossed in Ludville's win. He heard there was something big going on at the Magic Tower, where Ravi is.
"Hah…"
He should have been more attentive. The Duke of Sorpel clicked his tongue.
'But Camilla went there?'
That was another surprise. Was Camilla the kind of kid who would do such a thing?
The Duke of Sorpel looked surprised.
* * *
"Our next presenter is Ravi Sorpel."
After the moderator's introduction, Ravi stepped up to the podium, scanned the room, and quickly swallowed the laughter that threatened to spill out.
This is because people's eyes were still on one person.
'Of course.'
Camilla gently waved her hand toward Ravi, who was staring at her and the others.
'This is why I warned you in advance.'
People might compare us. So you should change your clothes.
Gasps erupted from all around as she smiled gently at him in an effort to manage his image.
'She was always quite good-looking.'
It's just that she hasn't been able to utilize her beauty at all.
'So what's the point of owning fancy clothes?'
It didn't matter if it didn't suit her.
Camilla was always buying and wearing the most expensive and colorful clothes, but she never really found anything that looked good on her.
'And I know why.'
There's only one reason as to why she's adorned herself with such expensive clothes and jewelry: she wants to protect herself.
'From the subtle disregard and ridicule she felt around her.'
The fake daughter of the Duke of Sorpel.
It was Camilla, more than anyone else, who realized that and faced people.
She picked out the most expensive and colorful ones and wore them to somehow deflect those cold stares.
'Then what?'
She's just not confident enough in herself.
She instinctively cowers in the presence of others, her eyes brimming with venom to avoid being reminded of her past.
With such an unbalanced and strange atmosphere, there's no way anyone would want to go to Camilla.
'You just don't have a fashion sense.'
Aside from calling on a fashion designer to the duchy, Camilla spent nearly a week shopping for this outfit.
She's been to every clothing store in town.
She paid no attention to the price, whether it was cheap or expensive, as long as it suited her. That was the important thing.
'Anything I wear becomes a luxury item.'
It was the same as when she was living as Lee Sia. Anything she wore would become the latest trend and sell out.
Even now, the gazes of the noble ladies in the presentation hall were very fervent.
She could see them wanting to come up to her and ask her where she got the clothes and jewelry.
'Well, no one's going to approach me.'
It would be quite embarrassing for them to approach her with a friendly demeanor after everything they've done to her.
Meanwhile, Ravi's presentation was going well. It was truly fascinating to watch him walk through a new formula he found.
"Well done, Brother."
A faint smile tugged at Camilla's lips.
"What the heck are you doing here?"
That was the first thing Ravi said as he walked up to her after the presentation.
Her random appearance was very sudden to say the least.
Throughout the presentation, he thought about why Camilla was here, but he couldn't even begin to guess her intentions.
'And what's with the look?'
Honestly, he was a little surprised. Did she always look like that?
Anyway, he thought it was satisfying to see Jill looking so resentful and frustrated after Camilla's appearance.
Imagine his annoyance when his pretty little sister gets all the attention, and then Camilla comes along and turns the tables.
Jill was glaring at him and Camilla, even after the presentations were over.
"I don't know."
"What?"
Ravi gave Camilla an incredulous look. Was she kidding him, she doesn't know why she's here?
"I really have no idea."
"…"
"I just... I just wanted to come."
It's true. She didn't know why, but she just... she just wanted to come.
'It's weird.'
This brother and sister, for some strange reason, keep reminding her of her past.
'That kid's parents didn't come, did they?'
'She's an orphan.'
'An orphan?'
There was constant chatter behind her at every school dance or important event her parents had to attend.
'That kid's dad was on the news the other day.'
'Ah! The guy who was so pessimistic about life he wanted to kill everyone with him…'
'Yes, but only the woman died in the end.'
And the rest of the words that go without saying.
'What's even funnier is that the dad even called 911 to save his own neck.'
There's no such thing as family.
The mother was not very fond of her daughter. Despite the fact that she had given birth to her, she was somehow distrustful of the child.
She often didn't understand her own inability to give her daughter the love she deserved.
'Not to mention the sorry-excuse-of-a-guy named 'Dad'.'
He treated her like she was someone else's child. He beat the woman and child for no reason, wondering how he could have such an unloving child.
Eventually, on the day he walked in drunk, he made an extreme choice.
The mom was tired and went along with his choice. The daughter didn't know what she was doing and did what they told her.
'Sa- Save me, please—! It hurts!'
She heard it clearly. In a blur of consciousness.
Even at a young age, she was dumbfounded to hear him so desperately calling for an ambulance to save himself while his wife and daughter were dying.
That day, the mother died. Fortunately, she herself had survived.
The dead mother looked at her pitifully for a long moment, then disappeared.
Still, she saw her before she left, and she had a strange look on her face.
She must have had enough. She was tired of the daughter she gave birth to but can't give affection for, and the husband who's violent at every turn.
Then, while bouncing from orphanages, she auditioned for a movie that she happened to see. Even though it was just a supporting role.
With a bit of luck, the movie would go on to gross 10 million and was able to get a good deal with a major studio.
The drama or movie she chose was a hit, and she established herself faster than any other actor.
One day, she was walking down the sidewalk when he appeared.
The murderer.
The man who killed her mother and tried to kill himself came to her, very confidently, and demanded money.
She gnashed her teeth when she heard that he only did a short time due to his physical and mental infirmities.
He even threatened to sell her past to reporters if she didn't listen to him.
'You're the reason your mother is dead!'
She was appalled and called a reporter she knew right then and there.
'What sin did I commit?'
He's the one who's guilty, so why was she being threatened?
She didn't intend to hide it. She didn't even want to make it public, but she didn't want to hide it by giving money to a scumbag like that.
Ignoring her father's yells, she made an appointment with a reporter and told the world everything the next day.
Everything, from the things that happened in the past to the man that demanded money from her.
It's been in and out of the top searches for almost a month.
People were sympathetic, and an endless stream of angry comments were directed at the man who had made the threat.
Terrified of such publicity, the man never visited her after that.