With those words, Jayle grinned widely, showing his teeth as if he were in a good mood.
Suddenly!
"...!"
But that smile didn't last long.
"Hey… you! What are you doing right now?"
Ravi had pulled him into a hug, catching Jayle off guard.
In the midst of the unexpected embrace, Ravi whispered into his ear, "Is that all you have?"
"What?"
"Is your only claim to fame boasting about your family?"
"Let go of me!"
"Well… it seems that family is definitely helping you this time."
"What do you mean by that…!"
"I heard you made quite a fuss."
"What?"
"A money fuss."
"...!"
"I've heard that several of your professors actively helped with your thesis."
As Jayle flinched, Ravi tightened his grip around him. "Make sure to take good care of your family from now on."
"...."
"You're just a dumbass with nothing else to brag about."
With that, Ravi let go of Jayle. He lightly patted Jayle's shoulder, which was flushed with anger, and started to head toward his seat. Or at least he intended to.
He paused.
"...?"
If it weren't for the strange atmosphere he felt at that moment.
Just a moment ago, the presentation hall had been lively with greetings and chatter, but suddenly a dead silence fell over the room.
Turning his head, he saw everyone staring in one direction. Following their gaze, Ravi's eyes widened in surprise. Someone was entering the presentation hall with a bright smile.
A woman wearing a red dress reminiscent of a fully bloomed rose.
'…What are you doing here?'
It was Camilla.
* * *
"Duke, Lord Rudville has just arrived at the entrance of the territory."
"Really?"
Duke Sorfel, who had been pacing in his office, nodded vigorously at Jackter's words. His eldest son, whom he had been waiting for, was finally back.
"Shall we go out to greet him?"
"Yes, we should."
To welcome his son who had led the recent battle to victory, Duke Sorfel was eager to go out and meet him.
"Are the preparations for the festival and party going smoothly?"
"Of course. Everyone in the territory is currently waiting eagerly in the streets for Lord Rudville and the other soldiers."
"Let's go then."
"Yes!"
"Oh, wait."
Duke Sorfel paused as he headed toward the door.
"What about Camilla? It would be nice for her to join us."
Now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Camilla all day. Was she busy preparing for the party? She hadn't even brought any baby's breath today.
"Well…"
"What? Is something wrong with Camilla?"
"Camilla isn't here right now."
"What do you mean she isn't here?"
"She left in a hurry just a little while ago."
"Where did she go?"
"To the Magic Tower…"
"The Magic Tower? Why suddenly there?"
"It seems she went to see Ravi…"
"Ravi? Ah…!"
Duke Sorfel suddenly realized his mistake.
In all the excitement over Rudville's victory news, he had completely forgotten about it. He had heard there was some significant event happening at the Magic Tower where Ravi belonged.
"Oh no…"
He should have paid more attention! Duke Sorfel clicked his tongue repeatedly.
'But Camilla went there?'
That was unexpected news. Was Camilla capable of thinking about such things?
Duke Sorfel looked surprised once again.
* * *
"The next presenter is Ravi Sorfel."
As the host finished introducing him and Ravi stepped up to the podium, he quickly swallowed a chuckle that threatened to escape. The audience's gaze was still fixed on one person.
'Of course.'
Camilla waved lightly at Ravi, who was looking at her and others with a bewildered expression.
'See? I warned you ahead of time.'
That there might be comparisons. So she suggested getting new clothes made.
When she smiled gently at him, gasps of admiration arose from various corners of the room.
'She really has always been beautiful.'
However, until now, she hadn't been able to showcase her beauty at all.
'What good is it if only the clothes are flashy?'
They didn't match her at all.
Camilla always bought and wore the most expensive and extravagant clothes but hadn't found anything that truly suited her.
'And I know why.'
The reason she adorned herself with such expensive clothes and jewelry was simple: she wanted to protect herself in some way.
'From the scornful gazes of others.'
The fake daughter of Duke Sorfel.
No one understood better than Camilla how deeply she recognized that fact when facing people.
To avoid receiving those gazes as much as possible, she chose only the most expensive and extravagant things to wear on her body.
'But what good does it do?'
She lacked confidence in herself. When standing before people, she instinctively shrank back and filled her eyes with venom because she didn't want to be exposed.
No one would dare approach someone radiating such an unbalanced and strange atmosphere as Camilla did.
'Fashion sense doesn't just come naturally.'
Camilla had spent over a week searching for this outfit.
She visited every clothing store in the bustling district without caring about prices. Whether cheap or expensive designer items didn't matter; what mattered was finding something that suited her!
'Everything looks like luxury when I wear it.'
It had been like this when she lived as Sia too. Anything she wore became trendy and sold out instantly.
Even now, noble ladies entering the presentation hall were casting intense glances at her. They looked eager to approach her and ask where she got her clothes and jewelry from.
'Well, no one will actually come up though.'
After completely ignoring her before, they would feel embarrassed pretending to be friendly now.
Meanwhile, Ravi's presentation proceeded smoothly. His explanation of new formulas he discovered was quite impressive.
A little later…
"Why on earth are you here?"
Once the presentation ended, Ravi approached Camilla and asked this first. No matter how much he thought about it, her sudden appearance seemed too out of place.
He pondered throughout the presentation why Camilla had come here but couldn't grasp her intentions at all.
'And what's up with her appearance?'
Honestly speaking, he was somewhat surprised. Had she always looked like this?
Seeing Jayle sulking after Camilla's entrance brought him some satisfaction; it seemed like his sister had stolen away everyone's attention from him after all!
His younger brother appeared to be enjoying himself under everyone's gaze until Camilla showed up; now all eyes were on her instead!
Even now, Jayle glared angrily at both him and Camilla.
"I don't know either."
"What?"
Ravi shot an incredulous look at Camilla. How could she not know why she came here? Was this some kind of joke?
"I really don't know."
"...."
"I just… wanted to come."
It was true; he didn't know why but simply felt an urge to be there.
'How strange.'
This brother-sister duo oddly reminded him of his past repeatedly.
"That kid doesn't have parents here?"
"That kid is an orphan."
"An orphan?"
Whispers often reached his ears during important events like school plays where parents should attend:
"That kid's dad was on that news report before."
"Oh! The one who tried to commit suicide along with everyone else…"
"Yes, ultimately only women died."
And then came the inevitable follow-up remarks:
'The funniest part is how that father called 119 because he wanted to live alone.'
There wasn't any familial affection involved. The mother didn't seem particularly fond of her daughter either; despite having given birth herself, there was an awkwardness between them regarding the child.
She often displayed confusion over not being able to show affection towards her daughter.
'As for that father…'
He treated her entirely like someone else's child; how could one have such indifference towards their own offspring? He would beat both women without reason!
On a day when he came home completely drunk, he made an extreme choice while his wife seemed exhausted enough to follow suit. The daughter also complied blindly with whatever they commanded without understanding what was happening around her.
'P-please save me! It hurts so much!'
She clearly heard those cries amidst fading consciousness.
Even as both mother and daughter were dying before him while he desperately called for help from an ambulance out of sheer will to survive alone—she felt incredulous even at such a young age!
That day ultimately led to their mother's death; fortunately for her though—she survived!
The deceased mother gazed upon her daughter with pity before disappearing forever; yet before leaving this world behind—she wore an expression that seemed relieved somehow!
She must have felt liberated after enduring such torment: both an unloving daughter born from her own womb and an abusive husband!
Afterward came years spent bouncing between orphanages until by chance landing an audition for a film where she ended up getting cast as a supporting role!
Perhaps due to luck—the movie attracted ten million viewers leading directly into opportunities within major production companies! Choosing dramas or films became easy thereafter as they consistently succeeded—allowing her career trajectory among actors quicker than anyone else!
While walking down this smooth path—he suddenly reappeared:
The murderer!
The very man who killed her mother attempted murder on herself yet boldly approached demanding money! Hearing claims about being mentally unstable receiving only short sentences infuriated her immensely!
He threatened saying if she didn't comply—he'd sell information regarding past events surrounding their family off to journalists!
'It's your fault! Your mother died because of YOU!'
His insane ramblings prompted immediate action; picking up phone calls towards acquaintances working within media outlets—she couldn't comprehend why SHE needed paying off instead?!
Not intending on hiding anything—she'd rather expose everything than give any filthy scum like him even one cent!
Ignoring cries from "father" asking what kind of nonsense this was—she swiftly arranged meetings with reporters while spilling every detail regarding past incidents alongside threats made against herself!
For nearly fifteen days straight—her name fluctuated atop trending search results; garnering sympathy from many while sparking outrage against threats posed by THAT man endlessly filling comment sections online!
"Such a public..."