Chapter 21
“Ah, so this is Ares’ twin sister…”
The attendant’s expression, as if he was seeing someone returned from the dead, made Aveline’s mood sink even further.
‘Intimidation.’
Aveline decided to test Ares’ advice and stared at the attendant with force in her eyes.
‘I am a villainess. I am a villainess.’
How did villainesses raise their eyes again?
She tried her best to look as vicious as possible, recalling the characteristics of villainesses from the antagonist-centered novels she had enjoyed reading recently.
Aveline, who had been pitifully drooping her eyes and rolling them around, suddenly flashed them, causing the startled attendant to freeze.
‘…What’s this? Did I do something wrong?’
Whatever it was, she shouldn’t upset the esteemed guests invited to the banquet.
“Uh, I’m sorry…?”
When the attendant apologized confusedly, only then did Aveline’s tensed eyes return to their original gentle shape.
Aveline was just as bewildered.
‘This actually works?’
Aveline was dumbfounded that her attempt at intimidation had been effective.
Was Ares’ advice really true?
“What’s wrong?”
Ares, who hadn’t noticed the situation at all, tilted his head towards Aveline who was staring at him.
“Nothing.”
“Are you nervous?”
Ares seemed to think Aveline was simply nervous and smiled it off.
“Ares Herolds and Aveline Herolds of the Herolds County family!”
As the attendant’s loud announcement rang out, the doors to the banquet hall opened.
Overwhelmed by the bright light pouring out from inside and the excited energy of the people, Aveline gasped for a moment.
“It’s okay, just breathe properly. Once we’re inside, I’ll find a chance to sneak you out to the terrace.”
Despite Ares’ encouragement, Aveline had to force strength into her trembling legs.
‘Was it always this quiet?’
It didn’t seem like this when the people ahead of them entered.
Now, except for the music from the band playing in the corner, no other sounds could be heard.
Clack!
Perhaps due to her extreme nervousness, she misstepped and the sound of her shoe hitting the marble stairs echoed loudly.
‘How embarrassing.’
Because she didn’t have proper shoes, Aveline had worn her mother’s that were kept in the mansion.
Fortunately, her feet fit in them, but they were a bit big for Aveline.
Noticing Aveline’s unsteady steps, Ares secretly supported her little by little.
“Thanks.”
When Aveline whispered quietly, Ares snorted.
“You must be really nervous.”
“I just stumbled a little, okay?”
People who couldn’t hear the content of the twins’ conversation watched with wide, blinking eyes.
“My goodness. Is that young lady the Herolds young lady from back then?”
As expected, people who saw Aveline started whispering.
“She’s dressed like a girl attending her debutante ball.”
People’s attention focused on Aveline, who was wearing the white dress her mother had gifted her.
“Oh my. Isn’t that shawl the one Liliana often wore?”
Just then, someone with a keen eye recognized the shawl draped over Aveline’s shoulders.
“You’re right. Looking at that shawl, for some reason, this young lady reminds me of Liliana. I thought she didn’t resemble Liliana at all before, but have my eyes lost their objectivity?”
Liliana was the name of Countess Herolds.
Liliana, the only daughter of Marquis Meingi who was the right-hand man of the previous emperor, was a famous socialite who gained everyone’s favor with her outstanding beauty and eloquent speech.
When she married Count Herolds, who was known as one of the most handsome men in the empire but also as a blockhead, the entire capital was in an uproar.
Even after marriage, Liliana continued to lead fashion trends in social circles and received everyone’s attention.
When Liliana left the capital for recovery, many people were genuinely disappointed.
“Seeing her like this, I can’t believe Liliana’s daughter caused such a commotion back then.”
Someone among those immersed in nostalgic memories attempted to beautify their recollections.
“But why is she wearing a debutante dress?”
Someone else raised a reasonable question.
As people started murmuring while watching her from here and there, Aveline’s nerves were on edge.
It seemed like everyone was saying something, but she couldn’t hear the content.
‘Don’t forget. Intimidation.’
Recalling Ares’ advice, Aveline flashed her eyes at the people looking at her.
“Eek.”
People who met Aveline’s gaze, emitting an evil light that didn’t match her gentle eyes resembling her mother’s, flinched and blinked.
‘…Is this not right?’
When the reaction was different from what she expected, a puzzled Aveline tilted her head, and at that moment, her eyes met with someone standing nearby.
“…”
The owner of that gaze was Melina Sroon.
Melina Sroon was glaring fiercely at Aveline who had appeared with Ares.
Countess Sroon, standing next to her, was equally flustered.
“Ahem. Hey, what if, hypothetically speaking.”
Aveline, having finished intense eye contact with the Sroon family, opened her mouth towards her brother.
“What if someone said they liked you and then harassed your family? What do you think about that?”
“What kind of question is that?”
“Don’t argue, just think about it for a moment.”
“Hmm…”
After being lost in thought for a moment with a serious expression, Ares spoke.
“Then they don’t really like me.”
“They don’t like you?”
“Yeah. If they like someone, why would they harass that person’s family? Unless they’re incredibly stupid, who would do that?”
“Aha. So you’re saying that someone who does such a thing is extremely unintelligent?”
Aveline asked this while glancing at Melina Sroon.
“…”
Melina Sroon’s face, not far away, was so flushed it looked like it might burst if someone touched it lightly.
She had clearly heard their entire conversation.
‘After going this far, she shouldn’t act rashly.’
If she doesn’t come to her senses even after this, then she’s really stupid.
Just as Aveline was turning away from Melina Sroon, who was trembling alone with a reddened face,
“Who… who do you think you are!”
Melina Sroon, who had suddenly chased after her, grabbed Aveline’s shawl.
At the same time, Ares reflexively and quickly moved Aveline behind him.
When Ares knocked away her hand, Melina Sroon looked hurt.
But soon she glared at Aveline standing behind Ares with blazing eyes.
“How dare someone like you be with Lord Ares. I will never, ever forgive you!”
Melina Sroon raised her voice, seemingly forgetting the gazes around her due to her obsession with Ares.
“Melina!”
Countess Sroon, who was nearby, rushed over with a pale face.
Then she stood in front of her daughter and glared at Aveline.
“What is all this commotion about! Every time this young lady appears, there’s always such a disturbance!”
As a situation reminiscent of last time unfolded, people started gathering in small groups.
‘Nothing has changed with these people.’
If it had been before, Aveline would have been flustered and at a loss due to the sudden commotion.
But now it was different.
Aveline, who had been nervous all along, now felt her mind settling calmly.
Aveline calmly walked out from behind Ares and faced the Sroon mother and daughter.
“It seems I’m the only one with normal eyesight here. It was Young Lady Sroon who rushed at me while I was standing still.”
“My daughter must have done that because Young Lady Herolds surely did something!”
Countess Sroon shouted, shielding her daughter.
Aveline inwardly laughed at the sight, exactly the same as four years ago.
There was a time when she had envied such a sight.
But now Aveline knew that this wasn’t proper affection.
After all, blind affection towards one’s child can easily become poison if misdirected even slightly.
“Young Lady Sroon said she couldn’t forgive me for being next to Ares, didn’t she?”
Aveline spoke loudly so that the people gathered nearby could hear.
“But I’m his twin. Isn’t it a bit strange for someone to dislike that?”
At Aveline’s words, Melina Sroon glared with bloodshot eyes.
Aveline met her gaze unflinchingly and spoke again.
“Oh right, at the debutante ball too, you were caught gossiping not just about me but even about our mother because of such strange jealousy, weren’t you?”
“When, when did I ever!”
Melina Sroon reacted immediately to Aveline’s words.
She was conscious of the people around her looking at her with strange eyes.
“Not just Young Lady Sroon, but Countess Sroon also commented on my parents’ child-rearing, didn’t you?”
Aveline now turned her arrow towards Countess Sroon.
Directly commenting on another family’s education to the person involved was a severe breach of social etiquette, so Countess Sroon visibly panicked.
“I, I don’t remember well!”
“It’s okay. I remember everything.”
Aveline calmly retorted, not giving Countess Sroon any room to escape.
As expected, the sound of people murmuring could be heard from around.
Everyone had only known that there was a commotion between the two at that time, but now they were realizing the truth through Aveline’s words.
As the atmosphere turned unfavorable, Melina Sroon couldn’t bear it and spoke again.
“A-Anyway, you used violence too, so you’re also at fault!”
“I believe your hands were in my hair too at that time. Isn’t that usually called mutual?”
At that time, Aveline had returned home pushing through the crowd that had gathered, with her hair and clothes all disheveled.
Because of this, people could easily recall Aveline’s appearance at that time.
Compared to Melina Sroon whose hair was only slightly disheveled, Aveline had looked much more miserable.
As the gazes of people looking at her gradually turned cold, a nervous Melina Sroon forced a scornful smile, trying to appear confident.
“Ha. So is that why you came wearing a white dress? To redo the debutante ball you couldn’t do properly back then? After four years?”
