Please Support My Revenge - Chapter 37

Lobelia was taken aback, but she quickly composed herself. Since Theodore was attending the party, it wasn’t unusual for his younger brother, Eylan, to be present as well. What worried her was whether he had recognized her disguise. Lobelia made an effort not to make eye contact with Eylan and instead stared into empty space.

“Shall we go?” Eylan gently led Lobelia.

What is his intention?

Lobelia felt suspicious, but she thought it would be better to pretend to follow Eylan than to stay in front of Theodore, who might get angry. She changed her steps and walked alongside Eylan.

Eylan led Lobelia to the balcony. As they reached the empty balcony, he released the hand he was holding.

“Please understand. My brother is usually a good person, but sometimes he can’t control his temper and makes mistakes.”

Eylan sighed and leaned against the balcony, shifting his attention away from Lobelia and gazing at the garden below.

I had a feeling, but he really doesn’t recognize me. Lobelia sighed in her mind.

Eylan seemed embarrassed by his brother’s behavior and didn’t appear to have any ulterior motives for bringing Lobelia out.

“Did you say you’re Catherine from Hayard Manor?”

When Lobelia was about to distance herself from Eylan, he spoke up.

She stopped her intended steps and nodded her head in response.

Seeing Lobelia’s uneasy expression, Eylan smiled.

“I want to let you go too, but it would be better for you to stay with me until my brother’s anger subsides.”

“….”

Surprisingly, Eylan seemed determined to help Lobelia until the end.

“I used to think kindness from anyone was just pretense, but it seems not everything is a lie.”

Lobelia’s evaluation of Eylan in her heart had slightly improved.

“Considering that you don’t seem to be a noble, how did you come to this party?”

Eylan asked Lobelia, looking at her.

“In Merdanion, anyone who starts a business can be invited to parties.”

Lobelia shrugged her shoulders and replied.

Eylan seemed to think that Catherine was one of the many entrepreneurs gathered in Merdanion, so he didn’t ask any further about her purpose.

He smoothly changed the topic to keep the conversation flowing like a gentleman. While Lobelia gave a suitable response to Eylan’s question, she listened carefully to the sounds coming from the hall. And after a while, she heard the words she had been waiting for.

“The Viscount of Evelentia and Miss Aina of Evelentia are here!”

Lobelia looked towards the hall and caught a glimpse of Marlon and Aina through the crowd. Aina was wearing a beautiful dress adorned with lace, and Marlon was dressed in a neat suit. The two of them appeared relaxed, smiling at the gathering onlookers.

When Lobelia saw Marlon’s face, her gaze darkened. Having the bright and cheerful appearance of Catherine, Lobelia’s eyes took on an even more alien look when she sank into gloominess. She struggled to suppress her boiling anger and averted her gaze from Marlon. Then she locked eyes with Eylan, who had been observing her with an interesting gaze.

“It seems you’re quite interested in the people from the Viscount of Evelentia,” Lobelia said, smiling to conceal her confusion. Eylan had sharper observational skills than she had anticipated.

“Well, who among the entrepreneurs doesn’t know the Viscount of Evelentia?”

Luckily, Lobelia’s smile matched the lively image of Catherine, making it a plausible excuse.

“That’s true. They are a legendary family.”

Eylan’s gaze landed on Aina. He didn’t bother to conceal his attention.

“Do you know about Miss Aina?”

Lobelia suddenly felt curious and asked. In the original work, Eylan ends up proposing to Aina. However, the original work defined Eylan’s feelings as “greed for Aina’s wealth.” While she didn’t doubt the truth of the original work, Lobelia wondered if it accurately portrayed the psychological states of each character.

“Ah, her.” Eylan’s expression turned momentarily cold. It was so fleeting that Lobelia wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn’t continued watching him.

“Well, she…”

Eylan trailed off, his hand covering his mouth as if contemplating something. He gazed at Aina, who was blossoming at the party, for a long while.

“Do you feel that way?”

Just as Lobelia was about to give up and bring up another topic, Eylan spoke up.

“What kind of feeling?”

“It felt like I had bought a promising stock in abundance, but it turned into mere scraps of paper in my hands, and the stock that I didn’t even bother to touch suddenly skyrocketed.”

“Are you talking about government bonds?” Lobelia pretended not to understand, as she didn’t fully grasp his story.

She understood that the “promising stock” Eylan mentioned referred to Aina, but she couldn’t decipher what he meant by the “stock that suddenly skyrocketed.” Was there another woman in the capital who was set to inherit a massive fortune?

“No, it’s not. The Legritina family doesn’t engage in government bond business.”

Eylan burst into a hearty laugh.

“Hah, what am I even saying?”

He lowered the hand that had been covering his mouth.

“If you want to talk to the Viscount of Evelentia, start by talking to Aina. She loves attention, so she won’t ignore you. If you’re lucky, the Viscount of Evelentia might show interest in you too.”

Eylan changed the topic. It was evident that he was deliberately doing so, but Lobelia pretended not to notice.

“Since my brother seems preoccupied elsewhere, you should go now.”

In the end, Eylan gave her the cue to leave. Lobelia smiled one last time and left the balcony.

Eylan never managed to uncover Lobelia’s true identity.

Once inside the hall, everyone was discussing Marlon and Aina. Thanks to that, Lobelia easily obtained the information she desired.

“I heard Miss Aina came to Merdanion for educational purposes.”

“I guess she’s starting her formal training as the heir.”

“Is she planning to hand over the mining business?”

The nobles were truly interested in other people’s affairs.

“It was worth the risk to attend the party,” Lobelia thought as she leaned against the wall.

“Is Marlon trying to take control of the mining business by taking over my position as the Empress’s chief aide?”

Lobelia speculated about Marlon’s intentions in her own way.

“I should keep in mind that he’ll be anxious when I start taking away his fortune in the future.”

Although this time she had only taken away his position as the Empress’s chief aide, it wouldn’t end there in the future.

No matter how well she concealed her status, Lobelia knew that Marlon wouldn’t just stand by as she gradually depleted his wealth.

“The future may turn out to be quite different from the original work.”

Lobelia realized unexpected variables as she planned her revenge based on the original information, and her body trembled. However, the trembling subsided and was replaced by a strange excitement.

But it doesn’t matter, Lobelia said inwardly. No matter what happens, I will fulfill my revenge.

It was time to leave. Although Rohan had offered to introduce Lobelia to Marlon, she had no intention of willingly facing him.

“I attended the party, so I can casually cross paths with him later.”

But as Lobelia retrieved the cloak she had entrusted to her accomplice, the hall became noisy once again.

“What did you say?”

Marlon raised his voice toward someone.

Lobelia turned her head in that direction. She saw Rohan standing in front of Marlon.

As Rohan whispered something in his ear, Marlon’s expression brightened.

“Is it true? Do such idiots exist?”

Marlon lowered his voice, but Lobelia could clearly see from his mouth shape that he was calling someone a fool.

“He’s talking about Mine No. 9.” Lobelia instantly grasped the situation.

“Hey, it’s her, the woman over there!”

Rohan pointed at Lobelia and shouted.

“I invited her to the party to introduce her personally! Catherine Hayard!”

He waved his hand enthusiastically. As a result, Marlon, Aina, and the crowd all focused on Lobelia.

Lobelia inwardly sighed and waved back at Rohan.

Rohan took Lobelia’s hand and began walking towards Marlon.

She had been calm even when unexpectedly encountering the Legritina siblings before, but this time her heart tightened.

It was none other than Marlon and Aina.

Marlon was the person who had been watching her for five years in the same house, and Aina was the one who would cling to him at every opportunity during the party.

While she could deceive Eylan Legritina perfectly with her disguise, she didn’t know how things would unfold with Marlon and Aina as her opponents.

As Lobelia approached Marlon, her heart pounded in her chest.

“This is the lady, Catherine Hayard of the Hayard family, who expressed interest in buying Mine No. 9 with the bonds from the Seroban Kingdom.”

Finally, when Rohan introduced Lobelia to Marlon, she was in a state of extreme tension, her heart ready to burst.

“Catherine, this is the Viscount of Ephelentia.”

Marlon, Aina, and the surrounding nobles awaited Lobelia’s greeting.

Lobelia opened her mouth with a voice as different from her usual tone as possible.

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

It was a brief greeting for a newcomer in the business world. However, Lobelia had no intention of adding any further pleasantries. She couldn’t risk her voice being recognized.

For a moment, Marlon’s eyes narrowed.

Could he have realized? Lobelia swallowed nervously.

If Marlon discovered her true identity at this moment, everything would be ruined. Marlon would do whatever it took to bring Lobelia to Ephelentia, and she would be confined to an annex, never able to leave.

Her revenge would turn into a futile dream, and she would live like a caged bird, eventually being sold off to some suitable noble as a pawn.

Lobelia cast her gaze downward. Should she turn around and escape now? As she entertained the thought, Marlon’s hand touched her shoulder.

Startled, Lobelia trembled and looked up, locking eyes with a beaming Marlon.

“Hehe, you seem quite nervous for someone new to Merdanion.”

Marlon didn’t recognize her.