HPL 19

chapter 19

I almost wanted to applaud Wayne. He’d managed to make two people who already didn’t get along start watching each other with suspicion. Clever.

“Not bad. But if the Count goes and questions that woman, won’t he find out someone else took it?”

When I pointed out the flaw, Wayne smiled with a knowing, almost wicked expression.

“That pig hates her but he’s also terrified of her. He wouldn’t even think about confronting her directly. The bravest thing he’s ever done was bringing me in after finding out about me. He doesn’t even realize she’s been covering up double accounting books so she can keep partying and ignoring the family and business affairs.”

So the Count was completely under the Countess’s thumb. Still, Wayne’s words were a little harsh.

“You’re going too far,” I said with a frown.

“What, are you defending that pig? After what you just saw?”

Wayne’s eyes widened in disbelief, and I scowled.

“Don’t insult pigs! They’re only thought to be dirty because of how they’re raised. In truth, they’re quite clean—and very intelligent. Don’t call a useless fool full of greed a pig.”

When I said this with conviction, defending pigs, Wayne bit his lip. His hand, which was holding mine, trembled slightly.

After a few seconds, he returned to his usual calm self.

“Then what do you call someone like that man?”

“A human being like excrement stuck under a pig’s hoof.”

Wayne bit his lip again. But this time, he couldn’t suppress the laughter bubbling up between his lips.

After snickering for a moment, he leaned close and whispered into my ear.

“I wish I could stay with you until the end of the party. But if we stick together too much, the Countess will get suspicious. A pity—but we’ll have to part after this dance.”

Every time Wayne spoke, his breath brushed against my ear, tickling.

“You’re doing that on purpose, aren’t you? Whispering right next to my ear? You did it before too—it tickles.”

“Just your ear? Doesn’t your heart feel a little ticklish too? Mine does.”

When Wayne said that in a low, suggestive tone, I smiled sweetly.

“Want me to step on your foot? The pain might drive out your strange thoughts.”

“That’s cruel.”

Just as he hunched his shoulders in mock despair, the music ended.

Wayne gave my hand one last squeeze before letting go, and then bowed politely as if we were mere acquaintances.

“Thank you for the dance. I hope we meet again.”

He smiled with his eyes and disappeared into the crowd.

No sooner had he gone than Karin—who’d been humiliated by me at the tea party—appeared with a group of others in tow.

“I was a bit rude at the tea party, wasn’t I? I was just so curious to finally meet the person I’d only heard stories about. My apologies.”

Dressed in a deep red velvet gown, Karin lowered her eyes and apologized.

I thought she’d come to pick another fight like before—but apparently not. That was unexpected.

“It’s fine. Curiosity is one of humanity’s defining traits.”

At my unexpected response, Karin blinked, then curled her glossy lips into a smile.

“Thank you for being so understanding. Oh, these are my friends.”

She introduced each of the people beside her, one by one. When she finished, her eyes fell on my dress, and she clasped her hands together in admiration.

“That dress suits you beautifully, Miss Dyna.”

“Thank you. Your dress suits you just as well, Miss Karin.”

And it truly did.

Her velvet gown was a deeper red than her hair, with black embellishments scattered here and there. Even her handkerchief matched—the corner embroidered with a square-shaped black rose motif.

“Thank you. Though honestly, it’s a bit hard to move in,” Karin said, rubbing her waist and winking as if sharing a secret.

I thought so. It looked uncomfortable. I wondered how she could even breathe with her waist cinched that tightly.

Maybe she was thirsty from all the talking, because she waved over a servant carrying a tray.

When the servant approached, Karin picked up a wine glass, drained it in one go, then placed the empty glass back on the tray.

After the servant left, she dabbed her lips delicately with her handkerchief.

“Oh.”

With a soft sound, the handkerchief slipped from her fingers, fluttering to the floor right near my feet.

“Sorry, could you pick that up for me? My dress makes it hard to bend down,” she said with a demure tilt of her eyes.

I bent down without thinking. I was closest, after all, and her outfit clearly wasn’t made for bending.

When I handed it back, Karin’s eyes curved like crescent moons.

“Thank you.”

“Oh my!”

A woman beside her suddenly cried out, dropping the fan she’d been holding. But instead of picking it up, she just looked at me.

“Miss Dyna, I’m so sorry, but could you pick up my fan too?”

I glanced at the fan—it had fallen right by her feet. Everyone could see that. Yet the others smirked and backed her up.

“You bent over so gracefully just now.”

“People who live bowing their heads sure do it differently, huh?”

“We’ve never had to bow to anyone, you see.”

“Out of all of us, you seem like you’d be the best at it.”

Oh, I see how it is.

The one mocking me most loudly was a brown-haired man named William. He kept sneaking glances at Karin between his jeers, trying to earn her favor.

Insulting others to impress a woman—how stupid and vile.

When I narrowed my eyes at them, the group put on exaggerated expressions.

“Why’s she looking at us like that?”

“Oh! Maybe she doesn’t understand what we’re asking?”

“Right, I heard she couldn’t even do simple arithmetic. Maybe she doesn’t understand plain speech either.”

“She was an idiot before, so I suppose we’ll have to teach her how a proper noble should behave.”

If that’s how they wanted to play, fine. I had my own ideas.

I raised my index finger lightly in the air, looking at their smirking faces.

“You’re right—your backs do seem much straighter than mine.”

“How quick you are to notice! So, if you could kindly pick up the fan, Miss Dyna…”

Karin’s eyes gleamed with smug triumph.

Let’s see how that expression changes.

Channeling divine power into my finger, I said softly,

“If your backs are that stiff, you’ll suffer later. Let me help you practice bending.”

“What are you—huh?”

Karin snorted but stopped mid-sound. Her companions looked at her in confusion—then froze as well.

With a cold smile, I bent my finger slightly.

Their confident composure shattered.

“W-what’s happening to me?”

“My body’s moving on its own!”

“It feels like someone’s pushing my head down!”

“Ugh…”

When I bent my finger further, their heads bowed completely. They tried desperately to lift them, but my divine power pressed firmly down.

“You can’t just bow your heads—bend your waists properly too.”

As I curled my finger again, their backs began to fold.

They glared at me, realizing something was wrong, and tried to speak—

“Ventriloquism, maybe? How curious,” I said lightly.

Tommy, watching, muttered in my mind,
{You silenced their voices with divine power, didn’t you? Serves them right for picking a fight… tsk tsk.}

Karin and her group ground their teeth, trying to straighten up, but their bodies betrayed them.

“What are they doing?”

“Are they… bowing?”

“They’re bending way too much for just a bow, though.”

Murmurs spread through the crowd, and Karin’s face flushed crimson.

Not yet.

When I completely curled my finger, they nearly kissed the floor. The ones with long hair had it brushing against the ground.

When I released them, they stumbled as the pressure vanished.

“Shall we keep practicing? Practice makes perfect, after all.”

I whispered so only they could hear, and moved my finger again.

They bent over several more times, trembling with humiliation, while onlookers whispered.

“What’s wrong with them?”

“Did they all get drunk?”

“At this rate, people will think a king—or a god—just showed up.”

{They’re not wrong about that,} Tommy murmured with a shrug.

Karin and her friends shook with rage and shame, but their bodies kept bowing.

After seven repetitions, I straightened my finger and withdrew the divine power. The sudden release made them nearly lose balance.

That was fun.

“Wh-what did you do to us?”

Karin barely managed to stand upright before shouting—then stopped, startled that her voice had returned.

But fury overtook her surprise.

“This was all your doing, wasn’t it!?”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t even touch you. You’re the ones acting strange all of a sudden. I’m just confused.”

I made an innocent face, and the onlookers turned cold stares toward Karin’s group.

“Y-you little—!”

As Karin pointed at me furiously, some people began moving toward us—thinking she was harassing me.

After all, from their perspective, she and her friends had bowed to me repeatedly, then started shouting. Naturally, they’d assume she’d been trying to bully me in some weird way.

Realizing the situation had turned against her, Karin bit her lip hard.

“You’ll pay for this later.”

She gave me a venomous glare before storming off to the corner of the ballroom with her friends.

As her group disappeared, a blonde woman with her hair braided into a single plait approached me, eyes shining with curiosity.