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Chapter : 53
Witnessing firsthand that Paula was just a paper tiger was a shock even for me.
Although I never particularly liked her… seeing the arrows of criticism aimed at Paula instead of directly at me didn’t exactly sit well.
“She’s of low birth, so of course she lacks proper conduct. Shouldn’t Miss Paula, as her family, educate her? She’s clearly harassing Miss Vanessa!”
Even now, the noble ladies were aggressively ganging up on Paula.
‘Should I just get up now?’
Seeing how the Countess Müller’s daughter hadn’t joined in to support Vanessa suggested that I’d already achieved today’s goal.
After a moment of consideration, I made up my mind and spoke.
“I’m tired. I’ll be heading out now.”
At that, one of Vanessa’s sidekicks immediately snapped at me like she’d been waiting for it.
“How rude to get up like that. So uncultured and ill-mannered, indeed.”
With that, the other attendants started flapping their mouths as well.
“Exactly! If you leave so shamelessly, won’t that put the others in an awkward position?”
“Can behavior like this be taught? She must’ve picked it up from watching someone else…”
“Leave!”
But I wasn’t Paula.
As I shouted like a lion’s roar, the surroundings fell into immediate silence.
The atmosphere settled so quickly thanks to the cheat item I’d tucked into my half-up hairstyle just in case.
· Jade Hairpin of Silence
Crafted in anger by a short-tempered craftsman from the Namgung family on the Eastern Continent, directed at a chatterbox peer. When the user shouts “Leave!”, it temporarily silences the surroundings.
Having to shout “Leave!” to activate it was a bit awkward, but the effect kicked in perfectly.
With silence descended, I walked over to Paula.
“I’m leaving now. What about you?”
“……”
Her anxious eyes darted between me and the others—she was clearly hesitant, but I had no intention of waiting long.
“Are you staying?”
“…Leaving now would be rude.”
After much internal struggle, Paula ultimately chose to stay.
It was frustrating, but there was no need to criticize her for it.
“Fine. You’re free to uphold manners if you want.”
And with that, I left alone.
I could somewhat understand Paula’s choice.
In peer groups, especially among young people, it’s not uncommon to make poor decisions just to avoid being disliked further.
And if she had always been gaslit like that, of course she wouldn’t have the courage to stand up against the dominating noble ladies.
Honestly, such dynamics weren’t uncommon even in the real world I’d come from.
In the Ark community, she was known as Paula Ulmer the Noob-Killer.
But the Paula I was seeing now was neither a vicious noob-slayer nor an arrogant villainess.
Rather…
‘She looked just like any other girl her age—desperate not to let others find out she was being bullied.’
Sigh… Should I have just dragged her out with me?
‘No, not if she didn’t want to go.’
Though I felt sorry for bullied Paula, she had been defensive even toward me.
Forcing her into a situation against her will could have made things worse.
When I stepped outside, the coachman waiting by the carriage looked surprised to see me.
“Miss Paula didn’t come out with you?”
“I came out first. Just take me back and return to pick up Paula.”
“Ah, understood.”
And so, I rode back home in the same rickety carriage.
As I did, I began planning my next steps in my head.
A few hours after I arrived at the mansion, Paula came home too.
Perhaps worried I had caused another scene at the gathering, Sophie, who was lurking quietly nearby like a small critter, cautiously asked,
“Um, my lady… how was it today…?”
“Today? Nothing much happened.”
“Miss Paula just returned… I thought you two would come home together…”
“She must’ve had more to talk about.”
“A-ah, I see…”
She didn’t fully buy it, but I finished organizing my accessories with an innocent expression.
“I’ll be resting now. You can go.”
“Pardon? But it’s still early, my lady.”
“I’ll be in my room the whole time anyway.”
“Oh… then please call me if you need anything.”
Was she suspecting that I was trying to get rid of her to do something sneaky?
She seemed reluctant to leave.
“Go on.”
Even so, I cut her off cleanly.
Because Randolph was supposed to visit tonight with a report on Paula’s movements.
‘When is he coming?’
I opened a book to read while waiting and stimulate my brain a bit.
One hour.
Two hours.
Three…
“Why is he so late?”
I’m going to fall asleep waiting!
Why isn’t he here even though it’s almost midnight? He couldn’t have been exposed while in disguise, right?
‘Just a little longer.’
And finally, past 2 a.m.
Knock knock—
The soft knock startled me out of my half-sleep.
“Ah! You scared me. Come in.”
A plain-looking maid stepped quietly into my room.
This was the one Randolph had disguised himself as—her name was Anna, right?
But why did she look… like this?
“Hey, did something happen? Did someone find out and bully you or something?”
It was strange how late he was able to visit, and his face looked gaunt like he hadn’t eaten or slept in days.
He looked a lot thinner than before. I was genuinely concerned.
“……”
“Why won’t you answer? Are you really being harassed?”
His expression kept stiffening, but I couldn’t pretend not to notice.
Because…
All ten of Randolph’s fingers were completely wrapped in white bandages.
“Your hands… that’s too much.”
Even if he was in disguise, Randolph was still the head of an assassin’s guild. He wouldn’t be injured without a good reason.
“My lady, did you say I’m being harassed?”
He gave me a bitter look and said something unexpected.
“I wouldn’t be this angry if that were the case…”
“Then why? What happened?”
He strode over and sat boldly in the chair in front of me. As he did, his disguise began to unravel.
Under the moonlight, his silhouette stretched and revealed his true form—Randolph, not Anna.
“These are needle wounds.”
“Needles? What are you talking about?”
Even he seemed to realize how odd that sounded, so he quickly explained.
“You know Paula, right? That woman is definitely insane.”
“…Huh?”
“As soon as she got home, she summoned all the maids and randomly handed out needles.”
“Needles? Why?”
Was she so humiliated that she went around poking the maids to vent her rage?
Or was it some kind of voodoo with dolls?
I couldn’t imagine what was going on in Paula’s room.
But Randolph’s explanation took things in a totally unexpected direction.
“The maids were working in meticulous divisions. Some cut fabric, some stitched, some embroidered or added lace.”
“…Huh?”
“They were like artisans. All of them had exquisite hand-sewing skills. Unfortunately, the woman I’m disguised as had zero talent in sewing.”
Ah, right.
Randolph copied not only appearances but the target’s abilities too…
“…It felt like I was torturing myself. A sensation I’d rather never experience again.”
Yeah, I wouldn’t want to know that feeling either.
But why? After returning from the gathering, the only thing Paula did was… sewing?
Maybe she relieves stress through sewing?
“Why would she do that?”
“To modify her dress into a different design.”
Why?
She didn’t have other dresses?
“Oh…”
She probably didn’t.
‘Right. Our family’s broke.’
Only now did I recall:
The Ulmer dukedom was famously poor in the Bregenz Empire.
