I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 36

Chapter 36

“Um, I heard something.”

With a red face, Raintar stammered, unsure of why he was in such a hurry.

“What story are you talking about?”

“Lately, things aren’t going well between Lord Winkaiser and you.”

In an instant, at Raintar’s words, I found myself unintentionally stiffening.

Where did this rumor start?

Could someone have seen our discord at the last ball?

Or maybe it’s speculation arising from my refusal to attend the recent social gathering?

Could this be another conspiracy from the book?

Questions rolled around in my mind like tangled threads, and it took some time to recover my composure.

And looking at me in such a state, Raintar seemed to believe even more in the truth of the rumors.

“So, what I’m trying to say is…”

“No.”

I cut off Raintar’s words in one go. I didn’t need to hear more.

“What?”

I interrupted before he could say anything else, as if I didn’t need to hear more.

“I don’t know what rumors you’ve heard, but it’s not true that there’s trouble between me and Ricardo.”

I denied it outright.

I had already considered the possibility of Ricardo and I separating, but I despised the idea of people gossiping about events that hadn’t even occurred.

Ricardo and I were still together, and I didn’t want to entertain the idea of spreading rumors before any separation occurred.

Raintar, with a puzzled face, looked at me after his words were cut off.

“Are you sure?”

“Indeed, so you think.”

Raintar, with a puzzled expression, looked at me, and I replied with a smile.

“So you think. I’ve been thinking that way all along. There’s no way that would happen. I’m sure of it. Ha, ha, ha!”

With a forced smile, Raintar began to mutter incoherently.

***

The letters that came home were checked, and I wrinkled my brows slightly.

In truth, the contents were nothing special. It was an invitation to a small exhibition featuring paintings by an artist sponsored by a certain viscountess.

The part that made me frown was the suggestion that it would be nice if Lord Winkaiser could visit together.

Ricardo remained silent as ever.

I couldn’t casually contact him first, suggesting, “Shall we go see the art exhibition together?” Even though he had said before that divorce wasn’t possible without a reason, if we continued not to contact each other, it would naturally lead to divorce.

“Could this lack of communication lead to automatic break up?”

Maybe it would.

Oddly, a sigh escaped me.

I was the one who had resolved to break up with Ricardo.

Nevertheless, I sighed when I realized that it was just around the corner.

“It’s a good thing.”

I comforted myself and set aside the invitation to the exhibition that I couldn’t attend. I would later have to write a regretful reply explaining that Lord Winkaiser was busy with knightly matters, making attendance difficult.

The next item was an invitation to Lady Conwells’s tea party.

It was an invitation to spend a pleasant time with beautiful ladies invited to admire the flowers in the garden.

Whether I attended Lady Conwells’s gathering was optional. Moreover, it wasn’t particularly important; it was just a tea party.

“I should probably go to this one.”

However, I felt the need to attend this gathering.

After taking Maria’s side at the last ball, it was awkward for me with the Conwells’ group. While each of them belonged to smaller families compared to the Crofts, hyenas and jackals weren’t groups that hunted individually based on their own strength.

Some diplomacy was needed, such as scratching an appropriate neck and yielding leftover prey.

For example, attending an unimportant gathering with a beautiful lady as a gift could make the host of the gathering strengthen their ties with the group.

Additionally, it would be even better if I could find out how far the rumors about Ricardo and me had spread.

“So, I’ll attend this one, and also this one…”

As I unfolded the next letter, another set of words caught my eye.

“…Brighten the occasion by attending with Lord Winkaiser…”

Without even checking who sent it, I folded it back and placed it on top of the rejection letters.

Then, the next letter.

“…If the two of you could grace us with your presence…”

Rejected.

The following one was the same.

“Why are they treating us like a package deal?”

I started to feel slightly annoyed.

No matter how long Ricardo and I were engaged, how famous we were as a couple in Sprendo, and how our joint attendance would be a topic of discussion, it was irritating to be explicitly invited together like this.

Wasn’t it enough for me to attend alone and brighten the occasion?

Swiftly, I turned my head to look at the mirror.

A beautiful woman with a slightly irritated expression was staring back at me.

I could shine and be beautiful on my own.

“Of course.”

Throwing the letters requesting joint attendance into the rejection pile, I called for a servant by shaking a bell.

“Yes, miss!”

Panya, who had rushed over as I had originally instructed, extended her head.

“Prepare the carriage.”

“Yes, understood. But may I ask where you plan to go?”

“Shopping.”

After all, there was nothing better for stress, and there was nothing better to become a shining woman.

“This one, and this one, and this one too.”

I roughly picked three dresses with a glance.

There was the pink dress I liked, a white lace dress, and a flashy red cocktail dress.

I planned to wear the cocktail dress to Lady Conwell’s tea party.

As for the other two, I had no plans yet, but buying them now meant I would wear them someday. They were pretty dresses, and wearing them would make me even more beautiful.

“This one is lovely too.”

I pointed to a fancy black dress with my finger. It would go well with the red ruby earrings I had at home.

No, should I shop for new jewelry as well?

“Panya, calculate.”

“What? Without trying them on?”

“Too much trouble.”

Even without trying them on, I knew what would suit me and what wouldn’t.

Those four dresses would undoubtedly look perfect on me.

“Oh!”

As I was about to leave the store, I spotted a pair of shoes at the entrance.

They were beautiful shoes with dangerously high heels and delicate faux gems sparkling along the side.

“This one, in my size too.”

As I casually pointed, the clerk who was about to jot down the amount on the invoice paused.

“Excellent choice. These are the most beautiful shoes from our latest collection. Please wait a moment. I’ll bring your size.”

Watching the clerk swiftly disappear to the back of the store, Panya seemed a bit flustered, unlike my calm demeanor.

“Why?”

“What?”

“Why do you keep glancing around sneakily?”

“Well…”

Panya glanced once toward where the clerk had disappeared, then quickly approached me.

Lifting her crow’s feet, she whispered in my ear.

“I saw the receipt the clerk wrote. The price is incredibly high! Is she trying to scam you, miss?”

Perplexed by her words, I turned my head to look at Panya.

Her expression was full of tension, and it seemed like she wasn’t joking.

“Are there expensive items among the ones I chose?”

There probably were. Dresses that suited me were usually from high-end collections.

I had a talent for selecting dresses made from the finest materials, adorned with top-notch lace, crafted by the most exceptional designers.

“Last time, Maria’s dress was ridiculously expensive. This time, even though it’s just four dresses, the price is more than six times the usual. It seems like they are trying to swindle you, miss.”

Panya was dead serious. She even gave a sinister look toward where the clerk had vanished.

“Do you want me to cut you a deal? I’m a bit of a haggler, I once got five cucumbers for a rupee when they were three!”

Panya continued to lower her voice and whisper while keeping an eye on the area where the clerk had disappeared.

Come to think of it, this was the first time I had gone shopping with Panya since I appointed her as my personal maid.

“Panya.”

“Yes, miss.”

“This is a scout shop. We don’t bargain.”

“There are stores that don’t haggle?”

“Not at all. All the places I shop are like that. No haggling, no swindling.”

“How can you tell?”

Panya’s eyes widened. It was a bit bothersome, but I felt it was crucial for her, as my personal maid, to grasp this issue.

This way, she wouldn’t be overly tense, thinking that every time she paid on my behalf, it might be a scam. I wanted her not to glare at the clerk every time with such suspicion.

“Dare to try scamming Lady Croft, and the store will close its doors immediately.”

It was that simple.

“So, is this the price?”

“That’s right. Since you’ll be accompanying me to various stores from now on, get used to this price range.”

“Oh! Are you going to other stores too?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you going?”

“Next, to the…”

Originally, the plan was to go to the shoe store. Beautiful dresses deserved equally fitting shoes.

But suddenly, another place came to mind.

“I need to visit a pastry shop.”

“A pastry shop?”

“Yes. I should place an order in advance.”

Although the cost of a dress wouldn’t be much, the satisfaction equivalent to it passed through my mind as I considered shopping.

I also wanted to give a gift to honor my humble, brave maid, who was willing to fight for my wallet.

“Smile Love”