Chapter 110

Chapter 83 The Banquet Part 1

When the Lady had just entered, she did not lock the door from the inside. At this moment, I was only wearing my nightgown, in a disheveled state, with no sign of servants at the entrance. They were probably busy elsewhere, but even if someone was around, they likely wouldn’t be able to stop him. I feared he might barge in suddenly, so I quickly called out.

“I’m here! Don’t come in!”

Pasiphae’s voice sounded very anxious.

“Hurry up and get dressed! Listen, Mom will definitely ask us to go out and greet guests later. You probably don’t remember; every time before, it was always the two of us. It was so unlucky, that feeling was too painful, having to stand for a long time! Hurry up and get dressed and come out. Before she comes over, let’s sneak away to the snowy mountains, take some goat cheese, and catch birds—”

I saw the Lady’s face turn dark, and I couldn’t help but smile inwardly.

“Pasiphae! Dare you say that again!”

“…”

Silence fell outside the door.

After a while, Pasiphae spoke again.

“I’ll go see who’s arrived…”

“If you dare run away, you’ll stay at Pagos for three years!”

“I won’t run…”

And then he fled in disgrace.

“This child never changes. Even at his age, he still thinks about playing! One day, I’ll die from frustration…” The Lady said irritably, then turned her head and gently rubbed my face, “But our little Pepi is well-behaved.”

“Hehe, that’s right.”

I showed her my teeth.

Then, I was slapped on my small buttocks wrapped in the blanket.

“Then hurry up and get up!”

… Looks like I was waiting for this all along.

Forget it, I was already awake by now.

Reluctantly getting out of bed, I faced an hour of mental torture.

There were many gowns in the wardrobe. The Lady picked and chose, spending twenty minutes just deciding which one to wear today. Finally, she chose a somewhat Rococo-style yellow puffy skirt, the hem reaching almost to her feet… Originally, the Lady wanted to pick another longer one, meaning she wanted two maids to dress me up, and do nothing else today but hold the hem of the dress as I walked. I managed to stop her.

Oh my God, if that happened, I’d rather die.

Seeing my reluctance, the Lady finally settled for a puffy skirt that looked overly complicated and flashy, and asked for a floral hairband and pure white lace gloves. Lastly, she tied my hair into twin tails.

After dressing me up to dazzle, the Lady was finally satisfied. She pushed me in front of the mirror.

I stared at the charming reflection.

A pair of jet-black, crystal-clear eyes, bright and clear, shining like stars, as if their brilliance overflowed. Long eyelashes trembled slightly, fair skin with a hint of rosy blush, thin lips like a drooling peach. Two playful pigtails naturally hung down, like two precious silk ribbons, gracefully draped over slightly sloping shoulders.

Alright, I admit it.

At the sight of myself in the mirror, I couldn’t help but blush.

This is… too beautiful.

I really want to kiss myself.

“Alright, you’re the brightest little star at our banquet today. What do you think?”

“… It’s okay.”

My gaze shifted, fingers twisting together in front of my chest.

“If you feel happy, you should say it honestly.” The Lady pinched my nose, “I know you better than you know yourself.”

Then, she pushed me out, and I hesitantly made my way to the dining room. Upon seeing the scene, I froze.

Besides the expected Duke, Lafayette, and Pasiphae, Carlos was also there, as was the old man in the robe from that day. They were all seated at the table. As I entered, everyone’s eyes turned toward me.

“Woah—”

Carlos widened his eyes dramatically, then covered his heart with one hand, “Whose arrow pierced my beating heart—”

I raised my hand to cover my face.

“Shut up, please.”

“Sylvia… Ah no, let me call you Miss Peylo. Don’t be shy, you’re very beautiful.”

The old man in the robe seemed particularly cheerful today. His usually stern face looked somewhat like a kind elder… Was it because he wasn’t wearing a robe but a formal suit today?

“Thank you…”

“Pepi, you look so pretty~”

“You swordsman, I won’t allow you to think about her!”

“Pasiphae, what nonsense are you talking!”

Lafayette and Pasiphae were both dressed in all-black formal suits today, their hair slicked back, making them look more spirited than usual, especially Pasiphae, who looked like a different person.

It seems attire has a significant impact on one’s overall appearance.

Of course, these were just the first impressions I got from glancing at the table. Then, I lowered my head and took small steps… Not that I was being effeminate, but the design of the dress didn’t allow for larger strides, or it would pull at the crotch.

So, covering my face, I sat next to the Duke.

“Pepi, eat quickly. Afterward, you and Pasiphae will go out to greet the guests.”

“I don’t want to—”

Pasiphae wailed immediately.

“Nonsense. In the month of Winter, we can’t afford to be impolite. You must go.”

“Let Lafayette go!”

“Lafayette has to receive guests. Do you want to switch with him?”

Hearing this, Pasiphae wilted.

Receiving guests was much more troublesome than greeting them, as there were several heads of prominent families present, requiring considerable mental effort. This wasn’t something anyone could handle well, at least not Pasiphae.

At this point, Lafayette smiled and said, “Actually, I wish I could switch with you. Greeting guests is much easier; you just stand there, smile, and greet. Nothing else is required, how relaxing.”

After weighing the options, Pasiphae sighed.

“Oh, I don’t want to receive guests.”

Just then, I frowned and said, “Ouch, my stomach—”

Before I could finish, my expression incomplete, the Lady interrupted.

“Pepi, don’t cause trouble. I won’t scold you for your mischief usually, but today is a very important day, and you can’t be unreasonable.”

“… Okay.”

Thus, I nodded reluctantly. It seemed I had no choice but to become the new innkeeper of Schantel Castle today.

“Little Sylvia, I feel today

Among those entering Castle Sutherland, half would trip, and one third of the remaining would get hit by their companions, while two thirds would try to chat with you.

Carlos said with a teasing tone, his expression making me want to punch him.

But I felt he was right.

Thinking about this made me even more distressed, so I looked at the Duke with pleading eyes.

He laughed.

“Don’t look at me; when it comes to this, your mother decides.”

“…”

It seemed there was no room for resistance.

So after breakfast, I obediently held Pascal’s arm, and under the lady’s urging, we walked out of Castle Sutherland.

“Hey,” I whispered.

“Hmm?” Pascal lowered his head like a thief.

“Is there any chance we could slip away?”

“…Probably not…”

“What are the two of you whispering about?”

The lady’s voice came from behind us.

To be continued…

I sincerely apologize to everyone. I originally planned to write more drafts so that you could enjoy them all at once, but due to my limited speed, there are only ten chapters.

My apologies!

After finishing the drafts, I started thinking about a problem.

Maybe it’s because of my limited ability. I realized that writing a chapter takes me almost twice as long as a regular author. I always struggle with whether a character should say a certain line or if a particular scene is appropriate… Then I delete and rewrite until I feel satisfied.

Sometimes, after changing a sentence many times, I realize that the meaning remains the same, just expressed differently.

Perhaps it’s because this is my first novel, and I’m still inexperienced. I hope I can improve my speed in the future.

Enough about writing. Let’s talk about the plot.

I believe readers who have read this far understand my style of writing.

I aim to create a realistic world and characters. There are no overly clichéd plots; everyone in the book acts according to what they believe is right.

For example, in the first volume, I could have kept Alia alive, but at that moment, I felt she would act in that way in my heart.

So she died.

And Varal.

Previously, I mentioned in the reader group that if Varal were born into an imperial family, he might have become a warlord.

He isn’t purely evil… I know that writing a villainous character and having the protagonist trample over them would make readers happy, and such plots are easy to write, but I didn’t do that.

I think there aren’t many pure villains in the world. Most people are merely selfish but have their own principles and ambitions.

Varal is somewhat like that. He has his dignity and principles, but his abilities and status don’t match his ambition, so he doesn’t live well.

This led to his obsessive personality, yet he showed his true self before dying.

Edward is similar. Selfish, arrogant, and conceited. But deep down, he doesn’t wish for Pepi to die; it’s his foolishness that harmed Pepi.

When a foolish person gains great power, it can be very dangerous. Fortunately, Edward died.

But I think this is human nature. Human nature is complex; everyone has both light and dark sides. What makes someone “bad” depends on their stance.

Humans are the hardest to write because unlike stereotypical characters, humans change.

I know I haven’t done enough, but I hope to improve in the future.

What will happen in the next plot?

First, there won’t be any scenes of feeding feces. The story should be enjoyable, but perhaps not as consistently thrilling as other books.

The reason is simple: I write about humans, and humans are not the main character.

Humans can be happy, angry, sulky, sad, make mistakes out of ignorance or pride, but they also reflect and grow.

Strength isn’t always physical; mental strength is true strength. The main character doesn’t possess this, but she will gradually grow along with your perspective.

She will eventually become a true powerhouse, but at the same time, she remains human.

I think this kind of story is intriguing, don’t you?

So the book will continue to feature various rich characters.

A cold queen.

A rigid saint.

Someone who always considers others.

Someone who only cares about themselves.

A swordsman who believes in justice but is full of sins.

A good person who has shed blood but never forgotten their original intentions.

Someone who becomes a sinner in the eyes of the world for what they believe is right.

Someone who deceives the world with blind faith, suffering retribution.

Heartfelt goodness and pure, emotionless evil.

And so on.

I hope I can tell a compelling story.

Actually, every time I finish a chapter, I always feel I could make it better with some revisions…

Lastly, let’s talk about the Abyss.

Many novels portray the protagonist using such power to wreak havoc, conquering everywhere.

But do you think little Hill would do that?

What is the Abyss? If one day you suddenly gained such power… you might even feel like you’re not human anymore.

You don’t know if continuing to use this power will turn you into an alien, make you lose your humanity, or if you’ll even be yourself anymore.

Are you still alive?

So little Hill is afraid of this power, especially since she is starting to find her place in this world.

Like you, she doesn’t know what she is.

Pei Luo? Hilvija? Or Chen Yuxuan?

She doesn’t know.

But someday, she will discover it together with you.

That moment will surely be a grand climax.

Regarding Pepi, some readers might not have noticed. I remind you that little Hill looks 16 years old now, while Pepi, if alive, would be 18. This leaves a gap of two years, yet Pepi disappeared three years ago.

So, what happened during that missing year?

I hope everyone will accompany this cunning, cute, and kind big loli on her journey.

Finally, I emphasize one last point: Pepi cannot marry!!!!