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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Starfall]
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Chapter 8: On The Verge Of A Broken Engagement
Selina rose from her seat.
“What brings you here today?”
Selina was slightly taller than Flora. When Flora barged in like this, the quickest way to deal with her was to stand there with a cold face, listen to her say a few words, and then look down at her condescendingly to chase her away.
But today, Flora glared at her as if she wasn’t going to back down.
“There’s a limit to how much you can disgrace this family!”
Selina was a little taken aback by Flora’s overly confident attitude.
‘What is it? Does she know about the dress incident at the ball? No, it couldn’t have spread that far.’
It was an unspoken rule not to spread rumors about what happened in the lounge.
It was considered a private matter, known only to those who were present.
“I asked you what brings you here. If you’re not going to answer properly, then leave, Flora.”
Despite her words, Selina didn’t immediately dismiss Flora, wanting to see what she was up to.
Flora, emboldened by Selina’s lack of orders to the maids or butlers, said,
“So, it seems you’ve finally realized that you’ve brought great shame to the family this time.”
“Tell me, Flora, what great shame have I brought?”
“You really…”
‘Flora, Flora, all the time! Am I your friend or stepmother?!’
Suppressing her rising emotions, Flora put on a smile and said,
“The Patel family just entered the family council chamber. I don’t need to tell you why they’re here.”
‘Ah, that’s what this is about.’
Selina was relieved to know it wasn’t about the dress incident.
If Flora or Brandon found out about the incident with the foreign princess, they would surely demand that Selina be stripped of her title as the acting head of the family.
And Count Arsene might not take the matter lightly either, as a conflict with a foreign country could be a major flaw for the head of the family.
‘If they were going to bring that up, they wouldn’t have come to my quarters so politely. They would have said it in front of my father and demanded that I be replaced with Brandon as acting head of the family.’
Seeing Selina nodding her head in thought without responding to her words, Flora sneered in irritation.
“Didn’t you say it was right for you to be the acting head of the family since you were engaged to the heir of the Patel family? And now you’re on the verge of a broken engagement right before the joint venture between the two families. Do you really think someone like you, who causes harm to our family, is fit to be the acting head of the family?”
Selina’s expression hardened at Flora’s words.
This was definitely a problem.
‘If the engagement had been broken off after the contract was signed, I wouldn’t be this worried.’
They were about to start the joint venture after several trial trades, and once the contract was finalized, there shouldn’t have been any major issues.
Three years of coordination had gone into this trade, and once it was successful, it would bring great benefits to both families for generations to come.
If this contract was affected because of Selina’s relationship with Morgan Patel, the consequences would be dire.
Seeing Selina’s expression, Flora seized the opportunity to add,
“Honestly, your reputation in society is nothing but trash. The Patel family has been patient because of the good business relationship with our family. It must have been so hard for them for three years.”
She laughed, clearly enjoying it.
“And now that you’re getting dumped, you’ll never have a good marriage, so you better start trying to please Brandon and Sebastian. Apologize for all the rudeness you’ve shown them so far. Show them with your actions, not just words, that you’ll follow them like a mouse from now on. Do you understand?”
Flora sneered with a smug look on her face.
‘She’s not wrong. Even if Eric and I try to explain later, who would believe us? No family would accept a woman with a bad reputation who hasn’t even married yet as their head. Even if I break off my engagement with Morgan, I need to marry someone the family can’t ignore.’
At that moment, a voice echoed in Selina’s ears.
“Shall I send the proposal to Count Arsene tomorrow?”
It was the man who had ardently proposed to her three days ago.
‘No, no. This isn’t right. No matter how difficult my situation is, how could I possibly…’
“I said I wanted to marry you. Are you refusing?”
‘The way he looked at me when he said that… Do all men look at women with such intensity? Or is it just His Grace, the Grand Duke?’
“Hey!”
Flora, realizing that Selina was once again ignoring her and lost in her own world, shouted angrily.
“You’re ignoring me even in this situation? You just wait, as soon as the Count finishes his meeting with the Patel family, you’re done! There will be no mercy, do you understand?”
Flora screamed at the top of her lungs and stomped out of Selina’s study.
“Cathy.”
“Yes, my lady.”
“Spray some air freshener and don’t let that woman back in this room.”
“Yes, my lady.”
After getting rid of the lingering scent left by Flora, Selina sat down at her desk and pondered.
‘If I want to keep my position as acting head of the family after the broken engagement, the rank of my new fiancé should be higher than a Count. But there won’t be any families of Marquis rank or higher who would propose to me right away.’
The young lords of the families she had met at the academy briefly came to mind, but she shook her head.
‘It’s not just anything, it’s an engagement, so I can’t just grab anyone and ask them to play along. But if I get dumped like this, my position in the family will only get worse. It could even lead to the joint venture falling apart. I can’t afford to lose out on something I’ve been preparing for three years.’
She was frowning and contemplating a solution.
‘If I were the Grand Duchess, I wouldn’t have to worry about this, would I? As the only Grand Duchess of Sephia, I would be respected even in other empires.’
As the thought crept back into her mind, Selina shook her head to clear it.
‘That’s really not an option. His Grace must have been mistaken about something when he said those things to me. I can’t take advantage of someone who helped me like that.’
Worrying alone wouldn’t solve anything.
Selina headed to the conference room in the central wing of the main building, where the family council was in session.
Inside, the discussion about the broken engagement, which threatened her position as acting head of the family, was taking place.
Selina clenched and unclenched her fists before entering.
‘How much will my words matter in there?’
It was a meeting between the heads of two families. Their decision would affect the time it would take for Selina to achieve her goals.
‘It’s not right to break off an engagement just based on rumors. Even if they don’t know me, it’s still not right. And doesn’t Morgan, that idiot, even think about what’s more profitable for him?’
He was a fool, if he had just quietly gone through with the marriage, he would have secured a contract that would have brought great benefits to the family members without him having to do anything.
But of all times, he had to break off the engagement now because Selina was a villainess with a bad reputation.
It was hard to see it as simply a failure to analyze profit and loss.
“Announce me.”
At Selina’s words, the attendant went in and informed the people inside of her arrival.
Count Arsene, Count Patel, and the other participants, whose faces had hardened for a moment, allowed Selina to enter.
The closer she got to the conference table, the louder the voices inside became.
“Good. We can get an explanation from the person involved herself! Tell her to come in!”
“It’s definitely a misunderstanding. My lady is not that kind of person!”
The conference room buzzed with a chaotic energy.
“I heard she even attempted murder recently. That says it all.”
“If all those rumors were true, the young lady who was harmed would have taken the matter to the Imperial Court for a trial. Why is she silent? It’s because this is all a misunderstanding. To
every single one of those misunderstandings…”
“If it’s a misunderstanding, how did the rumors spread like that? To the point where everyone knows about it?”
“Lady Selina has arrived.”
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Starfall]
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