Chapter 196: Not sharp enough
Emily could feel everyone’s eyes shifting towards her, some looking at her with pity, while others with a gleam of satisfaction, knowing they had gained an advantage from her apparent downfall. When she first set foot in the Storm Kingdom, she had hoped for the truth never to come out. However, after slapping Marshall Travis, a part of her suspected that it could no longer remain hidden.
"I am sorry to hear about your rejection, Lady Emily. It must have been devastating." Beatrice openly tried to console her in front of everyone. "You are truly strong. If it were me, I doubt I would have been able to leave my bed at all."
One of the female guests took this opportunity to say, "Perhaps Lady Emily would like to return to the castle for some rest?"
Despite being introduced as the king’s niece, the women present regarded her as a rival and couldn’t wait to send her away. Mr. and Mrs. Ruiz were taken aback by the revelation, as this was the first they had heard about it. Mr. Ruiz approached Emily and, in a lowered voice, inquired,
"Milady, would you like me to arrange the carriage for you?" He could only imagine that the young woman was feeling quite uncomfortable.
You can either run or stay and face this, Emily said to herself. And she was no coward.
"Thank you, Mr. Ruiz, but I believe I will stay." Emily offered her host a polite smile. She continued, "King Raylen mentioned he would come to fetch me, and as his relative, he treasures me dearly. I doubt he would be pleased if he didn’t find me here upon his return."
Emily lied through her teeth with a straight face, but it wasn’t like anyone was going to challenge her on it. She came to this place to find a suitable man to bond with so that she wouldn’t perish, and she was determined to see it through, even if it meant bending the truth.
A few people continued to murmur as Emily walked to one of the couches and took a seat. She could feel their intense scrutiny and the whispers that accompanied it.
"She’s staying?"
"Does she really believe she will find a decent man here now? Perhaps she plans to marry Mr. Kirfield," one of the guests jeered snidely. Mr. Kirfield, a man in his late thirties with thinning hair and a far more modest income than the other men, was the subject of their ridicule. "She must definitely lack something for Mr. Lynx to abandon a woman related to the king in favour of a minister’s daughter."