Chương 39: Chapter 38: Furen Boswe

The introductions gradually began to slow as the number of young ladies waiting to be announced became smaller, and the attention of the banquet slowly shifted away from the grand entrance toward the conversations beginning throughout the hall. Lily, however, remained focused on something far less complicated. Her food. Or rather, the tiny amount of food she had carefully selected.

For what felt like an eternity, she had been cutting the same small piece of bread, dipping it into her soup, chewing slowly, and counting every single bite in her mind. At this point, she was beginning to question whether the thousand-count method was actually useful or if she was simply torturing herself for no reason. She had barely made any progress. The small piece of bread on her plate looked almost identical to when she had first picked it up. Lily quietly sighed. She wanted to finish eating.

She wanted to relax. But she needs to keep up this sickly appearance to help Rosa. However, before she could continue her careful meal, a clear announcement echoed throughout the banquet hall.

"Lady Furen Boswe, daughter of Count Boswe." The moment the name was announced, the atmosphere shifted slightly. Even those who had been casually conversing turned their attention toward the entrance, and whispers immediately began spreading throughout the room.

"Count Boswe's daughter..."

"She is finally being introduced."

"She truly resembles Lady Rosa Roosevelt." Lily, who had originally intended to ignore the introductions, reluctantly paused her eating. Not because she cared about noble introductions. But because If everyone was reacting this strongly, then perhaps this was at least worth watching. Finally, something interesting. She slowly lifted her gaze toward the entrance. The young woman who entered the hall carried herself with a confidence that immediately separated her from the others.

Furen Boswe possessed long silver-blonde hair that flowed smoothly past her shoulders, each strand carrying a soft shine resembling moonlight beneath the lights of the banquet hall. Her eyes were a clear violet-blue. At first glance, they appeared calm and gentle, but beneath that beauty rested a sharp intelligence and a quiet pride. Her expression was elegant, yet there was a certain intensity hidden within her presence that made it impossible to mistake her for someone fragile.

Her features were refined and graceful, possessing the kind of beauty that naturally drew attention without requiring effort. There was a reason people often compared her to Rosa Roosevelt. Rosa had long been considered the standard by which beauty was measured. She was the kind of person whose appearance caused others to struggle to describe anyone else afterward. And Furen Boswe was considered the closest person to reaching that same level. Only one step below. Lily quietly observed her. She really is beautiful.

She understood why people made the comparison. The similarities were obvious. The elegance, the refined appearance, the kind of beauty that naturally caused people to look twice. But the feeling was different. Rosa carried a gentle and delicate atmosphere, surely a picture perfect lady under all accounts. But Furen was different. She possessed the same level of elegance, but beneath it was something sharper. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Confidence, p ride and a fiery temperament that nobody could ignore. She was not someone who seemed as though she needed protection. She was someone who seemed capable of standing against anything that came toward her. She looks similar to Rosa, but she feels completely different. Lily continued watching as Furen moved through the banquet hall. The attention did not seem to bother her. The whispers, the admiration, the comparisons, all of it was something she had likely experienced countless times before.

However, while walking through the hall, Furen suddenly noticed Rosa looking at her. … Seeing that she had accidentally made eye contact with another woman, Lily, remembering that Rosa had specifically warned her not to speak with someone named Furen Boswe because the two of them seemed to have some form of bad blood between them, instinctively looked away, hoping that Furen had not interpreted the glance as an invitation to approach.

On the outside, Lily continued sitting quietly, gazing toward the window with a melancholic expression. To everyone else, she appeared calm and distant, almost stoic in her silence. However, inside her mind... Lily was running around in complete panic.

"I'm so screwed." She paced back and forth mentally.

"Rosa told me not to look at her, but I had to look at her, and now we made eye contact. This is really bad. What am I supposed to do?" She wanted to look again. She wanted to confirm whether Furen was actually approaching her. But at the same time, she absolutely did not want to meet her eyes again. That would only make the situation worse. As Lily continued panicking, she forced herself to calm down and maintain control over her emotions.

She needed to stabilize herself before her internal panic affected her expression and ruined the carefully maintained appearance she had created. Unfortunately, her distress did not go unnoticed. Because of their current situation, Lucian was awakened by the sudden emotional disturbance.

"What are you doing?" Lily immediately looked toward him.

"Lucian Blackmore!" Without hesitation, she rushed over and grabbed onto him.

"Help me!" Lucian stared at her.

"I accidentally made eye contact with someone during a social gathering, and now she is coming toward me. I don't know what to do. How am I supposed to handle this?" Her panic continued.

"If I handle this badly, Rosa will be disappointed, and that would be terrible. Then I will have to pay back the four banknotes, and I will probably ruin my relationship with the merchants, which means my business will suffer, and then I won't be able to continue working." Lucian remained silent. Lily looked at him desperately.

"Please. You are good at these kinds of interactions, right?"

"No." Lily froze.

"Please."

"No."

"I don't know what to do." Lucian sighed.

"I can maintain the sickly appearance. I can even cough at the correct times." She tightened her grip.

"Just please help me."

"Help me."

"Please." Lucian stared at her.

"Alright. Alright. Just stop." Lily immediately became quiet.

"I'll help you."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Thank you so much. Also, do not change your appearance."

"What?" Lucian paused.

"We are currently doing a job. You cannot simply change into yourself."

"Oh?" Lucian looked confused. Seeing that, Lily suddenly remembered.

"Right. You were asleep during this." She turned to Nina.

"Can you explain everything to him, Nina? I don't want to explain." Before Lucian could react, Nina reached out and touched his hand, transferring the information directly. After receiving the memories and understanding the situation, Lucian became silent.

"So this is what happened." He looked toward Lily.

"My question is..."

"Why did you look at her?" Lily immediately looked away.

"It was an accident." Lucian continued staring.

"Was it because you were bored?" Lily became silent.

"... Maybe." Lucian sighed.

"Of course." After a moment, he continued.

"Once I take control, do not immediately return to sleep. I will only handle this situation for a short time before giving control back. I do not want to remain outside longer than necessary." Lily nodded quickly.

"Okay. Thank you! You're the best!" Lucian simply looked away, ignoring Lily's sudden enthusiasm.

"Nina."

"May I?" Nina understood immediately.

"Go ahead." With that, Nina stepped back internally, returning to her place as she prepared to watch the situation unfold.