Celebrity Lady - Chapter 84

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Celebrity Lady
Chapter 84
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“Victor Diolus of the Imperial Knight Order, in service of the glorious Decarde Empire, pays his respects to the royal highness.”
What? He didn’t recognize me?
I’d stepped away from filming when I heard Victor had come for a visit, so I was caught completely off guard.
Half a year apart, and yet he couldn’t recognize his own brother’s face?
True, I’d grown taller and lost quite a bit of weight, and I was wearing a wig and mask for the shoot, but still…….
‘Hmm, I suppose it’s not entirely unreasonable?’
Though I hadn’t intended to deceive him, the situation was rather amusing.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. This unworthy servant has failed to show proper courtesy. If you would reveal your name, I shall pay my respects anew.”
“Ah.”
According to the knight’s protocol I’d picked up by osmosis, Victor’s greeting a moment ago had indeed been incorrect.
Knights serving in the Imperial Palace must know the names and order of succession of all royals by heart.
The proper form wasn’t a vague ‘I pay respects to your highness,’ but rather ‘I pay respects to Her Highness the [X]th Princess [Name].’
‘This is too fun. Let me tease him a little more.’
I suppressed my laughter and gave Victor’s shoulder an encouraging pat.
“There’s no need to be so formal, Victor.”
Victor flinched.
“Have you come to see your sister?”
“Yes, Your Highness. That is correct.”
“Your sister is quite adorable, isn’t she?”
“I… yes, yes, that is… she is, indeed.”
I pressed my lips firmly shut to stifle the laughter bubbling up, trembling with the effort.
“Rise.”
“No, Your Highness. If you would tell me your name, I shall offer my proper respects.”
“Very well, then. I suppose there’s no help for it. I am Rubetria Diolus, third of our house.”
“Yes, Victor Diolus of the Imperial Knight Order pays respects to Her Highness the Third Princess Rubetria-”
“…….”
“……?”
“Pahahaha!”
As Victor stammered and fell silent mid-sentence, I finally burst out laughing.
Holding my sides, I laughed so hard that Victor stared down at me with wide eyes.
“What?”
He scrambled to his feet.
“Oh, ah, ha… this is too funny. Are you an idiot? How could you not recognize your own sister?”
“What, what, wh—?”
The moment I removed the mask that had been covering the left side of my face, Victor’s eyes widened as he stared at me intently.
Then his mouth fell open in shock.
“Rubetria?!”
* * *
“You did that on purpose!”
“I didn’t plan to trick you at first.”
“That’s rich! You’re standing there in a wig and mask and claiming you didn’t mean to!”
After changing out of my costume into comfortable clothes, I was taking a walk with Victor along the mountain path near the villa.
Victor vented his frustration for a full thirty minutes, wounded by the prank.
“Am I really that unrecognizable?”
“Yeah. Honestly, even seeing you now, I can’t believe it’s you. You look like a completely different person.”
Victor shook his head at me.
“Hehe. Doesn’t your sister look pretty now~?”
“You’ve gotten so thin. A good shove and you’d probably blow over.”
With a click of his tongue, Victor pulled a box from his pocket and thrust it toward me.
A familiar logo. The name plate of an accessory shop from Blanc de Ruby.
“What’s this? Wasn’t that mountain of gifts earlier the end of it?”
“Well, all those other gifts put together don’t add up to half the price of this. I don’t know how a tiny brooch can be so expensive.”
Victor grumbled.
When I opened it, I found this spring’s sapphire brooch. With quite a bit of diamond work as well, it was an extraordinarily expensive new piece.
“This cost sixteen hundred marks.”
“Are you serious?”
“Did you borrow pocket money from Father? It would be hard to afford on a knight’s salary alone, wouldn’t it?”
“I saved up my own money, all right? Besides, what else am I going to spend it on anyway?”
Victor rested his interlaced fingers against the back of his head, pouting.
“The hard part was making the reservation. That boutique’s costume fitting wait list has a terrible reputation, let me tell you.”
“It does, doesn’t it.”
“So when they opened the accessory shop, I ran straight there and got a ticket. But they made me wait four months!”
“You went through a lot.”
“A boutique making people wait that long, and people are lined up before dawn too. They’re all mad.”
Victor clearly wasn’t impressed with Blanc de Ruby’s reputation.
“But why did you buy it in the first place?”
“Well, I hear all the noble ladies love their clothes and jewels nowadays.”
So he’d endured the trouble of waiting in line despite his reluctance, all for my sake.
Victor really is the best. My nose stung with sudden emotion.
“Aww, thank you.”
“Ugh, what?”
When I patted his rear affectionately, Victor recoiled with disgust.
“You little—what are you doing to your brother?”
“I was just praising my caring brother. Don’t you like that?”
“No, it’s just…”
Victor glanced back awkwardly. Five knights were following behind us.
Victor lowered his voice.
“A commander has his dignity.”
“Anyway… why did you bring so many knights along?”
“Without them, the Investigation Officers would follow you around all day.”
Ah, that explained it. The Investigation Officers that usually followed Father around weren’t here today.
Even with Visitation Rights, I was still under investigation. In principle, at least one Investigation Officer had to accompany me whenever I made contact with outsiders.
“Since they’re all under the Crown Prince’s command anyway, having knights present means we don’t need a separate Investigation Officer.”
“I see.”
Though I hadn’t done anything wrong, it must have been more comfortable for him to bring his own men rather than have an Investigation Officer watching our conversation nervously.
“These are new recruits who joined four months ago. They kept pestering me to bring them along on my visit.”
I turned to glance at the five knights following behind, flashing them a bright business smile.
‘Hmm, but why do they all look so strange? Is he being especially strict with them?’
All five of them had dark, tense expressions, and something about the intensity in their eyes felt off…….
“What are you grinning about?”
“Eek!”
Victor grabbed my chin and turned my head back around, then resumed walking.
We were chattering away merrily as we ventured deeper into the mountain path when Victor’s pace suddenly slowed, then stopped altogether.
“What’s wrong?”
“…….”
“Whoa!”
In an instant, Victor shoved me forward hard.
I spun around in surprise to see a confrontation I never could have imagined.
‘What the—’
Five knights, all with swords suddenly drawn, and Victor standing between them and me.
“What is this?”
Victor asked menacingly.
“Forgive us, but please hand over your sister. We would prefer not to cause bloodshed with the Vice Commander.”
One of the knights in the middle spoke, his face tense.
Hand over my sister? That would be… me?
“Are you out of your mind?”
“No matter your position as Vice Commander, defending your sister against all five of us would be difficult. If you value your life, act wisely.”
“Hahaha!”
Though the knight’s words made logical sense, Victor seemed utterly unconcerned.
He laughed mockingly, then ground his teeth as he muttered.
“Who put you up to this?”
“Act wisely.”
“That’s pathetic. You’re bluffing because you’re scared, acting tough.”
Despite the five-to-one odds, tension was written all over the knights’ faces.
I tried to understand the situation. “Are these people trying to kidnap me?”
“It seems that way.”
“Why?”
“How should I know?”
“Am I really that beautiful? Enough to commit such a crime?”
My question was met with silence.
“…….”
“…….”
Victor frowned and glanced back at me briefly.
“Is that what this is about?!”
“Then what else could it be?”
“Never mind why right now! Why are you so calm about this?”
I’d endured enough kidnapping threats during my time as Juliet Karerina to find it rather ordinary now.
Kidnappers always had a purpose. The fact that they weren’t killing me outright but demanding to hand me over meant they wanted something from me.
I raised my hands quietly and asked. “May I ask why you’re trying to kidnap me?”
“…….”
“…….”
Again, silence fell. Then Victor shouted.
“What kidnapper reveals their own motives?! You idiot!”
“But… I agree with what you said about not wanting anyone to bleed. If they want something, we can just ask and settle this peacefully.”
“That’s enough. Stay there and keep quiet!”
Victor’s irritation flared as he drew his sword from his belt. Without a moment’s hesitation, he charged forward.
At the same time, all five knights rushed at him together, their blades flashing downward.
Clang-!
Even facing five sharp swords, Victor didn’t give an inch. Despite the oddness of the situation, I found myself in awe.
In fact, the more they clashed, the more Victor drove them back.
Then.
Sensing they were losing ground, one of the knights on the far left fixed his sharp gaze on me instead.
After all, I was the target, wasn’t I?
If he could grab me and flee, mission accomplished.
“Victor!”
Sensing the danger, I called out immediately.
Protect me! Protect me!
But there was no need to worry. Capable Victor had apparently anticipated that they’d target me while he was occupied.
Without hesitation, he turned and rushed back to me first.
‘Wait, defending me is nice and all, but why are you showing them your back?’
I panicked seeing Victor expose himself so defenseless.
Any sane person in this situation would drive a blade through his unprotected back.
And my prediction proved exactly right.
The knight targeting me brought his sword down hard on Victor instead.
“Victor?!”
But the blade that should have run him through lost all momentum.
“Yeah.”
Facing me calmly, Victor smirked and murmured.
“Go ahead and train a hundred days. Let’s see if you can so much as scratch me.”
Crack—!
At the same moment, the knight’s sword shattered into pieces.
I swallowed hard.
Facing Victor’s composed gaze, my earlier calm made perfect sense now.
I’d never doubted Victor would win.
Victor twirled his sword lightly and spun around with a smile.
Where he should have been pierced clean through, his back was covered in skin as hard as steel. It faded away moments later with a faint sound.
‘Seeing it in person for the first time… it’s impressive.’
The spirit of Invulnerability.
“Tell me who sent you, or you won’t be going home in one piece.”
Victor hadn’t taken a scratch from a blade since he was fifteen.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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