Chapter 88

I ended up playing the role of the adopted daughter too well. In Chapter 088, Viola asked instead of hesitating, "Why is that?" as if she already knew everything but was just waiting for the order of the answer to be given. Jo, that's right. It was natural! As expected.

Sure enough, Hera was very satisfied. "I thought you would know everything, but as expected." Hera's gaze turned to Carlo. "You know, I had to consider my friendship with the second son of the Louisbarten family." It was as if she was speaking to Viola but ultimately addressing Carlo. "Louisbarten is one of the noble families, and our Bellato is trying to maintain a good relationship with them. I had a certain grasp of Princess Cersa, the eldest. She is very capable and excels in many areas."

The eldest, Cersa. The second, Cersphon. Hera had to weigh the two. The head of the Louisbarten family, who could be considered the real power, and Carlo were now too old. They needed to establish connections for the next generation, and Cersphon seemed much easier to handle than Cersa. "So, I decided to approach the second son, Cersphon."

Noble families do not readily show their successors. Even if they have flaws, they hide them. The best way to understand someone is to meet them directly. "If it were Princess Cersa, she would have at least noticed that my wheelchair is a masterpiece by a renowned craftsman."

Cersphon, on the other hand, was a disappointment. A cold sweat ran down Viola's back as she realized everything. 'So, this is why you orchestrated these situations.' To gauge and build a relationship with the more approachable Cersphon. If Cersphon had shown a more impressive demeanor, the situation might have been different. Hera seemed to have been planning this day for a very long time. Carlo let out a deep sigh. "I see. So, that rascal was not chosen by Lady Hera."

"I am not in a position to choose or judge anyone." "That's a bit too modest." "It's not modesty, it's the truth." Viola felt a chill run down her spine for no reason. Something about the situation made her neck prickle. She wanted to avoid Hera's gaze. "But my brother is a different story."

Hera's affectionate eyes turned to Viola. "You must have seen it just now, Designer Carlo." Carlo had indeed seen it. A consistently composed attitude. An aura that only a supreme ruler could possess. The air of someone who can place all elements on the palm of their hand and look down upon them. Viola exuded all of these qualities. "My brother will be in a position to choose someone. I cannot be a ruler, but my brother can. Today is the day I introduce my brother to Sir Carlo."

Hera's affectionate eyes were filled with infinite trust. The one who makes kings. The kingmaker saw the king. "Ha ha. It is truly an honor to meet you. I thought Lady Medea would be the one to lead Bellato, but now I see that it's not necessarily so."

Carlo also engraved 'Viola Bellato' in his heart. Carlo stood up. "I assume everything for my brother is prepared?" "Of course!" Hera had already had many things custom-made for Viola a long time ago. "I will bring the items you ordered. I hope they meet your approval."

When Carlo, who had gone somewhere, opened a subspace and started pulling out items, Viola was finally overwhelmed. 'Good heavens...!' Luxurious items poured out, even at a glance. "These shoes are made by pulling diamonds into extremely fine threads and then crafting them with intricate details. As you may know, this technique is only possible by the head of the Herpes family."

The long-standing friendship between the head of the Herpes family and Carlo, the chief designer, was well-known. It seemed Carlo had specially requested the head of the Herpes family to make these shoes. "And these are earrings made by specially processing gold and red Selon ore..."

They were small earrings in the shape of a four-leaf clover. The Selon ore, which emitted a faint red glow even in the dark, gave them a dazzling appearance. "The technique of refining gold and Selon ore together is only possible in the Bian Dola Kilaf family. I also had a matching necklace specially made."

Viola had to try hard to hide her surprise. It wouldn't look good for the Iron-Blooded Princess of Bellato to gape at such things. 'How much does all this cost?' It was good to have a wealthy sister, but these items were undoubtedly priceless, even if one had the money. 'Jo, this is a bit overwhelming.'

Whether they became friends, lovers, or even husband and wife, or even parents, receiving such ultra-luxury items would be burdensome. However, it didn't seem to bother Hera. "You haven't forgotten that I said I would forgive Prince Cersphon, have you?"

Cold sweat ran down both Carlo's and Viola's backs. "N-no, of course not. There are still many things to show you." "As expected? I almost lost hope." "No way! Hahaha!"

It was a lie. 'Damn that rascal!' Because of him, it seemed she would lose all her wealth. 'Especially for provoking Lady Hera...' If one crosses Hera, they won't be left with a single bone. Even just Hera alone is formidable. 'And now, Lady Hera followed by Lady Viola?'

But today, Viola seemed even more terrifying than Hera. Look at her now. That expressionless, indifferent attitude! Her inscrutable, bland expression even seemed to exude a sense of boredom. She had heard rumors about the Iron-Blooded Princess, but she didn't expect it to be this bad. 'Damn!'

She felt a sense of crisis, as if she needed to show her best items. 'I didn't want to show this one.' She had no choice. If she didn't do her best, Hera would never forgive this rudeness, and it might even turn Louisbarten into an enemy. Carlo loved Louisbarten more than he thought and didn't want to put his family in danger. He took out two dresses. One was as white as snow, and the other was as red as blood.

The dress Carlo truly didn't want to show was the red one. 'Please choose the white dress!' "I prepared two dresses, not knowing which one would suit you. Which one do you prefer?" In his left hand was the white dress. It was an off-shoulder style, and the fabric was incredibly luxurious, flowing like water. The lace decorations, embroidered with silver threads, were delicate and intricate. 'Wow...'

Even though this style of dress wasn't her taste, Viola was inwardly amazed. 'It's beautiful.' Regardless of personal taste, this dress was a masterpiece that exuded the craftsman's dedication. Even someone with no interest or discernment in fashion would recognize its high quality and beauty. 'It's really beautiful.'

She imagined herself in the dress. 'Ah, too childish.' Her soul was that of a 20-year-old Han Ahreum, but her body was that of a 12-year-old Viola. Moreover, her growth was much slower than that of a typical 12-year-old. 'Though it's prettier than my original body...'

In her teens, Han Ahreum always wanted to be an adult. She thought that if she grew up quickly, Jang Hoon would see her as a woman. When she just turned 20, she wanted to be 30. She felt 30 was more mature and adult-like than 20. Given this, the dress didn't seem to suit her current body. 'Sigh. When will I grow?'

Seeing this, Carlo felt another cold sweat run down his back. 'She just sighed, didn't she?' The white dress was undoubtedly a masterpiece, but it couldn't compare to the red one. 'She definitely sighed.' It felt like she had sighed on purpose for him to hear. Carlo trembled with fear, trying to hide it. "Please take a look at this one too."

Please don't look. He desperately tried to hide his thoughts. Whether she knew or not, Viola turned her gaze to the side. The red dress was as red as blood. The outer fabric was a vibrant red, and the lining was a deep black. 'Intense.' Compared to the white dress, it felt a bit more casual. The exact material was unknown, but it flowed like water with a slight sheen. It was less luxurious and detailed than the previous dress. 'This... feels like something a scary aunt would wear.'

It was the kind of dress the witch Heidi would wear in the story. 'Huh? Heidi?' Upon reflection, Heidi did wear such a dress. Red outer fabric. Black lining. 'Gold-threaded patterns. They're barely visible but form a simple magic rune when you focus.'

Suddenly, a line from the novel came to mind. "It's a trophy I got in exchange for saving Cersa's life." This wasn't a significant part of the novel, and the anecdotes related to the Louisbarten family weren't major episodes. 'Cersa is the eldest princess of Louisbarten. If the evil witch Heidi took Cersa's life as a hostage to steal an artifact... Then, is this the artifact? "Can I take a closer look at this one?"