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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Forgotten Faces
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I turned at the sound of someone calling me.
Three girls were staring at me.
Two of them wore smug smiles that really got under my skin.
But for the life of me, I couldn’t remember their names.
They looked vaguely familiar, but since they didn’t fit in with kids my age, the memory was hazy.
“What brings you to an event like this?”
The girl in the middle spoke to me like we were buddies.
Of course, her expression said otherwise.
“It’s Crown Prince Luciano’s birthday, so I had to come.”
The girl on my right answered in my place.
“You’re still only hanging around Crown Prince Luciano? Don’t you have any friends?”
The middle girl snorted.
They kept chattering away without needing a response from me.
These two clearly held a grudge against me.
I rolled my eyes discreetly toward the remaining one who was staying quiet.
The girl on the left had her mouth shut tight, watching with an observant gaze.
She didn’t seem to harbor any ill will toward me.
‘An interesting bunch.’
Shaking off the thought, I opened my mouth toward the middle girl.
“Who?”
“What?”
“Who are you to talk to me like we’re close?”
Shock flashed across all three girls’ faces first.
Then the middle and right ones twisted into disbelief.
Finally, they crumpled in anger.
The middle girl’s face turned especially red.
“Hey!”
“What.”
They trembled as soon as I replied.
“Why are you pretending not to know me!”
The middle girl shrieked.
What bizarre delusion was this?
“Excuse me. I’m not pretending. I really don’t know you.”
I was just telling the truth, but it seemed to irk her even more.
Her face looked ready to burst as she yelled.
“Betty! I’m Betty!”
“Betty?”
“Yeah! Betty!”
Betty...
“I’ve heard that name somewhere...”
It was on the tip of my tongue, so I muttered aloud without thinking.
“Hey! How could you forget me! You snitched on me to Imperial Consort Isabel before! You said I was bullying you!”
Only after her barrage did the memory click.
At the second tea party, she’d ignored me blatantly, so I’d told on her to Imperial Consort Isabel.
It wasn’t a pleasant memory for me, so I’d completely forgotten.
“Oh, that Betty? You’ve changed a lot?”
“I haven’t changed that much!”
My calm attitude clearly bothered her, as Betty’s face flushed red then pale.
“Were you that upset I didn’t recognize you? Sorry.”
“Why would I be upset!”
“Then what?”
“That’s not it!”
I could hear Betty’s huffy breaths.
She had a lot of pent-up anger.
“You wouldn’t happen to not recognize me either, would you?”
The girl on Betty’s right jumped in.
Suspicion was plain on her face too.
Why ask something so obvious?
Of course.
“Who are you?”
“Hey!”
The right girl shrieked too.
She had a good set of lungs.
“Girls, this is a banquet hall. Let’s keep it down. People will call us uncouth.”
I tried to soothe them kindly, but they shook with rage, not knowing what to do.
“I’m Catherine! You snitched that I bullied you too!”
Oh, she was one of the ones I’d tattled on?
“You’ve changed a lot too. That’s why I didn’t recognize you. Sorry.”
“I haven’t changed at all!”
Betty had said the same thing.
So much anger.
‘That makes them easy to handle.’
“Sorry, like I said.”
I apologized with zero remorse in my expression, and the two glared at me in unison.
The left girl just scanned me with a curious look.
She must be the one who hadn’t gotten snitched on, so no hostility.
I wanted to ask who the last one was, but the mood wasn’t right, so I held back.
Their stares were too piercing, so I smiled even wider.
“Wanted to hang out with me?”
“Who’d want to hang out with you?”
“Who’d associate with you!”
Betty and Catherine snapped one after another.
“Then why’d you call me over?”
“Obviously you!”
Betty shouted, but she couldn’t follow up.
Of course not.
She couldn’t say it was to bully me or mock me.
“Me for what?”
Come on, spit it out.
As I stared her down, Betty bristled.
“This is ridiculous...”
“Betty, hold back. You’re too worked up.”
The quiet one finally spoke calmly, reining Betty in.
Betty froze, looking ready to lunge at me.
“There are eyes on us.”
At the girl’s whisper, Betty quickly scanned around.
Our voices had been rising, and people’s gazes were starting to creep in.
It was fine from other kids nearby, but the adults watching from afar were impossible to ignore.
Betty flinched and composed herself.
‘Aw, too bad. Betty was about to self-destruct.’
I eyed the girl who’d stopped her at just the right moment with fresh interest.
‘What’s her deal?’
“You stab people in the back with that innocent face?”
Betty whispered, her voice low.
“When have I ever stabbed anyone in the back?”
I was indignant.
I always spoke the truth, and if I hit, it was to the forehead or mouth—straight on, not the back.
“You’ve always been so disgusting to look at.”
Betty shook with frustration, like we weren’t communicating.
If she hated the sight of me, she could just stay away. I couldn’t understand why she’d approach me.
“If you hate me that much, why talk to me?”
My genuine question only twisted her face fiercer.
“You really...”
Betty clenched her jaw so hard I worried it’d break.
She’d hit her limit.
“If you can’t stand the sight of me, I’ll be going. Handle your business.”
I quickly stepped back.
“H-Hey!”
I ignored her hushed call and headed to another table.
‘Teasing them was fun, but time to stop.’
I had a sense of crisis that dragging it out might lead to hair-pulling.
And I’d promised my parents I’d behave.
I slipped to another table and savored the lavish palace dessert I’d been eyeing.
One bite of chocolate cake, and I smiled involuntarily at the lack of flavor.
To be precise, it wasn’t flavorless.
‘It’s tasty, but the chocolate cream feels a bit heavy?’
Compared to the desserts from May and Bell, the palace cake fell short.
This only made Maybel’s success all the more certain—how could I not grin?
Clink. Clink. Shhh!
I could almost hear the sound of scooping up money.
Just imagining piles of cash made me happy.
As I basked in the fantasy, plate empty and set aside—
Thud!
Someone bumped my shoulder.
Lost in my daydream, I couldn’t dodge.
“Ow!”
I staggered back, barely catching a nearby table to avoid falling.
Crash!
Splat.
I flinched at the sound of a plate shattering beside me.
“Oh dear, sorry. I didn’t see you.”
Betty’s fake-apologetic voice snapped me back.
She’d shoved me and now stood there cool as ever, making my blood boil.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
“I said I didn’t see you. I apologized—do you have to get so mad?”
She acted all innocent under my glare.
“That was dangerous. Even if you’re upset, there are things you do and don’t do.”
It was obvious she’d come close on purpose, bumped me, and knocked over the plate.
I pointed out how I’d nearly cut myself on the shards.
“You didn’t get hurt. So what’s the problem?”
Her logic was astounding.
Holding back a sigh, I glanced around.
Normally, servants on standby would rush over to clean up a mess like this.
But there wasn’t a single servant in sight.
Just noble kids circled around, watching with keen interest.
‘She planned this situation.’
Sent the servants away.
Blocked the adults’ view.
She’d played dumb earlier, but she knew how to scheme slyly.
Betty smirked triumphantly.
‘This insolent kid—I oughta just!’
I considered letting my temper loose but decided to endure once more.
I’d provoked her temper too.
And today was an important day—Crown Prince Luciano’s birthday.
“Be careful next time.”
I tried to end it amicably.
If only Betty hadn’t sneered.
“But are you okay? Your dress is fine, but those shoes... not so much?”
I hurriedly looked down at my shoes.
How craftily placed.
Just like she said, the dress was spotless, but chocolate cream smeared my white shoes.
A sore shoulder was fine.
Missing out on cake was fine.
But dirtying my new shoes!
I’d loved them so much!
“You...”
“You can wipe it off. Want to borrow my handkerchief?”
Betty actually pulled out a handkerchief and waved it teasingly.
‘She’s not the type to offer kindness.’
Her uncharacteristic generosity raised suspicions.
Then I heard snickers from around us.
Looking up, everyone watched with amused eyes.
That’s when I realized what she really wanted.
To watch me bend over and scrub my shoe.
Among nobles, one prank was dropping a handkerchief in front of someone you disliked, forcing them to pick it up.
Then mocking them as they stooped.
This was a twisted version.
Dropping a handkerchief worked only with a clear status gap.
With equals, someone might pick it up for you, letting it slide.
But this was unavoidable.
Walking around soiled would make me a laughingstock.
‘She’s quick on the draw when it’s nasty.’
A little dirt didn’t embarrass me—I wouldn’t mock someone for it.
It wasn’t my fault, and accidents happen.
I could slip away to clean it.
But parading like this would shame my parents, not me.
I’d look like a clumsy kid who messed up.
It’d mark me as an outcast in kids’ social circles.
Hurting my parents’ reputation.
Kneeling before Betty disgusted me.
But saddening my parents more? No.
White shoes made the chocolate stain glaring.
“Here, I’ll lend you the handkerchief.”
Betty grinned slyly, reading my dilemma.
“What, don’t need it?”
“No, she doesn’t.”
A deep, firm voice rang out decisively.
Huh?
A massive figure pushed through the ring of kids surrounding Betty and me.
‘Harrison?’
I couldn’t believe he was stepping in.
He strode forward, closing the distance, and Betty faltered, stepping back at his presence.
“What...”
“I am enough to clean the young lady’s shoes.”
His cold glare and chilling tone sent shivers down my spine.
This wasn’t the Harrison I knew.
I Thought I Was the Protagonist
