Chapter 160: The Suspect

Chapter 160

The Suspect

The Setter family’s people had been waiting at the village entrance from the start. So, when Ellie and Nara arrived, they immediately transported them to the Setter family’s reception room. This area, located inside the Setter family’s mansion, was highly private. Several housemaids were already waiting to welcome them. When they saw Ellie arrived, they rushed over at once. Initially, they had been instructed to assist with the young girl’s attire, but since Aunt Lana had already taken care of Ellie, no further arrangements were necessary. All that remained was to complete her look with the jewelry provided.

With such preparations, Ellie and Nara had to separate. Nara was taken to wait outside with the other guests. Naturally, her appearance drew quite a bit of attention.

Nara appeared like a princess, though her attire was far from impressive. However, her well-made-up face and the heroine’s charm captured the interest of many young men. Besides her outfit, what made her particularly intriguing was the fact that she had walked out of the Setter family’s mansion herself.

Because she emerged from inside, everyone assumed that this young girl was undoubtedly important to the Setter family. Many were already aware of rumors that the Setter family had taken an interest in a village girl. Since they had never seen the face of that girl before, it was natural for them to believe that Nara was the one from those rumors.

The chatter among the crowd was incessant, and no one could take their eyes off Nara’s actions. This village girl knew how to put on a show. Her clothing didn’t matter as much as her graceful demeanor. Despite her cheap attire, she carried herself and sampled each dish as if she were a noble lady.

In fact, Nara had learned this skill at the institute, where many people came from noble families. Their manner of eating was just as elegant. Nara, who had always hoped to one day achieve a high status, had been practicing continuously. She hadn’t anticipated that she would get to use that training now.

Meanwhile, Ellie followed the maids into a private room. All the furnishings were feminine, and the large, luxurious room was filled with various plants. These were expensive ornamental flowers and plants, which would make anyone living there happy. The light fragrance helped alleviate stress, among other benefits. Ellie glanced around the room and found herself quite pleased with it.

However, the feeling that this room was made for her gradually increased and became immediately clear when she was led into the dressing room. The many shoes lined up inside were perfectly suited to her foot size. There were also numerous luxurious dresses and accessories, all in her size. Even the bracelets seemed made for her small wrists.

The abundance of items that made her feel like a princess made Ellie feel a bit nervous. Of course, she tried to act as if she didn’t notice, but the 5 maids who had been brought to assist her were all smiling with delight. Being around them so much made Ellie feel quite shy.

Since Aunt Lana had already braided and curled her hair beautifully, no further adjustments were needed. Aunt Lana had done an excellent job. Ellie heard that it’s because when she was young, her mother didn’t pay much attention to her. So, if she wanted to look pretty, she had to practice by herself. Even on her wedding day with Uncle Jay-ar, Aunt Lana had to do her own makeup and hair. It’s no wonder her skills were so good.

When simple hairstyles were adorned with jewelry worth hundreds of thousands, even millions of gold coins, their beauty and elegance were elevated for these reasons.

"Lady Ellie, would you like any additional decorations?"

"No, thank you." Ellie waved her hand. All the jewelry she had received from their eldest young lord was expensive enough to make anyone faint. If she asked for more, it would be no different from the family’s treasure vault.

"In that case, please wait in the reception area. The Eldest Young Lord has asked you to wait so you can go outside together. If he finishes his business, he will come to escort you himself. Meanwhile, if you need any refreshments...feel free to enjoy the food and drinks we’ve prepared for you."

The servant spoke politely. The reception area was part of this large room, which was divided into dressing, sleeping, reading or working corners, and a reception area. If you looked closely, you could see that this single room was as large as Ellie’s entire house. It’s clear that the Setter family truly took luxury to the extreme.

"You mentioned waiting for the Eldest Young Lord to finish his business. May I ask what business that is?" Ellie asked in surprise. Even for his own debut, he still had work to do? Wasn’t the Setter family working their young lord too hard?

However, before the servants could respond, the large door opened, revealing Aman with his usual mischievous expression as he walked in. Since Ellie had just asked the question, Aman, who had just entered, heard it as well.

"Hmm? You’re already worried about my brother before you even marry him? Haha." Aman, dressed in formal red attire, laughed heartily. His silver-white hair shimmered, and he looked quite handsome in this outfit. No wonder the novel’s author described him as one of the good-looking men.

"Aman?"

"Yes, it’s me...why? Can’t wait to see my brother?"

"Why is someone like you here? Isn’t it..."

"Ah...I know what you’re going to say, but please...should I go out now and stay with that two-faced woman for hours? 10 minutes before the event starts, I’ll go talk to her. Giving 10 minutes to such a woman isn’t too much, is it?" Aman shrugged and sat down on the guest chair in Ellie’s bedroom.

Traditionally, a man and woman being alone in the same room wasn’t proper, even with many maids present. However, someone like Aman was an exception. Who would dare reprimand such a reckless person?

"So where is your brother on his debut day?" Ellie was still curious about this, and Aman laughed slyly.

"Actually, I shouldn’t tell you. It’s a secret."

"................" Ellie rolled her eyes slightly. He said it should be a secret, yet here he was, acting all sly and ready to spill it!

"Haha, you act like you don’t want to know, but...even if you didn’t, I’d still want to tell you! Haha," Aman laughed heartily, enjoying the expression on the girl’s face. For him, her unmasked look of annoyance was rare and made him want to tease her even more.

"My brother is making his debut, and he won’t settle for just surprising people. Besides...the eldest young lord of the Setter family is introducing his date. If he came empty-handed, how would his date stand out from the rest?" Aman smiled proudly.

When he heard that Ellie had arrived, he was curious if she would be excited about the specially prepared room his brother had ordered. Actually, if Ellie knew that the adjacent room was his brother’s, it might be better. But his brother had told him not to mention it. If this were inadvertently revealed to the public, it would negatively impact Ellie. His brother feared Ellie might misunderstand, thinking that she was being pressured into joining the Setter family by being placed near the eldest young lord’s room.

Even though it seemed harmless, it was significant. Having a man and a woman in adjacent rooms, separated only by a wall, could lead people to assume their relationship was much closer than it was!

Even though Aman had said that Ellie wasn’t one to overthink such matters, but his brother remained cautious. This highlighted the difference between “Aman” and “Owen.” Owen was more meticulous and thoughtful, even though both were strategic. Owen’s attention to important people was much greater. While Aman could use those he considered important to achieve his goals, Owen would never do such a thing.

If viewed from this aspect, Aman seemed to have no weaknesses at all, even if he had a lover. In contrast, Owen would have Ellie as his immediate weak point. To mitigate this...Owen had to become stronger to conceal his vulnerability. He would do everything to ensure Ellie’s safety with all his power!

"The gift you mentioned, aren’t these jewelry pieces, which cost a fortune, enough?" Ellie looked at the jewelry adorning her body, feeling that the extravagance made her hesitant to step outside. Although the pieces were beautiful and not overly large, their value was exorbitant. Anyone with an eye for luxury could instantly see the immense worth of each item.

Aman laughed heartily at her words. She had been demanding, wanting various things from them without feeling disadvantaged. It seemed that now, upon receiving too much, Ellie felt a sense of modesty.... He had thought she would seize every benefit available. Perhaps...he needed to reassess this young girl.

"Those jewelry pieces can still be bought with money. But my brother is searching for something that even money can’t buy," Aman said cryptically. Ellie pressed for more details, but he refused to say anything further.

Ellie didn’t push too much, knowing she would find out soon enough. So, she shifted her attention to the luxurious food before her. The amount was far too much for just two people. It seemed they had brought all the food from the party and laid it out on the table, as if intending for Ellie not to have to go outside and eat with the other guests.

Aman joined her in eating. He asked about Ellie’s well-being over the past week. Although he had already been updated by his informants, having a direct conversation was still preferable.

The girl ate savory dishes until she was nearly full, leaving some room for a bit of dessert. She decided on a delicious-looking red cake. However, before she could reach for the dessert, the spores tracking Nara’s movements alerted Ellie to something interesting.

"Hmm? What is it?" Aman was ever observant, so it wasn’t surprised that he noticed immediately when Ellie paused for a split second.

"It seems someone is approaching the target."

"Hmm? And I haven’t even made my appearance yet," Aman raised his eyebrows in surprise. Who would have thought the perpetrators were so impatient? They should have waited for confirmation from him before taking action. Why started so soon?

Of course, Aman had not yet seen Nara’s attire. With the outfit she was wearing, even without Aman’s display of familiarity, others could still tell she was a scholarship student.

No one knew there were actually 2 scholarship students attending the event. People would naturally assume the Setter family was focusing on the one scholarship student they had heard rumors about. Otherwise, why would all eyes be on her from the moment she attended the event?

"The person approaching Nara seems to be from the Hestia Kingdom. It’s unclear if he’s involved in the plot to cause chaos. Everyone around is being cautious. Also...Nara stands out quite a bit today."

"Hmm? Someone more striking than you?" Aman scanned Ellie from head to toe. With her exquisite jewelry, she was more deserving of the term striking. He doubted Nara could match that.

However, if he saw Nara, he would have to admit she played her part well. Attending such a lavish event dressed in rags like a beggar was bound to stand out.

If he attended a high-society party and saw someone dressed like that, his first question would be how the host allowed a beggar to cause a disturbance. But then again...it was fitting for Nara.

"................"

"And what did they talk about?" Seeing that Ellie wasn’t playing along, Aman smiled and switched to a serious topic.

"They haven’t said much yet, just a greeting."

"Is that so? What about the behavior of the others?"

"They’re all interested in Nara, but it’s hard to tell who else might be suspicious. We’ll have to wait and see who the culprit shows the most interest in." Ellie knew the position of the culprit, who was always keeping an eye on Nara. However, the culprit hadn’t spoken to Nara directly. Instead, he was disguised as a catering staff member, cleaning around the event. It was such a poor disguise that if Ellie hadn’t reported it earlier, he might have been caught at the entrance.

Since the eldest young lord had awakened, the Setter family’s people all had a lightning symbol on their wrists. This wasn’t just for identification; the lightning symbol also offered a bit of protection, which could be regarded as the eldest young lord’s kindness. The culprit hadn’t noticed this power, so he didn’t have the lightning mark like the others. Of course, being easily noticeable had showed how he was unprofessional.

Such a person wasn’t a seasoned assassin, but no one knew his true intentions.

The culprit couldn’t confirm Nara’s identity on his own, so he would need someone else’s help. This was the moment everyone was waiting for. Whoever approached Nara would become a suspect!!