A Third-Rate Villain Tries Her Best Today 28

Chapter 28

It was a holiday afternoon, three days after her meeting with Leo.

Sue was once again dressed to the nines.

Today, she was wearing a maroon velvet dress that ‘Sue’ had treasured. She had a white headband with artificial flowers, which she normally didn’t wear, and black pearl earrings. The flowers and pearls were large, making her head feel heavy.

Dressed like this, Sue was ruthlessly cutting into a freshly baked potato with a knife. Steam rose from the cleanly cut, yellow surface of the potato. It smelled delicious.

‘Not all potatoes are created equal. Why is this potato so good?’

Sue marveled as she chewed. The long table was laden with all sorts of luxurious dishes, but Sue was already on her fourth plate of potatoes.

“Bring me some more of these.”

This would be her fifth plate. Nine, who was standing behind Sue, watching her, finally asked worriedly, “Miss, are you sure it’s alright to only eat potatoes?”

Sue felt a little wronged. It wasn’t like she didn’t want to eat the steak or roast turkey right in front of her. Even though the potatoes were delicious, she wasn’t obsessed with them.

‘If I eat anything else, I’ll probably get indigestion.’

Because today was the day of the Byron family’s biannual dinner party, and this was the main dining hall of the Byron main residence.

‘The Byron Viscount Family’s Regular Dinner Party.’

This grand-sounding dinner party was actually just a small family gathering that Sue’s father, Eren Byron, had started after moving to the capital.

Usually, only the head of the family, their spouse, and their direct descendants were allowed to live in the capital as Skias. The Byron family, in particular, which had only recently become Skias, had needed to prune any unnecessary branches when they entered the capital. And those pruned branches were Eren’s two younger siblings.

Perhaps because they were already estranged, Eren, while treating his daughter like a tool, actually cared for his siblings to some extent. Moreover, having no one to rely on in the capital, he had started holding these annual dinner parties for the Byron family to boost his meager self-esteem. The dinner parties, which had seemed like they wouldn’t last long, had surprisingly good attendance, and they had continued for almost twenty years.

Therefore, in this dining hall, where Sue was currently shoveling down her sixth plate of potatoes, her parents, as well as her uncle and aunt, were also seated.

“Listen, brother. That Basel boy… he’s been giving me a hard time lately. He refused to come to the dinner party…”

“Hahaha. Basel is still like that? You might have succeeded in marriage, but you failed at raising your child, Peter. No, seeing as your wife isn’t here either, did you have a big fight? Hahaha!”

“Brother, you’re being too harsh!”

The man who was lamenting was Peter Byron. He was the youngest of the three Byron siblings, constantly pushing up his round glasses. Unlike Eren, who had a large build, he was as thin as a stick, making him look a bit pitiful at times.

He was currently a low-ranking noble managing a small territory in a remote province beyond the main territory of Atlantis. His wife was the one who held the inheritance rights to that territory.

He was a bit of a social climber, but it seemed he was content with living off Eren’s support and managing his wife’s territory. He had a son who had just come of age, but it didn’t seem like he had been raised well.

“Don’t say that, brother. My husband and children didn’t come this time either, but we’ve never fought. By the way, is the cooling magic working properly here? It’s a bit hot…”

The woman next to Peter, chiding both of them, was Elizabeth, the middle child of the three Byron siblings. She had put down her knife a while ago and was fanning herself with a detached expression.

Formerly Elizabeth Byron, now Elizabeth Perlman, she was currently living in a remote area of the main territory of Atlantis. She had married a commoner doctor who didn’t have a title. His name was Kailo Perlman. They had twin children who were a year younger than Sue.

She was a beautiful woman with a perpetually serene expression, and she was the one who suited the faded red hair of the Byron family the most. Eren often called her ‘the miracle of Byron’.

“Hahaha! But it warms my heart to see the three of us siblings gathered like this. It was a good decision to hold this dinner party!”

“Even if you say that, please consider how many days Peter and I have to spend traveling in a carriage, brother.”

Cheryl glanced at Elizabeth, who had complained weakly.

“Then you should just take a carriage with high-speed magic. Liza. I sent you enough money this time to do that.”

“Ah~ Don’t you think that’s a bit dangerous, sister-in-law Cheryl? It hasn’t even been commercialized in our province yet. It might be fine for children, but I’m a little scared. Haha…”

Sue tuned out the lively conversation between the three siblings and her mother, Cheryl, and wished for this gathering to end soon.

Fortunately, both Peter and Elizabeth hadn’t brought their spouses or children this time, so Sue didn’t have to put on a show for them.

Three months had passed since she had visited the main residence to go to the underground workshop. Sue, who had arrived last night, had gone down to the workshop just in case, but as expected, it was locked.

It didn’t really matter whether the door was locked or not, considering she couldn’t even use the materials she already had. But it was petty of her father to lock the workshop door out of fear that his own daughter might actually break the curse, while sitting at the head of the table, his chin held high.

“Hey, Sue.”

Suddenly, a voice called out her name, cutting through the clatter of knives and forks. It was her uncle, Peter.

“Peter, show some respect. What kind of way is that to address the young lady?”

Elizabeth tucked her red hair behind her ear and chided her brother. Peter chuckled awkwardly.

“You’re always sucking up to brother.”

“You’re the one who needs to be more respectful, Peter.”

Elizabeth’s delicate voice reprimanded him firmly. Sue chuckled wryly, watching the bickering between Elizabeth, who valued formality, and Peter, who was always trying to provoke her.

They’re all the same in the end.

“What is it, Uncle Peter?”

Sue asked, tilting her head slightly.

“Haha, I was just calling your name. You seem to be rather quiet today.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yes. You’ve always been a lively and talkative child. I’m so happy to see you after such a long time, and I’m worried about you.”

Sue was the one who had to constantly come up with things to talk about with Enzhe at the academy every day. She didn’t want to put on that kind of show in front of her uncle and aunt, who would be leaving the capital soon.

“I guess I’ve become quieter because there aren’t any people my age here.”

Sue made a random excuse. Peter leaned forward and laughed heartily.

“Hahaha! Really? I thought you were just feeling unwell.”

“Peter!”

Elizabeth shouted, scolding him the moment the words left his lips. A heavy silence fell over the dining hall. It was Cheryl, her mother, who broke the silence.

“…Sigh. As expected, he’s uncontrollable without Natasha.”

Cheryl sighed deeply, looking at Peter’s red face. He seemed to be quite drunk. The only person who could control him when he was drunk was his wife, Natasha, so everyone was getting a headache.

No one in the room was oblivious to the meaning of Peter’s words. He wasn’t simply asking about his niece’s health.

Sue was the only one smiling in the tense atmosphere. Even in this situation, she could still smile brightly. It was her only talent. She took a few gulps of water, set down her glass, and spoke softly.

“Don’t worry too much, Uncle Peter, Aunt Liza. I’m always healthy.”

The snakes on my body are fine. My relationship with Enzhe is the same as always. I haven’t broken the curse, and I have no intention of doing so.

She laced her words with those lies.

Eren Byron. Peter Byron. Elizabeth Byron.

They were all accomplices in the end.

Since Eren had inherited the position of head of the family as soon as they entered the capital, she didn’t know what Peter and Elizabeth’s opinions had been at the time. Even if they had objected, they would have been ignored, and it wouldn’t have been strange if they had agreed.

But in the end, they all knew about Sue Byron’s existence, and they knew about the thing that lived inside her. They were living comfortably as Skias thanks to their brother, who had offered up his daughter to the two snakes.

They’re all the same.

Sue smiled wryly and started cutting into her potato again. It was her eighth plate.

“Ahem, ahem. Anyway, yes, Sue is right.”

Eren cleared his throat and took a sip of wine. Peter, the source of the trouble, was oblivious, munching on bread. Only when Elizabeth elbowed him hard in the ribs did he seem to sober up a bit.

“As I’ve said many times, don’t worry too much about ‘that’. And don’t talk about it outside. Peter, you especially need to keep your mouth shut. I know no one out there would believe you anyway, but I just want to shut you up myself. Honestly.”

Eren clicked his tongue and glared at his youngest brother.

The uncomfortable topic seemed to have come to an end, but the discussion about Sue wasn’t over yet. This time, it was Cheryl, trying to smooth things over.

“Well, even though this child seems clumsy, she’s at least doing that properly.”

She said, placing a hand on Sue’s shoulder as she was cutting her potato.

“What’s more important is the matter of her engagement, right?”

Cheryl looked at Eren. Eren leaned back in his chair and nodded.

“Hmph. We need to get some decent proposals. What’s the point of sending her to Full Bloom if she can’t even do that?”

“I’m sure the young lady will handle it herself. She’s only sixteen. She hasn’t even had her debutante ball yet.”

Elizabeth, who had regained her composure, subtly defended Sue. But the moment the topic of Sue’s marriage came up, Eren was dissatisfied with everything.

“Debutante ball. Hmph. I wonder if she’ll even be able to find a partner by then.”

“She doesn’t need a partner.”

“Oh my, Liza, what are you saying?”

Cheryl interjected, startled.

“Well, that’s true in principle, but has anyone ever actually done that? A young lady who doesn’t have a partner will only become a laughingstock in society.”

“Oh, is that so? I don’t attend parties very often, so I didn’t know that, Madam.”

Elizabeth smiled faintly. Sue couldn’t help but think it was a beautiful smile, worthy of being called the miracle of Byron.