Chapter 15

She felt dissatisfied with Erel’s attitude of not paying attention to her. Erel noticed this, lowered her eyes and apologized gently.

“Sorry, my mind was a bit preoccupied. Thank you for coming today, Beatrice.”

She had to act as though nothing was amiss in front of her friend. Otherwise, Beatrice being Erel’s best friend, would certainly catch on that something was wrong.

“Hey, what do you say when you’re sorry between friends?”

Luckily, Beatrice seemed satisfied with her soulless answer. Erel looked awkwardly at her amethyst-like purple eyes.

Didn’t she say that they were friends since childhood? 

Beatrice customarily visits the Elorence mansion without notification. When she was suddenly notified about her visit, Erel panicked.

What should I do?

She wanted to avoid her friend, but she couldn’t just tell Beatrice to return. If she did, it would be even more strange of her.

In front of Beatrice, she was worried she wouldn’t be able to properly act as ‘Erel Elorence.’ But once she encountered her friend, she made up her mind to greet her.

“Hello, Rel? How have you been?”

However, all these troubles disappeared as soon as she saw Beatrice’s face. To be precise, right after confirming her favorability status.

[Beatrice Russell: Current Favorability 19]

….Didn’t she say she was a close friend? The first time she saw Barkan’s subordinate, Cellos, it was over 40.

Erel glanced over Beatrice’s pretty face and pondered. No matter how many times she looked at it, the shocking number of ‘19 favorability’ was the same.

“I missed you, hun. How long has it been?”

However, Beatrice’s big smile towards Erel seemed rather fixed. She naturally passed by Erel and sat down at the tea-table prepared on the balcony. She then asked after putting a mint macaroon into her mouth.

“Have you been to the temple? You went with your family, right?”

“Yes.”

Erel hid her nervousness and smiled. Whether Beatrice likes her or not, the important thing was not to be identified.

Fortunately, Beatrice didn’t care much about her words at least. The ‘real’ Erel wasn’t very talkative anyway. Beatrice, who had been talking about this and that for a while, took up a new topic as though she had been thinking about it.

“I heard the news. It was really bad, poor Rel.”

“Yes… … Huh? The news, what?”

Erel nodded instinctively. She looked at her friend in bewilderment. Beatrice glanced at her big eyes, pouted her lips and said.

“This! You don’t have to hide it from me. They said you’re a Receiver, right?”

Oh my god. Erel felt struck by the unexpected timing. It was clear as day that the rumours about her had spread throughout the kingdom.

Well, it was obvious since Barkan mobilized ten flower carts to blaringly express it. A Masaka, who only knows her, sent flowers and was the only one courting a Receiver.

It’s completely wrong.

Erel gritted her teeth in frustration. She felt sick and tired of Barkan arrogantly declaring her as his to the public even though he knows full well the scarcity of a Receiver. Even if other Masakas had their eyes on her, it was clear that he was the one who would get Erel in the end.

“Oh my god, Barkan Harmash! Why is he like this?”

“He’s famous for his wickedness and even His Majesty has been known to be a pushover when it comes to him. But would he be nice to his own Receiver?”

Beatrice’s words cleverly fanned Erel’s anxiety, but she wasn’t wrong. Erel bit her lip. Beatrice did not stop talking, even when she saw Erel’s face turning increasingly pale.

“Well, who would dare stand against Harmash? The fact is that the Receiver cannot refuse the great Masaka. You’re in trouble.”

Beatrice took a short breath and had a sad demeanor, but her purple eyes were smiling strangely. Thanks to her, Erel could be sure of something.

You certainly hate Erel too.

The figure of favorability she saw at first was not wrong. For Beatrice, Erel was not a friend. She was just a little more familiar than others, but she never liked or cherished her.

What she said wasn’t wrong. According to Beatrice, a Receiver is rare, but they are not noble. It is very contrary to Masaka’s being, which is a child of God.

If the Masaka was the light, then the Receiver was the shadow. Although they are children of the same God, the Receiver was given a name like ‘Harmash’.

What a pain it is to be here. They used to suffer from Masaka’s pain. The Masaka would put a lot of pressure on their bodies in the process of stabilizing their strength. For this reason, no household above the middle-class would ever send their family members as Receivers.

The only Receivers in Masakas’ hand were only from poor and humble origins. They were either sold for money or taken in by the Masaka as a semi-forced possession.

That is why the perception of the Receiver was so poor.

Raeyeon knew this well as she played the game. The heroine of ‘Salvation’ was also a Receiver. Because of this, she was frequently targeted by villagers who were ‘poor’, or wanted to get their hands on a Receiver.

Receivers were consumables for the great Masaka. A sacrifice made unavoidable for humanity. That was the common perception of the Receiver.

Beatrice in front of her eyes also did not know this, but she looked very much amused.

“Who knew that would happen to you? God is very really spiteful.”

By this point, Erel was at a loss. She stared at Beatrice’s smiling face.

Did you come here to see my despair after I was chosen as a Receiver?

If so, she didn’t want to give her friend the satisfaction of seeing her upset by this. Erel looked down at the teacup as if she couldn’t hear anything, and Beatrice’s purple eyes showed disappointment when she saw her.

Why isn’t this coward saying anything? It’s normal to cry and have a fit by now.

Beatrice technically didn’t hate Erel. Erel Elorence was a good person. She was friendly and got along well with others. She even had a harmonious relationship with an unruly personality like Beatrice.

Sometimes she didn’t want to look at Erel. To be exact, she was jealous of Erel who had never suffered like she had.

Erel grew up in a harmonious house despite being the young lady of the same author, she was never struck hard by a storm. She also had the strong backbone of her family preventing her from getting wet from a drop of water.

My house would sell me at a high price somehow.

Beatrice was sick thinking of her household. Her mother, who fought with the concubines every day, was nervous while her brothers who grew up under her knew of nothing else but her. Especially her younger brother… No, let’s not talk about it anymore.

After all, no one was even interested in Beatrice.

So it’s okay to be a little grumpy.

Beatrice slowly squeezed her handkerchief under the table. She was deeply offended when she was told that an old duke who was more than 50 years old would be her husband.

But what about good old lucky Erel?

“…..You’re Beatrice. Are you here to see Erel?”

As she entered the front door, she encountered a fine blonde young man, and unlike a face as elegant as an ancient statue and the beastly taut muscles underneath made the woman’s heart flutter.

“Oh, Brother Michael. Have you been working lately?”

Despite her pounding heart, Beatrice smiled. She confidently performed a perfect curtsy, But alas, Michael’s nerves were elsewhere and paid her no mind.

“I’m telling you, Beatrice. Erel is not like before these days. I’m afraid I’ve had some work lately… but, my heart feels very anxious and worried.”

Michael couldn’t say the word ‘Receiver’ which blurred his words towards the end. He wanted to deny that his precious sister was chosen as a Receiver.

“But you’re here today, so Erel will be happy. Have a good time together.”

Michael’s deep face was very manly as he asked Beatrice to ask for Erel. Beatrice’s eyes were dazed, and Michael added something as if he had been belatedly reminded.

“Oh, and don’t leave the mansion if possible. I just got a tip-off that someone saw a Kitan downtown.”

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