The Villain is Being Suspiciously Kind

A few days passed.
It was the day of Citrina’s knighthood ceremony.
After the confession and the kiss, Desian and Citrina hadn’t had as much time to talk as they’d hoped. Citrina had been busy preparing for her knighthood.
She returned to the townhouse, and Duke Pietro’s knights, disguised as mercenaries, began to scout the area around the townhouse.
Citrina fully understood Desian’s concern. She would have felt the same way, so she left him alone.
…that wasn’t the point.

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“Ci, Citrina-nim.”
“So…are you going to get married?”

Citrina, who had been drinking some water to relax, spat it out.

“Why are you talking about marriage all of a sudden?”
“Th, that butler…I heard him muttering.”

It was about Harold. He must have said something to Lita.
Citrina looked at the spilled water and spoke.

“Oh…maybe that’s something we’ll think about later?”

All of a sudden talking about marriage.
Then again, this world was conservative. With her memories of her previous life, Citrina had a mixture of this period’s standards and those of the modern world.

“Ah, well, congratulations, master!”
-You fell in love at last. You’re finished, Citrina.

Hearing Lita’s exuberant words mixed with Gemma’s cursing, Citrina laughed bitterly.
Whether she loved Desian or not, Citrina was Citrina. And she was the owner of the atelier who loved jewels.
On top of that, she heard Adilac’s cheerful voice.

“Citrina, there are people outside! Maybe they were sent by His Majesty?”

Citrina looked out the window.
Alright, it looked like her life was about to change.

-I’m ready. Let’s go out!

This was the final hurdle before being awarded her title.
It would prove her usefulness to the court parliament. The documents from the information guild had already been submitted.
Citrina quickly checked her attire before entering the imperial court.
Her bonnet was tied under her chin, while her long muslin dress had sleeves that reached the back of her hand, meeting her thin white gloves.
The outfit was perfect, thanks to the duke’s dressmaker.
The court of the imperial palace of Petrosha was as old-fashioned as it was historic. A long marble hallway led to the small court parliament chamber.
Even though it was a single-ranked title, nothing was lacking in the appointment of the noble title.
The high-ranking nobles sat in the uppermost seats in the venue.

“Citrina Foluin.”

…so when Citrina’s name was called, it was no wonder that everyone turned to look in her direction.

“Yes.”

Citrina answered. Although the stares felt a little stinging, she’d had her fair share of fame lately.

“Ciel Rivight.”
“Yes.”
“Joro Payne.”
“Yes.”

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There were a total of three people being granted a non-hereditary title. Citrina looked around her.
She could see a small group of supporting characters that did not appear in the original work.
It was rare for a noblewoman to be directly bequeathed a noble title. They were bestowed only upon those who were born into nobility and engaged in noble work.

‘After today, I’ll be a licensed spiritist.’

Citrina lowered her eyes. Her heart was pounding as if she had returned to the moment before confessing.
Ciel Rivight held out his sword to receive the title of baron, as did Joro.
At last, came Citrina’s turn.

“Show me your spirit.”

His voice was hard.
The purpose seemed to be to analyze her spirit’s class. It meant they would divide the spirit’s phases and convey a title accordingly.
Citrina nodded without much thought.
She watched as the knights hoisted the inspection machine on top of the parliament table. It was in the shape of a small scale, with the top part worn out.
In a world where spirits were so rare, even the imperial palace didn’t seem to have a modern machine to test them. It was doubtful it would even work.
But seeing it made Gemma extremely excited.

-Citrina.
-Yeah?
-C, can I come out now?
-That, are you okay with it?
-Yeah!

Gemma had been looking forward to her debut since this morning, wearing all sorts of jewels all over her body. A lovely pink opal, a blue sea glass, a sunstone redder than the sun, and other gems she hadn’t yet made into jewelry.
…Gemma was a bit of an attention-seeker.
Then Gemma appeared, sprinkling the council with glittering, colorful gem dust. The eyes of the members of parliament showed interest in the cute, fairy-like figure.

“Well, please go in here…”
-I got this!

Gemma sucked herself into the inspection machine. Citrina’s shoulders were covered in gem dust, and she looked flustered.
The mage in charge of the inspection machine muttered a few words under his breath.
The inspection machine clicked and spun continuously. Citrina watched, half uncertain.
It glowed red, and Gemma slipped out from under it.

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‘…I guess you’re okay.’
-Yeah, I’m fine!

Gemma climbed onto Citrina’s shoulder once more. The man in charge of the examination glanced over at her with a surprised look on his face.
His voice was trembling a great deal.

“Based on its unique attributes, it’s a…high-level spirit.”
“A high-level spirit?”

The white-haired old man spoke with sparkling eyes. He was a noble who sat on the court parliament. His crooked face showed deep interest.

“What is its level of capability? Can it upgrade gems to mana stones?”
“Yes.”

Citrina answered curtly. The old man chuckled at her words.

“It will be a good force in the case of war.”
“Hmm…I suppose it’s the complete opposite of divine power.”

A debate erupted in front of her. Citrina didn’t join their conversation. She knew it would lead this way in any case.

“At this rate, I must speak to His Majesty again. A spirit master who has dealt with this level of spirit…hasn’t existed for a hundred years.”
“It’s been more than two hundred years when magic was still thriving.”

As if his mouth was itchy, the energetic young noble gave his opinion while shaking his head.

-You’ve got people looking up to me? I love it.
-Yeah, it’s because you’re amazing.
-I know. I’m a genius!

Gemma’s nose seemed to have risen. [T.L. Note: Meaning Gemma’s ego has grown.]
Citrina was nervous, but she didn’t want to ruin Gemma’s happy mood.
Perhaps conscious of the other people, including Citrina, the old man at the center of the room coughed.

“In any case…you can go back.”

It wasn’t an insult, but rather, a statement.
Unless there was a particular reason for disqualification, she would receive a ‘real’ feudal estate. It was the peerage and title that the Foluin family wanted so badly.
It was the family who exploited Elaina so relentlessly, hoping to capitalize on her success and re-enter high society.
Thinking of them made her heart grow even colder.

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“Then, I’ll be leaving.”

Citrina bowed her head deeply and slowly exited the palace gates. There would be a carriage waiting for her outside the gates.
She wanted to rest.
So much had happened.

“Citrina.”

…but why was she here?

“It’s been a long time.”

Citrina said, clearing her tightened throat.

“I have something to tell you.”

With an unstable gaze, the woman holding an out-of-date parasol over an old-fashioned dress, was Citrina’s mother, Baroness Foluin.