Chapter 130 - ENDING MAKER – EPISODE 130 (1/2)

The chapter is finally here. And yes, I spent a lot of time in Dragonspine again, but I got so distracted by everything that I hadn’t even reached 50%, hahaha. Anyway, next chapter is on Monday, so enjoy Jude playing Princess Maker for now.

Terms used in this chapter:

Become a squid – Korean slang for someone who looks ugly or inferior in appearance when compared to a more handsome or beautiful person. So if a person with an average-looking face sits next to a person with a very beautiful face, the average-looking person becomes/looks like a squid.

And just a note: Regarding Cordelia’s hair color, it is color pink (just like in the cover art of this series). However, the author likes to use the Korean word for red to also describe Cordelia’s hair. If we go by color theory, pink is just a tint of red, so the author isn’t exactly wrong.

Emma Ficus.

She was the second daughter of Count Ficus, and never really liked Cordelia because of a very simple and plain reason.

‘Annoying.’

Cordelia’s very existence was annoying.

A pretty girl who looked like a doll and was even nice. She didn’t like the fact that Cordelia was truly nice and not pretending to be nice.

‘I’m excited on trampling her this year.’

She liked using Cordelia’s fiancé as a way to bully her because Cordelia was completely embarrassed about it, but the situation was slightly different this year.

‘Because you seriously dug your own grave.’

Were you so excited that your fiancé who couldn’t even go out much had become a bit healthy?

Cordelia had prepared a lot of things to be embarrassed about in the last two months.

‘Ah, I can’t wait.’

Emma Ficus trembled and sat in front of the dressing table as she looked at the mirror.

She saw a petite and charming girl with long pink hair.

In fact, the main reason why Emma Ficus disliked Cordelia was because of the color of their hair.

They had the same red hair, so they were always compared everywhere.

‘Good, good. I’ll seriously trample you this year.’

With a wicked smile that didn’t match her lovely appearance, Emma Ficus remembered what she had prepared.

Her father had prepared her new dresses and accessories, and she had a fiancé who was good-looking enough to be envious of.

‘Ah, I really can’t wait.’

I hope my birthday comes soon.

With an evil smile again, Emma Ficus looked at the mirror again.

Without knowing the fact that there was a man far away in Bailon who was looking forward to her birthday more than she herself.

***

Five days later at Count Ficus’ mansion.

Sylvia Crossbell, the eldest daughter of Count Crossbell who belonged to the 12 northern families, unknowingly frowned.

‘She still has a flashy taste.’

At Count Ficus’ garden that was not just spacious but also vast, the banquet hall was excessively and flashily decorated.

Fresh flowers filled the banquet hall even though it was still winter, and a temperature control magic device made it possible to hold the event outdoors.

An ordinary noble would have been worried enough of their finances with just those two, but the quality of the various items used to decorate the banquet hall was also high.

‘One way or another, she’s a Ficus.’

It was a fact that Emma Ficus was strangely obsessed with Cordelia, but there was nothing bad with the relationship between the Chase and Ficus families.

Their field of activity was vastly different even if they both belonged to the 12 northern families.

Count Chase owned a magic tower but did not have a proper manor, so he maintained his influence with the power of his talent.

On the other hand, Count Ficus possessed not only the best granary in the north but also the best transit trading city, due to the fact that the Sillikones River Delta, which was called the lifeline of the north, was in his fief.

In short, he maintained his influence with the power of his outstanding territory.

Therefore, Count Ficus’ real rival was Count Crossbell and not Count Chase.

‘North is Crossbell, south is Ficus.’

Count Crossbell made colossal amounts of money through their financial business, while Count Ficus made huge profits through agriculture and commerce.

It was when Count Ficus began to enter the financial industry that the relationship between the two families with the most wealth out of the 12 northern families began to fall apart.

Naturally, when compared to Count Crossbell who already dominated the financial world in the north, Count Ficus’ financial business was like child’s play, but the Crossbells found it unacceptable.

‘It’s an annoying fact, but Count Ficus has the potential.’

It was currently at the level of a child’s play, but it was unknown when and how it would grow.

Count Ficus was no less than Count Crossbell when it simply came to their financial strength.

‘Haa…I normally wouldn’t want to come here.’

From Sylvia’s perspective, Count Ficus’ place was no different to enemy territory.

The Crossbell and Ficus families had, in fact, avoided ever meeting the other.

The Ficus family did not participate in the social gathering of the 12 northern families’ children.

But for some reason, Count Ficus always sent invitations to Emma Ficus’ birthday party.

Despite the fact that the distance between the two families’ territories were so far that it took several days to travel from one point to another.

‘Well, I can guess what their intentions are.’

Did we touch a nerve?

We’re just doing this much for you.

We sent you an invitation out of courtesy, but it’s up to you if you want to come or not.

Since Count Crossbell who was famous for his fiery personality could not let go of Count Ficus’ provocations, Sylvia had to fully dress up and attend Emma Ficus’ birthday party every year.

‘Although there is one more reason why I’m here.’

It was none other than Cordelia.

Emma Ficus had been strangely mean to Cordelia for a long time, and Cordelia was unable to properly defend herself because she had few lady friends due to the fact that she rarely went outside her home.

Her situation was perfect, so Emma lashed at her as much as she could.

‘This year will be more intense than last year.’

Sylvia couldn’t properly help Cordelia because Emma Ficus always attacked her with facts, but she was planning to protect Cordelia this year even if it was beyond her abilities.

She had to return the favor at Langesthei.

‘And…it will be a little different this year.’

Emma Ficus primarily used Cordelia’s fiancé to attack Cordelia.

Sylvia recalled what happened in Langesthei in the past and revealed an uncharacteristically evil smile.

Because she was looking forward to it.

“Oh my goodness, Lady Sylvia. You’re so beautiful this year.”

“Isn’t Lady Mia very lovely too? I’ve thought about this before, but you really have a good fashion sense. The color of the dress you chose is a perfect fit for you again.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Mia Ballun, the second daughter of Viscount Ballun, reddened her cheeks at Sylvia’s compliment, but there was no other girl who approached Sylvia except for her.

‘Because it’s Count Ficus’ party.’

It was basically a place where they were conscious of Count Ficus. All the invited families were also located near Count Ficus’ territory, so it was natural for them to not approach Sylvia, the young lady of the Crossbell family.

‘Mia is peculiar.’

But judging from the other young ladies’ troubled expressions while looking at her side, it seemed like Mia wouldn’t approach her next year.

“Wow, it’s Lady Emma.”

As Mia spoke with sparkling eyes, Sylvia gently moved away from her.

There was a high possibility that the lost child would be in trouble if Emma Ficus found out that she was close to Sylvia.

‘Anyway…the main character has arrived.’

Emma Ficus and her fiancé, Darren Filov, proudly entered the banquet hall.

It was annoying to admit it, but Count Ficus was a formidable opponent after all.

‘He isn’t just some nouveau riche.’

Although he had an inclination to be a nouveau riche, he knew how to properly spend his money because of his heritage.

Emma Ficus was wearing a light pink dress, and the design of her dress and her jewelry were all unusual.

‘Fairy.’

A lovely design that hid the shortcomings of the small and petite Emma Ficus and highlighted her strong points.

Emma Ficus was like a fairy, and Darren Filov who was dressed in white formal clothes decorated with gold thread was like a prince in a story.

‘She really stuck to a concept, huh?’

But it did look quite good on her.

All the young ladies in the banquet hall were seriously in awe.

“Oh my, is Lady Cordelia still not here?”

Emma Ficus lightly greeted the young ladies in the banquet hall and said while slightly fussing as if she had remembered Cordelia, and the young girls around her immediately responded to her words.

“I guess she’s late.”

“She seemed to be in a lot of trouble lately… Could she have been banned from going out?”

“Maybe she’s late because of her fiancé…”

“Well, he must not be feeling well. He seems to have gotten a little better…but lately, he’s a bit… he must have overdone it. Don’t you think?”

Emma faintly smiled and said, and the ladies promptly agreed.

‘Haa, seriously.’

It was such an annoying sight, but Sylvia decided to put up with it. Because it was meaningless for her to step in when the person being talked about was not here.

‘Why is she late anyway?’

Cordelia was never late for this kind of event.

Why is she late today?

‘Did something happen?’

Did something happen to Jude like they said?

She was half right and half wrong.

Their reason for being late was because of Jude, but it wasn’t because of a problem.

There was a reason why Jude deliberately made them arrive late.

There was a reason why he let all the young ladies gather first, and why he also waited for Emma Ficus, the main character for today, to show up.

“Lady Cordelia from Count Chase has arrived.”

Everyone’s eyes were gathered into one place after hearing the butler’s words.

It was natural to do that.

All of the ladies had arrived except for Cordelia.

“I guess she has only arrived now.”

“Is it because of her fiancé?”

Some young ladies openly gossiped to please Emma Ficus, but it was only for a moment.

They couldn’t talk any more about Cordelia.

Because they were captivated.

Because they lost their senses and were left gaping one after another.

“Wow…”

Mia Ballun blankly let out a voice.

Not only her but also all the young ladies who gathered in the banquet hall had dazed looks.

Cordelia Chase.

Her beauty had long been famous.

Everyone knew that she was such a beautiful girl that even those from the same sex would blankly stare at her.

But this time, it wasn’t that.

Simply saying that she was beautiful wouldn’t describe the sight in front of them.

“Cor…delia?”

Even Sylvia was captivated.

All that she could do was let out an astonished voice and blink her eyes.

A goddess.

An existence that was beyond human.

Dressed in a light pinkish white dress, Cordelia entered the banquet hall with an elegant smile.

Her reddish pink hair seemed to shine, and the accessories everywhere sparkled but wasn’t excessive as they even further made Cordelia’s beauty shine.

A truly overwhelming beauty.

‘W-what?’

Sylvia was the first to come to her senses and she blinked her eyes several times.

She had always been a pretty girl, but was it this much?

And when Sylvia came to her senses, she noticed something else.

‘They’re the same?’

The design of the dress Cordelia was wearing.

It wasn’t really the same. But the design concept was the same as Emma Ficus’ dress.

‘The color is similar too?’

Similar clothes.

So even if she hated to compare it, she had no choice but to compare the two.

The other young ladies came to their senses one by one and noticed it too. They unconsciously looked at Emma Ficus and at Cordelia again.

No one opened their mouths, but everyone knew.

The difference between the two could only be described as overwhelming.

Emma Ficus was a lovely girl too, but it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the current Cordelia was like a goddess.

She was taller and had a better shape.