I Hate This Kind Of Reverse Harem - Chapter 2
Translator and Editor: Hue and Tea
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Chapter 2
“The clerk made a mistake! The hat that Lady Ailsden bought the day before yesterday is supposedly a true limited edition! Madam Dupré reportedly left in haste due to a funeral, and the clerk mistakenly sold the sample hats made so far as limited editions!”
So, Nathalie understood that the black and small hat she bought was supposedly the masterpiece of Lady Ailsden’s lifetime.
“Just when a fire broke out in the store early in the morning! It seems that the limited editions Madam Dupré made in three years are now only owned by Lady Ailsden. People who bought the sample hats as limited editions are protesting, and the boutique street is in chaos!”
The Baron’s Young Lady expressed her frustration while simultaneously flattering Nathalie.
How could you have believed it was a genuine limited edition? Indeed, the Young Lady praised her discerning eyes.
“Well, it’s the prettiest, isn’t it? It had a captivating charm that caught attention.”
“Really!”
Nathalie’s bold and proud response earned admiration from the Baron’s Young Lady.
In an instant, Nathalie’s reputation spread throughout the social circle.
Madam Dupré was a genius in the fashion world who might appear once in a century, and her works were among the most prestigious luxury items that were difficult to buy even if you had money.
Even nobles and royalty attempted to monopolize her, but she was renowned for rejecting offers in the hundreds of millions.
As such, the fashion industry titan, who poured her heart and soul into a masterpiece for three years, suffered a tremendous shock when her work was lost in a fire.
“From today, I declare my permanent retirement from the fashion industry.”
The continent turned upside down.
Consequently, the sole remaining limited edition hat by Madam Dupré, the only one in the world, reached astronomical prices.
The prevailing opinion was that it could likely purchase about ten respectable estates.
Of course, that was only a story when selling.
In the end, Nathalie became the sole owner of the last masterpiece of the genius.
She wasn’t well-regarded in noble society, but at least this time, she garnered quite a bit of envy in the social circle.
“Lucky me.”
Nathalie thought it was just a stroke of luck. People were just talking, not much different from usual.
During that period, the black hat strangely captivated her, but it was just a hat. There was no way to explain it if it wasn’t a coincidence.
Due to that incident, Nathalie suddenly found herself receiving numerous party invitations.
Of course, her reputation didn’t improve or people didn’t approach her warmly due to the infamous rumors she had accumulated.
As everyone was eager to see the famous hat that had captivated the entire continent, Nathalie temporarily became a celebrity in the social circle.
When she appeared wearing Madam Dupré’s small black silk hat, similar copied products often began to appear at the ballroom a few days later.
The talk of the town, Nathalie, even received an invitation to a somewhat special outdoor party.
“Lady Ailsden, how about taking a stroll together?”
“Choose a horse number, place a bet, and if the chosen horse wins, you win the betting money according to the odds.”
A wine party with young nobles.
While others placed their bets, Nathalie, caught up in the atmosphere, confidently made her choice.
Yet, she was a complete novice when it came to horse racing.
To err on the side of caution, she opted for a sturdy white horse, the most popular choice among others.
“Seems like I want to bet on that one.”
A visibly unimpressive and poor-looking horse.
Compared to the glistening, muscular white horse, the small brown horse with rough fur and smaller size was clearly a loser.
Even professional jockeys from abroad, presumed to be knowledgeable about horse racing, prominently chose the white horse, giving little regard to the small brown one.
“Lady Ailsden? What are you doing?”
However, she couldn’t take her eyes off the small brown horse as if enchanted.
Eventually, after admiring every horse until the very end, Nathalie, who had been fussing over aesthetics, ended up betting a significant amount on the poor-looking horse.
“Ha-ha! Lady, why are you making such a foolish move in a clearly one-sided competition?”
“Oh well, I’m using my intuition. Quickly, place your bet on the white horse and put your money on the brown one!”
“Lady Ailsden, what’s gotten into you?”
“Ah, I’ve made up my mind. Let’s quickly win some money from the white horse!”
Even the young gentlemen who frequently enjoyed horse racing as a hobby all ended up betting on the white horse.
While everyone else focused on the visibly favored horses, the ladies who bet on the white horse, concealing their laughter, exchanged whispers.
“Why the stubbornness? Why would she want to stand out so much in such an obviously one-sided race?”
“Well, it’s a waste of money. Ever since she dyed her hair that color and walked around, I knew…”
“Shall we start?”
With a determined expression, Nathalie flicked her fan.
The young ladies exchanged glances, and even the young gentlemen shrugged.
Finally, the race began, and Nathalie, realizing the emptiness of her pockets, felt a profound sense of discomfort.
“Why did I do such an impulsive thing?”
But Nathalie was a Duchess with pride that reached to the heavens.
Already being whispered about behind her back, withdrawing her bet would undoubtedly subject her to ridicule. She couldn’t afford to be openly ridiculed like that.
Nathalie frowned under the tent as she watched the horses depart at the sound of the starting gun.
“Huh?!”
At that moment, dark clouds that had been looming unleashed a downpour like giant pillars.
Remarkably, the white horse, directly hit by rain, began dripping water profusely.
As the white liquid melted down, the leading horse revealed a spotted pattern, and its hooves twisted, gradually slowing down.
Hee-hee-hee!
At that moment, the small brown loser horse that was trailing behind thrust its head upward into the rain.
Surprisingly, the small horse, after drinking the rainwater, stretched out its limbs and, with much more vigor than shown before, began to accelerate.
In the blink of an eye, the brown horse surged forward, crossing the finish line as the undisputed winner.
“Now, the winner is only one person! Lady Nathalie Ailsden!”
In the stillness, under the falling rain, the foreign jockeys cheered, presenting bags full of gold coins.
Nathalie’s jaw dropped as she received an amount of money that easily exceeded three years’ worth of allowance.
Although those who had lost their money protested, the foreign jockeys, shouting that they had changed the horse’s color for aesthetics, made a fuss.
“The brown horse is from a humid region, so it dislikes sunny days and flies around exuberantly when it rains. It’s a rare wild horse that we’ve tamed and showcased for the first time.”
Given that the essence of horse racing lies in discerning horses, the nobles, who had relied on appearances, found themselves humbly parting with their money.
Meanwhile, the jockeys were curious about how Nathalie had discerned it. Nathalie gave a vague answer.
“I just liked that horse.”
“Young lady, you are incredibly lucky! Even the experts couldn’t have noticed… We all just got lucky.”
While the jockey marveled, the nobles, harboring suspicions that Nathalie might have known something in advance, were astonished.
“I-It’s impossible. How could a novice in horse racing, who doesn’t even know how to bet, have such luck!”
“But Lady Nathalie got the exclusive Madam Dupré limited edition hat all by herself! It seems like luck follows her everywhere!”
In a flash, Nathalie became a famous figure with the nickname “Bolt of Luck.”
Already renowned, she further solidified her fame. People would gossip about Nathalie whenever they gathered.
With her not particularly kind demeanor and minimal effort, half of the people discussing her were filled with envy and the other half with jealousy.
Even though they didn’t quite understand what was happening, Nathalie found herself in an enviable position, with two strokes of good fortune in a row, and the air filled with a mix of envy and jealousy.
Whatever it was, having experienced a succession of good things, Nathalie found herself in an exceptionally good mood.
Everyone wanted to meet her, expecting that being with her might bring them some of that luck or that she might share valuable information that others didn’t know.
Naturally, Nathalie received the most invitations since her debut in high society.
“I’m just pretending to fit in now.”
Nevertheless, in high society, the more famous one became, the more significant their presence became, making it a favorable circumstance.
Even though most were not genuinely friendly, Nathalie, unlike before, had started actively engaging with people.
She received numerous invitations and selectively attended parties. During this time, she received an invitation to a masquerade party limited to only a few people.
“An auction? Interesting.”
It seemed there would be an auction as a special event.
Wearing a red butterfly mask, Nathalie set out for the mansion. However, while riding in the carriage to the party venue, heavy rain suddenly began to pour.
Casually gazing outside the window with expectations for the party, Nathalie suddenly furrowed her brows.
“I suddenly don’t feel like going!”
Suddenly, too unbearably, Nathalie felt an extreme reluctance to go.
Even though she had been looking forward to the masquerade party enough to have a new dress fitted.
She had already accepted the invitation, and if she suddenly withdrew, she would be ridiculed.
“But I really don’t want to go.”
Even though she tried to endure it, she couldn’t fight the strange impulse. Just thinking about going to the party made her whole body feel itchy and irritated.
Chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, Nathalie eventually turned the carriage right in front of the mansion where the party was being held.
As she returned home, heavy rain continued to pour down.
The Ailsden Mansion in the deep night was, as always, dark and mysterious. Nathalie changed into comfortable clothes, lay on her bed, and tried to get some sleep.
“I thought everything with the hat and the horse was a complete disaster, but something good happened. Maybe this will turn out the same way.”
Nathalie unconsciously murmured, hoping that the strange impulse she felt this time would be a precursor to good luck, before drifting off to sleep.
That night, Nathalie experienced a nightmare.
-Keek!
In the dream, the Ailsden Mansion turned into a sea of fire as a demon spewed flames.
Nathalie was surrounded by swarming demons, holding her deceased family and wailing.
– Ah, Father! Brother! No!
Bang!
At that moment, a loud noise pierced through her ears. Nathalie opened her eyes in a flash.
The pitch-black room brightened, and the sound of heavy footsteps approaching echoed.
‘Was it a dream?’
Nathalie turned her head with a bewildered expression.
At the same time, the canopy of the bed was swiftly pulled down, revealing the face of Anatol, who was breathing heavily.
Her five-year-old brother.
“Brother?”
Nathalie asked in confusion, and Anatol, sweaty and with a small curse, exhaled with relief.
Nathalie looked at him with a face not fully awake.
“Darn! Were you sleeping? You were going to that masquerade, right? Huh?”
“Well, I was sleeping….”
Nathalie nodded her head in surprise.
How did he know that I planned to go to the masquerade?
‘I didn’t mention the invitation or my attendance, did I?’
Looking down at her with a stern expression, Anatol spoke firmly.
“Today, a scene of first-grade prohibited substance use was discovered during the masquerade. All attendees were arrested and taken to prison.”
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