Ginny didn’t know if Alexander finally noticed her brother’s fiery gaze, or if he was intentionally trying to provoke them. But when Jasper’s anger was already at its peak, the bastard turned their way with a smile so smug that even she almost failed to resist the urge to stomp over and cave his teeth in!
Fortunately, she was immobilized by her own arms clutching at her brother to prevent him from doing just that, giving Ginny just enough time to regain her senses. “Remember, Jasper, we don’t want to make a scene here!”
Not knowing that his sister was in a much worse state than himself, Jasper snorted angrily. “I was a fucking idiot for thinking we should still leave some ‘room’ for our father to maneuver in the end, but he really doesn’t deserve even the chance to repent or regret!”
His twin sister couldn’t help but nod in agreement. “I always knew a day like this was coming, but…”
They were both rational people, so after a momentary loss of control, they easily managed to more or less regain control over their emotions, at least on the outside.
Being cast aside by their father wasn’t something they were experiencing for the first time, but he had never done it so publicly and openly before. They might have already been prepared, but that didn’t make it hurt any less.
Jasper sighed. ‘Fortunately, not all hope is lost, and if the deal with Emilia works out, we might even come out on top.’
Looking over in her direction to soothe his eyes and mind, Jasper couldn’t help but grit his teeth when he saw that bastard ‘step brother’ of his as well. “What is that cockroach trying to do to her now?!”
Ginny grabbed her brother’s arm while gritting her teeth in frustration. “For someone who claims to be the ‘cooler and calmer’ version of me, you sure are testing my nerves today, Jasper!”
Her twin also seemed to realize he was being irrational after calming down a little, and coughed sheepishly. “S-Sorry, Ginny. I just find it annoying when I see that bastard buzzing around her for some reason.”
Ginny couldn’t help but roll her eyes. “Don’t tell me you have a crush on her now? Remember, our deal is strictly business. No personal feelings!”
Even if she had to admit that Emilia looked delicious, especially in her current dress, that didn’t mean she could accept the thought of Jasper getting together with her.
A salty pig like her brother getting his trotters over Emilia was an image that she never wanted to imagine, even in the worst of her nightmares. Even if Jasper somehow managed to fool her, Ginny would rather beat him up till his face resembled a real pig, so Emilia could see what he truly was like on the inside!
Imagining the scene involuntarily made her have the illusion that Jasper had really turned into a pig, and she couldn’t help but snort in amusement.
Jasper frowned. “Hey Ginny, why do I feel like you’re thinking something really, really nasty about me?”
His twin sister would naturally not be herself if she so easily admitted her fault. “Since when did you awaken your twin telepathy, idiot? I thought your brain was too small for it to work?”
Jasper was momentarily stunned as the thought of his sister having some strange thought reading ability crossed his mind, but then he realized she was just making fun of him.
Incensed, he couldn’t help but growl. “Y-You’re the idiot! Your whole family is full of idiots!”
Ginny smiled as she gave him a thumbs up. “Well said, my closest family member!”
Looking at the two of them whispering so ‘passionately’ to each other in a distant corner away from the rest of the crowd, a few onlookers who were paying attention to the twins after the entry of their father couldn’t help but be curious.
“T-They seem… a little too close, right?”
“I-I guess I get why their father was upset with them…?”
“Hmm. If I was in Sanders’ place, I would have directly disowned them and declared their perversion to the world.”
“Come on now, you can’t be so cruel to your own children, even if they make mistakes. It’s better to discipline them and set them on the right path instead of abandoning them, right?”
“… Now that you say that, I agree.”
Of course, given the age of the twins, most of them agreed that they were probably beyond salvation.
Fortunately, Ginny didn’t manage to hear their scandalous discussions, or she might have directly coughed out blood and fainted in horror.
It was good enough that she refrained from tearing Jasper’s hair off till he was completely bald, how could anyone even imagine her being together with such an annoying moron?!
Even a pig of the same species wouldn’t marry her brother, let alone her, who was a human!
Fortunately for the two of them, they were even more ‘transparent’ and insignificant in the eyes of the people here than Amos Black, and people soon stopped paying attention to the duo after the excitement from their parents’ arrival passed.
Of course, although she was amused by some of the tidbits Crystal managed to catch and whisper in her ears, Emilia wouldn’t attract suspicion her way by talking to the twins in public. Especially not when there was so much at stake on their plan remaining a secret.
Unfortunately, while she was more than happy to let Sam and her parents deal with these businessmen and politicians, the same couldn’t be said the other way around.
Since her big sister had many people she needed to meet for the purpose of expanding their business, and Emilia wasn’t very interested in taking part, the older girl had already left with Dixie. And with Mr. and Mrs. White also busy with business talks, for a while, Emilia was left with just Crystal to keep her company.
The blonde girl was clearly diligent and attentive, but not very effective as a deterrent. In fact, for those who saw Emilia as delicious fruit to be plucked, instead of being a guardian beast, Crystal was more like an appetizer.
How could people seeking to talk to her miss this ‘perfect’ opportunity to approach this ‘Empress’ without any guardians by her side?
Emilia’s attitude towards most of them was polite, but still somewhat distant. With Crystal by her side, she could easily tell that while they appeared warm and cordial, deep down they either coveted her or looked down on her in some way.
It wasn’t that they didn’t acknowledge ‘her’ achievements, though.
Had that really been the case, none of them would have come forward to talk to her in the first place. After all, pretty as she was, there was no lack of beautiful dolls that these people could buy if they felt the need, in one way or the other.
Most of them were in fact either somewhat wary or rather impressed by how the situation in Blue Dawn had been handled by ‘her’, but their perception of Emilia’s ‘actual contribution’ to the events was rather skeptical, to say the least.
The crimson-haired girl couldn’t really blame them, however.
Having come to terms with her almost-inhuman athletic abilities and charisma, it really might be tough for most people to accept that she wasn’t being directed by some ‘mastermind’ behind the scenes for all her actions and words, but truly working on her own.
This suited her just as well for now, though, as it allowed Emilia to not just play dumb and fool more idiots, but also gave her some much-needed peace of mind.
After all, while she was more than capable of handling sophistry from politically minded people, Emilia had never particularly liked doing so. Especially when it was all just flowery words surrounded by thorns.
With their biases already in place, those seeking profits from Blue Dawn’s rapid growth were soon sent Samantha’s way, leaving behind only those who coveted Emilia herself.
Of course, whenever multiple suitors gathered together, sparks were sure to fly. And with the ego some of the people here had, things only got worse.
“Oh my, what a pleasant surprise to see you here! I thought you were busy divorcing your third wife, Rudius?”
“What are you talking about? I didn’t know Mr. Mondel would be one to believe baseless gossip?”
“Hey now, gentlemen, is this really something we should be discussing here? Why don’t you guys go someplace else to argue?”
“Oh please, Mrs. Valentia, do you think you’re qualified to stand with us here?”
“With how unfortunate your previous four spouses were, I doubt any parent would feel safe handing over their child to you.”
“I remember your first husband was a wrestling champion, no? If he couldn’t even last a couple of months… I shudder to imagine the fate of a delicate little girl.”
“Are the two of you assholes ganging up on me for real? Ahh, wait a minute, I see now. I thought the rumor of the two of you colluding together to launder money from Roana was baseless, but now—”
As smart people who were well aware of their opponent’s cards, these ‘suitors’ naturally wouldn’t be stupid enough to let their rivals expose themselves in front of the girl they planned to catch, and only dared to spew venom after pulling some distance from the crimson-haired beauty.
Of course, this also meant that despite dozens of people arguing over who would get to accompany her for a drink, Emilia was still left holding only Crystal while watching their drama with a smile. ‘What a truckload of ammunition they’re supplying to me for free. How can they be so generous?’
Cynthia giggled. “Well, they don’t know you can hear them from here, can they?”
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