A middle-aged noblewoman dressed in a plum-colored gown said, "Miss Miranda should have been the one to entertain the ladies, but Lady Croyso is not her birth mother, so how could she dare to command her?" The implication was clear: Miranda should have taken the initiative to entertain the guests from the start. Her lack of action was a breach of etiquette, and Lady Croyso, unable to direct Miranda, had to settle for Selena, which only led to further blame.Lady Croyso seized the moment and said, “Not at all! The fault is mine; I should apologize to Miss Miranda!” She curtseyed deeply, though the apology suggested Miranda was ungrateful.Someone nearby sneered, “All the elders are here, yet Miss Miranda wants to take the ladies away? Lady Sheffield knows the rules, but it seems Lady Croyso and Lady Sheffield have their own set. Perhaps I should ask my husband’s mistress for guidance!” She laughed, shaking, and the others followed suit.Lady Sheffield, long sensitive about her past as a
Miranda stood by the pavilion railing, watching Selena thrash and call for help in the water below. Memories of her past life surged forth, causing her hands to clench tightly and her gaze to turn dark and unfathomable as she looked at Selena. However, she quickly masked her emotions with a look of panic and shouted, "Help! Someone, help! Miss Selena has fallen into the water!"By the time Selena was rescued, Lady Croyso had already rushed over upon hearing the news.Selena, humiliated and furious, threw herself into Lady Croyso's arms, sobbing, "Mother, you must seek justice for me. I don't know how I offended Miranda, but she pushed me into the lake, and I nearly drowned!" The chaos had happened so suddenly and without warning that she still didn't understand what had transpired. But thinking of her public humiliation, she wanted to place the blame on Miranda, making everyone believe Miranda was cruel and had attempted to murder her sister.Lady Croyso, heartbroken, stared at Miranda
As if realizing her slip of the tongue, Lady Croyso turned and angrily rebuked the maid, “What nonsense are you spouting? Even if there are men’s clothes in Miranda’s possession, they could be new garments embroidered for the master. Is that something to be so alarmed about?” On the surface, she was covering for Miranda, but in doing so, she confirmed the presence of men's clothes with Miranda. The word “hidden” and her barely concealed panic made anyone witnessing it believe she was trying to cover something up.Lady Fitzroy slightly furrowed her brows, her gaze sharp as a sword, coldly staring at Lady Croyso and the maid.Count Croyso glanced at Miranda, who looked equally surprised but not panicked, which reassured him a bit. He spoke up, “What’s going on here? How can a lady’s reputation be slandered so casually?”With a thud, the maid knelt down, panic-stricken. “I was wrong. I’ll go and deal with that gossiping maid right away!” She turned to leave.“Stop,” Miranda commanded, ris
Hearing the servants' exclamations, everyone was taken aback and looked at what they held. It was a piece of uncut turquoise brocade, seemingly wrapping something, but it was definitely not a man's clothing. Lady Croyso was dumbfounded. The clothing had been buried under her orders; how had it turned into a turquoise brocade? Now, all their efforts seemed like a joke. Who had meddled in this? Miranda and Molly hadn’t returned to their rooms or gone to the garden; could it be that one of the maids had betrayed her?Amidst the chaos in her mind, Lady Croyso suddenly heard Lord Croyso's angry roar, even more furious than before.Lady Croyso glanced over and was equally shocked. The turquoise brocade wrapped an ordinary white cloth doll, but the crucial point was that the doll was covered in ink-stained writing spelling out Miranda's name, with bright silver needles stuck all over its body—this was a curse!Lady Croyso felt a heavy weight in her heart. The flawless plan had now spiraled ou
Molly's heart sank, and she quickly knelt down, exclaiming, "I didn't do it! I would never dare do such a thing!"Miranda suddenly lifted her head, her voice trembling, "Father, it couldn't have been Molly."If Miranda didn't plead for Molly, Molly would be doomed, cutting off one of Miranda's key allies. But now, by pleading for Molly, Miranda fell right into Lady Croyso's trap. A faint smile curled at the corners of her mouth as she feigned confusion, "Why are you so certain, Miss Miranda?""When I distributed the ice silk to everyone, Molly wasn't by my side. Moreover, Molly has been with me all day and never left my side. But the traces of soil are fresh, likely dug up today, meaning Molly had no opportunity to do this." Miranda's soft voice still carried a slight tremor, but her reasoning was clear."Molly may have arrived late, but she could have obtained the ice silk from another maid. Although she has been serving Miss Miranda all day, she could have had someone else bury these
"Lady Croyso, based on the unfounded claims of a mere maid, your head maid truly believes that Miss Miranda has been involved in an illicit affair and reports this to you as a serious matter? Don’t you think this is utterly ridiculous? I did not know that in the Croyso household, rumors could be treated as facts, and that the maids can tarnish the reputation of the young ladies without any investigation?" Lady Fitzroy spoke coldly, her words directly targeting Lady Croyso.Lady Croyso glared angrily at the maid who had reported earlier. After so many years of service, she had made such a careless mistake, reporting without checking what was buried under the soil, causing such a farce. She reprimanded sternly, "Do you know your crime?"The maid turned pale and hurriedly kowtowed, "I beg your forgiveness, I beg your forgiveness!""There’s an old saying: the servant follows the master. If Lady Croyso truly valued Miss Miranda, how could your maid be so careless and disrespectful? Even if
Night had fallen, and a shadow slipped silently into the inner chamber. The figure was clad in black, blending seamlessly with the darkness, making it nearly impossible to detect except for the brief glint of light reflecting off a silver mask that concealed their face.Miranda initially thought that Lady Croyso was playing another trick to tarnish her reputation. But she quickly dismissed the idea—if that were the case, the intruder would have made a commotion to ensure everyone knew, leaving her with no defense.The intruder suddenly froze, sensing Miranda's presence, and swiftly darted behind her, reaching out to knock her unconscious. Miranda was horrified and desperately tried to evade, her long black hair sweeping through the air in a graceful arc as her frightened face was suddenly illuminated by the moonlight.The intruder hesitated for a brief moment, then switched the intended strike into a hook. A gleaming dagger slid from his sleeve, pressing accurately against Miranda's ne
The next day, in accordance with his promise, the Earl of Croyso brought over a few maids for Miranda to choose from. Miranda selected a few plain-looking girls and assigned them to stay by her side for menial tasks. However, what was even more unexpected was that the Earl invited Lady Langley to the estate for lunch. No one knew what kind of agreement the two had reached, but on the surface, it seemed that they had reconciled their differences.Over the years, it was publicly stated that Lady Langley and the late Countess Anna had never gotten along, which was why the two families had little contact. But in private, everyone in the Earl's household knew that it was because the Earl had always blamed Lady Langley for Anna's death. For the past ten years, Sophie Croyso, as the second wife, had controlled the Earl’s household and had completely severed ties between the two families. Now that the Earl had stepped in to reconcile the relationship, did this mean the winds were changing? Sp
Hearing Fulton’s flustered words and watching his unsteady figure stumble away, Earl Croyso let out a barely perceptible sigh. From how the boy first arrived, Fulton had seemed like a good child—soft-spoken, perhaps a bit timid, but upright in character.What a pity...Fulton’s presence had clearly stirred up the lingering shadows of the broken engagement. Earl Croyso had originally intended to comfort Miranda, but somehow, as the conversation went on, it ended with Miranda comforting him instead—leaving him amused.By the time Miranda returned to her chambers, night had fully fallen.She had assumed Reginald would have left long ago. So when she stepped into her inner room and saw that dark red figure bouncing around inside, she was startled and blurted out, “You're still here?”Reginald had hung his coat on the nearby rack and was now playing with one of Miranda’s embroidery needles. He had threaded it with string and was using it like a throwing dart, aiming it with precision at a
Miranda entered the drawing room and, as expected, saw Fulton’s figure. Beside him sat the Earl of Croyso.It had only been a few days, but the once gentle and refined Fulton looked like a different person—thinner, with a haggard expression. The moment he saw Miranda walk in, his eyes lit up, and he rushed toward her. Yet, as if suddenly remembering something, the light in his face gradually faded, and his eyes dimmed.“Miranda—”“You should call me Miss Miranda, Mr. Fulton,” Miranda said quietly, her head slightly bowed, her voice calm.Fulton had a thousand things he wanted to say, but they were all shattered by those formal words: “Mr. Fulton” and “Miss Miranda.”It hadn’t always been this way. Before, she would call him “Fulton” in that soft, sweet voice. Every time he saw her petite figure, he would feel an urge to protect her. When he learned that his father intended for him to be engaged to Miranda, and that she would become his wife, he had truly been overjoyed. For someone of
Miranda, for her part, felt quite confident about this.Seeing the assurance on her face, Reginald nodded and said with a smile, “Alright then, let’s do it this way. I’ll go talk to Brandon about it.” Then, propping his head on one hand, he gave Miranda a strange look and added, “You know, Miranda, I’m starting to think you’re even more ruthless than I am. I only wanted to take down Broad Loft, but you—you’re going for something much bigger. You want to rope Brandon in too and make sure Zachary falls flat on his face.”“Well, this plan only benefits you, doesn’t it, Lord Reginald?” Miranda replied calmly.These past few days, the Blackwell family had turned her life upside down. But because of Croyso, she couldn’t confront them head-on. Now that she had a chance to deal a serious blow to Prince Zachary and the Blackwells without dragging Croyso into it, she wasn’t going to hold back.Just then, Molly’s voice called out, “My lady, Young Master Fulton has come to see you. Lord Croyso wa
“A partner?” Reginald caught the implication in Miranda’s words, thought for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Circle Trading?”“You know about that?” Miranda was taken aback.Reginald let out a cold snort. “The young master of Circle Trading fell in love with Jovanna’s miss at first sight and has been showering her with favors. Not only did he admit to the counterfeit goods incident, but he even offered to supply her inventory at cost from now on—didn’t even want to charge for shipping. With a relationship like that, it’d be a shame not to make good use of it.”Miranda instantly looked a bit uneasy.She had only come up with that idea on the spur of the moment to confuse the mole inside Jovanna’s shop, which was why she had asked Brandon to play along. But the whole situation was still rather awkward, so she’d kept the matter confined to just those within Circle Trading and Jovanna’s team. How on earth had Reginald heard about it? Miranda brooded in silence.“Circle Trading may be a kn
“Good idea!” Miranda beamed with delight and began calculating. “This way, Jovanna will no longer have any connection to the Croyso family, and you’ve never gotten along with Prince Zachary to begin with—this is the perfect opportunity to strike him. Even if you do nothing else but stubbornly hold on to Jovanna’s shop and continue selling silk threads and ready-to-wear garments, it’ll be enough to disgust Prince Zachary and the Blackwell family! But if we simply take down Broad Loft this easily, it feels like letting them off too lightly. Why not take our time and make them suffer a huge silent loss?”Reginald was stunned. His eyes fixed on Miranda, burning with curiosity. “What do you mean?”“Lord Reginald, you may not know this, but Prince Zachary didn’t open Broad Loft just to run a profitable little shop,” Miranda explained, outlining Zachary’s plan to monopolize the silk and clothes trade. “So as long as you buy out Jovanna’s shop, you’re guaranteed to profit!”Reginald had only
The people who had been caught swapping in fake goods were still being held at the Croyso estate. Miranda did want to teach Broad Loft a harsh lesson—ideally, to bring them down completely. However, her father had already smashed up the estatefront of the William family and they argued in front of the king, who had then come down hard on William. In such a sensitive moment, it was not wise to make any further rash moves.Especially considering that Broad Loft was backed by the Blackwell family. Prince Zachary had grand ambitions—he wanted to monopolize the entire silk and garment trade in the capital. Jovanna was already a thorn in his side. If they forced Broad Loft to collapse entirely, it would surely enrage Prince Zachary beyond measure.And frankly, angering Zachary over a single shop just wasn’t worth it.So once the full situation came to light, both her father and aunt agreed—there was no point in provoking Zachary further. Better to tolerate it if possible. Besides, her aunt’
“So what?” Miranda asked, then suddenly realized something. Her eyes widened in disbelief. “Don’t tell me—those two times, you were trying to steal my seven-colored glass bead?” Her expression was a mix of shock, anger, and amusement—unsure whether to be furious or laugh.“Steal? What do you mean, steal? That bead should’ve been mine to begin with!” Reginald said indignantly. “I later asked around and heard you barely know anything about chess! I just don’t get it—how did you beat Brandon?”That question had bothered him for a long time.When he first heard the news, he’d nearly died of frustration.He’d been searching for the seven-colored glass bead for ages. Finally, he’d caught wind that the chess club was using one as a prize. So he disguised himself and entered the tournament. He’d already won three matches in a row and was about to get it… but out of nowhere, Miranda had swooped in and won it first.What stung the most was learning that this person who’d won the prize supposedl
Reginald didn’t suspect himself at all. He thought it had something to do with the Sheffield estate or William, and his expression changed instantly, becoming cold as ice. “Something like that happened? Someone actually dared to kidnap you and nearly ruined your reputation? That kind of scum must not be spared—a thousand deaths wouldn’t be enough to atone! Who is it?”Someone dared treat his little kitten that way? They must have a death wish!“Lord Reginald, it’s not convenient for me to tell my father about this. I wonder if you could help me teach that scum a lesson?” Miranda smiled sweetly, her beauty blooming like a flower—but when she mentioned that “scum,” she couldn’t help grinding her teeth.Reginald responded without hesitation. “Of course—I’ll kill him for you!”“How noble of you, Lord Reginald.” Miranda offered a flattering smile—then her expression suddenly turned cold, her face icy and emotionless. “In that case, Reginald, you scum, go ahead and kill yourself to pay for
Here's the English translation with nuanced expression, keeping character dynamics and subtle emotional shifts intact:Reginald had conflicting feelings about the Empress Dowager’s words. He despised how she treated Miranda like a pawn, trying to drag her into palace intrigue. And yet, part of him couldn’t help but feel a twisted sort of pleasure—once caught in the storm of court politics, it would be hard for Miranda to get out. That gave him a perfectly reasonable excuse to take her away…This contradictory and subtle mindset left him especially awkward when facing Miranda.Just like now. This was clearly a great chance to win her favor, but somehow he made it sound like a cold transaction instead. Reginald wished he could stuff every word he’d just said right back into his mouth, and punch himself twice for good measure.Seeing the frustration on his face after speaking, Miranda couldn’t help but laugh.She’d seen Reginald in many forms—arrogant and willful, unfathomably distant li