Her stepmother gave her a condescending look. "Tuition? Your sibling is the one going to school, Reverie," she said, slipping the wallet into her pocket. She walked toward Reverie, blocking her path.
Reverie clenched her fist in anger. She always held back when her stepmother did something unpleasant. But now, her patience was wearing thin.
She chased after her stepmother, who was now in the living room counting money. The audacity of this woman!
"Auntie, give it back to me! your child's has also a money, and you're using mine?! Have some shame!" she exclaimed, snatching the wallet and engaging in a tug of war.
Her stepmother's eyes widened. "You're the one without shame! You're staying here, benefiting from us, and not contributing anything!"
"What do you mean, not contributing? I pay for the electricity, water, and even the rice! And you? You're just a lazy couch potato!" she shouted, yanking the wallet even harder to finally take it back.
"You!" her stepmother was about to slap her, but Reverie managed to block her hand. She pushed her stepmother forcefully, causing her to stumble back into a chair.
She stared defiantly at her stepmother, who was shocked by her actions. After a moment, a rough hand slapped her cheek. The force was so strong that she fell to the floor, her cheek numb.
She touched her tingling cheek, stunned by the intensity of the slap. It felt as though she had committed a grave offense.
She glanced at the one who slapped her and saw her father. She was about to speak, but he beat her to it.
"No gratitude! Have you forgotten that I brought you into this house? You better fix your behavior!" he yelled at her.
Instead of crying due to her hurtful words, anger overwhelmed her. She stood up and glared at him. "Why?! Did I ask you to bring me here? Who told you to do that? Didn't grandma refuse to give me to you because she knew I'd end up with worthless people like you? You're the ones who are worthless! A useless father!"
She shouted in anger and then quickly turned away to pack her things. There was no point in staying here.
After packing her things, she left her room, and the two were still there.
Her father gave her a sharp look. "Leave if you want to! You're worthless!"
"Tsk," she said, shooting them a final glare and walked past them.
She walked briskly, and the people she passed by all had sympathetic expressions on their faces.
She sighed and boarded a jeepney. She didn't know where she was going, and she had nowhere to go.
After a few minutes of riding, she realized she was the only passenger left.
"Where are you getting off, miss?" the driver asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror.
She looked around and realized she was already here.
"Just drop me off here," she said and got out of the jeepney, paying the driver.
She stood in front of the church and decided to go inside.
She walked weakly and sat down.
She had nothing now. It seemed like she would sleep on the streets or here if possible.
She looked up to prevent her tears from falling.
"You're a strong woman, Reverie. This is just a trial. You can overcome it," she told herself.
When she felt a bit better, she knelt down and prayed. After she finished praying, her cellphone suddenly rang.
"What could this be?" She opened her cellphone and saw a notification for the novel she was currently reading. Since she had nothing else to do, she decided to read it.
Here's the translation of the text you provided:
"He took a long time to finish, and he was getting frustrated because of the story's bad turn. The antagonist he liked died! Argh! It's infuriating!
"Tsk. If only I were in this world, this wouldn't have happened," he muttered to himself, then stood up and picked up his bag.
He walked out quickly, his pace fast. He had so much on his mind, and the story he had read added to his worries. But despite the story's course, he still looked forward to it. Sometimes, he wondered if he was still normal.
"Miss! Move aside!"
He turned to the person who shouted, frozen in his tracks when he saw a large truck heading his way. It felt like he was flying, and his body hit the road hard.
"Call an ambulance!"
"He got hit!"
"The driver had brake problems."
"Hurry! He's still breathing!"
He heard various voices, and his vision became blurry. In a few moments, his eyelids grew heavy, and he closed them completely.
...
"Grandma, who is he?" a trembling young girl asked her grandmother.
"He's your father, Querencia," the old woman replied.
The child remained bowed. This was the man from her dreams. He was going to do something terrible to her.
"Come, Querencia," the man said, extending his hand.
She shook her head repeatedly. "I don't want to go with you."
The man smiled menacingly. "
Querencia walked towards Baron's office and entered promptly. As soon as she entered, Baron stared at her with a sharp gaze.
"It's good that you finally listened," he said, folding his hands.
She met his gaze boldly. "You should be thankful that my ears aren't affected today," she replied sarcastically.
Baron's eyes widened, and he threw an ashtray at her. Fortunately, she dodged it quickly.
"Luck is on your side today, Querencia! Next time, your head will be in trouble!" he shouted and slumped into his chair. "Now leave!" he commanded.
She couldn't help but laugh at the scene. "Don't shout too much, Baron. You might get high blood pressure," she teased.
She left and called her servant. "Marina, prepare the carriage, and I'll get ready for the celebration. I need to make my father happy," she said with a grin.
Marina immediately obeyed, giving her orders and following her again.
"It seems you've irritated Baron again," Marina calmly remarked.
She smiled. "That's not enough, Marina."
If Baron weren't her father, she might have admired the kindness he occasionally showed. But because she knew his true nature, she couldn't respect him. Her father was the reason she no longer had a mother.
She witnessed how her mother suffered because of this man.
"Are you going to visit the Crown Prince?" Marina asked.
She laughed. "He's so lucky that I'll visit him." Is this guy the reason I'm going to die, and now I'm going to visit him? What's going on? Am I getting lucky?
The night had arrived, and she had prepared herself. She boarded a carriage and headed to the celebration.
As soon as she arrived, the gossipmongers' eyes turned towards her.
"Is that the Baron's child?"
"Is that Querencia Loretta Lynn?"
"I heard the Baron is really protective of her. They say she was forced to marry the Crown Prince."
"I heard she has a bad attitude."
"Yeah, quite terrible."
Those were some of the whispers she overheard. It was tempting to join in and correct their words, but she had a different agenda tonight, so she behaved.
The ball began a few minutes later, and people were currently dancing.
She scanned the room and searched for the tall man, and of course, she found him immediately. He stood on the side, observing, and sipping wine.
"I'm delighted to see you, Lady Lynn," a man she didn't recognize greeted her with a smile, causing her to turn towards him. She didn't know him, but she had to be polite.
"I'm also delighted to see you," she replied, holding her dress slightly and curtsying.
Suddenly, the man tapped her shoulder and lightly grazed it, which sent shivers down her spine.
This man was being rude!
She straightened up and gave him a cold look. "It seems your hands are quite itchy," she said, taking his hand off her shoulder.
"Ouch!" he exclaimed, drawing some attention from nearby.
"You've adorned yourself with many rings to make them look beautiful, but no matter how beautiful they are, the itchiness remains," she said coldly and let go of his hand.
She took her handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her hand. Then she held the sides of her dress and curtsied slightly. "I must take my leave," she smiled politely and turned away.
Unbelievably, the man was still staring at her. He was her father's age but acted like a teenager.
Tsk. So old, yet he behaves like a juvenile.
She looked around and tried to find the Archduke again. Because of that old man, she lost sight of her target.
Where could he be?
"Of course," she replied with a smile and extended her hand. But wait-her hand was too low. Why did she extend it so quickly? She should have curtsied first, but he beat her to it! Oh well!
When she looked at where her hand was pointing, she quickly raised it. She blushed as her face turned red. If the Archduke had a dirty mind, he would surely think she was greeting her pet.
She swallowed and looked up at him. Damn! He was so tall! She felt like a rabbit facing a lion.
She clenched her fists. She needed to be brave.
She smiled. "Your Grace, can I ask you for a dance?" she asked while keeping her hand extended.
He stared at her for a few seconds. She stared back and gazed at his incredibly handsome face. His good looks were truly mesmerizing.
But for how long would he keep staring at her? Her arm was getting tired!
Suddenly, he turned away from her, leaving her bewildered. He placed his wine glass on the table and walked away.
What the-
All eyes were now on her, and people began to gossip.
She was ready to dig a hole and hide in it due to embarrassment.
She clenched her fists. "They didn't call me a villainess for nothing, Archduke. Prepare yourself," she smiled and laughed as if she were insane.
The Archduke, not too far away, shook his head. "Crazy woman," he muttered.
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