After boarding the carriage, Arne closed her eyes and checked the amount of mana in her mana core.

‘Still enough.’

When Arne opened her eyes, the pearl necklace magitech returned to her hand.

‘More precisely, it’s a crystal ball necklace disguised as a pearl necklace.’

When Arne removed the disguise magic, Betty’s image appeared above the crystal ball necklace.

The final function she had requested from Rein was activated.

The function to store and display exactly what the crystal ball had reflected.

She had requested it to use as evidence later, to capture scenes of Lady Leverun and Young Master Wayne together.

When Arne left the Leverun mansion, she saw Kale still wandering in the Leverun garden. Seeing that he hadn’t left the mansion despite what had happened, it seemed he wouldn’t easily give up on Lady Leverun. After all, he was Kale, who had been prepared for an affair in her previous life.

‘That’s fine with me.’

Arne concentrated and channeled her mana into the crystal ball necklace.

There had been some limitations due to the secretive production. Originally, with Cedric’s sponsorship, expensive magic stones could have been inserted so that mana wouldn’t need to be supplied, but this crystal ball necklace had no magic stone, so it had to be supplemented with the caster’s mana.

‘That’s why I saved as much mana as possible. Still, it’s something that I can handle a crystal ball that normally only mages with precognitive abilities can use. I don’t have precognition abilities.’

After Arne had sufficiently filled the magitech crystal ball with mana, the paused scene began to flow again.

“Fortunately, Betty’s image saying that she usually puts mana perfume in my tea was clearly captured. The Marchioness’s wickedness too.”

Of course, she wouldn’t reveal it right away. What’s received shouldn’t just be given back. It should be returned generously with extras.

‘Besides, the traditional method of having witnesses is certainly better. If done well, they might even testify about the incident at the Wayne family banquet. Now, let’s go catch Betty.’

With a slight smile, Arne watched the flowing scenes with pleasure.

The final scene showed Betty visiting a jeweler but being turned away repeatedly because the item was rumored to be stolen property from the Ronia duchy, until she finally hid and fell asleep in an abandoned house on Etica Street.

“Driver, go to Etica Street.”

“What? That’s a dangerous slum!”

“Just go. I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Understood. You must be careful.”

* * *

Betty woke up with a start when a rat bit her hand. She felt a slight ache in her stomach after eating bread with mold in one corner, which she had found rummaging through garbage cans last night.

She was so hungry that she felt she could do anything if someone would just throw her a piece of bread.

‘I can’t believe my life has fallen so low. No. But if I can just sell the pearl necklace, things will get better. There’s no one accepting it yet, but if I find a jeweler in the underworld, I might be able to sell it.’

Betty felt her neck. But there was nothing where the thick beads should have been.

Betty frantically got up, feeling all over her body. She put her nose to the floor, searching in case the string had broken.

Then an unforgettable, enchanting voice flowed.

“Are you looking for this?”

Betty slowly raised her head. Arne was sitting on a table with her legs crossed, looking down at Betty and slowly pulling up her red lips.

“Hello, Betty.”

Betty’s gaze slowly moved from Arne’s feet to the pearl necklace dangling from one hand that rested under her chin.

Startled by Arne’s appearance, Betty took a step back. But seeing the ridiculous dress, a familiar feeling soon rose.

‘An orphan lady is just that—pretending to have changed, yet still wearing a ridiculous dress. And with the announcement of her engagement to Young Master Wayne, it’s all too clear.’

Seeing the familiar look in Betty’s eyes, Arne slowly drew an elegant smile and suddenly clutched the pearl necklace. Betty’s mouth fell open.

“My pearl necklace!”

Arne burst into laughter at Betty’s cry, holding her stomach. Tears even formed in the corners of her eyes.

“Your pearl necklace, Betty? Since when has this pearl necklace been yours?”

Betty swallowed hard at Arne’s contemptuous gaze. However, without that pearl necklace, Betty’s life would truly be in ruins. Arne, who had been an orphan, was now a lady, while she was reduced to eating discarded bread.

“Give it back. It’s mine now since I brought it.”

“Ha, Betty, I thought you had learned enough at the Ronia mansion that coveting others’ belongings brings punishment.”

“If you don’t give it back, I’ll shout that there’s a pearl necklace here. Even if you’re a noble lady, with your broken mana core, you’ll be in trouble if a bunch of ruffians from the slum come rushing in!”

A sinister smile flowed across Arne’s lips.

“Don’t think I don’t know. I’m the one who secretly added mana perfume to your tea on Bianca’s orders. I also provided Bianca with mana perfume for Young Master Wayne’s banquet.”

“Is that so?”

Betty’s eyes filled with venom.

“Yes. So hand over the pearl necklace. I’ll spare your life.”

Betty didn’t like how Arne still looked down at her with such a terribly languid expression.

She had originally been a war orphan who would have lived begging in the slums. An orphan who would have bowed her head for coins given in charity by Betty!

What did it matter now that she no longer worked at the Ronia mansion? Her mind changed. She would call in ruffians and snatch the necklace in the confusion and escape.

If she couldn’t have it anyway, it was better to see Arne suffer.

“Ahhh! There’s a pearl necklace here!”

As Betty grinned, Arne languidly spoke, wiggling her foot.

“I was thinking of sparing you to use as a witness, but maybe I should just let you die.”

Despite the ruffians who quickly gathered, Arne continued to wiggle her foot cheerfully. Betty was infuriated.

‘Let’s see how long you can remain composed.’

Arne hummed a tune. As Betty said, in Arne’s condition with a broken core, if she faced all the ruffians, she would deplete all her mana and die first.

‘But no one knows that. Only I know that. Even Betty can only guess, not knowing exactly what my limits are.’

The man who seemed most like the leader, with his bushy hair among the gathered ruffians, eyed Arne greedily from head to toe.

“What a windfall. I’m Darren, the boss of Etica Street! Some rich young lady has fearlessly come here. If you strip everything from head to toe and leave, no……”

The man’s gaze clung unpleasantly. Arne smiled faintly.

‘Betty, when I was Roa on the battlefield, this kind of thing happened often. Everyone laughed, saying I would obviously die. It was indeed a fight I was bound to lose. But do you know why I’m still alive?’

As Arne tilted her head sideways and pulled up her red lips, the man’s unpleasant gaze flowed more thickly. When Arne met Darren’s eyes, her eyes curved.

“Quite pretty, aren’t I?”

As if struck at a vital point, the bushy-haired man’s face reddened. Arne laughed sinisterly and lifted her disheveled bangs with her slender white fingers. Her red eyes shone, revealing Arne’s face completely.

“Am I still pretty now?”

“Silver hair and red eyes, could it be the grand mage, the orphan lady? Raniarne?”

Darren stepped back in fear.

‘Betty, my infamy is quite famous, more than you think. Especially in the slums of Etica Street. Where do you think a war orphan lived before coming to the ducal mansion? Foolish Betty.’

Betty was bewildered seeing the trembling ruffians.

“Boss, let’s just go. It’s Raniarne. I didn’t recognize her because of how she’s dressed.”

“But that was years ago. Besides, we outnumber her now!”

“Still. What about that woman in the maid’s uniform instead? If we rob her……”

Suddenly finding herself in the line of fire, Betty’s eyes widened.

“I have nothing! That woman stole my pearl necklace!”

At Betty’s words, greed filled the ruffians’ eyes as they saw the pearl necklace at the tip of Arne’s fingers. It was clearly a valuable item. They could play and eat for months, maybe years. The temptation was too sweet to resist the impulse.

“Attack!”

But Darren couldn’t move an inch from that spot. Thick vines that suddenly grew from the floor wrapped around Darren’s entire body. The surprised ruffians only assessed the situation without moving a step. A familiar fear crept up.

“S-save me! Arne, I was wrong!”

Arne smiled faintly and spoke to the frozen Betty.

“Betty, do you remember which wrist of Julia’s you broke?”

“H-how would I remember such a thing?”

“Tell me.”

“The left?”

Arne drew a painful smile.

‘Yes, you who actually broke the wrist don’t remember anything. While Julia will never forget that day. Neither will I.’

Arne snapped her fingers.

“Wrong. It’s the right.”

“Aaaaaargh!”

With Betty’s answer came the pain-filled scream of the ruffian boss. He sobbed, clutching his right wrist.

“My wrist is broken! Argh!”