The guest’s hand froze on the doorknob, and her body turned slowly, like rusty machinery.
“What are you talking about? I don’t know any Wyndham.”
Yuriko turned around and looked at the blonde guest stopped at the doorway, sizing her up.
This height, this blonde hair, this voice, and this figure… the more she looked, the more familiar it seemed.
“Even though you’re not wearing the Academy uniform, Miss Wyndham’s aura can’t be concealed by sunglasses and a mask, you know? I started suspecting when I heard your first sentence. Combined with this conspicuous blonde hair and the scent of your shampoo… you are Miss Wyndham, right?”
Having her identity exposed by Yuriko, Olesia knew she couldn’t hide any longer and reluctantly removed her sunglasses and mask.
“As expected of you, Miss Ruri, you saw through my disguise so quickly.”
Olesia sighed, leaning against the door as if resigned to her fate.
Only after Olesia removed her glasses and mask could Yuriko truly appreciate her real appearance.
She truly lived up to being the Academy’s most popular beauty.
In casual clothes, her noble and elegant aura became even more pronounced.
The casual outfit she wore was made of top-tier materials, and its design was extremely thoughtful.
It probably wasn’t cheap.
“Rather than me noticing quickly, it’s more that you, Miss Wyndham, are just too conspicuous. Even with a disguise, anyone who interacts with you regularly would recognize you immediately.”
“Yes, sometimes being too dazzling is also a kind of trouble.”
Olesia looked at Yuriko.
She was slightly taller than Yuriko, and at this close distance, Yuriko had to tilt her head up slightly to meet her gaze.
Her eyelashes are so long too.
This face is as exquisite as a doll’s.
Now, this exquisite, noble face wore a troubled expression.
Her brilliant golden eyes were lowered, embarrassed at having been exposed in front of Yuriko.
“Consider it as me owing you a favor. Could you keep it a secret that I came here to eat?”
Olesia’s words lacked her usual confidence.
This was the first time Yuriko had seen her like this.
Usually, Olesia was full of confidence, always bold and spirited, not like this.
“There’s no need to be so formal. I wasn’t planning to tell anyone in the first place. But I have a question for you, Miss Wyndham. Why don’t you want others to know you came here to eat?”
Yuriko didn’t see what there was to hide.
While Olesia was very famous within the Academy, outside of it she only had some notoriety.
It wasn’t like she was a major celebrity who would be swarmed wherever she went.
“This…”
Olesia was a bit too embarrassed to say.
She didn’t really want to talk about it, but now that her secret was in the other’s hands, she had to satisfy Yuriko’s curiosity.
After a brief hesitation, Olesia finally spoke in a small voice.
“In other people’s eyes, I’m a perfect existence, right? The food here tastes great, but the dishes are all quite strange. If word got out that I came to eat at this kind of… unrefined restaurant, people might gossip…”
Unrefined…
A “#” mark appeared on Yuriko’s head.
Her family’s dishes might not focus on appearance, but they weren’t something to be ashamed of eating, were they?
“Haha, I’m so sorry that my family’s restaurant is full of such unrefined dishes,” Yuriko said, narrowing her eyes.
Hearing this, Olesia remembered that Yuriko had said she was the owner of this shop.
So, by criticizing the restaurant, wasn’t she criticizing Yuriko herself?
She quickly waved her hands, explaining, “No, that’s not it! I don’t look down on this place at all. I really like the food here. It’s just that the ambiance is a bit… vulgar compared to the places I usually go. And… and the dishes are also quite greasy. So, eating here might damage some people’s ‘filter’ of me…”
Olesia explained a lot.
This was the first time Yuriko had seen flustered panic on her face.
It seemed she really didn’t want to be discovered.
“Sigh,” Yuriko shook her head.
Was this the so-called ‘idol image’?
Caring about what others think of you, forcing yourself to act according to their expectations.
Olesia believed that eating at a modest restaurant like hers didn’t meet others’ expectations of her, so she didn’t want to be found out.
“If you didn’t want to be discovered, then you shouldn’t have come here in the first place, right, Miss Wyndham?”
Olesia blushed at Yuriko’s words.
Indeed, if she cared so much about others’ opinions, she shouldn’t have taken the risk to come.
“I’d never eaten anything so delicious before… I just couldn’t resist…”
Olesia hung her head.
Giving in to her appetite and lowering her noble standards to eat at such a restaurant… it was too embarrassing!
If she hadn’t just happened to pass by that day, just happened to be starving, just happened to have skipped dinner, she wouldn’t have fallen into this abyss.
“Pfft…”
Yuriko couldn’t help but laugh.
She never imagined that Olesia, who was always elegant and perfect at the Academy, handling everything flawlessly, would show such an awkward side.
“I thought you really were a flawless existence, Miss Wyndham. I didn’t expect even you to have your own little quirks. That puts me at ease.”
Faced with Yuriko’s teasing, Wyndham’s face grew even redder.
Having a secret she’d kept hidden exposed in front of a classmate, having the perfect persona she’d maintained stripped away in front of Yuriko… she wished she could just crawl into a crack in the floor tiles.
“Anyway, please, you must keep this a secret for me. It’s very important to me. If you ever need anything from me in the future, I’ll do my absolute best to help.”
Olesia didn’t want to stay a moment longer and turned to leave.
“Wait a moment.”
Yuriko placed a hand on the private room’s door, blocking Olesia’s exit.
Olesia looked at Yuriko blocking her way.
She was puzzled at first, but then her clever mind immediately conjured up a series of images.
She had just said she’d do anything, and now Yuriko was stopping her.
That meant Yuriko wanted her to fulfill that promise right here, right now…
But in this small private room, what could she possibly do?
Olesia had read books too.
As a noble, she’d known since childhood about the sordid affairs among the aristocracy.
While she had no interest in such things, she knew there was a certain kind of… game.
It involved seizing someone’s secret, using it as leverage to push further and further, ultimately leading them into a depraved abyss.
No, Yuriko is such a good person.
She probably wouldn’t do that…
But you can’t judge a book by its cover.
Who knows if a beast lies hidden in Yuriko’s heart, unable to restrain itself when it sees an opportunity…
“Miss Wyndham, are you planning to leave just like that? Have you forgotten something?”
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