There were many who held deep resentment toward the Bariesa Royal Family because of the war.
Naturally, Cynthia became a target of contempt.
Behind her back, people called her nothing more than âMaseraâs war trophy,â as he was a former war orphan who had clawed his way to the top.
âIâll turn around and cover my eyes. Draw something simple, and Iâll guess what it is.â
Cynthia set her champagne glass down and handed a pen and paper to the politician.
He chuckled and took it, clearly amused.
âHah⊠What is this, a childrenâs game?â
âYou were the one who asked to see the royal familyâs special ability, werenât you?â
Cynthia spoke slowly, deliberately, with a wistful look in her eyes.
âGuessing what someoneâs thinking outright feels like an invasion of privacy. Iâve caused trouble before by revealing secrets people were trying to hideâaffairs, crimes, things like that.â
The lawmakerâs face stiffened just slightly.
Cynthia noticed it, and her lips curved into a subtle smile.
No such thing as a spotless politician, especially one whoâs climbed this far. Opportunist, most likely.
Not giving him a chance to cut in, she continued.
âI donât remember my childhood. Maybe I was traumatized by the deaths in my family when the royal household was dismantled. Whatever the cause, at some point, I started sensing thingsâjust knowing what others were thinking by reading their expressions, tone, and gestures.â
A soft murmur of sympathy rippled through the crowd. Some guests averted their eyes, suddenly uncomfortable.
Then Cynthia turned around and covered her eyes with both hands.
âBut now, I donât even need to watch. Itâs like I can just⊠sense it. Isnât that curious?â
She spoke like she was born to tell stories.
People were fully drawn into her calm, even tone.
âAlright then. Go ahead and draw.â
All eyes shifted from Cynthia to the politician.
He set his champagne glass down and, under the audienceâs gaze, began sketching on the paper.
âFinished?â
Her voice cut through the air the moment his pen left the page, making him blink in surprise.
Still turned away, Cynthia spoke.
âA snowman. Right? At first, I thought it was a standing caterpillar, but you drew a carrot for the nose.â
A stir ran through the crowd.
Gasps and whispers followed as they confirmed the drawing: it was indeed a snowman.
âTh-thatâs correct.â
The lawmaker broke into a cold sweat. Goosebumps crept up his neck.
âHow⊠how did you do that? That wasnât a trick? You actually read my mindâŠ?â
Cynthia smiled faintly at his bewildered voice. Hidden in her palm was a small, round hand mirror.
âI just said all that to make you believe me.â
It was a simple trick sheâd seen before on magic shows: pretending to cover her eyes while using the mirror to see his sketch.
She remembered the long legacy of deception the Bariesa Royal Family had upheld.
Cult-like deification and indoctrinationâ That was the so-called âspecial powerâ of the royal bloodline.
The politician dabbed sweat from his face, eyes flitting nervously. He couldnât meet Cynthiaâs gaze anymore.
âIncredible. Itâs almost like a superpower.â
He raised his champagne glass and forced a grin.
âItâs nothing special. Everyone has something theyâre good at, right? This is just mine. Oh, and thereâs one more thingâŠâ
Cynthia grinned.
âIâm pretty lucky.â
âAh yes, wasnât the legendary Frost Queen of Bariesa once called the Goddess of Fortune?â
The politician laughed awkwardly and gulped down his drink.
Cynthiaâs eyes widened as she watched him.
âWait, thatâs my glassâŠâ
CRASHâ!
âUrgh, ghh!â
The lawmaker dropped the glass and clutched at his throat, groaning in agony.
His bloodshot eyes narrowed, locking onto Cynthia.
âYou wretched witch⊠How did you know to switch the glasses?!â
âExcuse me? Youâre the one who grabbed that glass. Was I supposed to drink it instead?â
He had spoken down to her first, so she gave it right back.
Poisoned? Cynthia looked confused as the man screamed one last time with what strength he had.
âYou filthy Bariesa trash, scum of the old monarchy! Did you think we wouldnât see through your plans to restore the throneâugh, ughhâŠ!â
With blood spilling from his lips, he collapsed, surrounded by horrified screams.
Meanwhile, a man with chestnut-brown hair, hidden among the crowd, narrowed his eyes at the fallen politician.
âI told them itâs impossible to kill her! And here you try to poison her only to drink it himself?!â
He stared at Cynthia, who looked genuinely clueless.
âDammit. Who the hell is this woman? Itâs like she saw right through all of our plans!â
They were members of the People’s Liberation Front, an anti-monarchist faction.
Their target today was Cynthia.
Their plan was to kidnap her and use her as a hostage to blackmail House Queensguard and Masera.
Her residence was always heavily guarded, so the engagement party, full of outside guests, had been their only real chance.
Cynthia didnât know it, but they’d spent the whole evening trying different schemes.
They tried spilling a drink on her dress to get her outsideâbut she turned at the last second, and it landed on someone else.
They tried tripping her, pretending it was an accident, then offering to help her outâbut she turned suddenly and the would-be saboteur fell instead.
Eventually, they had to change their plan.
âThatâs it. Weâll just have to send her to the hospital.â
They crawled through the ceiling ducts and dropped a chandelierâbut she dodged it by mere inches.
And now, the lone assassinâs poisoning attempt had failed too.
âSeal the exits. Search everyone.â
At Maseraâs signal, the soldiers in the hall moved instantly.
Within moments, the entire venue was locked down.
Then, one of the People’s Liberation Front membersârattled by panicâshouted at the top of his lungs.
âRoyalty must be erased from the face of the earth! We will fight to the end!â
âWhat the hell, now this idiot! Are you trying to get caught and tortured to death? How can we be so disorganized!â
The brown-haired man ducked back into the crowd in frustration.
Their opponent was none other than Brigadier General Vicente.
If he got caught, it was obvious that he and three generations of his family would be wiped out.
BANGâ!
Just then, the young man fired a hidden pistol at Cynthia.
Screams rang out from every corner.
Cynthia flinched instinctively and ducked. At the same moment, she felt someone throw their body over hers.
Ting!
âAAARGH!â
The bullet ricocheted off something sharpâ and a manâs scream rang out nearby.
The brown-haired man clutched his side in pain.
In a freak twist of fate, the bullet meant for Cynthia had missed and struck the hidden would-be kidnapper.
Still trembling, Cynthia opened her eyes and met Maseraâs gaze.
He had shielded her.
âWhyâŠâŠâ
âI thought you hated me? Sure, my death would be inconvenient, but not enough to risk his own life for it.â
Then Masera, still holding her close with one arm, raised his gun.
âWhat the, that woman⊠is she actually a devil? How can she even dodge bullets?â
The would-be assassin stared at her in disbelief, while faced with Maseraâs gun.
BANG!
The young man dropped right where he stood.
âThe Bariesa Dynastyâs Goddess of Fortune⊠she must bear the Goddessâ blessing.â
Someone murmured, face pale with awe.
It was a scene no one could explainâhow every misfortune had somehow missed her.
Reporters hiding under the tables began frantically scribbling.
ăThe Royal Familyâs Secret PowerâA Reincarnation of the Frost Queen Who can Evade Tens of Thousands of Arrows?
Coincidence, or the Rebirth of a Legend?ă
This is the first event in which Cynthia deceived the entire worldâ and the beginning of the greatest scam in history.
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she’s not a little lucky, but she’s hella crazily very lucky. sis, please give me a bit of your luckiness…
I’m cackling. This is great.
Ahahahaha omg that was awesome. I honestly enjoyed every minute but it was so chaotic I had to read some parts twice lol