The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness Chapter 518: Conversation

“Celicia!”

Along with a delighted shout, Ariel ca scampering over in a perfectly fitted, gorgeous gown, as bouncy as a little deer.

She had ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) only run a couple of steps before she seed to realize that such behavior was sowhat inappropriate for this kind of occasion. After two dry coughs, Ariel assud a hastily morized ladylike posture, tottering forward on high heels, her awkward movents like a penguin incubating eggs.

“Princess Celicia, greetings.” Ariel’s curtsey as a lady was just as clumsy.

“Greetings, Ariel. You look very beautiful tonight.”

“R-really...”

Ariel’s eyes lit up, and she couldn’t help spinning around once.

With her temperant, she rarely wore such complicated gowns and even more rarely dressed herself up like this. But after receiving Celicia’s praise, she felt that all the agony as if her waist had been cinched in half had been worth it.

“You look very pretty too, Celicia!”

Ariel returned the complint from the bottom of her heart.

Right now, Celicia was very different from most of the noble ladies in the hall, who were trying their best to make themselves more dazzling, more eye-catching. She was still in the sa kind of pale dress she habitually wore, with almost no extra accessories. Yet this simple elegance only served to highlight her own natural charm and peerless beauty even more.

The light-colored gown set off skin as delicate as congealed cream. Her silver-white hair flowed naturally, like frost-flowers in the forest or snow drifting down the mountain—so beautiful it was almost painful to look at.

“Right, and this is...”

Ariel, whose gaze had been so captivated by Celicia that it almost couldn’t move away, finally noticed that there was soone standing beside her.

The companion was indeed not that damned Muen Campbell, which made Ariel secretly breathe a sigh of relief. But...

“Huh? Miss, why are you lowering your head and hiding your face?”

Tilting her head, Ariel puzzledly looked at the girl beside Celicia—one who was actually even taller than Ariel. Not only had she dipped her head so far it was almost buried in her own “magnificent” chest, she was also covering her face with her arm, as if that face of hers absolutely could not be seen by anyone.

“I...I...I smudged my makeup. Yes, my makeup got ssed up.”

The blonde beauty hesitated and thought for a while, then spoke in a deliberately lowered voice.

“Really...”

“Y-yes. I’m not very good at doing makeup, haha...”

The blonde beauty—Muen—maintained a forced smile as he answered Ariel, while silently grinding his molars.

A-r-i-e-l.

How had he not thought of this one? She might usually not act like a typical noble, but with her current identity as Bugaard’s heir, she was very likely to attend this ball.

Of course, just showing up at the ball wasn’t the problem. Seeing her alive and kicking actually made Muen breathe easier; he could finally give Liya, who had been worried about Ariel, an answer. The problem was...

Now, whenever he saw this woman, he couldn’t help but rember that night—rember the way this lesbian ringleader had looked at him in his 【potion state】, eyes like a predator spotting prey!

This woman was a hard-core beauty maniac, the kind who literally couldn’t even walk when she saw a pretty girl that fit her tastes. Muen still rembered how she had once strong-ard him into giving up his sound-transmission stone frequency...

Tsss—

The miserable mories he had forcibly forgotten resurfaced with Ariel’s appearance. Muen couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath, a shiver running through him in this warm hall.

He absolutely, absolutely could not let her find out who he was, or it would definitely cause enormous trouble for everything he planned to do later!

And he had zero intention of being lusted after by a lesbian ringleader!

Muen silently steeled his resolve.

Unfortunately, Ariel didn’t seem inclined to let him off so easily. Seeing that this girl—who could appear as Celicia’s companion—still refused to show her face, Ariel only grew more curious.

“Don’t know how to do makeup? Actually, I don’t know how either. Look, I didn’t even put on makeup to attend a ball like this, so it’s fine if your makeup is a bit smudged. I won’t—”

“Ariel.”

Fortunately, Celicia suddenly placed a hand on Ariel’s shoulder just then.

“Let it go. Muse has been bedridden for a long ti, so naturally no one ever taught her how to do makeup. This is also her first ti attending an event like this; it’s normal for her to be shy and unwilling to show her face.”

“Ah, really?”

Enlightened, Ariel imdiately turned to Muen and apologized.

“I’m very sorry, I...I didn’t know you had a past like that, Miss Muse. I offended you...”

“N-no worries.”

Muen waved generously, only wishing he could send this walking calamity away as quickly as possible.

What left Muen sowhat speechless, however, was how he had no idea when “chronically bedridden sickly beauty” had completely solidified into his current character setting.

“Whew, I almost slipped up again.”

Seeing that the blonde girl wasn’t going to hold her earlier rudeness against her, Ariel patted her chest and secretly let out a sigh of relief.

If Celicia’s friend were to develop a dislike for her, that would be a huge derit. In every single book she had studied on girls’ psychology and strategies for “capturing” soone, it was emphasized that the target’s friends could either greatly help your progress or beco a towering obstacle.

Therefore, Celicia’s friend was soone she absolutely could not afford to offend right now—soone she needed to close the distance with as quickly as possible!

Only...

Ariel rubbed her chin, her gaze running along the tall silhouette outlined by the blonde girl’s gown. Her brows still furrowed ever so slightly.

Why did she feel like she had seen this girl...sowhere before?

“By the way, it seems like you haven’t been back to the Academy lately, Celicia. Have you been busy?”

Temporarily pushing aside those odd thoughts, Ariel seized the chance to slide into small talk with Celicia after a round of pleasantries.

“There are so matters that need handling recently. I haven’t had ti to return to the Academy.”

Celicia didn’t ntion that she had been under house arrest, and Ariel seed completely unaware of it.

“I see. So busy...as expected of a princess.”

“More or less.”

“But it’s kind of a sha, when you think about it.”

“A sha?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you say before that you’d exchange sword techniques with ? I’ve been looking forward to it this whole ti.”

“Sword techniques... I recall your swordsmanship is quite good.”

“Hehe...just average.”

Ariel’s reply was modest, but the confidence radiating from her straightened chest never once abated.

“If we get the chance, we really should trade pointers. I’m curious about your sword as well,” Celicia said, nodding with genuine interest.

At that answer, Ariel’s eyes lit up. She was just about to strike while the iron was hot... Unfortunately, even soone like her, who usually didn’t care much about atmosphere, had to pull back when she felt all the gazes sweeping over from around them.

They had already stepped into the ballroom.

And as a princess of the Empire—not just in terms of rank but also with her unparalleled looks and bearing—Celicia naturally beca the center of attention the mont she entered.

The nobles who wanted to offer greetings had already raised their wine glasses, like knights tightening their grip on their horses’ reins, surging toward her.

“Tch.”

Ariel clicked her tongue, annoyed that the corridor just now had been so short. But she also knew this wasn’t the right ti to stay. She could only part ways regretfully for now and look for another opportunity later.

Ariel temporarily left the circle and, instead of searching for soone else to chat with like the other nobles, headed straight toward the long tables placed along both sides of the hall, beginning her own personal battle.

Celicia, on the other hand, watched Ariel’s retreating back, lost in thought.

Until a faint, lazy voice sounded by her ear.

“Oh? Your Highness, you and that walking plank seem awfully chummy.”

“What do you an?”

Celicia drew back her gaze and glanced sideways.

“Nothing. Just couldn’t help sighing a bit, seeing how well you two seed to hit it off,” Muen said, turning his head away with an expression of indifference and blowing a silent whistle.

“Tsss—”

His calf was then struck by another light-speed kick.

The speed was so vicious that Muen’s face twisted, and he ground his teeth as he glared at the woman who’d gone for his leg.

But Celicia had already withdrawn her gaze. With elegant poise, she moved toward the nobles approaching her.

“Drama queen,” Muen muttered.

Only the faint, barely noticeable curl at the corner of his mouth remained, his blurred words drifting off like dandelion fluff in the wind.