CHAPTER 188: THE BEST LAID PLANS

"..." x3

The three women looked like they were wrestling with something.

Relationship... how should they put this?

"They’re all intimate companions of the Valois family’s only male heir, Carlos Valois."

Kiri hopped off the carriage and smiled as she spoke for the three conflicted women, stating a relationship that wasn’t quite... well... wasn’t quite the truth.

"!!!"

Kathy instinctively nodded, then shook her head.

I’m clearly his childhood friend!

Heidi’s face went a little pink: In-ti-mate com-pan-ions!

Grace had a lightbulb moment—so this was what the Commander meant!

Each of the three women was lost in her own thoughts, completely absorbed in their own little worlds, seemingly forgetting their current mess.

"Hiss!"

This statement made the soldiers gasp.

They were actually Young Master Carlos’s companions!

How about asking them for autographs?

Idiot! Is this something ordinary soldiers like us should be thinking?

They instinctively all stepped back, clearing the path.

The soldier captain, however, looked like he wasn’t buying it.

What intimate companions? With your weak abilities, what makes you think you qualify to be Young Master Carlos’s companions?

But...

"Let them through!"

"Huh?" x3

They were letting them through just like that?

The carriage carrying the four women slowly rolled into Rock Sand City...

The soldier captain watched the entering carriage, muttering to himself:

This captain thinks ’companions’ is BS, but ’intimate’ is legit.

Then a brilliant idea hit him: doesn’t that mean his sister might have a shot too?

....

"Hey! Kiri, how did you know about Carlos’s... um... relationship with me... us!"

After getting into the city, Heidi aggressively confronted Kiri to ’settle the score.’

It was so embarrassing to say that in broad daylight.

It was the first time Heidi’s pure maiden thoughts had been so completely out in the open.

"What? Heidi, what relationship?"

Kiri acted like she’d totally blanked out, looking at the embarrassed and ticked-off Heidi with fake confusion.

"It’s... it’s..."

Heidi was stuck—she couldn’t spit it out.

"Intimate companions!"

Grace suddenly chimed in.

"Grace, you... you..."

Heidi’s purple eyes went wide as she pointed at Grace.

Why could you say it so casually?

"Huh? Heidi, did I say something wrong?"

Grace’s beast pupils were full of confusion.

She was totally confident in her memory!

"Well... not really..."

Heidi opened her mouth but was speechless.

She didn’t notice that Kathy was staring at her like a hawk.

’Damn it, Heidi, you’re still up to no good!’

Kathy recalled various incidents during her awakening—her gut instinct hadn’t been wrong!

This woman had her sights set on Carlos!

Even if you became my close friend, I’m not backing down.

Fierce flames lit up in Kathy’s eyes!

"Kathy, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at Heidi like that?"

Grace picked up on the hostility Kathy was throwing Heidi’s way.

"Huh? Am I?"

Kathy flashed a sweet smile, making Grace think what she’d seen was all in her head.

"..."

Heidi suddenly realized her reaction had been way over the top.

’Oh crap! This has made Kathy suspicious!’

From her understanding of her ’close friend,’ Heidi knew she was pissed.

She quietly sat back down, not daring to meet Kathy’s eyes.

Then...

’Wait, why should I feel guilty?’

Heidi touched her earrings and felt even guiltier.

Kiri, watching all this, almost cracked up.

’Here we go again.’

Sensitive Kathy, as Carlos’s childhood friend, had a naturally huge advantage.

But unfortunately, since her strength and background were way behind Carlos Valois, she stayed stuck feeling inferior, not daring to actively go after the relationship.

Yet she was super paranoid about any females who dared get close to Carlos, packing some serious firepower against them.

Guilty Heidi, as Kathy’s close friend and Carlos’s classmate, the noble girl seemed tough but actually worried like crazy about screwing up her relationship with her close friend.

She always had this weird guilt eating at her.

She wanted to make a move, but whenever she ran into Kathy’s ’paranoia,’ she’d inevitably back down without a fight.

Simple-minded Grace seemed like the longest shot, yet was the one who almost pulled it off!

Born into the Dorn clan, the whole tribe lived by the rule that the strong ruled and winners took everything.

Rumor had it she had over a thousand siblings...

Later, after multiple failed attempts to beat Carlos, she finally faced reality, and then... let’s not go there!

’Don’t worry! This time with me here, everything’s gonna be different!’

Kiri’s eyes were rock solid.

With her vast knowledge (theory) and careful planning (fantasy), the three close friends definitely wouldn’t end up with the pathetic gray endings of:

Stalker (Kathy’s hotel ’stalking’ incident), Voyeur (Heidi’s hot spring ’peeping’ incident), Exhibitionist (Grace’s combat ’exposure’ incident)!

Thinking of the three women’s crushed defeat in the original timeline, Kiri couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of her mouth.

"Pft!"

She couldn’t hold back the grin and laughed out loud.

"???"

Kathy, Heidi, and Grace were almost simultaneously drawn to the laughter.

"Nothing... nothing, I just remembered something hilarious. Pft!"

Right after saying this, Kiri laughed again, quickly slapping her hand over her mouth, her cheeks puffed out as she looked out the window.

"..."

Has she lost it? x3

The three women shot her sympathetic looks...

...

"Kiri, where’s your place?"

Kathy spotted this problem—Kiri hadn’t given directions since entering the city.

"Huh? Pft!"

Kiri said while laughing:

"Ha... go... go to Pergina’s Alchemical Treasures."

"What’s so damn funny?"

Kathy’s curiosity was eating her alive, like a cat with an itch it couldn’t scratch.

Kiri coughed a few times, trying to get her face straight:

"Cough, cough. Go straight, turn right at the third intersection, then left, right, straight for three intersections, right, right, left, left, straight for four intersections... finally turn left, and we’re there!"

This was so twisted that Kathy and Heidi felt dizzy just listening.

"Mm-hmm, let’s roll!"

Who knew Grace would nod like she totally got it.

"???"

Kathy and Heidi were blown away. When did Grace develop such killer memory?

Grace looked at her two friends like they were idiots—they couldn’t even remember such a simple route.

She confidently grabbed the reins, then...

"Turn left, right?"

"Whew~"

Kathy and Heidi looked at each other—yep, this was the Grace they knew.

At this moment, Kiri nodded like she approved:

"Mm-hmm, that’s right!"

"???"

Kathy and Heidi were full of question marks.

"Heidi, did you catch all that?"

"Kathy, I think I caught it."

"Giddy up! Let’s go!"

Grace cracked the whip, and the carriage creaked like crazy around corners as the scenery beside them flew by.

Whatever.

Just roll with it.

Having a chill attitude, you gotta learn to accept the world’s weirdness!

They both pulled out tea and sipped lightly, then looked at each other...

When did you start digging tea?

Meanwhile, on Kiri’s side...

’Oh shit, I’ve never been to Rock Sand City during this time! Why are there so many houses near the city gate?

Screw it! Let’s start moving first! Maybe I’ll spot familiar buildings as we go.’

With this mindset, Kiri enjoyed the last moments of peace in the carriage...