The Villianess's Redemption (HYUNJIN ff) ✓

6. An Unexpected Ally

Chapter 6: An Unexpected Ally
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Y/N's POV

"Eavesdropping on others' conversations is a crime, you know."

I spun around, my heart racing. Standing there was a woman with a kind yet mischievous smile. Out of surprised I accidentally stepped on a loose cobblestone, causing a faint noise. Donhyuk’s head snapped in my direction. My heart pounded in my chest as I pressed myself against the wall, hoping he wouldn’t see me.

The lady behind me glanced around the corner, then back at me. "Curious about Lord Donhyuk, are we? I can't blame you. He's always up to something."

Before I could respond, Donhyuk's voice grew louder, and I saw him starting to move towards us. The lady pushed me down behind the stake of crates where we were hiding so that in order to avoid getting caught.

My pulse quickened at the very moment but just in time, a knight approached him. "My lord, the carriage is ready to leave," the knight informed him.

Donhyuk hesitated, his gaze lingering on the alleyway before turning back to the knight. "Very well," he said, and walked away.

I breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the woman who had saved me. "Thank you," I said.

"Don’t mention it," she replied. "I’m Lady Jasmine Elrod. And you are?"

Lady Jasmine?? Never heard of that name being mentioned in the novel.

"Lady Isabella Devereux.......nice to meet you." I replied, still wary. "Umm......so about what you said before......What do you know about Donhyuk?"

"More than I'd like," she sighed. "He's been plotting something against Hyunjin for a while now. I've tried to gather evidence, but it's difficult without support."

As I strained to hear her reply, I remembered a key point from the original story. The Seo family always had a rivalry with Hwang family after Hyunjin's grandfather decided to suddenly break off the alliance with the Seo family, leading to their downfall. This financial ruin caused the death of Donhyuk's grandfather, who succumbed to a stress-induced illness. The Seo family spent many years rebuilding their fortunes and status, but the memory of the betrayal remained vivid. Donhyuk and Changbin were brought up with the narrative that Hyunjin's family was the cause of their family's downfall. Their actions against Hyunjin’s family were not seen as mere vengeance but as a quest to restore their family's honor and position.

Isabella takes full advantage of the hatred between the families and tries to form an alliance with the Seo brothers to assessinate Hyunjin which could bring pain to Eliza.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, suspicion creeping into my voice.

"Because I need an ally," she replied. "Someone who isn’t afraid to stand up to him. And I have a feeling you might be that person."

I hesitated. "And.........How can I trust you?"

"Because I distrust Donhyuk as much as you do," she said earnestly. "I’ve seen the kind of person he is, and I want to stop him. But I can’t do it alone. Besides it would be good to have an ally and work as a team. You see........I am from a small household family so I don't really get invited much to big events where the Seo siblings usually attend. And this has caused a bit difficulty in getting in hand with my plans to get more information on them. Since you usually get to attend this events.........I think you would be of great help and we can work together really well. So what do you say?"

I considered her words. Her story seemed genuine, and I desperately needed allies in this world. "Alright," I said finally. "I’ll work with you."

She smiled, relief evident in her eyes. "Thank you, Lady Isabella. Together, we might just stand a chance."