The Vicious Supporting Actress Survival Manual

Chapter 12 Are you really Estella Rose ?(03)

I left the palace in a daze, and even in the carriage, I still felt palpitations.

Felix Austin finally spoke up and asked, "Did anyone give you a hard time in the palace?"

I smiled perfunctorily and replied, "No."

Felix Austin frowned. He clearly saw through my lie, "Estella, why do you like to keep everything to yourself now? You used to consult me on everything."

I hung my head and remained silent.

I couldn't figure out what kind of existence the Rose family had in the emperor's heart, which made me uneasy. In the novel, the Rose family was destroyed by the female lead. Now that I have resolved the blood feud between us, we don't have to continue fighting each other to the death. But why did the emperor start paying attention to the Rose family? Does this mean that the Rose family must be destroyed? Without the female lead's overwhelming hatred, can't we escape the emperor's unclear thoughts?

Is this the only way out for the villain? Why...why does it have to be me? The old saying goes, "evil will be punished. Why do I have to bear the burden of someone else's wrongdoing?

Lost in thought, a hand suddenly landed on my head. I looked up and saw Felix Austin sitting across from me, his expression still emotionless, but his eyes were serious, "Estella, you seem to have a lot on your mind since we got married. I won't force you to tell me, but just know that I will always protect you."

His confession didn't make me relax at all. The person he wants to protect has never been me. If the truth is revealed in the future, I only hope to be on the same path as him.

After returning to the residence, I started feeling feverish, either from being scared or anxious. I felt like I was getting a fever and my soul was about to leave my body. It seemed like I was going to return to the modern society of hustle and bustle, but when I woke up, I was still in this ancient and elegant room.

Although I was seriously ill, there was a silver lining. I had an excuse not to go to the palace anymore. I had been going so frequently before, but after being scared by the emperor, I stopped going, which was too deliberate. This illness came just in time.

The old Queen also sent someone to inquire about my health. Seeing that I was pale from being so sick, she didn't summon me to the palace.

At the same time, I discovered...ancient medicine is too bitter!!! I used to enjoy bitter tastes, like bitter melon, lotus seed hearts, or coffee, but the bitterness of Chinese medicine is really unbearable.

I used to like the smell of medicine, but the first time I drank it, my face turned green and I almost vomited. Since then, I have secretly poured out the medicine to make the recovery process slower.

After my persistent efforts, I successfully stayed in bed for half a month.

In the early stages of my illness, Ms. Rose and Philip Rose came to visit.

Thinking of the culprit who made me sick, I didn't have a good expression. Although I was sick, I always had Nina keep an eye on the situation outside. When I learned that Matthew Austin didn't take any action against the Rose family, I felt relieved, but also more confused. What is he really after?

"Estella, you've been so sick, why do you look so thin?" Ms. Rose couldn't hide her concern as she spoke.

After all, Estella Rose's mother, I suppressed my impatience and said, "Mother, perhaps it's because we haven't seen each other for a long time that you have this illusion."

Mrs. Rose kept chattering on and on, while Philip Rose sat obediently without saying a word. After a long time, Mrs. Rose finally got to the point, "Your father and I were away in the clan for a month because of... palace affairs. When we returned, we heard that your brother had caused trouble for you again."

I frowned. Ralph Rose suddenly refused to provide any support for Beauty Rose, and it's no wonder that the people in the clan asked him to go back and discuss it. But I wasn't worried. Ralph Rose always had his own ideas and wouldn't change his mind easily. He believed that Beauty Rose had turned against him and would rather trust that she did than that she didn't. He wouldn't easily be swayed by someone else's words.

This is also a common problem for all clever people. The smarter they are, the more suspicious they become. The difference between their own daughter and their nephew's daughter is clear at a glance.

Seeing that I remained silent, Mrs. Rose signaled to Philip Rose, who shamelessly walked up to me and took out a box of jewelry from his pocket, saying, "I noticed that my little sister hasn't added any jewelry since entering Lord Jin's mansion, so I specifically searched for some to give to you."

Mrs. Rose also chimed in, "Philip has always been thinking about you, his little sister. When he went to the jewelry store, he bought all the good ones first, not even leaving any for me as the mother."

Watching the two of them singing each other's praises, I eventually accepted the jewel. Although I didn't like it, I couldn't reject Philip Rose's face in front of Mrs. Rose.

However, as soon as I accepted it, Philip Rose's old habit resurfaced. He squeezed his fat face and smirked, "I saw a maid come out of my brother-in-law's study just now. She looked very spirited. Why haven't I seen her by your side, little sister?"

Felix Austin's study?

Isn't that Lisa Stein? Felix Austin prefers to be quiet and rarely has female maids around him.

Does this i***t think that the Rose family is not dying fast enough? How dare he covet Felix Austin's woman!

I immediately scolded him, "Philip Rose, get your head straight. How dare you even think about the people around Felix Austin? Aren't you afraid of implicating the Rose family and losing your head?"

Philip Rose was scared by my severe look and quickly explained, "I was just asking. Don't be angry, little sister. How could I dare to provoke the people around you!"

Seeing that I was still angry, Mrs. Rose quickly spoke up, "Estella, your brother is always like this, he doesn't filter his words. Speaking of which, there are maids around Lord Jin now? What's their background..."

Lisa Stein grew up in a border town and has never liked attending those pretentious events since coming to the capital, so it's normal that they haven't seen her before.

"Mother, what you should be doing now is managing your son, not sticking your hand into Lord Jin's mansion." I interrupted her without hesitation.

Mrs. Rose couldn't hold up her face and said, "I'm just thinking about you. Why are you so angry..." Seeing my bad mood, Mrs. Rose didn't continue and asked Philip Rose to wait outside to avoid causing more trouble.

"Although your brother is a bit slow, he is still sincerely good to you. Whatever happened before, he always thought of leaving things for you first, even I, his mother, didn't get this treatment." After Philip Rose left, Mrs. Rose continued to speak well of him.

Mrs. Rose really knows how to beautify her own son. Everything Philip Rose did, she praised him for being slow.

"When I was pregnant with you, Philip was only 5 years old. He would come and touch my belly every day, saying that he would take good care of you when you were born..."

Unable to listen to Mrs. Rose's defense of that wastrel, I interrupted her again, "Mother, please convey a message to father for me when you return home today."

Mrs. Rose looked at me in confusion, apparently not expecting me to change the subject so quickly.

"A thousand-mile dike can be destroyed by an ant hole." Even if the Rose family must fall, it shouldn't happen so quickly.

After Mrs. Rose left, I continued my life of recuperation, enjoying the rare freedom of sunbathing and listening to maids chatting without being too reserved around me.

The embroiderer, Willa, saw that I was bored and took the initiative to chat with me, "Have you heard, Your Highness? The palace has recruited some new soldiers."

"So what?" I asked, puzzled.

Quick-tongued Cui Zhu spoke up first, "One of the new soldiers is very handsome. The maids in the palace can't help but sneak a peek."

Sure enough, no matter what era, women couldn't avoid their curiosity.

"Really? I don't remember seeing him," I said curiously.

"The day the new soldiers entered the palace, Your Highness was sick and didn't see them," Xing replied.

Cui Zhu blushed and giggled, "Your Highness would surely be amazed if you saw him. I have never seen such a handsome man before."

"Look at you, so ignorant. He's just a slave. What's the use of being handsome?" Nina sneered. Previously, she had despised other servants, but after I worked hard to reconcile them, things had improved somewhat. Although her words were still not very kind, at least they weren't as harsh as before.

Willa and Laura were no longer as afraid of her, and the more lively Laura couldn't help but retort in a low voice, "If Nina saw him, she would definitely not say such things."

Nina snorted disdainfully, "Do you think I'm as ignorant as you?"

Watching the maids bickering and having fun, I couldn't help but laugh. What a good youth. When I was 16 or 17 years old, I would also discuss boys with my friends and have fun. That kind of innocent and carefree laughter was truly precious.