The Vicious Supporting Actress Survival Manual

Chapter 6 Vicious Supporting Actress Survival Strategy(06)

As I arrived at the Rose residence, I saw two middle-aged people in Rose attire with slightly graying hair waiting at the entrance. The man was elegant, and the woman was dignified.

When they saw that I was the only one getting out of the carriage, they frowned. These should be Ralph Rose and Mrs. Rose. They didn't look like villains.

"The Lord has urgent public affairs to attend to on the way here. He will come later," I explained.

Ralph Rose's face immediately turned sour. He swung his sleeves and walked into the house without waiting for me.

... You old bastard, it's better if you treat me worse. That way, I won't have to wait for the female lead to take action. I'll take care of you first.

Mrs. Rose kept nagging at me, "little Estella, don't let your guard down just because you're getting married. The affairs in the backyard are very complicated. Even if Lord Jin is good to you, there are still many foxes eyeing the position of side concubine. I think you should give birth to a legitimate son as soon as possible. This will secure your position and also help the Rose family..."

Sigh, our values don't match, and I can only stay silent and listen.

When we arrived at Mrs. Rose's residence, I didn't see Ralph Rose. I asked, "Where is Father?"

Mrs. Rose pulled me inside and said, "Your father has been looking forward to your return since early this morning. But only you came back. His expectations have been dashed, and he's probably sulking in the study."

I hesitated and then broke free from Mrs. Rose's grasp. "Then I'll go find him. I have something to say to Father."

I refused Mrs. Rose's company and walked out of the courtyard. Embarrassingly, I realized that I didn't know the way, so I put on my best ladylike manner and said to a small maid at the door, "I want to go to Father's study. Can you show me the way?"

Although the little maid looked a bit puzzled, she obediently led the way.

When we arrived at the study, I walked in and saw Ralph Rose sitting alone at the desk. He looked up at me but didn't say anything.

I found a chair and sat down before speaking, "The day before yesterday, I went to the palace with the Lord and met my cousin. I found out something interesting. Father, do you want to know what it is?"

When Beauty Rose was mentioned, Ralph Rose's expression relaxed, probably thinking I was there to pass on a message. He asked, "What did she say?"

I smiled and looked directly at Ralph Rose, "She...arranged for someone to push me into the royal pond."

Ralph Rose's eyebrows furrowed, and he asked unconsciously, "How could that happen?"

"Because her daughter is now the consort of Lord Jin, and technically her status is higher than hers. She was unhappy and took it out on me, wanting me to suffer a bit." I made up a story with a straight face.

Ralph Rose clearly had doubts, "I raised her myself, how could she turn around and harm you?"

"So, Father, you're really getting old and can't see people clearly anymore." I laughed but didn't spare any feelings in my words, "You've put so much effort into nurturing a woman who only cares about her own interests and has a narrow vision."

Ralph Rose's face changed constantly as I spoke. I took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire, "She said she wanted to talk to me, but every word was a trap. If I hadn't been alert, I might not have realized...there were members of the royal family eavesdropping on us."

"What?" Ralph Rose couldn't sit still anymore, "Are you saying that Rose...she sided with the emperor and used your words against you?"

"Father has many informants, so you can investigate it yourself. But it's best to avoid contact with Beauty Rose in the future," I replied without any guilt.

I was not worried that he would investigate. What I said was half true and half false. Beauty Rose did plan for me to fall into the water and for the royal family to eavesdrop on us, which was true.

The general direction was correct, so I didn't care about embellishing the details. As the main villain, Ralph Rose was certainly suspicious, so I used this to slowly cut off his supporters and at least reduce his punishment when he is eventually caught.

After a long silence, Ralph Rose looked at me again, his eyes probing, "In your opinion, what should I do next?"

I didn't back down and faced his gaze as I spoke, "The Emperor has already noticed Father, so in my opinion, Father should lower his profile and act more discreetly."

Ralph Rose's fox-like eyes flickered but he remained silent.

I continued, "Also, the other day I overheard the Emperor mentioning the Stein family in prison. It seems that he still values them and might find an excuse to reduce their punishment in the coming days. So, if Father takes the initiative to suggest reducing their punishment, it could be seen as giving the Emperor a way out."

This time, Ralph Rose's face remained expressionless as he spoke calmly, "Hasn't Estella always hated the Stein family? Why are you suddenly advocating for them?"

Dealing with this old fox, I couldn't let my guard down. I clenched my hand inside my sleeve but put on a helpless and angry expression, "The Emperor already suspects Father of forming factions and acting for personal gain. So, my suggestion is for Father's own good. If Father takes the initiative to suggest reducing the Stein family's punishment, it might dispel some of the Emperor's concerns and make him believe that Father didn't act against the Stein family out of personal grudges."

Ralph Rose didn't look at me, but his fingers tapped aimlessly on the tabletop as if he were calculating something. "Do you know the saying, 'When you cut weeds, you must pull up the roots'?"

I continued earnestly, "Father also knows that I hate the Lisa Stein family. If it weren't for the situation, why would I plead for them? The fortunes of the Stein family are tied to ours. It doesn't hurt to spare their lives."

Ralph Rose fell silent, and I didn't say anything more, waiting for him to weigh his options.

Thanks to Estella Rose's deep hatred for the Lisa Stein family earlier, my plea for the Stein family made Ralph Rose believe that I had no other choice and only did it for the Rose family. If the Stein family hadn't been executed due to Ralph Rose's machinations, my enmity with the Lisa Stein family wouldn't have been so intense.

"Estella has truly grown up," Ralph Rose finally spoke, smiling and looking at me with admiration in his eyes.

I felt a sense of relief. This meant that he had agreed. I suppressed the excitement in my heart. With Ralph Rose's power, it would be easy to spare the Stein family.

I released the fist that I had been clenching tightly under my sleeve and found that my palms were full of sweat. This confrontation had made me want to run away every minute, but my survival instinct made me stay and face Ralph Rose.

After leaving the study, I followed the maid to my old boudoir. Every step felt like walking on cotton, my steps felt light and airy. The aura of the main villain was not exaggerated.

"Sister, sister..." Suddenly, I heard a panting male voice.

I looked towards the source of the voice and saw a chubby man in a dark green robe running towards me. From a distance, he looked like a dumpling that had come to life. When I heard him calling me "sister," I understood that this was Estella Rose's older brother, Philip Rose.

Just from hearing his name, I knew that the author didn't value the second female lead and her brother very much. The name sounded like it was made up on the spot.

In the novel, this Philip Rose was not a very likable character. He bullied and harassed people, was promiscuous, and did all sorts of evil things... embodying all the bad habits of a spoiled playboy.

I used to like chubby friends because they looked a bit cute, but I really couldn't stand this Philip Rose and his character.

He ran up to me, panting, and handed me a piece of cloth, saying, "This is Yunjin silk that I found a few days ago. It's the white that you like the most. There's only one in the world, and I spent a lot of money to get it. If you use it to make clothes, it will surely make Lord Jin fall for you."

In the novel, Philip Rose seemed to have a low IQ, so he always tried to please his sister who was cunning and manipulative. It seemed to be true, as he had already offended me with just one sentence.

First, I didn't like white color, and second, I didn't like Lord Jin or Felix Austin.

I didn't reply and continued walking with the maid, tossing out a sentence, "I don't like white anymore. You can give it to the concubines in your backyard."

This children of official, Philip Rose, had dozens of concubines in his backyard, so no noblewoman wanted to marry into the family. Ralph Rose and Mrs. Rose indulged him because of his lack of intelligence.

As expected, Philip Rose, who had no discernment, came chasing after me again. His chubby face squished his eyes into a thin line as he approached me. "Those women aren't worthy of this kind of thing. Only a natural beauty like you deserves this priceless cloth."

In the past, the siblings liked to flatter each other, but I didn't like this kind of behavior. I immediately frowned and said, "Didn't I say I don't like white? Don't follow me anymore."

Philip Rose stopped in his tracks and didn't dare to follow me anymore.

Step three of the survival guide for evil second female leads: Stay away from villains and save virtuous officials.