The True Heiress: Legend Mode novel Chapter 130

Gwendolyn wanted to say more, but Rhiannon had already walked over to the door. Her eyes slowly reddened, and her voice cracked slightly, thick with manufactured grief. "I'm just not feeling very well today. If you've said what you needed to say, Mom, you should go."

"Rhiannon..." Gwendolyn managed to get out, but seeing the girl's obvious distress, she ultimately left without another word.

The second the door clicked shut, Rhiannon wiped away the nonexistent tears with a tissue, her face turning ice-cold.

Gwendolyn hurried straight over to Juno's room.

Juno was in the middle of a gaming session with Babur. Seeing her mother walk in looking heavily burdened, combined with Babur's earlier remarks, she instantly knew what had happened.

Which led to the following scene.

Before Gwendolyn even opened her mouth, Juno kept her eyes glued to her screen. "Go celebrate with Rhiannon, Mom. I don't care. I've never been big on birthdays anyway."

Babur wasn't having it. "This is your first year back! If there aren't enough family members at your party, what are outsiders going to think?"

"Why should we care what outsiders think of our family?" Juno said casually. Unlike Rhiannon, who obsessed over appearances, Juno genuinely couldn't care less.

"If we're open and honest, they won't have anything to gossip about, right?"

You live your life for yourself, not for an audience.

Juno had always done whatever she wanted. She naturally didn't care about the opinions of strangers. If she spent her whole life worrying about what other people thought, she'd be exhausted to death—especially considering the sheer number of people who couldn't stand the sight of her.

If Gwendolyn didn't show up to her party, Juno wouldn't care. But if no one from the Corrington family showed up for Rhiannon, the public optics would be brutal.

The Corringtons were good people, and the fact that they still considered Rhiannon's feelings was a testament to that.

To Juno, this was a trivial matter completely unworthy of stress.

Gwendolyn hugged Juno, her heart aching for her. Her daughter was too understanding.

And because of that sudden hug, Babur managed to steal her kill on screen.

Time flew by, and the birthday arrived in a flash.

Gwendolyn ultimately attended Rhiannon's banquet.

Exactly as Rhiannon had planned, the room was packed with Kingsland's elite.

Many of the attendees were powerful, low-profile veterans of high society.

Rhiannon was incredibly smug. Seeing Gwendolyn by her side tonight filled her with triumph. Juno was nothing compared to this.

She was the main character.

A few of the younger guests couldn't help but gossip in hushed tones.

"I thought Rhiannon would fall out of favor now that the real Corrington daughter is back. I didn't expect to see Gwendolyn here tonight."

"It's the same day, after all. We should celebrate together."

Gwendolyn thought it was a wonderful idea and nodded in agreement.

When they discussed it with Matilda, the old woman thought it was absurd.

But a highly respected veteran standing nearby chimed in, "Why not go take a look? You're all family. Might as well celebrate together, and the Tengo Hotel isn't far from here."

In reality, they just wanted a chance to get a look at the real Corrington daughter.

This man held immense authority in their circle. If he suggested it, everyone had to give him face. Before long, a massive crowd of elites poured out of Rhiannon's venue and flooded into the Tengo Hotel.

Just as Rhiannon had suspected, Juno's party was devastatingly empty.

Gwendolyn's heart broke at the sight. Other than their immediate family, there wasn't a single guest.

The newcomers stared at Juno with intense curiosity.

They had only seen photos of her; this was their first time seeing the girl in person.

Rhiannon stepped forward with a sickly sweet smile. "Juno, I was just thinking... since we're family, we shouldn't be separated on our birthdays. So I went ahead and troubled all my guests to come over here."

Her tone dripped with condescension, clearly intended to make Juno feel as small as possible.