Alice felt a rising wave of nervousness, but there was little she could do to calm it. Her hands and feet grew cold, almost numb, but she fought to maintain a neutral expression, determined not to reveal just how panicked she was becoming. Then, a voice from behind broke her focus.
"This level of mastery and design... No matter how talented soone is, I can’t believe this was created by anyone younger than their mid-thirties," the voice mused.
"The precision in how the light refracts off the gems, the flawless presentation, the depth of knowledge in jewelry design—it all points to years of experience. The only explanation I can think of for why this designer isn’t already well known is that she poured all her effort into perfecting this set piece to show the world."
"Perhaps the ’life-and-death ergency’ she faced was related to her health, deteriorating with age. After all, didn’t the presenter ntion that the designer had spent countless ti and effort perfecting this? It’s the only reason that makes sense..."
Upon hearing that, Alice’s eyes lit up. Even if the design before her had completely outshone hers in every possible way, as long as it didn’t belong to Hera—and the competition’s winner turned out to be an older woman—she could still co out of this with her image intact.
The netizens would continue to see her as a young, multi-talented rising star. With her age and already growing popularity, she’d still earn widespread respect.
In fact, this outco might even attract a seasoned ntor who could help elevate her career in both jewelry design and the entertainnt industry.
And as a designer, her connections with celebrities in her circle would beco even more valuable—many of them would likely start treating her differently, knowing they’d need her favor if they wanted exclusive, custom-made pieces from her in the future.
Thinking this through, Alice’s heart gradually began to settle. She, too, believed that the designer behind the jewelry set must be a middle-aged woman who had poured years of dedication into perfecting this masterpiece.
It wasn’t uncommon—many veteran designers spent decades crafting their signature pieces before presenting them to the world. Soft whispers around her echoed similar thoughts, reinforcing her assumption and easing her nerves.
Besides, designers often used pseudonyms to present their work, and the na associated with this set was ’Andarta Aria.’ If interpreted symbolically, ’Andarta’ was the Celtic goddess of victory and strength, while ’Aria’ suggested a lodious song. Combined, the na conveyed ’The lodious song of victory’—a bold, almost audacious declaration.
It was elegant yet arrogant, as if the designer fully intended to dominate not just this competition, but the entire world of jewelry design through sheer talent and vision.
Alice smirked inwardly. That kind of na didn’t seem like sothing Hera would dare to use. She was too busy playing the innocent, sweet-as-sugar white lotus.
Alice was sure Hera would never be so daring—using such a na would only invite scrutiny from netizens and possibly backlash for being too arrogant. No, this wasn’t Hera’s style at all.
Excitedly, Alice crafted a post for her social dia, eager to share her accomplishnts with the world. She had already prepared the pictures and detailed explanations of her jewelry design, including the concepts and the process behind it.
All she needed to do now was copy and paste from her notes into the post, ready to hit ’publish.’ This would be her opportunity to showcase her work, letting the netizens see how she stacked up against the other contestants and industry veterans. It was the perfect mont to market herself and reshape her public image.
Alice saw this as her chance to turn the tide, to use her notoriety to her advantage. In her mind, there was no such thing as permanent hatred on the internet, not as long as there was drama and entertainnt.
The more eyes on her, the better. She knew that after the controversy she’d stirred up earlier, with people attacking her for being promiscuous, she’d gained more attention.
Drama, after all, was the currency of the internet, and as long as it kept people entertained, the opinions of others could be easily swayed.
But in the world of a reversed harem novel, as Alice unknowingly found herself in, people had a more tolerant view on such matters.
Though she didn’t realize it, Alice was playing her part perfectly in the unfolding story guided by the storyline, following the narrative set before her. All she had to do was continue doing her job well, and everything else would fall into place.
Sure enough, as soon as Alice posted the picture of her design draft, along with her thoughts, design concept, and the panel of judges’ verdict and scores, the netizens who had once condemned and belittled her were montarily stunned into silence. Then, a surge of likes and comnts flooded in, praising her for being both young and incredibly talented.
...
[AliceNoHater: Holy crap! Did she really score 7.5 points and beco the youngest to get such a high score?!]
[BlazingSun: @AliceNoHater Didn’t you hear? There’s soone with an even better design who’s expected to win. I saw the design on the live broadcast, and it truly is a masterpiece. But the penna ’Andarta Aria’ feels a bit too arrogant.]
[AliceNoHater: @BlazingSun Wait, it was broadcasted live? Did this... Alice really do that well?]
[BlazingSun: @AliceNoHater Yes, so far, Alice is the youngest to receive the highest score, apart from ’Andarta Aria,’ who went last due to an ergency and got so leniency. I heard she might actually be a middle-aged woman, so Alice still did an amazing job in the competition.]
[AliceLove: Kya! I knew it! Alice is still the best! She’s young, beautiful, and talented! Who would believe she tried to seduce Young Minister Dave or the genius Doctor Zhane? Maybe it was just Young Minister Dave’s political enemies framing her!]
[Blowblow: Alice’s brain-dead fan, stop trying to clean up her image by blaming Young Minister Dave’s political enemies. You could get sued for spreading false rumors. Rember, when Alice was found in bed with two n, she didn’t even need to see their faces to blurt out Young Minister Dave’s na and Doctor Zhane’s.]
[Blowblow: That clearly suggests she expected them to be the ones in her bed, but when it turned out otherwise, it only proves she planned the whole thing. There’s already evidence backing these claims. Just admit it: Alice tried to climb the social ladder using her body. Don’t try to sugarcoat it.]
[AliceFan1: @Blowblow Climbing the ladder? Have you even seen Alice’s designs and the judges’ verdict? They praised her, recognizing her potential. She’s clearly on her way to success on her own rits, without needing to rely on any man.]
[AliceFan1: Do you honestly think only that bitch Hera could use her talent to get ahead? Let’s not forget, it’s more likely Hera’s the one using her body to climb the ladder, given how many n are fawning over her. Maybe that’s why she’s pushing all this mud at Alice – jealousy at her own lack of rit.]
[HeraIsMySister: Hey, you! Our sister Hera is just minding her own business and isn’t trying to drag your idol down at all. Everything that’s happening right now is a result of your idol’s actions. Does your head only for decoration, or has it shrunk to the size of a pea? Even a bird’s smarter than you! Stop throwing mud at my sister, or you’ll quickly learn how powerful our fan club really is!]
[HeraIsMySister: (◍˃́‿˂̀)⌐╦╦═─]
Reviews
All reviews (0)