I fiddled with Princess Diana’s invitation.
An elegant invitation embossed with the royal seal of Royeham Kingdom, made of gold. This invitation alone carried the meaning that I would be treated as a VIP.
Beyond the mirror, I watched Patricia brushing her hair and asked.
“Patricia, haven’t we received a reply yet?”
“Yes. It seems they haven’t expected that the lady would refuse.”
“Royham Kingdom’s invitation is usually hard to turn down.”
But I refused that invitation.
Very politely, leaving no room for doubt.
‘That’s Miryu’s fiancé’s family.’
Given that she lied to her close friend, Lady Nadia, it was obvious she had spun some strange story there too.
‘I don’t have a hobby of suffering unnecessarily.’
Plus, I didn’t think I’d experience anything particularly good.
“Oh, by the way, how’s that favor I asked you last time?”
“Oh, you mean Miryu Jutti? I’ve checked the names of the people she mentioned meeting, so I expect to get a reply soon.”
The moment I heard about Miryu, I started assessing the situation.
‘It turns out that Libertan’s adopted daughter has been bullying a gentle, frail girl from a humble family.’
‘Not only that, but she also resorted to threats, mentioning her family.’
‘That girl supposedly suffered an unforgettable, deep wound from her.’
Most of what I could find were just rumors and hearsay.
“I need to confirm that Miryu actually said all this.”
So I asked Patricia, who knows a lot about social circles, to look into it.
“I will dedicate myself completely to carrying out Your Ladyship’s commands.”
“…There’s no need for that.”
“Then, I shall devote my very soul to it.”
Patricia’s teal eyes gleamed with resolve.
Honestly, I didn’t expect much when I asked Patricia. I had also asked Erich and Betty.
But something seemed different with Patricia.
‘Are you finally going to forgive me?’
To soothe Patricia’s earnest apologies, I also entrusted her to look after me.
That’s why Patricia was brushing my hair today. Her hands, sweeping over my long platinum hair, trembled strangely.
‘Her face is terrifyingly expressionless sometimes.’
She even hummed a tune, then suddenly stopped.
‘She’s a truly fascinating person the more I get to know her.’
Patricia decorated her zigzag braid with roses.
“I’ve lightly styled it to match the atmosphere of the place you’re attending today. Do you like it?”
“This is the first time I’ve braided it like this, but it’s so pretty.”
Patricia nodded expressionlessly.
Seeing her always with the same face, I couldn’t help but chuckle strangely.
~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~
Today, I visited Mrs. Morse’s salon.
‘It’s quite spacious.’
This was the salon of Lady Nadia’s mother, whom I met at the Union Kingdom’s party. A gathering was being held there today.
Salon gatherings were a necessary step to enter the social world.
Usually, they helped build connections with social figures. Entry was by invitation only, and the exclusiveness could be quite harsh.
‘Since Lady Nadia owes me a favor from last time, she’ll probably look after my interests.’
All things considered, the situation was quite advantageous.
When I arrived, Lady Nadia came out to greet me accompanied by her mother.
“Hello, Duchess Blanchet. This is my mother.”
“Good day. I am Systina Morse of Dephep.”
Mrs. Morse was an elegant noblewoman, resembling Nadia perfectly. She sighed lightly when she looked at Nadia.
“I heard that during the last party, my daughter was quite rude to you. Thank you again for your patience.”
“Oh, it’s nothing. I’ve already forgotten about it.”
Mrs. Morse’s eyes showed a trace of gratitude.
“Is this your first time at the salon today? May I introduce you to the host of this gathering?”
Of course I came for that! I nodded, and Mrs. Morse gracefully began introducing the attendees.
‘There are more people than I expected.’
The Morse salon had a surprisingly relaxed atmosphere, as I had heard.
People of various genders and ages mingled freely.
Mrs. Morse carefully introduced everyone, and they all blinked in surprise upon seeing my face.
‘But the vibe is good.’
It seemed that the host’s introductions contributed to the friendly mood.
“We’ll soon be having tea and discussing new topics. Since this is your first time, please relax and enjoy yourself.”
At that moment, I saw a figure from the second floor I didn’t want to see.
‘Short silver hair?’
From her build to her hairstyle, her back was identical to someone I knew.
‘Liandro Pelsis… Why is she here…?’
I looked at Mrs. Morse and asked.
“Does Princess Pelsis often attend this gathering?”
“Not really. Today, she’s here representing the Marchioness Pelsis, who is a member.”
That was a relief.
Since this was a casual gathering, I could just have a quick discussion and then leave.
‘There are quite a few people who would support me if things go wrong.’
I felt it was unfair to miss a good opportunity because of Lian.
‘Let’s pretend I don’t see her and just ignore her.’
Noticing my strange demeanor, Mrs. Morse didn’t go upstairs but introduced me to the others downstairs.
Fortunately, I didn’t run into Lian until the end, during the discussion session.
Just as Mrs. Morse was about to start talking on the topic of ancient mythology, a guard hurriedly approached her.
“Ma’am, I think you should come outside.”
He whispered to Mrs. Morse. Her face paled slightly.
“…Already?”
“Yes. It’s an urgent matter, and they couldn’t inform you in advance.”
“No matter how urgent, this—”
Suddenly, a woman burst in hurriedly.
“I will personally see Mrs. Morse and explain the situation. Once she hears my side, she’ll understand.”
She was a woman with the characteristic brown complexion of the Royeham Kingdom, her chocolate hair tied in a ponytail.
‘Princess Diana?’
I recognized her immediately, having memorized her general appearance.
‘She’s even been granted a knightly title…’
Princess Diana had a wild, unrestrained aura like a mare running freely across a field. Mrs. Morse scolded her in a sharp tone.
“Princess Diana, you’re entering without even asking my permission.”
But Diana just smiled slyly and bowed her head.
“Sorry, Mrs. Morse. I was in a hurry and couldn’t help it.”
“Are you talking about my salon gathering?”
“Yes, well—”
Diana’s sharp crimson eyes swept around and paused on me.
Exactly at me.
“You were hiding there, weren’t you?”
Diana muttered as if gnashing her teeth.
“Big sister-in-law, come in. As I expected, you’re just avoiding everything with a carefree attitude!”
“Diana, you shouldn’t cause such a fuss.”
Her entourage entered through the open door: a long pale blonde hair, fair skin, and faint hazel eyes. Slim enough to fall over in the wind, with simple features and, oddly enough, a gold ring on her neck.
At first, I couldn’t tell who she was.
‘Miryu Jutti?’
She looked entirely transformed.
“Otherwise, you might cause trouble for others unnecessarily.”
With her eyes downcast and a sad smile, her voice was deliberately calm and her tone composed.
‘Why does she seem so awkward?’
Unlike before, Miryu only showed her kind side in front of the libertan family. But even then, her current state was way different from that time.
‘It’s like she’s wearing strange, mismatched clothes.’
As soon as Miryu saw me, she trembled and flinched.
“…Estelle.”
“Don’t worry, big sister-in-law. Trust me.”
Diana approached briskly, glancing up and down with an unfriendly look.
“Hello, Duchess Blanchet. I am Diana Royeham. Do you have anything to say to my new sister-in-law?”
“Well… It’s sudden, so…”
I still hadn’t fully figured out Miryu.
‘If I answer hastily, it’ll just make things worse.’
So I asked Diana as if I didn’t know anything.
“I don’t know what’s going on suddenly. Is something wrong?”
“You’re acting like that?”
Diana gritted her teeth and pulled Miryu closer.
“Can you be so shameless as to say that after seeing Miryu?”
Miryu swallowed her tears, trembling. Her eyes flickered.
“Estelle. Nice to meet you.”
“Miryu, say something too. You’re pretending not to know anything!”
I was curious about what Miryu would say. But she didn’t live up to Diana’s expectations.
She nervously fiddled with the yellow ribbon around her neck, then, tears in her eyes, she grabbed Diana’s arm.
“…Diana, please stop. It seems pointless.”
“Big sister, there are still emotional wounds.”
Diana, as if she couldn’t believe it, asked me in disbelief.
“Are you trying to pretend you don’t see your own fault even with Miryu right in front of you? As a noble lady, you should know how serious the scars are…”
“Scars?”
“Yes! Scars!”
Diana shouted as if furious, wrapping her arms around Miryu.
“The scar you carved into Miryu’s neck with a knife!”
“…”
“Your sister can’t even go outside without covering her neck. How can you not apologize for that?”
Diana’s voice, full of rage, echoed through the quiet salon.
The people, who hadn’t even been breathing loudly, began to murmur. Miryu trembled anxiously, clutching the ribbon around her neck.
“Estelle, I don’t ask for much.”
Miryu finally mustered a little courage and opened her mouth.
“If you sincerely apologize for what happened, I can forget everything.”
Her eyes shimmered as if a single tear was about to fall.
“If you have even a little regret…”
“I’m sorry.”
Miryu’s eyes widened in shock.
“…Sorry?”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I didn’t know it caused you so much pain.”
My quick apology stunned everyone into silence. They probably expected me to scream, or to act shamelessly, and be in denial.
But I couldn’t do that.
‘The flow now makes me look like the villain.’
Arguing my innocence without any evidence would only make me look foolish.
‘Let’s provoke her a little.’
Seeing Diana stare blankly, I calmly asked.
“Tell me, what do you think I did wrong?”
“Ha! Now you’re showing your true colors. I knew you’d do this.”
Diana tenderly patted Miryu’s shoulder.
“Big sister-in-law, please gather enough courage to show everyone how terrible she really is!”
Miryu clenched her trembling fingers on the ribbon.
“But Estelle, she apologized—”
The ribbon around her neck loosened slightly.
A rough scar, as if cut with a knife, subtly appeared on her skin.
“Really, that scar…”
“Duchess Blanchet’s rumor…”
The moment I saw that scar, my eyes widened.
‘Wait a minute.’
The uneasy feeling I’d had from earlier suddenly became clear.
‘So that’s how it happened.’
Meanwhile, Miryu couldn’t fully remove the ribbon, her neck covered, tears falling. Diana embraced her and shouted painfully.
“Look at this scar and tell me you don’t understand what you did wrong!”
At that moment, a man stepped out from among the crowd, kneeling before Miryu and asking.
“Lady Jutti, what exactly happened?”
It was Liandro.
~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~
Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
