Chapter: 03
So that was it!
The very first day Seraphina and I made our debut in high society.
The reason my fiancé, Gregory, had danced the first dance with Seraphina instead of me at the debutante ball.
“Lari, we’re best friends. You’ll understand, right?”
The reason Seraphina had always ordered me around without so much as a single apology.
Wow… this is seriously infuriating.
I was so furious that my hands were trembling.
But what really made my eyes widen in disbelief was—
What is this?
Seraphina’s shoelaces were tied perfectly.
She definitely said they had come undone.
I stared blankly at the flawless ribbon knot before raising my head.
At that moment, Seraphina, who had been chatting happily with Gregory, glanced down at me with a faint smile.
It was a look that unmistakably placed me beneath her.
Ah… I get it now.
In that instant.
It felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over my head.
The shoelaces were just an excuse. She only wanted to make me kneel at her feet.
The way she insisted on recommending an unfashionable dress that wasn’t even my size, claiming it suited me.
The way she personally applied blotchy makeup to my face.
The way she always dragged me along beside her to every picnic and banquet.
The way she proudly showed everyone how submissive I was toward her.
Just as stars shine brighter against darkness, and flowers look more beautiful because of their sepals…
That was the role I played for Seraphina.
…A role that existed solely to make her stand out.
So that’s how it was.
I clenched my teeth.
I’d always felt something was off.
It was as if the world revolved around Seraphina, and I was forcing my way into it.
Until now, I’d desperately clung to that world because I didn’t want to be cast out.
My dearest friend.
My fiancé, chosen through an arrangement between our families.
Those two people were my entire social world.
That’s why I had been so terrified of being hated by them.
But why should I care about that anymore?!
I reached out and grabbed Seraphina’s ankle.
Then I yanked it hard.
“Kyaaah!”
Seraphina’s scream echoed across the picnic grounds.
Then—
Thud!
Still seated in her chair, she toppled backward and ended up staring blankly at the sky.
The sight instantly reminded me of a frog flipped onto its back after being hit by a stone.
It looked so utterly ridiculous that it was impossible to associate it with the elegant, graceful Seraphina everyone knew.
“Oh my, Lady Lopes… pfft.”
“Are you all right? Puhehe…”
The guests hurried over to check on her, but they couldn’t suppress their laughter.
Seraphina’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato.
“Larit!”
Gregory shot to his feet in horror.
Remarkably, while everyone else was desperately trying not to laugh, Gregory alone didn’t smile.
Was that what true love looked like?
What a joke.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
His eyes blazing, Gregory carefully helped Seraphina back to her feet.
The way he looked at her was filled with unmistakable affection.
“Sera! Are you okay?!”
“Ah…”
Leaning on Gregory for support, Seraphina slowly stood up.
She trembled like a newborn fawn and rested against his chest.
Then, with tear-filled eyes, she murmured loudly enough for everyone to hear,
“My goodness, Gregor… I was so startled…”
The corner of my eyebrow twitched.
Even now, she was making sure she looked as delicate and pitiful as possible.
It wasn’t even that hard of a pull.
“I feel dizzy… My heart’s racing so much…”
“A doctor! Someone call a doctor!”
Gregory panicked.
“No… I can’t ruin the atmosphere of the picnic because of me.”
Seraphina lowered her eyes pitifully and shook her head.
“Larit, how are you going to take responsibility for this?!”
After looking at Seraphina with concern, Gregory pointed accusingly at me.
“What if Sera had been seriously hurt?! Huh?!”
Even in a situation like this, I had to admire his consistency.
He called Seraphina by the affectionate nickname “Sera,” while calling me—his own fiancée—by my full name, “Larit.”
“C-Count Gusto’s young master… please don’t worry so much.”
At that moment, Countess Johansson awkwardly stepped into the conversation.
“I prepared thoroughly to ensure that none of my esteemed guests would be injured…”
“Prepared thoroughly? Just because you laid down a carpet?!”
Gregory exploded.
“Sera has a weak constitution! Even the smallest impact could seriously injure her!”
“…”
“…”
The atmosphere instantly turned icy.
Wow.
Did he really just insult the hostess right to her face?
I couldn’t hide my astonishment.
Does Gregory have absolutely no tact?
Today’s picnic was hosted by Countess Johansson.
And she had gone to extraordinary lengths to prepare it.
The carefully maintained lawn was as soft as a quilt, with thick carpets spread across it.
And on top of that—
“Isn’t this a little excessive?”
One of the noblewomen muttered.
“They’ve piled cushions all around Lady Lopes.”
“Exactly. Young Master Gusto took every single cushion so no one else could use one.”
“You’re right. She couldn’t possibly get hurt.”
That was true.
Seraphina was currently surrounded by cushions that Gregory had arranged around her.
Honestly, with that many cushions, she’d probably survive falling from the second floor without a scratch.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I glanced sideways at Countess Johansson.
If word spread that a guest was injured at her picnic, it would tarnish the hostess’s reputation too.
Of course, since I had been the one who knocked Seraphina over, the initial blame would fall on me.
Even so, whispers would remain.
“Did you hear? Lady Lopes was injured at the Countess’s picnic.”
“Shouldn’t the Countess have managed the event better?”
People would say things like that.
Meanwhile, Gregory—who couldn’t read the room if his life depended on it—looked ready to carry Seraphina in his arms to the nearest doctor.
All while Countess Johansson’s face shifted from red to blue with anger.
In that case…
I’ll do the exact opposite of Gregory.
I respectfully bowed my head toward Countess Johansson.
“I’m terribly sorry, Countess Johansson. My hand slipped because of my own carelessness, and I’ve caused you unnecessary worry.”
First, I offered my sincere apology to the Countess, who had become collateral damage.
Then I turned toward Seraphina with a remorseful expression.
“And I’m sorry too, Seraphina. I never imagined you’d actually fall like that.”
“If you were just tying her shoelaces, why would Sera fall?!”
Gregory continued shouting.
Perfect. You just gave me exactly what I needed.
Pretending to be flustered, I covered my mouth with one hand.
“Well… that’s because her shoelaces were already tied.”
At once, everyone looked back and forth between Seraphina and me with suspicious expressions.
“Hmm… Didn’t Lady Lopes say earlier that her shoelaces had come undone?”
“That’s what I heard too.”
Especially Countess Johansson, whose mood had already soured because of the incident, immediately sharpened her gaze.
“Lady Lopes… are you saying you deliberately made Lady Ansi kneel?”
Faced with the Countess’s pointed question, the surrounding guests hurriedly waved their hands.
“Oh, surely not.”
“There must have been some misunderstanding.”
Most people still seemed inclined to believe Seraphina rather than me.
But honestly…
I was satisfied with that much.
Seraphina had always cultivated the image of being kind, gentle, and utterly lovable.
Simply making people entertain the possibility that she had deliberately forced her own friend to kneel before her was already more than enough.
