Chapter: 39
“How incredibly rude of you, Lady Ansi!”
“Lady Lopes has been so kind to you, yet you don’t even know how to be grateful?”
“You enjoy staying by the young duchess’s side so much that you’d throw away an old friend?”
Hmm.
I narrowed my eyes and looked back and forth between the ladies whose neck veins were bulging with anger.
Judging by how eagerly they had been waiting to lash out at me, Seraphina must have spent quite some time talking behind my back.
No doubt with her usual act of playing the pitiful victim.
“Ah…”
Meanwhile, Seraphina looked at me with an awkward, troubled expression, as though she didn’t know what to do.
But…
‘Even this entire situation must be part of Seraphina’s plan.’
The proof?
Seraphina merely stood one step behind everyone else.
She didn’t even attempt to stop them.
Even that behavior was perfectly in character for her.
‘Seriously… how ridiculous.’
I almost laughed out loud.
Manipulating the people around her into attacking someone while wearing an innocent face as though she had nothing to do with it.
…Wasn’t this exactly how she had spread malicious rumors about the young duchess?
At that moment, our eyes met.
Seraphina’s lips moved ever so slightly.
“Lari.”
Her pretty lips curved into a gentle smile.
“You should’ve just obediently invited me to Claudius’s salon.”
After flashing me another sly smile, Seraphina finally pretended to calm everyone down while secretly encouraging them.
“E-Everyone, please stop.”
She even made her eyelashes tremble pitifully.
“I’m sure Lari didn’t intentionally try to humiliate me.”
Oh?
Look at her deliberately choosing the word humiliate.
Seraphina dramatically let her shoulders droop.
‘How is she always exactly the same?’
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
At this point, I wasn’t just tired of it—I could practically yawn.
“I-I don’t really know… but perhaps I did something wrong to Lari first…”
The ladies immediately turned to Seraphina with sympathetic expressions.
“Oh my goodness, Lady Lopes!”
“Are you all right?”
“Please don’t take it to heart. You didn’t do anything wrong…”
After comforting Seraphina, they glared at me once again.
Their eyes had become noticeably fiercer.
“So Lady Ansi really loves power that much?”
“You must be so proud of yourself, getting special treatment by flattering the young duchess!”
“Seriously, do you have no pride at all?”
Seraphina listened to the commotion with obvious satisfaction before weakly shaking her head.
“Please don’t say that. I’m sure Lari has her own reasons—”
“That’s right.”
I cut Seraphina off halfway through and nodded calmly.
“I really do love being friends with the young duchess.”
To put it bluntly, it was an absolute jackpot.
After making that declaration, I proudly looked around at everyone.
At the same time, silence fell over the area.
“…”
“…”
What?
Didn’t expect me to answer so confidently?
Not only the ladies but even Seraphina seemed completely speechless.
I could tell from the way each of them twitched their lips and narrowed their eyes at me.
Though somehow…
The ladies hopping around in outrage looked exactly like a pack of furious Chihuahuas.
“Pfft.”
I ended up covering my mouth as a short laugh escaped.
Instantly, the ladies’ faces turned bright red.
“A-Are you laughing at us?!”
“Just because the young duchess has been paying a little more attention to Lady Ansi lately doesn’t mean you should become so arrogant!”
Oh no.
Even the way they barked sounded like Chihuahuas!
‘No, stop laughing.’
I bit my lower lip to suppress my smile before speaking in a voice still tinged with amusement.
“I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to laugh at you. It’s just…”
I obviously couldn’t tell them they reminded me of angry Chihuahuas.
So I gently changed the subject.
“You’re all stating something that’s perfectly obvious.”
“O-Obvious?”
“You asked me, didn’t you? Whether I love power that much, and whether I’m proud of being treated well because I flatter the young duchess.”
Several of the ladies flinched at my blunt wording.
“Isn’t it only natural that I would?”
I proudly lifted my chin.
“To begin with, is there anyone here who dislikes power?”
Only those with a completely clear conscience had the right to throw stones.
“…”
“…”
Unable to answer, the ladies merely chewed on their lips.
Resting a hand on my waist, I wagged a finger at them.
“Though there is one thing I should correct.”
“C-Correct?”
“Of course. It’s not just the young duchess’s power that I like. I like everything else about her too.”
Did they have any idea how many wonderful qualities my young duchess had?
Smiling brightly, I continued.
“I like that she’s one of the most noble people in the Empire. I like that she’s wealthy. I like her incredible beauty…”
“L-Lady Ansi?”
“I also love her straightforward personality and how kindly she treats me.”
I shrugged.
“I’m very proud to be the young duchess’s friend.”
Faced with my unwavering confidence, the ladies could only exchange uncertain glances.
None of them could bring themselves to speak.
Just then—
“Oh? What’s going on here?”
An elegant voice interrupted the conversation.
When I turned around, I saw the young duchess standing there with both arms full of rose seedlings, watching us with a crooked gaze.
Right.
I’d heard that the coffeehouse sold little rose seedlings.
‘But I didn’t think she’d actually buy some that quickly.’
My eyes went blank for a moment.
The fighting spirit that had been surging inside me instantly deflated like air leaking out of a balloon.
Well, anyway.
I fully support the young duchess’s passionate love of roses…
“I honestly don’t see what the problem is.”
Meanwhile, the young duchess narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the ladies before taking a step forward.
Apparently, she had heard the entire conversation.
Click.
In the sudden silence, only the sound of her heels echoed clearly.
“So, Lady Ansi…”
She glanced sideways at me before proudly lifting her chin.
“Is saying she’s proud of someone who’s powerful, high-born, wealthy, and breathtakingly beautiful… namely me?”
“…Well, yes.”
I mean… that was true.
I answered somewhat awkwardly.
Even though she was shamelessly praising herself, every single word happened to be true…
“Lady Ansi wants to spend time with a friend who’s as outstanding, beautiful, and amazing as I am. So what’s the problem?”
The young duchess blinked her beautiful eyes innocently.
“Frankly, I feel sorry for all of you instead. You don’t seem to understand the joy that comes from genuine friendship.”
“But, Your Grace!”
At that moment, one of the ladies cried out determinedly.
“There’s no way Lady Ansi is refined enough to be worthy of your company!”
“Hm?”
The young duchess raised one eyebrow.
The ladies all chimed in together.
“Just look at how she completely abandoned Lady Lopes, who used to be her closest friend!”
“That’s right! Your Grace is being deceived!”
“Ah, I see.”
A slow smile spread across the young duchess’s face.
It was a radiant smile, as beautiful as a rose blooming into full blossom.
But as I watched that smile…
‘Oh no.’
I unconsciously swallowed.
‘The young duchess is furious.’
Her smiles carried many different meanings.
Sometimes she smiled because she was genuinely happy.
But whenever she was truly offended like she was now, she smiled even more brilliantly.
‘She crushes people with a smile on her face.’
Just like she had crushed Gregory back at the brunch café.
And, just as I expected, I wasn’t wrong in the slightest.
The young duchess spoke again in a voice so cold it seemed to carry frost.
“So you’re telling me… that I’m such an idiot that I’d be fooled by a few cheap words from Lady Ansi?”
