Chapter 80

Her light green eyes drifted lazily across the table until something caught her attention, and they gleamed like polished peridot. One by one, her favorite desserts were being arranged atop the snow-white tablecloth.

‘…Oh, aren’t those from Maron Bakery?’

It seemed the countess had spared no effort for Dahlia’s debut if she’d gone as far as hiring one of Maron’s patissiers as the event’s guest chef.

‘No waiting in line? This is perfect.’

In her previous life, she had often queued for ages just to buy a handful of sweets from that shop. With gleeful anticipation, she picked up a canelé with her fork and took a delicate bite. Just as she was savoring the caramelized crust and custardy center, hushed whispers drifted over from the neighboring table.

“I never imagined the House of Lorenheim would take in an adopted daughter.”

“Could she be the count’s illegitimate child, perhaps?”

Ha. Not a chance.

The words nearly slipped from Evelyn’s mouth before she caught herself, quickly glancing around and swallowing the rest of her canelé.

Just as in the original story, rumors had begun to swirl about Dahlia’s parentage. Of course, like all gossip, these would fade soon enough. Besides, Felix, now her adopted brother, fully intended to deal with the slanderers himself. A duel, he had said, would make them think twice before running their mouths again.

To have provoked Felix, who was the top student of the swordsmanship department, of all people… Whoever had done it must’ve had a death wish.

Evelyn clicked her tongue inwardly, shaking her head as she reached for a dessert she hadn’t yet tried.

“I’m glad to see the desserts suit your taste.”

The friendly voice came from nearby, catching her completely off guard. She looked up with a start.

“…Dahlia?”

At some point, Dahlia had approached the table, her eyes crinkling in a gentle smile. It was the kind of smile that could leave a room full of nobles momentarily speechless.

“Thank you so much for attending today’s gathering.”

She said warmly, before turning to greet the young ladies seated at the table with equal grace. One of the ladies, who had been quietly observing the two of them, leaned forward with a curious glint in her eye.

“You two seem rather well acquainted.”

“Yes, I’ve been hoping to grow closer to Lady Inevasel.”

Her soft violet eyes shimmered faintly as a blush slowly bloomed across her cheeks, as if shyly revealing her heart. At those words, the young noblewoman seated beside Evelyn caught on quickly and rose from her chair with an elegant smile.

“Please take my seat, Lady Lorenheim.”

“Oh, are you sure?”

“Of course. It’s not as if anyone’s seat is reserved.”

With a graceful nod, the lady offered her place without hesitation. Dahlia, grateful, thanked her and sat down beside Evelyn.

“Evelyn, have you been well?”

Evelyn barely managed to suppress the awkward smile threatening to rise, offering a polite nod instead.

“Yes. And you, Dahlia? I hope you’ve been well, too.”

“Of course. I’ve been receiving guidance at the temple every day.”

True to her title as the Wings of the Divine, Dahlia seemed to possess an unwavering devotion. Considering how grueling monster subjugation alone must be, the fact that she never showed a hint of exhaustion spoke volumes. Evelyn felt a pang of guilt, wondering if she had misunderstood her for no reason at all.

To think she had doubted the female lead of the original story simply because there was no one else to suspect.

‘Honestly, that doesn’t make any sense.’

While she sat there with a sheepish expression, Dahlia took a small sip of tea from the fresh cup that had been set before her. Then, lowering her voice to a near-whisper, she leaned in slightly.

“By the way, I heard there was a bit of a commotion during the midnight soirée.”

Is she talking about the drug incident Axion took care of?

Evelyn had decided to avoid discussing the incident whenever possible, so she deliberately tilted her head in feigned confusion.

“I’m not quite sure what you mean.”

“The truth is… I was worried about you that night, Evelyn.”

“Pardon?”

As Dahlia spoke, Evelyn’s brows knit slightly in confusion before she let out a quiet, restrained sigh. Now that she thought about it, it seemed the female lead of the original story was referring to the incident on the balcony.

But then, another question quickly flashed through her mind. Axion had explicitly said that all the knights on duty that night had been ordered to keep silent about the balcony incident. Moreover, since the investigation was being conducted in secret, there was no way she should’ve known about it.

‘Felix wouldn’t have said a word…’

She gazed for a moment at the woman’s face, which was etched with unmistakable worry. Then, after hesitating for a moment, she parted her lips and asked in a carefully composed voice.

“But how did you hear about that, Dahlia?”