Chapter 48

“Today, the most beautiful thing here shouldn’t be the flowers, but you, my lady.”

Alice glanced around at the other maids, her eyes shining with a bit of wild energy. The maids nodded back, their eyes just as wild.

“Of course! This is the first time you’ve been invited to the garden party, my lady!”

“Let’s make sure that from now on, people send so many invites for your beauty that the post office overflows!”

I had never been invited to a garden party before since these parties were usually something friends invited each other to.

‘Other than the Adultery Five, I didn’t have any friends.’

That was just how it was for me.

To the Adultery Five, I was just a pushover.

The maids, on the other hand, were on a whole different level of enthusiasm.

“Get a thicker curling iron! Heat it up so hot it could peel skin, otherwise her hair won’t hold until tonight!”

“Butler, what do you think? Between baby pink, salmon pink, and crystal pink, which lipstick looks best on the lady?”

“They all look the same to me…”

“Oh my goodness, how can you say that? No two pinks are ever the same!”

“What are you even saying? Salmon pink? Look at our lady’s skin, so cool and pale, like winter snowflakes. Salmon pink is a no-go!”

“Oh no, I can’t believe I made such a mistake…!”

Now I was starting to think I should be checking out the hidden talents of the other maids, too, not just Alice.

‘Stay calm. I can’t waste my hearts on something like this.’

Even while frantically giving me a makeover, they just kept chattering away.

“Alright, time for a quick review! If Lady A greets you with, ‘Lady Delosif,’ what do you say~?”

“…It’s been a while.”

“Perfect! Just lift the corners of your lips the tiniest bit, no, even less than that. If you smile too much, they’ll end up falling for you.”

“….”

“Now, next question. If Gentleman A says, ‘Lady Delosif,’ how do you respond~?”

“…It’s been a while.”

“Oh, our lady isn’t good with trick questions… The right answer is to ignore them coldly. But not too coldly, otherwise, they’ll fall for you.”

“….”

‘…Is this what people actually talk about?’

The maids were putting in a lot of effort to help me make friends, but honestly, I wasn’t sure any of it would actually work.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

I stepped out of the Delosif family’s carriage and glanced around. Even though Selena invited me here, she wasn’t the actual host of the party.

The real host was her mother.

‘Not that a garden party really has an official ‘host’ in the first place.’

The noblewomen of society took turns opening their gardens for the younger nobles, which meant it was usually a relaxed atmosphere, but I found it rather awkward.

‘Normally, you’d greet the host and they’d introduce you around.’

What should I even do in a place like this?

I was lost in thought when—

“Sister?”

A familiar voice called out from inside the garden. Mikarin, standing with a group of young ladies, looked completely surprised.

“What are you doing here, Sister…”

The implication was, who invited you to a party like this, that was just for friends?

“Oh, I’m here as Lady Pericle’s guest! Her mother is one of the noblewomen opening the garden today.”

Mikarin giggled as she walked over.

The group of girls around her followed right behind.

“You know Lady Pericle, right? She’s the youngest daughter of the Count Hush family! Go ahead and say hello.”

Mikarin addressed me with her usual sweet smile. Anyone else would probably think she was just being nice, but her real motives were plain as day.

‘Which one is Pericle, anyway?’

With all these people here, I needed to figure out who she was before I could greet her.

Honestly, she was a total genius at these sneaky social games. If I asked, ‘Who’s Lady Pericle?’ right now, it would seem like I was looking down on her family.

But just then—

“Who’s Lady Pericle?”

For a moment, I thought I had blurted out my thoughts without realizing it. However, the person who actually said those refreshingly direct words was…

“If you’re here, why are you standing over there instead of coming this way, Nike?”

It was Selena, leading a whole crowd of noble ladies with her.

Luckily, I recognized all the girls around Selena. They were regulars in the society pages and at high-ranking noble gatherings. In other words, their family status was on a completely different level compared to Mikarin’s group. For a split second, Mikarin’s face stiffened. It was as if she were wondering why those distinguished young ladies were seeking me out.

“Our table is over there in the center. It’s always the same, so just head straight for the center table from now on.”

“Um, Lady Bethril…!”

Pericle, standing to Mikarin’s left, spoke up as if delighted.

“I’m Pericle from the Count of Hush’s family! I greeted you all at the previous garden party, do you remember?”

The young ladies on Mikarin’s side looked very excited. Just being at the same party didn’t mean you could become acquainted with the high-ranking crowd, since everyone tended to form groups according to their social standing. So, it seemed like they were really happy to meet them, even if only briefly.

‘Even though I’m a grand duke’s daughter, all the important people think I’m a crazy troublemaker, so they probably figured there was no point trying to get close to me.’

“Pericle… Hmm, I don’t remember.”

When Selena asked another young lady, ‘What about you?’ she just shrugged her shoulders.

“If only there weren’t so many people talking to me, maybe I’d remember. Well, anyway, it was nice meeting you.”

“Yeah. I hope you have an enjoyable party. Let’s go to our table. We’re dying to finally meet Nikaearsha Delosif, the lady Selena hasn’t stopped bragging about.”

“When did I ever brag about her nonstop…!”

“Lower your voice. You’re hurting my ears.”

All the ladies Selena brought with her had their own unique charm.

One had that playful, big-sister vibe.

One girl had a gentle, innocent vibe, always smiling.

Another looked effortlessly cool and relaxed, wearing a knight’s uniform.

All of them were either empowered ones or talented enough to be part of the Central Mana Authority. I could understand why everyone around here watched them with envy.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ୨ৎ ໒꒱ ‧₊ ୧‿︵

Mikarin gripped the stem of her glass tightly.

‘Why is Nikaearsha with them…?’

“Should we go over and try to say hello again?”

“What if that just makes a bad impression?”

“But as long as Lady Mikarin is here, we should be fine. She’s basically Nikaearsha Delosif’s little sister, right? Isn’t that right, Lady Mikarin?”

All the ladies in Pericle’s group turned to her, their faces full of hope.

Mikarin gave them an awkward smile.

“Ah, well…”

“Why? Is something wrong?”

“I’d really be happy to introduce you all, but my sister… um, she’s kind of particular about social status…”

Pericle’s expression immediately hardened.

“What’s wrong with my status? I’m a count’s daughter, too. My grandfather is Count Hush, and even though my father’s the second son, he holds an important position supplying horses to the imperial family.”

“Of course! That’s exactly why I admire you so much, Lady Pericle. It must be so hard helping your father’s business at such a young age…”

“And?”

“I even told my sister that I had such an amazing friend like you, Lady Pericle… but her reaction… I’m sorry, I’m not very good with words…”

Pericle and the other ladies all looked visibly upset.

They were glaring daggers at the main table where Nikaearsha was sitting.

“They say she’s a crazy troublemaker, but really, she’s just a crazy snob. I thought she’d be different since she seemed quieter than the rumors.”

“No way. She only sucks up to the high-ranking nobles. I feel sorry for Lady Mikarin, having a cousin like that.”

“Forget it. We’ve got other goals to focus on anyway. Lady Mikarin, are they really coming?”

Mikarin giggled.

“Of course. Lord Lucvan and Lord Cleas are definitely coming, and also…”

“And? Don’t tell me the Delosif princes are coming as well? Oh my goodness, let me borrow your powder compact.”

The young ladies looked very excited.

Mikarin kept smiling innocently, but inside, she was laughing at them.

‘Take a look in the mirror. Do they honestly think those men would ever pay attention to them?’

In the first place, she didn’t invite them to help out Pericle’s group. She just wanted everyone to see how special she was to those men.

That was how she planned to make her entrance into high society.

Just then, Pericle, who had been gazing off into the garden in a daze, mumbled,

“The person who’s coming… could it be him…?”

It wasn’t just Pericle.

Everyone’s gaze was drawn to him.

And it was only natural.

He was so perfectly beautiful that no one could even imagine anyone comparable.