Chapter 13

By the time I finished getting ready to go out, it was already dusk.

"Wow, this is quite the heavy labor."

It's already exhausting to style my hair more carefully than usual, and now that I've made a concerted effort to dress up, I feel completely drained.

Still, the result was good enough to alleviate my fatigue to a considerable extent.

At first, everyone seemed to be watching my reactions and doing their best, but halfway through, they became very enthusiastic about the adornment itself and helped me get ready.

"Not bad."

I nodded in satisfaction and gave the three people in charge of my adornment a gold coin each.

Penny, her mouth agape at the amount of money, bowed even more respectfully.

"It was a very rewarding job, Miss. Please call me whenever you need me."

She's good at socializing.

"Sure."

The maids looked at me with dreamy eyes and said,

"Tonight, the Saintrio Hotel will be in an uproar."

"I don't plan to cause a commotion, though?"

"No, no, that's not what I meant. I just meant that you will undoubtedly be the most beautiful person there tonight."

Even the maids who seemed to fear the unruly Terese spoke these words with sincerity.

If it were the real Terese, she would have snorted but been very pleased. However, I felt my blood sugar dropping and wanted to put something in my mouth.

"Is there anything to drink? Something sweet."

"Yes! Here it is."

The maid, fearing that the usually well-behaved Terese might become vicious if her blood sugar dropped, handed me a juice as if she were shooting a tranquilizer.

'Hmm...'

Being treated like a time bomb is a bit unsettling, but not entirely unpleasant.

Anyway, after gulping down the sweet juice, I felt a bit better.

"The carriage?"

"I instructed it to wait downstairs 30 minutes ago. However, the gentleman who is supposed to escort you has not arrived yet."

At such events, it is rare for a lady to visit alone without an escort.

Especially for a young and beautiful lady like Terese.

"The bodyguard knight can escort me. I only plan to take you and the bodyguard knight to the auction. I don't want to draw unnecessary attention by making a grand entrance."

Unlike Terese, I am not the type to enjoy lavish parties.

'I just want to buy what I need quickly and get back to read my magic books.'

"There are many magic books I want to read before the semester starts. I'll do what I need to do and come back quickly."

The more I explained, the more the maids' expressions became filled with worry.

Especially when I mentioned the magic books, their faces looked as if they were seeing someone on their deathbed.

'Is it that strange that Terese has lost interest in parties?'

I checked the plausibility with my developer mindset and nodded.

'Strange.'

Unless Terese was terminally ill or planning some wicked scheme, it was unlikely.

"Count Fabio's family is also attending the auction today. Are you sure it's okay? There will be more attention on you than usual."

"Fabio? Who's that?"

...As soon as I said that, I realized.

'The family Terese broke off her engagement with!'

No wonder the birthday letter kept hinting at something regretful.

'That was all about the broken engagement.'

I had inadvertently ignored the content about the engagement and replied casually.

'How could I remember the name of an extra character I made up on the spot?'

I brushed it off.

"It can't be helped. It's not something I can avoid for life. Besides, I was largely at fault for the engagement breaking off."

"Miss..."

"Let's not talk about the past. It would be disrespectful to the Count's family."

The more I spoke sensibly, the darker the servants' expressions became.

Someone whispered,

"It seems the shock is still great..."

Yes, let's just stop talking.

I finished my preparations and went downstairs.

While crossing the lobby, I unexpectedly ran into someone. It was Giuseppe.

Giuseppe, who had noticed me, stopped nearby and frowned.

"What's with that look?"

"Why? Is it strange?"

Although the black cloak partially concealed it, the dark blue dress with its exposed shoulders and small jewels sparkled beautifully under the chandelier's light.

My hair, styled more perfectly than usual, cascaded elegantly.

It was a villainess-like outfit with a strong presence.

Giuseppe glanced at the string bracelet on my wrist and pouted.

While it didn't quite match today's outfit, it was a chance to indirectly promote Liv.

It would highlight Liv's purity, like a baby robin among seasoned snakes and raccoons.

'Originally, it was Rozan's role, but...'

The image of a beast tamer who even tamed the unruly Terese seemed fitting.

Giuseppe, looking displeased, approached me.

At that moment, I felt magic.

"Let the hem of the dress sparkle like the stars in the night sky with each step."

Controlling such a small amount of magic particles requires excellent control.

Delicate magic control was Giuseppe's specialty, and he used it to show affection only for Liv.

The light dust was sprinkled just enough to leave a mysterious impression when glanced at.

"Now it's worth looking at."

Giuseppe said gruffly and then darted off in the opposite direction.

His red ears clearly showed how embarrassed he was.

Ding!

[Throne 'Conspiracy Theorist' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[That kid is getting used to you...]

I didn't really think so.

'He's just embarrassed because he couldn't get you a birthday present.'

Giuseppe is a child who loves his family, except for Terese.

Even if he doesn't want to be nice to me, he's old enough to adjust the atmosphere for the sake of family harmony.

'I've been doing that since I was 8.'

"Still, I didn't expect him to go this far."

I swayed the hem of my dress and headed for the carriage.

The maids, following me, gasped in amazement at the light dust that scattered with each sway.

"I heard that the young master's specialty is such delicate magic control, but I didn't expect to see it in action."

"It seems that Giuseppe has recently wanted to get closer to Miss Terese. He must have been waiting for your outing today."

Why is the conversation going this way?

"Giuseppe was just coming in from going out, right?"

The maids chuckled.

"His shoes didn't have a speck of dirt. He must have been pacing in the lobby."

The maids were definitely more at ease with me.

'That's why they keep saying strange things.'

I shrugged, not really agreeing, and took the hand of the bodyguard knight waiting outside and got into the carriage.

"Miss, we'll follow you shortly."

I was puzzled by their suggestion to take another carriage.

"The carriage is spacious. Why not come with me?"

The maids hesitated, looking flustered.

I understand that Terese is scary, but it's a bit frustrating when they flinch and hesitate at every word.

"Get in quickly. If we're late, it's your responsibility."

Only then did the maids get into the carriage.

They all looked excited and shyly said,

"Thank you, Miss. I've always dreamed of riding in such a beautiful carriage..."

"No maid has ever ridden in such a fine carriage."

I nodded in agreement.

Terese had only taken high-class friends to such events.

They were actually young ladies who could be used as servants.

So, this was the first time she was taking the maids to such an event.

Especially in her own carriage.

The maids seemed thrilled.

"Once we get to the Saintrio Hotel, no other carriage will want to stand next to ours."

"It's not just the carriage. No one will want to stand next to you, Miss."

I scratched my cheek.

'Even after possession, I haven't been violent. Do they still think I'll tear out anyone's hair?'

The maids, finding something amusing, burst into laughter simultaneously.

"Everyone will be afraid to approach you because they don't want to be compared to your beauty."

'Is that what you meant?'

Embarrassed, I opened the magic book I had brought to read in the carriage.

The maids laughed again.

Ding!

[Throne 'HahaBus' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[I'm so pretty, but I don't know it.]

Ding!

[Throne 'HahaBus' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[I'm so popular, but I don't know it.]

Ding!

[Throne 'HahaBus' has donated 1,000 coins.]

[I'm so pretty, popular, good at fighting, and from a good family, but I'm introverted.]

"..."

What is 'HahaBus' so excited about?

[Many thrones are frowning at 'HahaBus's spam.]

[Channel Manager-Oswald has muted 'HahaBus's donation notifications for 24 hours.]

'There's such a function?'

I cleared the donation notifications with a frown and focused on the magic book.