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~Chapter 28~
Sylvia stared at Astia without realizing it.
Her elegant gestures, her beautiful appearance—Astia caught everyone’s attention. Her big, clear eyes were like amethyst gems, and her small face was perfectly shaped with a high nose and pink lips.
She had a delicate, calm aura that filled the room. Her dress, a limited-edition from Bluea Boutique, looked so good on her that it took everyone’s breath away.
All the young ladies had the same thought:
‘If she debuts in society, all the young men will fall for her.’
She was almost unreal—so lovely, it was hard to believe she existed.
‘Is that really the duke’s daughter who was rumored to be sick and never went out?’
‘There’s no way she was invited.’
‘How could someone like her come here?’
The girls glanced at Astia and whispered. Sylvia smiled awkwardly.
She had sent an invitation to the Rovellito family because you couldn’t just leave out a duke’s house, but she never expected the mysterious Astia to actually show up.
But here she was, attending the tea party—together with Cecilia, the main character of the original story.
Cecilia looked like a saint with her silver hair and blue eyes, shining almost as much as Astia.
With their arrival, the atmosphere at the tea party completely changed. Astia and Cecilia became the center of attention.
‘…Still, they probably don’t know much about society.’
Sylvia forced herself to wear her social smile.
Astia met Cecilia by chance.
After getting out of the carriage, Astia was surprised to see Damian arguing with someone.
“I’m sorry, Duke, but we need to check—”
“Ha. Since when did the Alton family treat the Rovellito family this way?”
The Alton family’s butler was sweating, not sure what to do. Damian frowned and lifted one corner of his mouth.
“Bring me Count Alton.”
“R-right away! Please wait!”
The butler hurried inside, looking pale. Astia quietly asked Damian:
“Brother, is something wrong?”
“It seems there’s a problem with the guest list. I didn’t expect such poor management from the Alton family.”
Damian’s gentle voice turned cold at the end, so Astia just laughed and looked away.
“I’ll handle it.”
Although Damian smiled, Astia wasn’t convinced—but she nodded, trusting him to take care of it.
At that moment, a soft voice came from behind.
“Um… Are you Lady Rovellito?”
Astia turned and saw a girl with a pure, holy aura, smiling shyly.
Cecilia seemed startled by Astia’s gaze and quickly introduced herself:
“Ah… I’m sorry I’m late. I’m Cecilia Sollen, eldest daughter of Baron Sollen.”
Cecilia put her hand on her chest and bowed—not in the noble way, but in the style of the temple.
‘Cecilia?’
Astia was surprised to meet her so soon.
‘She’s even prettier than in the original story!’
Cecilia looked so cute and bashful, Astia almost wanted to hug her.
Astia smiled, trying not to show her surprise.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Cecilia. I’m Astia Rovellito.”
They exchanged short greetings and looked into each other’s eyes.
Astia was thrilled to meet the main character in person. Cecilia looked at Astia in awe.
“You’re so beautiful. I can’t believe I get to see the famous Lady Rovellito in person… I must be lucky.”
“You’re so beautiful too, I can’t look away. Honestly, I came today to meet you.”
“R-really…?”
Cecilia covered her mouth in surprise.
“Yes. I heard the temple is very interested in you, and I wanted to become friends.”
“That’s an honor.”
Astia thought Cecilia was adorable and felt like she wanted to take care of her like a little sister.
‘Just trust me!’
Astia promised herself she’d protect Cecilia from the other girls at the tea party. She couldn’t stand to see someone as kind as Cecilia cry.
While Astia was thinking this, Damian finished solving the problem with the butler and came over.
“You must be Lady Cecilia Sollen. Nice to meet you.”
“Oh! It’s an honor to meet you, Duke Rovellito.”
“Alright, Asti, should we go in? I’ll be waiting inside.”
“Okay. Sure.”
Astia nodded and walked with Cecilia to the tea party.
The tea party went differently than Astia expected.
Sylvia, who sat at the head table, seemed much more interested in Astia than in Cecilia.
“I wasn’t told, but I never expected you to come to the tea party, Lady Rovellito.”
“Is that so? My brother arranged it, so I wasn’t sure either.”
Astia was ready to protect Cecilia, but surprisingly, Sylvia didn’t even look at her. It was almost like she was ignoring Cecilia, but it didn’t feel mean—Cecilia just kept smiling happily.
‘Is Sylvia really this gentle?’
In the original story, Sylvia was greedy and thought she was the best. She was a typical minor villain who liked to stomp on others.
But when Astia smiled, Sylvia quickly looked away and blurted out:
“Y-your dress matches your violet eyes very well.”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a compliment. Don’t get the wrong idea.”
“Huh?”
“I’ve just never seen someone as pretty as you before…”
Sylvia glanced at the other girls, who started to chime in:
“She’s right. Now I see why the duke cares about you so much.”
“You’re really beautiful.”
Astia didn’t know how to react to all the unexpected praise. Cecilia kept complimenting her, too.
She knew she was pretty, but it felt strange to have everyone stare at her in awe. Maybe this was the power of being from a duke’s family.
The best part was that nobody was looking at Cecilia in a negative way.
‘But now all the attention is on me.’
Astia realized that making friends before officially joining society was important. She liked spending time at home with her family, but for her family’s reputation, she needed to socialize.
Sylvia kept her polite smile and asked:
“Will you attend more tea parties in the future?”
“Yes. I’ll try.”
“You should. Making connections is important, especially before your debut. Of course, you don’t really have to, Lady Rovellito…”
Sylvia’s words trailed off. To be honest, with the Rovellito family’s reputation, Astia could become the star of society without even trying.
With her looks and manners, it was obvious she would attract everyone’s attention.
The moment Sylvia first saw Astia, she realized her own ambitions might be impossible.
‘Duke Diego.’
She thought Astia was a much better match for Diego than herself.
Sylvia was realistic—she didn’t waste time on impossible dreams. She decided not to go after Cecilia, either, since she saw how close Cecilia and Astia were.
‘I shouldn’t go against the Rovellito family.’
She felt a little annoyed that her father hadn’t warned her, but was glad she hadn’t made any mistakes.
Sylvia wanted to be friends with Astia. Her elegant gestures and calm presence made Sylvia respect her.
‘They said she used to be very sick.’
But now that Astia had recovered enough to attend tea parties, Sylvia hoped she was fully well.
Sylvia cleared her throat, and Astia smiled warmly.
“I’ll do my best.”
Sylvia’s face brightened for a second before she quickly hid her feelings.
Astia tilted her head, noticing Sylvia’s ever-changing expressions.
‘What’s with her?’
Maybe Sylvia just had big mood swings?
