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Chapter 07
Crunch—
“Waaah, this is really delicious. It tastes like chocolate too… mm, and also….”
Asha spoke while chewing, her mouth stuffed full of bread.
“Asha, eat slowly. There’s more.”
“Yes! But Princess, did you know my brother has a personality as cold as a freshly honed blade?”
“So the young master is cold-hearted.”
“Extremely so! He’s icy. And the most infuriating part is that he thinks that makes him cool.”
Isabella nodded as she slowly pushed a glass of milk toward Asha, who had just swallowed the bread in her mouth.
“That must’ve been hard.”
“Not really?”
“Yes.”
With a look that said that’s enough, Asha downed the milk Isabella gave her in one go, then scanned the sweet desserts arranged on a three-tiered tray before picking up the most appetizing-looking strawberry cupcake.
Watching her with satisfaction, Isabella spoke.
“Oh, right. Asha, I have something to give you.”
“Yes?”
She handed Asha a luxurious-looking envelope that had been placed beside her chair and smiled softly.
“It’s an invitation to the social salon I attend.”
“A social salon?”
A social salon meant…
A place where the invisible jealousy and rivalry of countless noble ladies flew like arrows!
And if it was a salon that Princess Isabella belonged to, it was obvious that it would be filled with influential noble ladies from across the Empire.
Why invite me there?
I’d only intended to build a relationship with the Princess, and before I knew it, I was dragged by my mother to a social salon—
and now I was about to go again. I could only roll my eyes internally.
Perhaps misunderstanding my reaction, Isabella calmly explained.
“Yes, a social salon. You won’t be an official member, but you can attend as my guest. And besides, you’re the Yusupov Gongnyeo, aren’t you? In a way, it would be stranger if you weren’t there.”
“Ahahaha…”
I’d be fine not going!
I wasn’t confident in speaking elegantly and roundabout like that—honestly, a fistfight would be easier.
But while I hesitated, Isabella’s next words struck me head-on.
“Also… if you’re there, I think I’d feel a little better.”
Her red eyes seemed to tremble faintly with loneliness.
Seeing that, I completely fell for the combination of her heart-shaking beauty and those flutter-inducing words.
Hallelujah!
Of course I’ll go!
She said she’d be happy if I were there.
Across both my past life and this one, that was one of the words I most wanted to hear.
Someone who needs me.
No matter how rich or capable you are, it’s hard to find even one person who genuinely likes you and needs you. Words like that were unfair.
The moment I heard them, my heart opened wide.
Honestly, the only social etiquette I remembered was what Madame Ava had briefly re-taught me before the novel properly began.
Still, seeing the Princess smile sincerely, I found myself nodding without realizing it.
How could I refuse when she says she wants me there?
“Yes, I’ll go!”
“Thank you. I’ll send a carriage to your estate.”
And just like that, I ended up thinking, Well, it’ll work out somehow.
“Ti—time! Air! Aaah!”
“Miss! That’s why I told you not to eat cookies yesterday!”
The long-awaited social salon had arrived, and Silvana—who was even more prepared and excited than I was—pulled the ribbon at my waist as tight as she could.
If it weren’t for the Princess, I wouldn’t have given this place a second glance.
Out of sheer spite, I’d eaten cookies with a to hell with it attitude—maybe a bit too many.
Judging by how tight the ribbon was.
“Ugh… I don’t wanna go.”
The moment Silvana said she was done fixing my clothes, I collapsed onto the sofa and muttered.
It was my honest feeling, damn it.
I’d accepted so readily after falling head over heels for the Princess’s beauty trap—my mouth had gotten me into this.
Thinking about going there instead of lying down and rolling around comfortably made me completely unenthusiastic.
“Miss, today is really important. I’m so happy to see you meeting noble ladies your age after such a long time!”
“Secret, but I’m fine not meeting them.”
“That’s not a secret.”
“Isn’t it?”
At Silvana’s firm tone, I laughed awkwardly—then immediately made a miserable face again.
Everyone knows me too well.
Then please know this too.
I don’t want to go!
It had already been an hour since I arrived at this place I didn’t want to come to.
Surprisingly, I hadn’t caused any trouble yet.
“To meet the Yusupov Gongnyeo at a social salon… how surprising.”
Munch.
“Exactly. You never show your face at these kinds of events, so I thought you weren’t interested in things like this. Was I wrong?”
“Hohoho, I thought so too. But since you’re acquainted with the Princess, you can start being active from now on. Of course, it won’t be easy.”
Munch.
I decided not to speak at this social gathering and silently ate the canelé in front of me while watching the two noble ladies carry the entire conversation themselves.
Impressive. They really talk forever.
As I watched in fascination—thinking so this is what it takes to be a noble lady—time flew by.
The Rominaf Marquis’s daughter, with black hair and black eyes, and the Eloine Count’s daughter, with pink hair and sky-blue eyes, had been talking nonstop for a full hour without even touching the tea in front of them.
Princess Isabella, seated beside them, drank her tea with a bored expression and occasionally smiled at me—but no matter how you looked at it, she clearly wasn’t enjoying herself.
“Still, Princess, you can be quite mischievous. If you wanted to invite the Gongnyeo, you could’ve told me first. I could have invited her directly without any trouble.”
At that moment, the Rominaf Marquis’s daughter spoke to Isabella, who had been sitting expressionlessly until now.
And that comment—
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one who felt uncomfortable.
Wasn’t the host of this social salon clearly the Princess?
She’s got guts.
I almost wanted to applaud the Rominaf girl for saying that in front of the strongest villainess in the world, when I heard a soft chuckle from Isabella beside me.
It was unmistakably a mocking laugh, and the atmosphere instantly froze.
A chill settled around Isabella, and her cold, ruby-red eyes crushed the room with their presence.
Startled by the sudden shift, I stared at the three women, my mouth stuffed full of canelé, unable to swallow.
“Does the Rominaf family have that much influence? You’d do better to stop worrying about such things and just listen to your father.”
With an ice-cold voice, Isabella delivered the remark elegantly and lifted her teacup.
Apparently struck right at the core, the trembling Rominaf girl raised her chin defiantly and curled one corner of her lips.
“Yes, of course. But my father has his opinions as well. Hoho. He firmly believes that you, Princess, as the face of Her Majesty the Empress, will uphold proper dignity.”
“……”
At that over-the-line remark, I hurriedly looked at Isabella—but she said nothing, maintaining only her cool smile.
She’s getting worse.
Talking about the Princess’s conduct, about being the Empress’s face, in that tone.
It would’ve been better if she shouted sharply or issued a murderous threat like a true villain—but seeing the Princess, a supposed mastermind, quietly sipping her tea without a word felt strangely lonely.
Meanwhile, the Eloine Count’s daughter beside her wore a victorious expression, and the Rominaf girl put on that infuriatingly refined smile.
My irritation boiled over.
They didn’t even look like a proper handful.
Compared to the Princess—power, beauty, everything—they were inferior.
What gave them the nerve to act like this?
This woman is my lifeline!
Compared to these unfamiliar, chatty noble ladies, the Princess—who might become a villainess someday but is warm to me—mattered far more.
And so, watching the two smug noble ladies while glancing at Princess Isabella, the words slipped out of my mouth without me realizing it.
“Then I suppose the Rominaf Marquis isn’t particularly handsome.”
“…What? What did you just say?”
“I said I don’t think the Rominaf Marquis is especially good-looking.”
After swallowing the canelé, I said it clearly, with proper pronunciation.
“Are you… saying my father is ugly?”
“Oh my. That would be unfortunate if you took it that way. I was simply borrowing your words, my lady. Since they say children resemble their parents, I just assumed the Rominaf Marquis might not have particularly outstanding looks.”
“…Pfft.”
Isabella, who had been sipping her tea gracefully, barely held back her laughter before letting out a small chuckle.
The Rominaf girl stared into space for a long moment, then finally understood and bit her lip hard.
“G-Gongnyeo, your words seem rather pointed. Or is that just my imagination?”
I had no intention of agreeing with her attempt at composure.
“No?”
At that, her composure finally shattered. She stood abruptly, turned with a whoosh, and stormed out.
The Eloine Count’s daughter followed after her without even offering a greeting.
“……”
“……”
Asha, who had suppressed the fiery light in her green eyes, rubbed at her reddened eye corners and calmly picked up another canelé.
That level of noble lady was nothing.
After having both my body and mind thoroughly wrung out by greedy, aggressive cousins in the past, this was trivial—though it wasn’t a memory I liked recalling.
The garden hosting the social salon was once again filled only with the sound of Asha eating canelé and Isabella’s calm breathing.
Isabella, who had been quietly watching Asha eat, reached out and gently stroked Asha’s reddened eye corners.
“…Asha. You were wonderful.”
“Nooo, I just can’t hold back when I see beaks like that.”
Despite Asha’s muffled speech caused by her mouth full of bread, Isabella somehow understood and spoke in a choked voice.
“You really…”
Unable to finish her sentence, Isabella suddenly pulled Asha into a tight embrace.
“Eek?”
“Asha. I understand your sincerity so well. Even though you’re scared and your eyes are red like this, you still stood up for me.”
Huh?
I couldn’t answer because my mouth was still full of bread I hadn’t swallowed, while Isabella looked at me with a mixture of affection and admiration.
My eyes aren’t red because I was scared…!
But still, this atmosphere isn’t bad.
It wasn’t intentional, but since it had turned into a touching moment, I decided to just enjoy it.
Yeah. I’m crying
