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Chapter : 46
Outside the capital, in front of the Müller Count’s mansion—built at the mouth of a gorge famous for its beautiful scenery—over a dozen carriages stood in a neat line.
The reason was simple: today, the Count’s daughter was hosting a tea party for young nobles.
Paula was one of the young ladies invited.
“Hohoho, I heard Blates Boutique isn’t accepting any more orders from the Baden Barony.”
“I know, right? Why cause such a scene in the first place?”
“Oh dear, don’t say that. Even if every member of a noble family knows honor, just one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.”
The young lady from the Marquisate of Nesselrode said this while glancing briefly at Paula, then smiled sweetly.
Vanessa Nesselrode. She was currently at the center of high society.
“Oh my, Lady Paula. Why are you sitting all alone?”
Naturally, when Vanessa showed interest in someone, the other young ladies followed suit.
“Ah, well…”
“Could it be you’re hungry? How sad. You really should eat something.”
At Vanessa’s words, the Count’s daughter turned to the maid beside her and scolded her.
“Laura, what are you doing? How can you be so neglectful with our guests?”
“I’m sorry, My Lady. I’ll take care of it right away.”
The flustered maid quickly bowed her head and placed a plate full of cookies in front of Paula.
“I’m fine, really.”
“Don’t be shy, Lady Paula. You must eat well—at least here. Hohoho.”
It was the fifth time today that a dessert had been placed in front of Paula.
First a pie, then chocolate, then cake…
It was a sophisticated form of mockery.
A way of saying: “We know you’re from humble origins, so have all the noble food you want while you’re here.”
It was also a reminder of her family’s poverty—of the House of Ulmer, a ducal family in name only.
Now, with her stomach already full, they piled desserts in front of her again—trying to force her to recognize her “place.”
Paula bit her lip.
But she couldn’t even cry anymore. These things happened far too often…
“By the way, I just realized I haven’t spoken to you much today, Lady Paula. Isn’t that right?”
Maybe running out of things to talk about, Vanessa suddenly made Paula the topic.
At that, the noble ladies who had pointedly turned their backs on her all began to rotate their chairs.
“That’s true. Lady Paula’s been so quiet lately. You didn’t even come to the riding club.”
The truth was, she hadn’t been invited.
They hadn’t invited her to their “upper-class gatherings.”
“Oh.”
No riding club, because the Ulmer household didn’t own horses.
No ancient literature club, because she couldn’t read or write ancient languages.
No yacht racing club, because they didn’t have a yacht.
And as for visits to the tailor for the ball… well, she’d just been naturally excluded for no reason at all.
In high society, Paula was just a convenient extra, brought along to balance the numbers.
“I’ve been… feeling unwell lately,” Paula replied, pretending nothing was wrong instead of admitting the truth.
That wasn’t the reaction they expected, and Vanessa’s brow furrowed slightly.
“Oh dear, I suppose attending every day of the spring ball really took a toll on your health.”
“Yes, I was surprised too. Most people only go on the first and last days.”
Of course, it wouldn’t just end there.
Attending every single day of the ball—when most only go once or twice—was a sign of desperately seeking a marriage partner.
But Paula’s face showed resignation rather than anger or humiliation.
She had become used to this. Too used to it.
“Wait a moment, Lady Paula.”
“Yes?”
“You’re not… offended, are you?”
Vanessa asked loudly, watching Paula’s expression carefully. Her green eyes were filled with malice, as if waiting for a reason to pounce.
All eyes turned to Paula.
The sharp gazes felt like they were stripping her bare, and she lowered her head in shame.
“What? Oh, no. Not at all.”
“Really? …That’s a relief.”
The Marquis’ daughter smiled gently and continued.
“Everyone was just speaking casually, but now that I think about it… I suppose it could be upsetting from your perspective.”
“Oh my, you’re right. Lady Ulmer, we bear you no ill will. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Yes, we were only surprised to hear you attended the ball every day. We never meant to make light of you. You understand, right?”
We didn’t mean to offend you, so don’t be offended.
We had no ill intentions, so just smile and accept it.
And Paula was realizing more and more: saying things like that was a privilege only granted to those in power.
People like her—the weak—had no such luxury.
“Yes, of course. I… I’m not upset at all.”
Lying through her teeth, forcing a fake smile.
Because she couldn’t afford to make the powerful uncomfortable.
“That’s good to hear. Shall we end the tea party now?”
“Yes, we should head back before it gets too dark.”
“Please take the carriages our family prepared. There should be enough if you pair up.”
As soon as the Count’s daughter finished speaking, Vanessa leaned over and whispered something in her ear.
“Let’s do that, Lady.”
“Hm, shall we?”
After the short exchange, the Count’s daughter gestured to a maid and whispered something quickly. Then she addressed the crowd again.
“Oh no, it seems we have a problem.”
“What happened?”
“If we pair everyone up in twos, there’s one person left… and apparently, we’re short one carriage.”
Her blue eyes sparkled sharply.
“It looks like Lady Ulmer will have to wait until a carriage returns. There’s no one heading in her direction.”
Another clever plan to highlight Paula’s “status.”
It was obvious Vanessa had orchestrated this, but Paula just smiled kindly.
“…It’s fine. I’ll wait until a carriage returns.”
“That won’t work, My Lady. The servants need to begin cleaning up before it gets dark. If you stay here, you’ll be… ‘in the way.’ What to do…”
Pretending to be in deep thought, the Count’s daughter tapped her maid.
“Laura, take her somewhere appropriate.”
“Yes, My Lady. I’ll make sure she’s looked after.”
While the noble ladies returned home, Paula was led to a small room at the far end of the first-floor hallway.
“I’ll inform you when a carriage arrives, My Lady.”
Without waiting for a reply, the maid left.
Paula, left alone in the cold room, looked around blankly.
It was clearly not meant for guests.
A tiny, worn-out bed. A stained blanket. A rickety chair that looked like it would collapse any moment.
“A servant’s break room…”
Was this their way of saying this is where she belonged?
“Hah.”
Paula let out a deep sigh.
She felt tears threatening to fall but managed to hold them back.
“It’s okay. It’s okay, Paula…”
But her voice trembled.
And no wonder—she was completely cornered.
There was truly no way for her to escape the pressure she felt every single day.
And that constant weight was slowly drowning her.
