LIEWB 57

Chapter : 57

Something was going wrong.

The first change Paula noticed was that the number of young ladies attending social gatherings had started to decline.

No—more precisely, some young ladies had begun to skip the gatherings hosted by Vanessa and the girls close to her.

Coincidentally, it all started on the day Adelheid attended the gathering at the Marquis of Neselrod’s estate.

“The atmosphere was strange that day too.”

Until then, Paula had assumed that Adelheid had simply made a scene as usual and left.

But that gathering had ended earlier than usual after the atmosphere soured, and since then, the influence of Vanessa’s circle—which used to boast near-perfect attendance at their events—had weakened noticeably.

Some young ladies were now deliberately avoiding Vanessa’s gatherings.

“This never used to happen.”

Any unmarried lady over the age of 18 had a chance to become the Queen of Spring.

However, since the Queen of Spring was chosen by a vote among peers, it required both social influence and popularity. So during May—the month of the selection—every lady made efforts to attend all events and socialize actively.

But now, a clear and one-sided exclusion was occurring.

“And this year’s Queen of Spring… everyone was tacitly assuming it would be the Marquis of Neselrod’s daughter.”

The reason Vanessa had managed to be Queen of Spring two years in a row was partly because the other young ladies weren’t desperate for the title.

That was because a rumor had been circulating in high society: the Empress was looking for a Crown Princess.

None of the young ladies wanted to fall out of the Empress’s favor by making a fuss over a mere title.

So they had silently agreed to yield the position to Vanessa.

Of course, some were uneasy about Vanessa becoming Queen of Spring for a third consecutive year.

If she did, it would solidify her reputation as someone with strong influence and popularity, making her a leading candidate for Crown Princess.

That made the social scene rather complicated.

Everyone desired the position beside the Crown Prince, but no one wanted to damage their own reputation with bad rumors—yet at the same time, no one wanted Vanessa to rise too far.

And right in the middle of all this, Adelheid appeared, created a strange atmosphere, and then left.

“What in the world did she say?”

Having long been ostracized from high society herself, Paula was more attuned than anyone to shifts in the mood.

Thinking back, it was indeed at Adelheid’s table that the strange atmosphere had begun to spread….

“Ah!”

Lost in thought, Paula must’ve forgotten she was sewing.

Instead of piercing the fabric, the needle jabbed into her hand, and she screamed as she dropped the dress.

“N-No…!”

But Paula’s face turned pale not from the pain, but for another reason.

Drip. Drip.

Drops of blood fell and stained the white dress she had been working on, sending her into a panic.

The dress code for tomorrow’s party was white. She had been hastily altering an existing dress into a new design in time for the event….

“Young Lady, are you alright?”

“Oh dear! Your lovely hand….”

“Hold on, miss. I’ll bring something to stop the bleeding!”

The maids were flustered and rushed around her, but Paula didn’t hear any of it.

“Pathetic.”

A heavy wave of despair washed over her.

It was just Adelheid. Just her.

The same Adelheid she had always ignored, mocked, and thought disgraceful to the Ulmer Duchy.

And yet, even in a room full of scorn, Adelheid had remained unfazed—no, she had stood tall.

That’s what made Paula feel so miserable.

“I’m better than Adelheid.”

It was that belief that had sustained her all this time, but in the very social scene where she had always been ignored, Adelheid had emerged as a game-changer, leaving a deep impression.

After that day, the invitations Adelheid received weren’t the obligatory kind sent out of politeness—but ones that genuinely wished for her attendance. Many of them were to social events Paula herself hadn’t even been invited to.

Feeling humiliated and furious, Paula began hiding Adelheid’s invitations with even more desperation.

But that didn’t bring her peace. In fact, it only deepened her feelings of self-disgust and shame.

“Was it just because she’s prettier than me? Did she just get lucky?”

In terms of looks alone, Adelheid was undeniably a beauty.

But she had always been like a scentless flower—beautiful but with a rotten personality. Until recently, no one called her a beauty.

But… perhaps starting from preparations for the Spring Ball?

From that moment, Adelheid seemed to develop a fragrance. Her beauty began to shine with a charm uniquely her own.

“Did she land some amazing patron thanks to that pretty face? Is that why she’s acting so confident?”

Paula couldn’t even imagine how Adelheid had gotten her hands on such luxurious dresses and jewelry.

After all, only old man Marquis Vente and a handful of bald, greedy middle-aged nobles ever paid attention to her.

“Sigh….”

Just then, as Paula heaved a deep sigh thinking about her bleak reality—

Knock knock.

“Young Lady Paula, um… I’m Sophie, serving Lady Adelheid.”

An unexpected visitor was knocking at her door.

“……?”

It wasn’t just Paula who looked confused—her maids, who had been helping her sew, also appeared startled.

After a brief moment of silence…

“Miss! Where should we hide it?”

At the question, Paula’s eyes darted toward the half-finished dress.

“If she sees this mess…!”

Just imagining it was horrifying.

Quickly scanning for a hiding spot, Paula pointed under the bed.

“Th-There! Let’s put it there and cover it with the edge of the blanket.”

“Yes, Young Lady.”

With hurried, flustered movements, Paula and her maids just barely managed to conceal the evidence before opening the door.

“What is it, all of a sudden?”

“Well, Lady Adelheid, sh-she sent me.”

As Sophie stepped aside, the open doorway revealed a mountain of packages.

And most of them were—

“Gasp!”

“Oh my goodness!”

Dazzling, luxurious dresses—dozens of them.

Crash! Crash! Crash!

The furious pounding on my door sounded like someone trying to break it down. Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I dragged myself out of bed.

“What the heck…?”

I was exhausted after spending the afternoon with Sophie rummaging through the dress room.

I had just barely started to drift off, and now I was being rudely awakened after less than an hour.

Bang!

Before I could even get to the door, it burst open with a loud crash.

As I suspected from the aggressive knocking, it was Paula.

“Hey! What the hell is this?!”

By the way, I wasn’t the one yelling just now—it was Paula.

She had barged into my room without permission, something she would never normally do.

But judging by her ragged breathing and clenched, trembling fists, she was clearly furious.

Still, there was only one answer I could give.

“What is?”

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“What? If you’re going to talk, make some sense.”

“Don’t act like you don’t know why I’m here!”

“That’s exactly why I’m asking.”

“Because…”

Her face flushed red from her neck to her ears, Paula looked like she was about to explode—but then she suddenly hesitated.

“B-Because!”

As I quietly watched her bite her vividly painted lips in frustration, a thought crossed my mind.

I’d run into Paula several times by now, but I’d never actually checked her status info.

Instead of waiting for her to calm down, I decided to check it now.

And—

“Wait, what? That’s real?”

I was honestly shocked.

I hadn’t completely dismissed Randolph’s words, but I never expected them to be this accurate.

· Paula Ulmer
Age: 19
Title: Master of Sewing

How the heck did my number one social rival end up with a title like Master of Sewing?

Still reeling, I opened up the details of her title—and it was even more absurd.

· Title: Master of Sewing
After enduring intense training, the Master of Sewing can alter any outfit into their desired design within 24 hours.

…Maybe Paula’s true calling wasn’t high society, but a tailor’s workshop.