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Chapter : 65
“Shall we get back to the main topic?”
“Huh?”
The young lady who had been pointing at me blinked in surprise, clearly caught off guard by the sudden change of topic.
“Just a moment ago, everyone was talking about Lady Neselrode, weren’t you? Didn’t you all want to discuss the ‘Queen of Spring’?”
When attention was on me, I needed to make a statement that carried weight.
Anyone who’s worked in a company knows: in this filthy society, people who keep their mouths shut and just do their jobs never get recognized.
Supporting Helene Müller to be this year’s Queen of Spring?
Easy. But that would just make me another follower, or in other words, one of the many ladies-in-waiting clinging to her.
My philosophy was that if I wanted to become the ‘queen maker’ I intended to be, I had to stand out, act boldly, and show that I wasn’t someone to be underestimated.
“I don’t think Lady Neselrode should be this year’s Queen of Spring. The Queen of Spring is chosen through the support of the young ladies, so the role carries ‘representativeness.’”
“Ah!”
“Now that you mention it…”
I saw the ripples of agitation spread among the young ladies.
It was as I expected. The word “representativeness” would strike sharply at the young ladies, who were likely already on edge due to issues related to the Crown Princess.
“If we don’t agree with Lady Neselrode’s actions, then we shouldn’t allow her to become a representative.”
Hehehe. Now was the time to utilize every weapon I had brought into this battlefield.
“Don’t you agree?”
[SYSTEM] The effect of “Agitator’s Sapphire Necklace” has activated.
Those listening to you feel compelled to act as you desire!
Your persuasiveness in agitation increases by 80%!
Seeing the system message flash as if responding to my question, I quietly gave a satisfied, victorious smile.
It was late enough to be pitch-dark, past what one would call evening.
After Adelheid left, the young ladies remaining in the lounge began to exchange uneasy glances.
In the end, it was the birthday girl, Alyssa, who spoke first.
“Um, what is everyone planning to do?”
“You mean about Miss Paula, right?”
“Yes.”
An odd silence.
A stiflingly uncomfortable atmosphere.
Breaking that silence was Lady Sommer, who spoke first.
“Honestly, I… I find Lady Ulmer a bit scary…”
“Gasp! You too? Me too.”
“M-me too. Her gaze is a bit… I don’t think she’s as bad as the rumors say, but still…”
Following Lady Sommer’s confession, the other young ladies, who had been hesitant to speak up, began confessing their honest feelings one by one.
“When she said to just drop it earlier, maybe she actually meant the opposite?”
“Probably, right? She said it would be ideal to take responsibility if we were involved…”
“She told us to judge for ourselves and act accordingly…”
In other words, judge for yourself and know your place.
That was exactly how the young ladies interpreted it.
And Helene was no exception.
‘So… so scary…’
Actually, when she had first met Adelheid at Vanessa’s book club, she had felt it too.
Beautiful platinum hair, striking features, and sparkling blue eyes—she was the ideal beauty everyone admired.
But… those eyes. The way they shone sharply with an almost frightening intensity gave off an inexplicable pressure.
Moreover:
“Honestly, I wish I had hit her a few more times.”
There hadn’t been an ounce of bravado in that statement. It was purely genuine.
If given the chance, Lady Ulmer would have gone beyond slapping the second pig and probably kicked her, too.
On top of that, when Helene recalled the bizarre rumors surrounding her, she couldn’t help but feel a subtle fear.
“I-I don’t think Lady Ulmer is a bad person.”
In the end, Helene could only timidly offer her opinion.
“She definitely isn’t a bad person. But, um, you all heard the rumors about Marquis Vente, right?”
“They were even printed in the newspapers.”
“Yes, and today, well, it might have just been a coincidence, but… wasn’t Prince Wolf, um, kind of the same?”
The image of a tiny hand forcing a man three times her size to kneel.
That overwhelming presence sent chills down the young ladies’ spines.
They couldn’t shake the feeling that if they didn’t follow Adelheid’s intentions, they might end up experiencing something just as terrifying.
“I-I’ve decided! I’m going to apologize to Miss Paula!”
“In that case, I’ll apologize too. I’ve been feeling so guilty anyway…”
“Me too!”
“Same here!”
Helene also nodded.
“I’ll apologize too. I mean, Lady Ulmer did speak a bit harshly, but she wasn’t wrong.”
Judge for yourself whether it’s wrong or right.
Even if someone else had instigated it, if you participated, you should take responsibility.
Everything she said was true. And on top of that…
“If we run away from responsibility, we’d be no different from Lady Neselrode.”
These young ladies had long held doubts about Vanessa Neselrode’s character.
If they criticized her so sharply, then at the very least, even if they weren’t completely innocent, they should take responsibility for what they had done.
Having reached that conclusion, the young ladies each nodded in agreement with Helene’s opinion.
“We should go and apologize now.”
“I checked earlier… Lady Ulmer already left, but Miss Paula still seems to be here.”
“Prince Meyer keeps bothering her, so maybe we can at least help her a little…?”
Whether it was fear or guilt motivating them,
in the end, every young lady who had remained in the lounge decided to apologize to Paula for everything that had happened.
* * *
Clip-clop, clip-clop.
What’s with the sound of hooves, you ask?
It was the sound of me heading out to yet another social gathering.
Despite having attended Lady Heiner’s birthday party just yesterday, I found myself riding in this uncomfortable Ulmer family carriage again because…
Quest Requirements:
Attend Social Gatherings (2/5)
Prevent “Vanessa Neselrode” from becoming Queen of Spring for the third year in a row
Exactly. It was because I hadn’t yet fulfilled the quest conditions.
All thanks to Paula pettily hiding my invitation…
‘Ugh, who can I blame, really.’
To be honest, I had gotten a bit too complacent.
With less than a week left before the Queen of Spring would be chosen, I still had to attend two more social gatherings after today.
That was why, despite hearing that Marco had recovered enough to stroll around the ducal estate, I hadn’t even had the time to visit him.
Anyway, the social gathering I was attending today turned out to be hosted by one of Vanessa Neselrode’s faction.
In fact, after hearing from the young ladies last night that Vanessa’s solid support base had started to crack, I had planned to skip today’s gathering entirely.
Attending today would mean facing Vanessa’s so-called concrete supporters, and it would be quite difficult to sway them.
‘Then again, shaking even her concrete supporters would mean I’m finally exerting real influence in the social world.’
And it wasn’t like I was in a position to be picky…
“We have arrived, my lady.”
“Thank you.”
I took out my invitation, confirmed it, and stepped down from the carriage.
On the back of the invitation was Paula’s annoyingly polite explanatory note:
Invitation from Fiona Bern
└ A fervent supporter of Vanessa Neselrode. No real need to attend.
But a true villainess does not pick and choose only the gatherings that welcome her.
Thinking this was the sort of mindset that would make the system send me a message like, “As the greatest villainess of the Bregenz Empire, this is a truly commendable attitude!”, I strode forward confidently.
Today’s gathering was…
‘A tea party.’
Nothing special.
A bunch of young ladies would gather, laughing and chatting to build friendships, but in truth, it would be a den of vicious gossip.
“What is your name, please?”
“Adelheid Ulmer.”
“Ah, Lady Ulmer. Please, this way.”
The maid, with impeccable manners, led me forward.
Seeing that we were passing through the garden path, it seemed today’s refreshments would also be taken in the garden.
To be honest, since I hadn’t been on the typical socialite route as a player, I had harbored a bit of excitement when I first attended Vanessa Neselrode’s book club.
But after experiencing it a few times, the repetitive pattern had started to become tiresome.
‘Once I attend today, I’ll only need to go to two more.’
With that in mind, I diligently followed the maid’s guidance.
However, upon arrival, the scene that greeted me left me momentarily stunned.
‘What is this?’
In the garden, there were only three tables, each seating about six or seven people, and aside from one empty seat next to Vanessa, every seat was completely filled.
All the young ladies, huddled together, were watching me in complete silence, as if waiting to see what I would do next.
