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~Chapter 15~
Seraphina nodded slightly, her voice small.
“I’m embarrassed, but… yes.”
At one time, I believed that this statement was sincere.
That Seraphina truly valued me.
That she was my true friend.
But…
“What if you go to the salon and the princess ends up making fun of you?”
She spoke with a voice that seemed genuinely concerned, almost affectionate.
“You know, right? The princess doesn’t treat lower-ranked nobles like me as equals.”
Ah, so this is how you cause division.
I admired her silently in my mind.
It was you who secretly manipulated the rumors that tarnished the princess’s reputation.
Meanwhile, seeing my silence, Seraphina smoothly continued her manipulation.
“You’re out with her now, but let’s be honest, the Ansi family is still a bit beneath the Claudius family in status.”
Ah, here it comes.
Seraphina’s trademark manipulation—delivered effortlessly and naturally!
“I’m really worried. If you end up getting hurt being around the princess, what will you do? So…”
Seraphina made a sorrowful face as if she truly cared for me.
“Why don’t you go with me to the salon? I’ll talk to the princess and make sure she doesn’t cause you any trouble.”
Her green eyes, filled with a strange gleam, looked at me.
“If the princess bothers you, I’ll help you out.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle briefly.
“Ah, I see. So this is what you were after?”
I thought to myself.
“You know, Seraphina, you really care about me.”
Seraphina’s face immediately brightened with a smile.
‘See? This naive girl is already in my palm.’
I gave her a sly smile as I continued.
“But, since I was invited, I don’t have the means to bring anyone else along.”
“Larit!”
Seraphina immediately lost her composure, raising her voice.
“Didn’t you hear me? If I’m not there, you’ll be embarrassed in front of everyone!”
“But, Seraphina,”
I quickly cut her off.
“According to you, the princess could never be truly sincere with someone of my lower status, right?”
In an instant, Seraphina’s face contorted in shock.
‘How does that feel?’
I relished the sight, knowing that the words she used to attack me had come back to cut her instead.
I asked once again, just to dig the knife in.
“Then what good would it do if I ask the princess for something?”
“Larit, that’s…”
“It’s lucky if you don’t make her angry. Isn’t it?”
I sighed loudly, making sure everyone heard.
“So, it might be better if you ask others who care about you for help. For example…”
I subtly narrowed my eyes and glanced at Baroness Ventnor.
“I’m sure you can ask the Baroness for help too.”
“What?!”
Baroness Ventnor’s eyes widened in surprise.
I casually asked,
“Why not? You should be able to help Seraphina with something like this, right?”
“…!”
The Baroness’s face turned bright red with anger, and she trembled.
In fact, the Ventnor family wasn’t of high enough rank to receive an invitation from the Claudius family.
But admitting that would hurt her pride too much.
‘Maybe the Gusto family would have a chance…’
But for Gregory, someone who had no chance of inheriting the title, it was unlikely he would ever get such an invitation.
In other words, even if I acted nice to them, they would never receive one!
I casually said,
“Then, I’ll be leaving first. I need to see the princess.”
“Why would you go see the princess? How dare you behave so shamelessly!”
Baroness Ventnor sharply retorted.
I smiled gently.
“Well, as you know, the salon is coming up soon, right?”
I purposely mentioned the salon to get under Seraphina’s skin.
As expected, Seraphina clenched her teeth tightly at the mention.
“Since you seem busy with that, I thought I’d offer my help, if I can.”
I shrugged in mock innocence.
“Then, take care. Emily will escort you out.”
“You insolent girl!”
Baroness Ventnor was about to collapse from frustration.
“Aunt, please calm down. Getting angry is bad for your health.”
Seraphina tried to soothe the Baroness, though her eyes were still full of fury.
I could see it.
The way Seraphina looked at me was as if she wanted to tear me apart with her gaze.
‘She’s really trying hard to maintain her composure…’
I wasn’t afraid of her, though. As I was about to leave, I turned back with a sly smile.
“Oh, Seraphina, you said you consider me your closest friend, right?”
That one line made Seraphina immediately put on a sweet smile.
“Larit, you finally understand my feelings?”
It seemed she still hadn’t given up on her hope.
I decided to crush that hope completely.
“If you’re really worried, you’ll get an invitation and join me at the salon, won’t you?”
“…”
That seemed to completely throw her off.
Seraphina’s face froze slightly as I smiled at her.
“Well, Seraphina, you have so many people who care about you, so getting an invitation should be easy.”
I gave her a bright smile.
“I feel so reassured knowing you’re there. I’ll wait for you at the salon, okay?”
With that, I gracefully walked out of the parlor.
Since things had gone this far, I decided to visit the princess earlier than planned.
“Larit Ansi, presenting myself to Princess Claudius.”
“Ah, you’ve come?”
The princess greeted me with a slightly cold expression, acknowledging my presence.
“Sit down.”
After inviting me to sit, the princess immediately turned into a hawk-eyed observer, scanning me from head to toe.
“Hmm.”
I wondered, Will I be alright?
I swallowed nervously.
Today, I was dressed in the light blue lace dress the princess had chosen, complete with a parasol.
As the princess carefully examined me, she finally smiled with satisfaction.
“I like it, you pass.”
Phew.
I mentally sighed with relief.
At the same time, the princess propped her chin up with her hand and, with a sulking expression, asked me a question.
“By the way, what was with that overly formal greeting?”
“Huh?”
“W-we…”
For a moment, the princess trailed off, then shyly looked away.
“We’re friends, even if it’s just temporary, right?”
