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Chapter 16
‘What’s she scheming this time?’
Blair’s eyebrow lifted slightly. The offer felt very suspicious. But refusing an invitation to a gathering at a banquet was basically declaring open hostility. Annoying as it was, she had no choice but to play along.
‘It’s not like anything major will happen anyway.’
“Sure, why not.”
And that was how Blair ended up sitting among a queen bee and her maids, dragged into their social circle.
“Have you known the Marquis for long?”
“Does he treat you well?”
“Did you receive a formal proposal?”
The moment Blair sat down, she was bombarded with questions, enough to make her ears ring.
‘They’re like hyenas sniffing out fresh prey.’
“I didn’t realize everyone had such interest in our marriage. I’ll explain one thing at a time,” Blair replied with a graceful smile, hand lightly covering her mouth.
“Well, your marriage was so sudden. And skipping a wedding ceremony in a noble family is rare. Many of us were quite surprised.”
One of the queen bee’s attendants—a slightly plump woman—took a sip of champagne and spoke.
“That’s understandable. But neither of us had much desire for a big wedding, so it was fine.”
“Oh… perhaps the ladies around you often skip weddings due to circumstances? Still, didn’t you feel disappointed?”
Her tone sounded sympathetic, yet the look in her eyes was clearly mocking Blair.
“It truly was fine. You know how the bride and groom barely get to breathe at a wedding, being busy entertaining guests? My dear husband said he wanted to focus only on me. Instead, he built us a private garden at the Marquisate. You should visit sometime.”
Blair inhaled softly and answered as if she were completely unbothered. Meanwhile, the expressions of the noble ladies shifted rapidly—shock, jealousy, discomfort.
‘Watching their faces change is entertaining in its own way.’
Just as Blair was enjoying her own subtle victory, Olivia—her eyes full of poison—leaned closer and spoke.
“Still, I’m sad I couldn’t congratulate you in person. If you don’t mind, would you accept a congratulatory drink from me?”
‘A congratulatory drink?’
Blair’s eyes shimmered with curiosity. The highest-grade imperial wine—how exquisite must its flavor be? Just thinking about it brought energy to her whole body. In this childish and tedious harassment, it was at least a small consolation.
However—
‘You are forbidden from drinking excessively unless I’m with you.’
Her employer’s stern warning flashed through her mind. But judging by her usual tolerance, Blair wasn’t the type to get drunk from something like this.
‘Still… hearing that makes me feel weirdly guilty.’
“Um… my lady? Was the congratulatory drink uncomfortable for you? I only wanted to sincerely celebrate your marriage…”
Olivia put on a theatrically wounded expression when Blair didn’t answer immediately. The women beside her all gasped in unison.
‘I can’t refuse when she’s pushing this hard. This is still social etiquette, after all.’
Blair smiled strangely and replied,
“No, it’s fine. I’d be happy to accept.”
At Olivia’s gesture, an imperial attendant poured wine into Blair’s and Olivia’s empty glasses. The two clinked their glasses with a soft chime and drank.
‘Wow… insane. Heavy, tangy, rich… this is amazing. Would go perfectly with steak.’
She wasn’t exaggerating—it truly was delicious. Different from the wine she once shared with Kessel, but equally appealing. Too good to stop at just one glass. Blair closed her eyes, savoring it with pure satisfaction.
“You must take my glass as well, my lady. I truly wish to congratulate you.”
As if reading her desire for more, another lady hurriedly filled Blair’s glass the moment she set it down.
‘Did I show too clearly that I liked it?’
A little embarrassed—though only briefly—Blair accepted the glass without hesitation.
But that was only the beginning.
The six women surrounding her took turns offering “congratulatory” drinks every time Blair lowered her glass.
‘Ha. So this is how they plan to get me drunk and humiliate me?’
Blair, who had momentarily been too absorbed in the wine, snorted softly. They clearly hoped she’d get wasted and make a fool of herself.
But after six glasses, Blair still looked perfectly normal—leaving all six women visibly unsettled.
‘Caught you.’
Blair’s eyes gleamed.
“Since we’re already sharing wine, why don’t we drink a bit more and have an honest talk?”
One hour later.
“Alright, one more drink for everyone,” Blair said with a bright smile.
“I—I’m done…”
“Heyyy… that butterfly pin in your hair? Honestly… so tacky…”
“What’d you say? Look who’s talking! That giant ribbon on your dress… like a cicada stuck to fabric… so outdated!”
“I… bathroom… I need the bathroom…”
The sight before Blair was spectacular.
Some were retching, some were fighting among themselves, and some were passed out with flushed cheeks, all dignity abandoned.
‘Thanks to them, I enjoyed plenty of good wine. About time I wrap this up.’
Blair rose with the satisfied smile of a victor.
Fans and shawls were strewn across the table. She calmly gathered the mess and returned each item to its owner.
“Ladies, pull yourselves together. Here—your fans. And your shoes over there.”
People passing by began whispering, gathering to watch. If this continued, Blair might get lumped together with these drunken fools—and she absolutely couldn’t allow that.
“Oh dear, the smell of alcohol. I told you—drink in moderation! No matter how happy you are, how could you get this drunk at an imperial banquet?”
Blair spoke loudly enough for spectators to hear. Then she straightened her posture and called an imperial attendant.
“Tell each family’s attendants to prepare their carriages. And call the servants—they’ll need to be carried.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Soon, each lady’s attendants arrived, pale and horrified.
“My lady, what on earth—!”
Being drunk at an imperial party was an absolute disgrace. And if news spread that unmarried noble ladies behaved like this, their prospects in the marriage market would plummet.
“They’re very drunk. Escort them home carefully. And use the back door on the second floor so His Majesty won’t see them.”
“Y-yes, my lady. Thank you.”
‘I’d love to publicly humiliate them, but causing a scene now won’t do me any good.’
After she finally sent them all off and let out a small sigh—
“A surprising side of you, my lady.”
A familiar voice suddenly spoke.
Blair whipped her head around to see Edwin leaning against the wall in formal attire.
Of all people—why him? She wanted to smack her forehead.
“Sir Edwin! We meet again. How nice. How long have you been standing there?”
Nice? Hardly. Blair wanted to run away. He must have seen her outdrink six ladies. If it wasn’t enough that she showed her awful drunken behavior to Kessel, now she was being branded a heavy drinker by his closest friend too.
“For a while. If I had to guess… since about the time the first lady started wobbling? It was quite the spectacle—hard to walk away.”
Blair squeezed her eyes shut.
‘I’m doomed. Why is my life full of people who only make things worse?’
