“I can’t believe how happy I am that you’ve returned from your long journey, Milady!”
“That’s right, absolutely!”
“Hahaha, the Empire will be lively again, I see.”
The guests were a mix of men and women, but if there was one thing they all had in common, it was their staggering extravagance.
‘I could estimate their net worth just by looking at their gowns. That’s a piece from the Empire’s finest atelier—the kind where you’d wait three months for an appointment, even with the money in hand.’
A young nobleman adjusted his cuff, ostentatiously checking his watch.
‘And that watch… it’s a bespoke piece that costs hundreds of millions in gold, crafted by a master with fifty years of experience.’
Does my maternal grandfather even own a top-tier line like that?
Somehow, my eyes scanned them, and the price tags flickered in my mind like a barcode. Just how much had the original Charlize spent on luxury goods for me to be cursed with this internal calculator?
“Ahaha, so anyway. A young nobleman from Avalon actually kissed my feet, can you believe it?”
“And then?”
“I poured wine all over his head!”
The table was crowded with bottles—expensive vintages that cost their weight in silver coins. A young lady was recounting her latest power trip with a delighted flush. This chaotic display had unfolded in less than twenty minutes.
‘What kind of spoiled brat was she playing at?’
There was no one present with a status higher than mine. Still, even if they didn’t quite reach the level of Charlize Alzbeit, there were plenty of high-ranking nobles mixed in.
Those giggling and gossiping suddenly flickered their gaze toward me, even as they laughed.
‘Are they wondering why I’m not joining in?’
Of course I wasn’t. I was merely watching. Observing.
“So, they say it’s sold out again this time? How frustrating! I want it so badly!”
“You mean designer Pashara’s bag, right?”
Sensing their own tales were failing to capture my attention, they shifted the subject. It was fascinating how this Empire mirrored the material obsessions of my old world. The current trend was a tiny, one-handed bag—a craze sparked by none other than Charlize herself.
‘That fits. Beautiful, willful, and untouchable. People curse her, yet she remains an object of secret, frantic admiration.’
A superstar needs both haters and fans, and in that sense, Charlize was the undisputed icon of high society.
“Oh, don’t even get me started. I’m dying to get one, but I gave up when I heard the waiting list was four months long.”
“Come to think of it, I heard a new color was released recently.”
The pretty young lady at the center of the chatter glanced at me. I think her name was Cleria? Or was that her family name?
She was the daughter of a nouveau-riche Baron family that had struck gold with their trading firm; they lacked status but possessed an abundance of coin. She harbored a secret, festering inferiority complex toward Charlize, and while Charlize was fully aware of it, she hadn’t seemed to care in the slightest.
“Milady, about that new bag… it’s just so difficult to acquire, isn’t it? By any chance, have you already purchased one?”
“Yes, we’re dying to know.”
I didn’t particularly dislike their blatant hunger. It didn’t suit their station, but they looked like baby birds gaping for food.
“I don’t really have a need to purchase one myself.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
1.
“I received a gift from them, and I suppose that must be the color.”
I spoke in the usual Charlize tone, feigning a casual glance at my fingernails.
“I shall give one to the Baron’s daughter as a gift.”
“Gasp, really? Kyaa, as expected of you, Milady! You’re so bold!”
At that, the nearby young ladies looked at the Baron’s daughter in surprise. Some gazed on with undisguised envy. Wow, what is this—a wild kingdom? Everyone is so utterly faithful to their desires.
“To think such a wonderful thing would happen! You must have a drink to celebrate!”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“I’m so happy for you. Milady, you should have a drink as usual, too.”
I was inwardly flabbergasted at how they launched into a drinking party as if they’d been waiting for the signal, but I held my tongue.
I was participating in this gathering, and even promising the girl a gift just as Charlize would, precisely because there was something I needed to uncover.
However, it was certain that this would be the last time such an event would ever occur.
I sipped the liquor.
The reason I confidently raised my glass was that I wanted them to get drunker, to chatter away with even less restraint. I intended to make them vomit up every secret they held while they were intoxicated.
Besides, Charlize was the Empire’s greatest drunkard; at the same time, she possessed an incredibly high tolerance for alcohol.
To put it another way, she was a brat who drank like a fish despite that tolerance, causing all sorts of havoc.
‘If I live like the real Charlize, I’ll die of alcoholism before I even get a chance to return to my original world.’
Since there was a constraint that I shouldn’t be exposed as an imposter, I would try to maintain appearances, but at this point, it felt far better to simply shift Charlize’s image as I lived.
“Heeung, Milady, you’re drinking so very well again today!”
As time passed, everyone except me was not only intoxicated but slurring their words.
The first one to broach the topic was the Baron’s daughter, Cleria, whom I had promised the gift.
“Oh, our dear Milady! You’re so pretty, and you have so much money! You’re just so… so pretty!”
“Right, right! Kyarereuk, I’m jealous! I’m so jealous!”
One young lady, her eyes unfocused from the liquor, blurted out, “Milady is too good for Duke Remut!”
“That’s right, that’s right. I heard that man’s family went completely bankrupt. To think he doesn’t know how to manage his household at all…”
“They say all that’s left is a barren territory.”
Vile amusement flickered in the eyes fixed upon me.
“Right, and monsters appear there at all hours of the day! What would he have done if he couldn’t even wield a sword?”
“To put it another way, he’s useless if he’s not holding a blade! The only thing worth looking at is… his face, I suppose?”
“He’s handsome, but he’s not good enough for our Milady!”
“Right, right, hahaha!”
I held the liquor glass to my lips, ensuring I didn’t miss a single word.
As I sat there smiling, the young ladies began to chatter with even more fervor.
“Milady should meet a man who is much cooler and has more talent!”
“But hasn’t Milady already toyed with all such men?”
“No, no, they say the Prince of the neighboring Roman Empire is truly handsome! That’s the level she should be aiming for!”
“Right, right. It’s been a long time since Duke Remut appeared at an official function, hasn’t it? In fact, the rumors about his looks might be exaggerated!”
“Maybe he’s an ugly man?”
“Hahaha!”
They were busy trashing my fiancé with glee.
Listening quietly, it felt like these people were disparaging him because they couldn’t bring themselves to disparage me directly.
No, I hadn’t misheard.
I swirled my glass slightly.
‘As far as I know, my fiancé didn’t do anything to deserve being trashed in a place like this… yet he is being insulted in my stead.’
I stood up from my seat.
Hmm, the world was spinning a little, which caught me off guard.
What’s this? I haven’t even finished half of Charlize’s usual intake. Why do I feel so drunk?
I checked my body’s condition and startled.
‘Don’t tell me… did my alcohol tolerance change when I possessed this body? No way.’
It wasn’t as if the body itself had changed, but judging by my current state, that seemed to be the case.
I was dumbfounded.
How could fate take away a drunkard’s tolerance from a drunken brat?
What am I supposed to do when I have to pretend to be Charlize from now on? Or perhaps… is this God’s way of trying to improve Charlize’s image?
I suppressed my sense of absurdity and forced myself to balance.
“It’s because an inadequate man caught your eye, Milady. What a shame… you could have married someone much better.”
“What can you do? It’s simply because our Milady’s fiancé is such an inadequate person…!”
“In fact, he must be hideous—just someone bloated and ugly with nothing but fatty muscle. Perhaps the rumors of him being a handsome man only spread because of misinformation?”
The Baron’s daughter caught my eye and giggled.
“Oh, our poor Milady, what are we to do…”
Even as the intoxication clouded my mind, I understood the game.
“To have a fiancé who’s such a pathetic person… Aaaah!”
The Baron’s daughter didn’t get to finish her sentence; a scream tore from her throat.
I had poured my wine directly over her head.
I smiled broadly, watching the red liquid drip down her face.
“That’s strange. It’s clear you’re mocking my fiancé, yet… why does it feel like you’re insulting my eyes?”
“A-ah, Du- Duchess? That’s not what I…”
“Or is it? Are you refusing the drink I’m offering?”
The Baron’s daughter couldn’t answer, coughing as she sputtered on the wine running down her cheek. It was painfully obvious she was trying to swallow it, desperate to avoid incurring my wrath.
My smile deepened.
I had intended to ruin this gathering today, regardless of the consequences.
This social circle was entirely useless for the year ahead.
“I love my fiancé, you see… so, did you just mock the man I love?”
“A-ah, th- that,”
Above all, Charlize’s karma was far too heavy.
These people were the sort who would only increase that burden, never helping to lighten it.
The glass slipped from my hand and shattered against the floor.
Clatter. The sharp sound was the signal that brought this gathering to an abrupt end.
“Everyone go home.”
“…….”
I felt no guilt.