‘They’re probably whispering among themselves while glancing at me, aren’t they? Let them, for all I care.’
Lynnia, having regained a bit of her self-esteem thanks to Edele, deliberately squared her shoulders more than usual and only nibbled at the refreshments placed before her.
Even though her curiosity was bubbling up to her throat, she didn’t look around. Whenever the other ladies at the table shared stories, she would simply smile faintly in agreement.
The gazes sweeping over her hadn’t diminished, but for some reason, they felt less uncomfortable.
‘Yes, being indifferent to others makes things so much easier!’
Lynnia felt as happy as if she had realized something monumental.
But upon closer reflection, it wasn’t that she was indifferent to the stares—it was that the overt sarcasm and mockery directed at her had vanished.
‘Does this mean there’s nothing for them to criticize? Was what Edele chose for me the correct answer?’
Once that conviction took hold, her tension eased, and her field of vision seemed to widen. She began to notice how the other young ladies were dressed and was able to watch the dancers with a calm demeanor.
Every time she encountered a judgmental glare, she felt an urge to shrink back, but Lynnia tried her best to act as if she didn’t care.
Before she knew it, it was nearly 11 o’clock.
‘I think today wasn’t bad.’
Unlike yesterday, when she had felt like a complete fool, today she thought, ‘Isn’t this quite decent?’
Just as she was thinking it was time to bid farewell to Camille, the host, before it got too late, the lady sitting next to her leaned over and spoke.
“The dress suits you well today, my lady. It makes your complexion look much clearer.”
“Oh…! Th-thank you.”
Her heart throbbed as if it were about to burst out of her ribcage. But it wasn’t just her; another lady added, “You chose the necklace well, too. These days, young ladies think it’s better the more they wear, but at your age, one is often buried by the weight of the jewels.”
The ladies around them giggled at that.
Lynnia almost stiffened, fearing the remark was a dig at her appearance from yesterday, but to faithfully follow Edele’s advice to ‘act as if nothing were the matter,’ she just smiled along faintly.
Then, an elderly lady with a stern expression, who had been sitting some distance away, watched Lynnia quietly before saying, “You should keep the person who helped you with your attire today close to you, my lady.”
Those words struck a chord in Lynnia’s heart.
The topic of conversation at the table soon shifted, and several of the elderly ladies stood up, using fatigue as an excuse.
‘I should follow those ladies and say my goodbyes with them. If I go alone, I don’t know what kind of mockery I’ll face again.’
Lynnia followed them as they approached Camille. Spotting the elderly group, Camille greeted them with a bright smile.
“Oh my, Lady Resio! Grand Duchess Brühen!”
“We old folks have occupied our seats for far too long. We’re heading out now.”
“Not at all! Please, stay longer. Once it strikes midnight, they will be serving champagne. We’ll be dancing the waltz again then. You really must show off your dance skills.”
Camille acted as if she were their own daughter, pouting and stomping her feet. The elderly ladies smiled at her adorable antics and finished their farewells, knowing full well that her request for them to stay longer was merely a matter of courtesy.
However, Lynnia, who had been watching their cheerful interaction from behind, felt her skin crawl at Camille’s hypocrisy.
‘She acts so affectionately toward true nobles…! No, wait, she was like that with me at first, too.’
At the last tea party, Camille, who had been so kind and warm, had turned Lynnia into a laughingstock at this very event. The intent was so blatant that it was hard to pretend otherwise.
If she had her way, she would have grabbed that delicately pinned-up hair and shaken it, but Lynnia once again remembered Edele’s words and managed a faint, composed smile.
Then, with her shoulders and back straightened, she approached Camille with a steady gait.
“Lady Emerson.”
“Oh my! Is Lady Krissus leaving already? The party only gets fun from midnight onwards!”
Camille, her eyebrows lowered in disappointment, appeared to possess everything that Lynnia had once admired in a ‘popular lady.’ But now, knowing the dark intentions hidden within, she no longer looked beautiful to her.
“I’m afraid I’ll get scolded by my brother if I stay out too late. I shall take my leave now.”
“Did you find the party uninteresting, perhaps?”
“Certainly not! It’s been very interesting since ‘yesterday’.”
Lynnia had just said it to ‘act as if nothing were the matter,’ but at those words, Camille paused for a moment. It was only for a fleeting second, but she did pause.
Camille soon smiled pleasantly and took Lynnia’s hand.
“You’ll come again tomorrow, won’t you? I’ve reserved a seat for you, so you must not miss it.”
“Of course. I will see you tomorrow.”
Lynnia bid her farewell politely just as Edele had taught her and followed the elderly ladies out of the banquet hall.
However, just as Lynnia was looking around for her family’s carriage, the elderly ladies in front turned back and smiled at her.
“Lady Krissus, that was quite impressive.”
“Pardon?”
To a bewildered Lynnia, the two ladies chuckled and said, “I mean the jab you gave Camille Emerson earlier. It was quite satisfying to watch.”
“Camille, that queen bee of a girl. She’s obsessed with making innocent people look like fools. It’s always so uncomfortable during parties, goodness.”
“To avoid being treated like that, you have to issue a clear warning like you did just now. Otherwise, she’ll keep doing it.”
“Indeed. Why should Lady Krissus put up with the likes of a mere Viscountess Emerson?”
Lynnia was flustered, not understanding what the two ladies were talking about.
‘I gave a jab? I issued a warning? When…?’
But Lynnia knew that asking ‘Me?’ here would be a foolish thing to do.
“Thank you… for your kind words.”
“Hahaha! As it turns out, you are a very polite and lovely young lady.”
“Indeed. See you tomorrow, Lady Krissus.”
“Goodbye.”
Lynnia curtsied to them as well, then boarded the carriage in a daze.
* * *
As darkness covered the windows and everyone began to rest from the day’s fatigue, Mina suddenly came to Edele’s room.
“Edele! His Lordship is calling for you. What on earth is it about now?”
She looked at Edele with a mixture of annoyance and suspicion, but Edele was just as clueless. Told that it was urgent, Edele threw the shawl Daisy had gifted her over her nightgown and headed to Laslo’s office.
Unexpectedly, Lynnia was there as well. Lynnia had a look of anticipation, while Laslo looked somewhat troubled.
“Sorry to call you in at this late hour.”
“Not at all, sir.”
“I was going to wait until tomorrow, but this one insisted so much that…”
Laslo glanced at Lynnia, but she just beamed without a care. Seeing Laslo smirk at her reaction, Edele felt that it couldn’t be anything bad, and was about to let her guard down when he spoke.
“It might be sudden, but I want you to become Lynnia’s personal maid.”
“Excuse me…? Me?”
“Thinking about it, there’s no one in this house more suited for the task than you.”
“Exactly. Why didn’t we think of this sooner?” Lynnia chimed in.
Today, the final day of the party hosted by Camille Emerson, Lynnia had attended after once again seeking Edele’s advice on her dress and accessories, and she seemed to be in high spirits.
“That’s just because of your own insecurity.”
“Ah, no it isn’t! Brother, why are you bringing that up now…!”
“If such problems happen again, I won’t let it slide, Lyn.”
Edele’s heart pounded at the nickname Laslo used for Lynnia. It was the same name as her poor younger sister. Laslo’s gaze turned back to Edele.
“Can you do it? Your room will be moved to the one adjacent to Lynnia’s, and your salary will increase. If you don’t want to, you can refuse. I don’t want to force you.”
“No. If you would allow it, I will do my best.”
“There’s no need to go overboard. Just do it in moderation.”
“Brother!”
Lynnia fussed at Laslo again. Edele felt a strange sense of envy watching them.
‘The two of them, they truly have a deep bond.’
Lynnia respected and loved her brother. And Laslo, despite pretending otherwise, cherished Lynnia deeply. It was a feeling Edele had never experienced, even though she had two older brothers.
‘Because my brothers and I were like strangers.’
Having been educated completely separately from a young age, they had barely spoken to one another a handful of times. Edele did not know her brothers well, and they did not know her either.
However, when she refused to marry the Duke of Lancaster, both of her brothers had criticized her, just like Count Canyon.
“If you would just endure it for once, it would be a path to happiness for everyone! Don’t be so selfish!”
She hadn’t felt much in the way of familial affection to begin with, but at that moment, Edele had severed all remaining attachments, not just to her father, but to her brothers as well.
“……Edele? Edele?”
“Ah, yes!”
Thinking she might have dozed off for a moment, Edele startled and raised her head.
“You must be tired; I suppose I’ve kept you standing for too long. We shall continue the details tomorrow morning.”
“No, it is fine. We can talk now……”
“Go back and sleep. It is late.”
Lynnia’s expression as she looked at Laslo was quite strange, but Edele had no choice but to offer her farewells and return to her room.