Britney stared into the dining room, frozen in place.
Just a while ago, a servant of House Green had come to ask about lunch arrangements. Unaware that Kay had returned, Britney had naturally assumed that Iris would be eating breakfast alone.
Although the Duke and Duchess of Witlow had requested to eat in their room, Britney had insisted on heading to the main dining room. There were things she wanted to discuss with Iris, just the two of them.
But Iris was not alone in the dining room.
Wallace, Nathan, Jen, and Nellanikus were there as well.
“Britney.”
At Iris’s call, Britney snapped back to reality.
Seeing Iris’s smile, a surge of hot anger rushed through her.
*‘Look at this, Britney. Jeresien and Nellanikus, the people you find so intimidating, are being this intimate with me. Aren’t you envious? You wanted to be close to these people, but you couldn’t even hold a proper conversation with them.’*
It felt as if that was what Iris was saying.
*‘You arrogant wretch!’*
Just like before, she wanted to grab Iris by the hair and teach her a lesson for daring to smile like that. She wanted to teach Iris some manners, since she clearly didn’t know her place.
However, Britney still possessed enough reason not to start a screaming match in front of Jen and Nellanikus.
“Yes, Iris.”
She smiled, affectionately using the nickname she rarely used.
Like a sister who loved her sibling more than anything.
“I came because I wanted to eat breakfast together, but was this a seat where I shouldn’t have come?”
“Not at all. Let me introduce you. This is Countess Nellanikus, and this is Jeresien Green, my husband’s younger sister. Ah, you’ve attended parties often, so you might be familiar with them.”
Of course she was familiar with them. The problem was that she had never spoken to them.
Britney wanted to cover Iris’s mouth before she could say anything more useless.
Nellanikus and Jen merely nodded slightly; they did not introduce themselves or offer greetings.
“Now that I think about it, you said you were incredibly popular whenever you went to parties. You said you knew as many people as Nellanikus, and that everyone wanted to be close to you. Then you must be close with Nellanikus, too.”
Britney pressed her lips together and glared at Iris.
*Stop talking nonsense!*
“It seems I had a friend I didn’t even know about.”
Nellanikus replied coldly.
At the remark, which contained clear rejection and mockery, Britney’s face turned bright red.
“Ah… Hahaha… I never said such a thing… You’re boasting again. Since you seem busy, I’ll take my leave.”
Britney didn’t have the confidence to sit in this seat and eat as if nothing were wrong. Nor did she have the confidence to deal with the changed Iris.
Surrounded by Nellanikus and Jen, the Iris before her was completely different from the Iris of the past. Her gaze, her posture, her tone, and her actions—everything. It was as if someone else had put on Iris’s skin.
As Britney turned to leave, Iris spoke.
“Where are you going? You said you came to eat with me, right? Sit down.”
The voice was soft, but it was a command.
Britney clenched her fists and forced a smile.
“No, it’s fine. You must be busy with wedding preparations, and I feel like I’ve intruded. I was just missing my sister so much that I didn’t consider your circumstances.”
“You don’t need to consider them. Just sit there and look at my face to your heart’s content.”
An elegant smile spread across Iris’s lips.
Britney struggled to suppress her breathing, which had grown ragged with rage. If she left now after being told that, she would look like a defeated dog. She didn’t know what Iris might say to them once she left.
She had no choice but to sit in the seat Iris pointed to—the seat right next to her.
There were six people in the dining room: Iris, Jen, Nellanikus, Wallace, Nathan, and Britney.
They could have sat facing each other in groups of three, but Jen and Nellanikus had gone to sit next to Wallace and Nathan.
It looked as if the people of House Green were observing the two daughters of House Witlow.
Britney found it hard to keep her head up.
*‘They must be comparing my face to Iris’s.’*
She had often faced such things since she was young. She knew that nannies and maids would whisper behind her back, “Still, when it comes to looks, Lady Britney cannot match Iris.”
*‘That’s why Lapord also… No, let’s stop thinking about Lapord.’*
Britney picked up the fork in front of her and decided to focus on eating.
She had to show the dignity of a true lady of the Witlow Duchy—something Iris could never possess.
*‘Iris, just because you married Count Green, you seem to think you’ve reached the heavens, but eventually, it will be revealed just how lowly your bloodline is.’*
Iris’s current arrogance would only last for now.
Kay had only been momentarily bewitched by Iris’s appearance; it was certain that after living with her for less than a year, he would grow tired of her.
Iris ate while chatting happily with Jen and Nellanikus. Occasionally, Wallace and Nathan joined in, and their tone reflected a deep respect for Iris.
At the sound of Iris’s laughter, the irritation she had barely suppressed flared up again.
*‘That’s not your seat, Iris! That seat was supposed to be mine!’*
Britney believed that if it weren’t for Iris, she would have been the one to marry Kay.
What Kay surely wanted was the reputation of the Witlow Duchy, and the only person who could bring him that reputation was Britney, the true daughter of the Duke.
*‘Since Count Green doesn’t know that Iris is of lowly blood, he must have chosen her by mistake. He must have also been curious about the woman known as the flower of the Witlow Duchy.’*
No matter how she thought about it, it felt as if Iris had stolen her place.
“Britney.”
Britney snapped out of her thoughts at Iris’s call.
“You’re very quiet. Are you uncomfortable?”
It was a concerned tone, but the eyes didn’t match.
“No, why would I be uncomfortable? It’s just that it doesn’t end well for you when I speak.”
Britney said this as a warning.
It was Jen, not Britney, who replied to that.
“Why would it be bad for my sister-in-law if Lady Britney speaks? I thought you were a sister who cherished her sibling, but it seems you might be holding onto some weakness of my sister-in-law?”
Britney realized she had made a mistake. She had been so annoyed that she ended up saying something she shouldn’t have.
The cold gazes of Jen, Nellanikus, Wallace, and Nathan pierced into Britney. They were looking at her with an expression that said, *’Go ahead, say what you have to say about our Iris.’*
She realized that no matter what she said about Iris here, there was no one who would take her side.
“No, I was… just joking.”
“I see. It wasn’t very funny.”
Britney had never felt such humiliation in her life.
Jen and Nellanikus had returned to their affectionate gazes, sharing opinions with Iris about the dress to be worn at the wedding.
*‘It was supposed to be my place!’*
Being called ‘sister-in-law’ by Jen, receiving advice on a dress from Nellanikus, receiving respect from Wallace and Nathan, whom the knights revered.
All of it was supposed to be hers.
*‘Iris, you’ve stolen from me again! You’re always like this!’*
Britney swallowed the tears welling up from her rage and glared at her plate, where the food remained half-finished.
*‘Fine, you take that pathetic Countess Green position. I will become the Empress Dowager.’*
Iovet, the Crown Prince of the Gavric Kingdom, for some reason, had not yet designated an Empress Dowager. An Empress Dowager from a noble family was a presence that a future Emperor absolutely needed to have.
Most princes chose a family to align with before they even turned twenty, using that family’s power to aim for the position of Crown Prince.
Iovet had held on until now solely through his outstanding talent and virtue, but lately, things had become quite dangerous, and he was scouting for a woman from a family to install as the Empress Dowager.
As far as Britney knew, the Witlow Duchy, which was a ducal family but did not hold excessive political influence as an in-law, was being considered.
*‘Once I become the Empress Dowager, I will certainly return this humiliation. Jeresien, and Nellanikus. You two as well.’*
+++
By the time breakfast was coming to an end, Kay arrived at the dining room.
Britney straightened her posture and managed her expression, but Kay didn’t even cast a glance at her, walking straight toward Iris.
“Iris.”
Standing beside Iris, Kay leaned down and gave her a light kiss on the cheek.
That…
Britney’s face flushed red and then paled in turn.
“Are you finished with your meal?”
“It’s just about finished. Aren’t you eating breakfast?”
“I ate a sandwich while clearing some paperwork. Once you’re done, come out with me for a bit.”
“Excuse me, Oppa. You do realize we’re right here, don’t you?”
Jen waved her hand to catch Cavebrandt’s attention. Only then did Cavebrandt turn toward her and offer a faint smile.
“Jen, Countess Nellanikus. My apologies. My wife shines so brightly that I couldn’t see anything else around me.”
“Ugh.”
Nella wore a look of utter bewilderment.
Jen, Wallace, and Nathan looked as if they were on the verge of vomiting.
And Britney could not believe the situation unfolding before her eyes.
*‘Are you insane? Is this really Cavebrandt Green?’*
He had acted this way when he came to the Count’s estate to propose to Iris, but she had assumed that was a calculated act to marry her.
She had been certain that he would be as cold as he was at the party, and that he would hold a grudge against Iris for being embroiled in a scandal with Viscount Huchis.
“Look at that, he’s always like that.”
Jen said, sounding weary.
*‘Always like that… Does he really act like that toward Iris all the time? That’s impossible.’*
Cavebrandt was even treating Britney, who was sitting right next to Iris, like she didn’t exist.
*‘No, it’s better to remain invisible. That is not the Count Green I know.’*
Just as she thought this, Iris pointed at Britney and said:
“Cavebrandt. This is my sister. Britney.”
“Ah.”
Even though Iris had introduced her on purpose, that was all Cavebrandt said. There was no eye contact, nor even a slight nod.
His gaze had rested on Britney for a fleeting moment, only to return to Iris as if even that brief time was a waste.
*‘How can he be so rude!’*
Indifferent to Britney’s feelings, Cavebrandt said to Iris:
“Iris, finish your meal quickly. There’s somewhere I want to take you.”
“Where to?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Hmm… then…”
Iris glanced toward Jen and Nella.
Nella was staring elsewhere, as if to say, ‘I don’t even want to look at that disgusting display,’ and Jen waved her hand as if telling them to leave quickly.
Iris smiled and stood up.
“I’ll be going first.”
Once Iris left, Jen said to Nella:
“See? I told you he’s always like that.”
“I didn’t know Count Green was capable of saying things like that… It’s horrifying.”
“It’s true, sometimes it makes my skin crawl. The Captain is always fidgeting to run off to the Countess even while he’s working,” Nathan added.
Britney sat there feeling incredibly uncomfortable.
No one at the table paid any attention to her. She wanted to leave, but she couldn’t just walk out without a word, so she agonized over how to excuse herself naturally.
She wanted to cry.
*‘Why do I have to suffer through this? Iris, what on earth did you say to these people? Why is everyone treating me like this?’*
If they had at least lashed out at her, demanding to know why she did such things to Iris, she could have fought back by claiming it was all a lie and painting Iris as a liar.
But they didn’t offer a single word of criticism toward her.
Britney knew that indifference was far more terrifying than bullying.
Since it was the first time she had ever been on the receiving end of it, she had no idea how to respond.
In the end, it was only after Jen said, “Let’s get going,” that Britney was finally able to escape the hellish dining room.