Chapter 37
“Th-That’s not what I meant…”
“Seeing how flustered you are, I suppose you really did make such a remark.”
“M-Madam…”
“You’ll have to explain yourself properly. I’m not the only one who heard it.”
Antra nervously scanned the surroundings. The noblewomen acquainted with her were watching with displeased expressions.
They had all come to the same conclusion. Gossip was inherently contagious. If a noblewoman with close ties to others spoke in such a crude manner, she wouldn’t have done so to just one person.
As Antra stammered, Baroness Antra sneered, her eyes narrowing.
“Now that it’s come to this, I’m terribly curious about the kind of gossip you’ve spread about me. Or am I not the only one?”
“I-I never said such things, Madam. Etricia must have misunderstood. Dear, quickly apologize to the Madam and correct this at once!”
Antra grabbed my arm roughly, as if trying to wrench it from its socket.
“Huh? What do you mean…”
I looked around, still appearing clueless, then suddenly gasped as if realizing something.
“Oh no…”
Covering my mouth, I whimpered as if I had only just understood the situation. If people realized this was an intentional humiliation, they might resist the manipulation. Thus, it had to appear as if a noblewoman, lacking social awareness, had merely made an impulsive slip of the tongue.
“M-Mother, I’m sorry. I just…”
I shrank my shoulders and whimpered apologetically. Antra glared at me, her eyes bloodshot.
“You…!”
When Antra finally lost her temper and grabbed my arm, I defensively raised my hands, trembling as I watched her reaction.
Gasp! The crowd collectively held their breath in shock. In that fleeting moment, they gained insight into the relationship between Antra and Etricia.
Back when I studied abroad, there was a child who played the victim, skillfully swaying public opinion. Some children suffered unfairly because of that child. Watching from afar, I had been astonished by how easily people were deceived.
‘Why do they fall for such lies?’ I wondered. One thing I realized was that if someone acted like a victim, the group truly believed them. People who weren’t privy to the internal details had no reason to doubt.
Of course, Etricia wasn’t pretending—she really was a victim.
“My goodness… So the rumors were true.”
“How could she behave like that?”
As whispers spread, Antra began sweating and took a step back.
I widened my eyes as if in distress, glancing around anxiously. Noticing the doubt creeping into people’s eyes, I frantically waved my hands.
“N-No, I think you misunderstand. My mother isn’t that kind of person. Truly! She really isn’t…!”
I made eye contact with each person as if pleading for them to believe me. An overly sensitive reaction to others’ emotions was a common behavior in someone subjected to emotional control and abuse.
I blinked back tears, as if terrified of provoking Antra’s anger.
“Sh-She’s actually a very kind person…”
Ha, haha! Antra laughed dryly, clutching her chest as if she found the situation utterly absurd. Then, narrowing her eyes like a snake, she glared at me.
“Now you’re putting on an act?”
Antra swiftly grabbed my shoulders and shook me, hissing in a voice only I could hear.
“You cunning brat. Try sneering like before, huh? Try it!”
“What’s going on here?”
At that moment, a voice cut through the tension. The woman who appeared through the crowd was the Marchioness of Wickley.
She wasn’t wearing a veil this time, revealing smooth, pale skin completely devoid of the previous blotchy complexion.
With her back straight and chin raised proudly, she exuded an imposing presence.
“M-Marchioness Wickley…”
Antra’s face lit up with relief. She smiled brightly, letting out a sigh of relief as if she had finally found her savior—someone who would take her side and overturn the situation.
Her hands trembled as she reached out.
“Marchioness, I was just waiting for you. I’ve been falsely accused, and it’s so unfair—”
“Who are you again?”
Antra’s heart dropped. Her face paled as she froze in place.
When the Marchioness raised a brow and gestured backward, a noblewoman stepped forward and whispered something in her ear.
The Marchioness blinked, then sighed.
“Ah. I forgot.”
Antra’s brief moment of hope was crushed by what came next.
“I was so busy that I hadn’t sent the notice yet, but Baroness Dien has been expelled.”
“W-What? What do you mean…”
“A majority of our group members recently agreed to expel Baroness Dien. There have been too many concerning rumors that don’t align with our gathering’s values. We had no choice. I’m sorry, Baroness Dien.”
The Marchioness gave a graceful smile before turning to leave. Then, as if noticing me for the first time, she widened her eyes in surprise.
“Oh my, Countess Buell, you were here.”
“It’s been a while, Marchioness. Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you.”
The gathered noblewomen murmured at the sight of me conversing with the Marchioness. Antra demanded an explanation, but I ignored her.
“I’ll see you when I introduce Lady Lilien.”
The Marchioness lightly tapped the back of my hand before bowing slightly.
“Did you keep your promise regarding the information?”
I scrunched my nose and smiled gracefully. Soon, she and the noblewomen disappeared.
Even the noblewomen who had once been close to Antra abandoned her. As the lively chatter of the banquet resumed, Antra collapsed into a heap. Everything she had built crumbled in an instant. Trembling with rage, she suddenly sprang up.
“You schemed this, didn’t you?”
I let out a deep sigh and wiped my damp eyelashes. My composed response seemed to confirm her suspicions, and she shrieked in fury.
“Wake up! Everyone acts as if they welcome your family, but behind your back, they sneer at you as vulgar! Your family is nothing but a greedy house that profits off divine blessings—do you understand?!”
Greedy house…
I embraced Antra as if to console her. She flinched, but I rested my chin on her shoulder.
Even before realizing I had been reincarnated, I felt discomfort and aversion toward this society’s rigid class system. My subtle defiance often manifested as acts of kindness.
After my marriage, I grew sick of Antra constantly bringing up my humble origins. I had wanted to avoid stooping to her level, but… it was no use.
“But, Mother,” I whispered.
The tension between us thickened. As Antra stiffened, I brought my lips to her ear and murmured,
“Weren’t you once a maid?”
Antra sucked in a sharp breath. I patted her back, chuckling softly.
“Didn’t Baron Dien’s benefactor adopt you as his foster daughter to prevent a lowly marriage?”
Haa… Her shoulders trembled as she exhaled shakily.
For the first time, I saw true fear reflected in her dark pupils.
“You know how loose my lips are, right?”
“You…”
“Stay out of my sight if you want to keep things quiet, Mother.”
Shivering despite the lack of winter’s chill, she staggered back, as if she had seen a ghost. Then, like Cinderella after midnight, she fled the hall, screaming.
As I smirked, a grand voice echoed. The arch-shaped doors opened, revealing the Emperor, his golden crown gleaming as his crimson cape billowed.
Oh no, time already…
People, divided on both sides, held their breath and bowed low.
Soon, the emperor stepped onto the platform, his cloak fluttering as he sat on the golden chair and looked over the crowd.
When the emperor raised his hand, everyone rose at once, their heads still lowered.
A moment later, a voice broke the silence as names were called.
Then came the sound of bold, steady footsteps.
Following that was a light, delicate sound like beads falling on marble—cute and graceful steps.
The contrast made me laugh softly, and I gently lifted my head.
Under the piercing light of the chandelier, the two figures appeared.
Gasps of admiration escaped here and there at the siblings’ stunning beauty.
