Chapter 28
As Osborne circulated among the young ladies—greeting them and handing out desserts in place of the maids and attendants—every gaze in the room inevitably followed her. I, quite naturally, pulled the sugar bowl toward me and dropped a sugar cube into my black tea… then plop, another into the teacup beside me—Osborne’s.
Watching the cubes dissolve and vanish at once, as if the water had just been freshly poured, I cleared my throat and looked back down at my own cup. I had the attendant clear away the sugar bowl, and waited for Osborne—who had finished distributing the desserts—to return to her seat.
“Shall I have your cup refilled?”
Osborne had appeared at my side before I noticed, asking with an elegant smile. I nodded, and she instructed an attendant to bring more black tea for both of us. While we waited, the young ladies—who hadn’t shown much interest earlier—began to bare their claws, turning their attention toward me.
“That dress is quite… pretty. But red hair and silver eyes with a pink dress—doesn’t the color feel a bit…?”
That look—like it wasn’t pretty at all. And that little add-on at the end—what was that supposed to mean?
“Still, pink does suit red hair. Though, as she said, the tone is a little…”
A little what. What did the color ever do to you? If you don’t like me, just say so outright.
“Ahem. Still, it’s admirable that Lady Arlesia would attend a gathering of marquesses’ daughters.”
That sounded pointed… but to someone with maxed-out social skills, that barely qualified as a jab. Cute, really.
“Please don’t be so harsh. She came at my personal request—a truly honored guest.”
“…Honestly. Lady Luciella is too kind for her own good.”
“Exactly. Someone like her should be seated as Empress. What on earth is His Majesty thinking?”
“Hehe, perhaps he’s waiting for the right moment. I heard he danced the first dance with her—and even invited her to luncheon.”
“Ah… well… yes.”
Watching Osborne blush shyly, I closed my eyes and opened them again, slowly, in sheer disbelief. If they hated my dress that much—and if they wanted to paint me as the villain ruining this tea party—then fine. I’d gladly play along.
“By the way,” I said lightly. “Earlier, you mentioned the color of my dress… what was it you said?”
I set down the fork I’d lifted for cake and looked straight at the young ladies who had been chattering away about my dress. I hadn’t done anything more than look—but apparently, these silver eyes were rather frightening.
A few of them fumbled, clearing their throats and hastily looking away. I’d simply reacted exactly as they wanted, yet their response was awfully intense. Well—thanks, I guess.
“Ahem… what are you—”
“This dress was personally chosen for me by Duke Arahan,” I continued, carefully letting my voice fall with disappointment. “To say its color is lacking…”
I smoothed a hand over the fabric, wearing my most regretful expression. She’d used me too, so surely she wouldn’t complain if I used her just a little in return. The moment Arahan’s name left my lips, eyes widened all around.
If Osborne had danced the first dance with Karlcia, then I had danced with Arahan. And above all, no one here could have missed the newspaper headlines.
There were no whispers about dark magic or seduction—seeing as I stood right before them—but I knew exactly what they were thinking.
“Lady Luciella… is the dress truly that lacking?”
“W–what? N-no! It’s beautiful! The pale pink suits your hair perfectly. And the gemstone set into the bodice—it matches your earrings as if they’re a set!”
The saintly lady rattled off praise after praise for my dress and jewelry, bright as ever. Once the hostess herself began complimenting it, the invited young ladies pinched their expressions, as though berating their own carelessness. It was… quite the sight.
I was about to say more when, at some point, a freshly filled teacup was placed before me.
Huh? The pattern on the cup looks different from before… or is it just me?
I glanced at the other cups, but nothing seemed especially out of place. Maybe it was my imagination. I hadn’t paid much attention earlier, too focused on the sugar cubes.
I lifted the cup and took a sip. The tea tasted sweeter than before—oddly so—but I liked sweet things anyway. And since I’d added sugar to both cups earlier, I brushed it off and continued listening to the young ladies’ chatter.
If only they’d stop paying attention to me.
With the dress topic wrapped up awkwardly, it seemed they were searching for something else to nitpick.
“Lady Arlesia—was this truly your first tea gathering since your debut?”
Caught off guard by the sudden question, I quickly turned to the speaker. It wasn’t the young lady who had annoyed me earlier, so I softened my expression before replying.
“…Circumstances led to it.”
I didn’t know what Elizabeth’s childhood had been like—whether she’d attended tea gatherings before my possession. All I knew was that since I’d become Elizabeth, this was the first tea I’d been invited to. That was all.
The young lady’s eyes widened, and she lifted her fan to cover her mouth—surely to hide her expression.
Was she mocking me for it being my first time? Or, like the earlier one, did she simply dislike a count’s daughter joining a marquesses’ gathering? Either way, it was laughable.
It could be a first. Given Elizabeth’s reputation, no one would have invited her anyway. And to scoff at a count’s daughter attending because of status? Ridiculous.
So this is what Arahan meant when he said “often,” huh.
Thanks to Arahan’s not-quite-kind consideration, the carriage I’d arrived in belonged unmistakably to the Vincent marquisate. Meaning Vincent stood behind me. To insult me here would be no different than insulting the granddaughter of a house that rivaled even a ducal family.
The earlier remark might have been mere posturing between women, but sneering at a count for joining this gathering was tantamount to sneering at Vincent himself.
Well… insult me all you like. I’m destined to die as a villainess anyway.
“I don’t particularly enjoy tea gatherings,” I said calmly. “I only attended this one because Lady Luciella asked me personally. Had it been a typical marquess’s gathering like this, I would not have come.”
“……!! W–what, my lady—no!”
Though my words hadn’t been directed at her, Osborne reacted as if she were at fault, flustered as she took my hand.
“You’re my precious friend as well! What does status matter? Isn’t that right?”
“H–haha… yes, of course.”
I could see the forced smile plain as day. And Saintly Lady—calling me a friend when I’m supposed to torment you. Ah… sorry. I did put poison in your tea. Only a little, so you won’t die, but still… I can’t help worrying. Why did Elizabeth have to choose poisoning of all things and make this so stressful?
As we talked, I took sip after sip. Each time, the sweetness on my tongue was strangely alluring. Was black tea always this sweet? The saccharine taste lingered far too long, entrancing me, drawing my hand back to the cup again and again.
There was no bitterness—only sweetness swirling through my mouth. Like a spoonful of sugar dissolved into it… sweet… cloying…
“…cough—!”
The bitterness and metallic tang that surged up my throat were beyond anything I’d imagined. The sweetness vanished in an instant, replaced by a foul taste that filled my mouth as I retched uncontrollably.
Come to think of it—Osborne had asked, “Shall I have your cup refilled?” That meant my tea shouldn’t have been sweet at all. It should have been less sweet—before any sugar.
I’d thought it unusually sweet, yes. I’d noticed the subtle change in the teacup’s pattern and brushed it off, yes—but still!
Don’t tell me…
“Cough—!”
I coughed again—this time, blood. The dress had been pale pink. Yet as it darkened, soaked through, it began to resemble the red dresses Elizabeth had always loved.
Why had it turned red? I didn’t know.
My head swam. I couldn’t tell if the world was spinning, or if I was. My vision blurred, fog rolling in until everything grew indistinct. I heard someone shouting urgently—but I couldn’t tell who.
My ears rang. Was it Ain? Osborne? Another young lady? Before I could even finish the thought, my body convulsed again—and then, I collapsed sideways
