“It’s not like I’m happy to see you either.”
She still treated those beneath her without any of the dignity expected of a noble. Some things never change. And yet, I still had to maintain proper etiquette despite this kind of treatment?
Well, I had no choice. Since I was greeting Vivian, I couldn’t slack off. This was the perfect opportunity to show off the noble etiquette I’d been honing.
Following what I’d practiced, I bent my knees slightly and bowed my head.
“It is an honor to meet you. I am Joyce Woodville, the second daughter of the Count of Woodville.”
“Woodville? The only Woodville I know is that shameless yellow-haired girl. Where is she?”
No matter how she rolled those sharp, predatory eyes like she was looking for prey, Luna, the one she wanted to see, wasn’t here.
Her holy power affliction — something those with divine power often went through — had conveniently started last night.
“I apologize for my sister not attending your invitation, Lady Vivian. She came down with a severe illness just last night…”
Before I could even finish speaking, Vivian turned her head away from me and walked off.
Figures. To her, being ignored is worse than being insulted.
Vivian was always like that — she thoroughly ignored anything that didn’t interest her. She saved her energy for obsessing over what she did care about.
Honestly, it was a relief that Luna hadn’t come today.
In the original story, Vivian had falsely accused Luna of seducing her fiancé with help from her close noble lady friends. They tore into her like background extras hyping up a dramatic car crash — it had been unbearable to watch.
No one had stepped in to save the rabbit thrown into the tiger’s den.
As I remembered, Vivian even went so far as to pour tea all over Luna, slowly and deliberately, until she looked like a drenched rat.
Luna had refused the attention of a man Vivian wanted for herself, and Vivian had taken perverse pleasure in humiliating her for it.
Luna had simply endured it all, without resistance. That was just who she was — someone who chose to suffer in silence rather than fight back.
And Ferredil, who had witnessed the scene, had ignored soaked Luna and continued talking to Vivian instead. To be fair, he had promised Luna he would act like he didn’t know her, but still — such rigid obedience?
Now that Luna was staying home, at least she wouldn’t get hurt. Today, let’s all go home dry and clean!
“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Joyce Woodville, second daughter of the House of Woodville.”
I started exchanging light pleasantries with the surrounding nobles, trying to gauge the atmosphere.
I could feel the wary glances of nobles watching me — the daughter of a House known to support the Imperial Faction. But I’d done my homework. I brought up topics they were likely to enjoy, and a few of them soon warmed up to me.
“You’re quite well-informed for someone your age, Lady Joyce.”
“And you speak so well — it’s truly enjoyable conversing with you.”
“You’re too kind. I think having a lot of experiences from a young age has naturally broadened my horizons.”
“Hey, you! Introduce Lady Joyce from the House of Woodville!”
Friendly attitudes were nice, but I hadn’t meant to become the center of attention. People kept crowding around me, and I could hardly breathe.
At this rate, I might not even get to meet the male lead!
I was busy chatting while keeping an eye out for Ferredil when, suddenly, a powerful trombone blast signaled something big. The crowd surged forward.
“Oh, the engagement ceremony must be starting.”
“Look! The Duke of Seymour is walking in from over there.”
I had been pushed back but managed to tiptoe and catch sight of Vivian walking in with a smug smile.
She looks so happy. You’d think this forced engagement was something she actually wanted.
I didn’t give up and managed to push forward enough to get a clear view. Finally, I could see the face of the man Vivian had linked arms with.
“That must be… Ferredil Seymour…”
He was described as the most handsome man in the story, and the moment I saw him, my jaw dropped. It was like time stopped.
His features were cold, but his beauty was so breathtaking it rendered that coldness meaningless. I found it hard to breathe.
His black hair shimmered blue under the light, and his naturally tousled bangs emphasized the intensity of his gaze.
His irises, set beneath thick brows, were a chilling, captivating blue, and his sharp, double-lidless eyes were impossible to look away from.
His high nose and defined jawline exuded a cool, dangerous masculinity.
Underneath his shirt, his muscles seemed eager to burst out and show themselves, and his long legs stretched on endlessly.
I was so distracted by his face that I didn’t notice I’d been pushed all the way to the front row.
That’s when our eyes locked — and I forced the most displeased expression I could manage.
Because from now on, I had to hate him.
* * *
The engagement ceremony itself was simpler than expected.
“We thank you all for joining us to celebrate the engagement of my only daughter. Marriage is not just about sharing happy moments, but also enduring any hardships that may come…”
The stiff-looking Marquess of Boleyn, Vivian’s father, was delivering the emperor’s blessing in his place with a long, boring speech.
This wasn’t some local noble’s petty engagement — it was the engagement of a marquess’ daughter and the empire’s most favored duke. According to the original story, the emperor should’ve been here. But Luna, who normally accompanied him, couldn’t attend — and so neither did he.
So the big plot beats remained intact, but the details were shifting slightly.
In Coventine, hiding your divine power was a crime, because such power was considered essential to the empire. Those whose divine power awakened were automatically inducted into imperial service.
It was the only path to working in the palace regardless of one’s birth — a dream job for many. But Luna had entered the palace reluctantly.
Her divine power was among the strongest in the empire — powerful enough to bring people back from the brink of death — so naturally, the emperor kept her close.
Since he relied on her heavily, the emperor likely decided not to attend this aristocrat-filled event without Luna.
The House of Boleyn, after all, was a key power among the nobles who constantly eyed the throne.
Vivian smiled like a happy bride as her father spoke, but Ferredil remained expressionless throughout.
Only when Vivian jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow did he finally produce a thin, polite smile for the watching crowd.
It didn’t feel sincere, but even that slight movement of his lips made the whole place seem to brighten.
“Well, I’ll keep it brief.”
The marquess, sounding like a cranky school principal, finally moved away from the microphone after his long speech — and that was my cue.
* * *
“Oh my! Lady Vivian, aren’t you worried about never being able to use your left arm again? That ring sparkles from all the way over here!”
“Oh, you know the Duke. I kept telling him I wanted something modest, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He insisted on giving me the finest diamond that suited me best.”
Yeah, right. As if she hadn’t personally handpicked it herself.
“The two of you already seem so close — it’s no exaggeration to say you’re the empire’s most perfect couple.”
“Exactly! It’s still early in the day, but I’d say things must be getting hot between you two lately, right?”
“Haha, they just can’t keep their hands off each other, I bet?”
Pfft. Please. She won’t even look him in the eye unless they’re in public.
Watching the noble ladies crowd around Vivian, their nasal voices full of fake praise, made me nauseous.
Still, I had to get used to this sort of aristocratic nonsense.
After the ceremony, Vivian arranged a tea party with her closest noble-lady friends — all supporters of the noble faction. I, the only imperial faction noblewoman present, was clearly the odd one out.
In the original story, this tea party had been a trap for Luna. It was considered impolite for a count’s daughter to reject a marquess’ daughter’s invitation, so I came in her stead.
When I told Vivian I’d attend instead, she’d smirked and said, “Really? That’ll be fun.”
It was obvious she planned to toy with me in Luna’s place.
“I recently returned from a vacation to Sai Island…”
“Well, the Baroness Olivia said last time…”
Decked out in glittering jewels, the noble ladies chatted on and on, treating me like I was invisible.
Just as I started to get bored, Vivian signaled one of the ladies next to me.
So, it’s starting now?
The girl who received the signal leaned toward me with a friendly smile and said,
“You’re Lady Joyce, right?”
