Chapter 13
The shop was quietly pleasant and appropriately elegant — the kind of place where young ladies met in secret.
The tea house was wide, doubling as a gallery; it could almost pass for an art museum. People had taken seats in front of the paintings and were chatting softly.
Prim glanced at the young ladies enjoying tea before the paintings. There were several of them, but one group in particular caught her eye.
Their dresses looked expensive at a glance and their manners were refined. They were undoubtedly aristocratic young ladies who met secretly to enjoy gossip.
“…So I heard that he’s amazing in that bed.”
“Oh my, really?”
“I’m telling you! It’s like an animal roaring…”
A low whisper snagged Prim’s ears.
Were they here just to talk about that?
‘No wonder they meet in secret,’ Prim thought, nodding. She leaned toward where the conversation was coming from and sat down nearby. The talk continued — his strength is that great, he broke the bed, he can pin someone so they can’t get up, he exhausts them so much they sleep all day, and so on.
Though the words were the kind that would make anyone blush if overheard, their tones remained supremely elegant.
Prim was sipping coffee and enjoying the conversation when suddenly — “Oh no!”
She snapped back to attention. She hadn’t come here to eavesdrop on that kind of conversation. Blaming her ears for their instincts, she stood up and scanned the gallery with hawk-like eyes.
And then she saw her: a young lady with hair as black as ebony and eyes red like rubies.
‘…Hmm.’
But she wasn’t alone.
‘Two candidates for today, then.’
Prim picked up her coffee cup and moved closer to where the beautiful candidates were seated. She leaned in and stored their conversation in her head — the more information, the easier the approach.
Beauty Candidate 1 spoke in an elegant voice.
“…Lately I’ve been learning different painting techniques.”
“My goodness, Lady Silvia, you’re talented in so many fields. I struggle even with one.”
“I can barely manage a sketch. Seeing you makes me admire Lady Silvia even more.”
“Come to think of it, didn’t Count Lertang’s paintings get a lot of praise from His Majesty the Emperor? How wonderful. I envy a family whose talent endures through generations.”
They were lavishing one girl with praise. Prim glanced sideways at them.
‘Her name is Silvia Lertang.’
Prim stored that information in her mind. The beauty seated at the center — Silvia — looked like a well-raised young lady at first glance. Glossy black hair and shining red eyes, even a light, gentle smile. She was supremely beautiful, but there was an unsettling undercurrent Prim couldn’t put her finger on.
Prim trusted her instincts and narrowed her brow without realizing it.
“Oh, by the way, have you heard?” Silvia changed the subject. It was clear she was steering the meeting.
“Isn’t it soon the 7th Princess’s birthday?”
A flash of nervousness crossed the other young ladies’ faces. Silvia, looking a bit embarrassed, continued.
“I’m honored that the Princess wants to see my paintings, so I received an official invitation to the birthday party. But… I have no one to go with.”
Silvia smiled and covered her mouth with a fan as if shy.
‘She sounds like she’s hiding something,’ Prim thought.
Contrary to Prim’s suspicion, the other young ladies brightened as soon as Silvia finished speaking.
“Oh my. I just happened to be summoned by the Princess as well.”
“Me too.”
“How nice. Then we can go together.”
A brief, mean look crossed Silvia’s softly smiling face. Prim’s eyes narrowed.
“…But Lady Elina.”
Silvia’s gaze landed on a woman who had been smiling awkwardly; everyone’s attention turned to Lady Elina. She was the other candidate — black hair, red eyes.
Elina blinked in surprise and fidgeted like someone guilty of a small mistake.
“Lady Elina, why are you saying nothing? Did you not receive an invitation?”
“Well…”
“I assumed we’d go together and brought it up… but you’ve remained silent.”
Silvia added with a smile, feigning concern.
Prim finally shifted her focus to Elina. Because Silvia had attracted so much attention, Prim hadn’t even noticed Elina except when first scanning the gallery. Silvia’s flashy presence drew all the eyes; compared to that, Elina seemed like air — present yet not, almost transparent. Her tentative glances and forced smiles revealed her social standing.
‘Probably from a less influential family,’ Prim guessed. It was clear they were ganging up on one person.
The other young ladies chimed in, watching Silvia.
“Oh my, surely she wasn’t invited?”
“What do you mean, Lady Helen? Don’t say that — it would be rare for someone not to be invited.”
Their overdone denials only hurt Elina further. Prim frowned.
“Don’t be too disappointed, Lady Elina.”
Silvia offered a consoling line.
“Perhaps the Princess simply forgot. She might call later. Let’s wait together.”
“…”
“By the way, would you like to study painting with me? I’m learning a technique from a new instructor that’s all the rage. If you paint as I show you, the Princess might take notice of you too.”
Silvia’s generous tone was actually condescending. “Look at this. I finished it a few days ago.”
Silvia touched the canvas placed beside her. The other young ladies — all except Elina — exchanged glances.
‘Wait, what is that?’
Prim read the shifting looks. Her instincts, sharpened by countless drama novels and stories, began to shout.
Prim put on the hood and mask she had brought in advance. Then she rushed over and, pretending to be clumsy, let the coffee cup in her hand slip.
Crash!
The sound drew everyone’s eyes to her.
“Aaah!”
“Oh my goodness!”
Prim, making an exaggerated choking noise, bowed toward Silvia. She’d kept a safe distance so no one would actually be hurt, but an ugly stain landed on the hem of Silvia’s dress.
“What is this…!” Silvia grabbed at her dress in alarm.
“I’m so sorry,” Prim adopted an old-womanly tone on purpose and grabbed Silvia’s dress hem. “My hands are awkward… I’m so sorry.”
“…It’s alright.”
But Silvia’s face tightened despite the words.
“I would like to apologize properly…”
Prim drew out the last words in a slow voice. Silvia looked at her with displeasure.
At that moment Prim shuddered and spoke in a startled voice.
“Black hair and red eyes…”
She murmured it loud enough for them to hear, placing a hand over her chest and asking in a trembling voice,
“You must have a lot of worries because of your father.”
“Huh?”
“Lately you’ve been under pressure about marriage, haven’t you?”
“…!”
Silvia’s eyes widened.
In a class-based society, marriages were alliances between families; arranged marriages were the norm. Silvia also had a faint mark on her left ring finger — a spot where a ring must have been. Choosing to leave a ring off at a young ladies’ gathering suggested she didn’t want that fact known.
‘How naive,’ Prim thought, wiping away a sly smile. Controlling expression is essential when pulling a con.
“When I touched you, an image of your father came to me. At that moment I could read your soul.”
“That can’t be…”
Silvia shook her head in disbelief.
“Isn’t your father black-haired with red eyes?”
“Yes…”
“And your name is… Silvia Lertang, right?”
“How… how did you know that?”
Prim decided to drive the wedge further — she’d overheard their conversation and seen the black hair and red eyes. She continued to press.
“Ah, I can see it. The poison in your heart…”
Prim clutched her head as if suffering a headache.
“That stubborn personality and that stubbornness to get what you want…”
Silvia’s eyes widened at Prim’s accurate hits.
“You know it just like that…”
“It’s really all visible, isn’t it.”
The young ladies beside them made small impressed noises.
Prim, pleased with her lucky guesses, pressed on.
“Ah, and indeed. Your soul sent a distress signal asking me to save it.”
“This is impossible…”
“If not, how could you know my name, personality, and inner conflicts?”
“…”
Silvia brushed her gooseflesh-covered arm quietly. Prim seized the opportunity and went in deeper.
“You don’t seem to like the person your father chose for you.”
“That’s right. At first I had high hopes, but he’s short…”
Silvia, seemingly unaware of herself, began to complain with wounded feelings. Prim had gotten her clue and didn’t let go.
“He’s ugly. I can tell just by looking. He’s not your type.”
“Yes! How did you know?”
Silvia nodded repeatedly as Prim echoed her sentiments. The other young ladies watched Prim in awe as if she’d performed a miracle.
‘Now’s my chance.’
Prim smiled triumphantly and said,
“There is a way to get rid of that man…”
