-47-
Near the fountain, a tense standoff between several young ladies was unfolding. Three ladies stood facing a single girl in front of them.
‘That’s…’
Upon closer inspection of the familiar face, it turned out to be Angelica. At her feet were shards of a broken teacup. The indifferent expression she usually wore was gone—she now looked visibly angry as she glared at the three ladies.
“Would you mind repeating what you just said?”
Her visibly upset demeanor was surprising. Of all expressions, this was the first one I got to see—anger. Her slightly raised voice startled the others.
“Why are you reacting so sensitively?”
“Yeah, we just made an innocent comment…”
One of the young ladies, sensing the gathering attention, stepped forward. She seemed to be the leader of the group. Her gaze toward Angelica remained firm and confident.
“Lady Berner. We were simply discussing the quality of products your family deals with. Was it really necessary to break a teacup over that?”
“…”
“Let’s be honest. It’s true that your family’s product quality has dropped. I don’t understand why you’d raise your voice and break a teacup just because we pointed that out.”
The lady with violet hair spoke boldly, as if she had done nothing wrong. Her indignant stance was met with silence from Angelica, who eventually opened her mouth.
“Regardless of the quality of our family’s products, what I just heard is not something I can let slide. You said, ‘Now that they’ve run out of money, they’re scrambling to sell even low-quality goods.’ How could you say such a thing?”
“Oh my, when did I ever say that? I merely commented—out of concern—that ‘since the household has fallen on hard times, they’ll have to sell as many products as possible to support themselves.’”
“You’re good at twisting your words. That’s certainly not what I heard just now.”
“Well, I’m sure that’s what I said. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, that’s exactly right.”
“Lady Berner must’ve misunderstood Lady Hwizet’s words.”
With the support of the other two ladies, Lady Hwizet smirked and spoke confidently.
“Both of them agree. Unless someone else here heard me say otherwise… Did anyone overhear?”
“……”
No one among the onlookers spoke up. Lady Hwizet glanced around, then shrugged and gave Angelica a smug look.
“No one heard it. So it seems like you misheard, Lady Berner. Or maybe you misunderstood what I meant. I only spoke out of concern, but this is rather disheartening.”
“Please don’t be too upset, Lady Hwizet. Lady Berner seems a bit on edge today.”
“Exactly. We only said it out of worry for her. Maybe she’s just under a lot of stress lately.”
“……”
Angelica’s expression hardened further at their condescending remarks. Lady Hwizet, clearly of the highest rank among them, looked triumphantly at Angelica’s silence—an infuriating sight.
It was obvious they were trying to publicly shame her, knowing no one would step up to defend her. There’s always a couple of girls like that in these stories—the petty noble ladies who pick on the heroine for no reason.
I felt like I had seen a similar scene in the original novel, but Lady Hwizet didn’t ring any bells. Perhaps she never even made it into the original story—just a background character.
Still, it pained me to see Angelica holding back. Even if she wanted to defend herself, there was no one here to take her side. I wanted to help, but I couldn’t just barge in without a plan.
“Those girls again. They’re so tiresome.”
Alexandra clicked her tongue beside me and I asked,
“Do you know them?”
“A little. I’m not close with them, but they’re pretty well-known. Especially Lady Hwizet, daughter of Count Hwizet. She’s in competition with Lady Berner’s family and won’t leave her alone.”
“Really? They were talking about products earlier. Are their families rivals in business?”
“Both families are in the ceramics business, but they belong to different factions—one to the neutral camp and the other to the imperial faction.”
“Oh, I see…”
So that’s why she was provoking her. The two families were in the same business, and to top it off, aligned with opposing political factions. No wonder sparks flew. But I didn’t recall any rival families in the original novel.
I knew Angelica’s family was in the ceramics business, but I’d never heard of any competitors. A rival from the imperial faction, huh? Maybe something happened before the story began—this might be part of that backstory.
‘Angelica’s behavior is strange, too.’
In the original, Angelica never backed down. Even if she was annoyed, she always faced her challengers head-on. Yet here, she held her tongue. It seemed the situation for her family was quite different before the story began.
As Angelica remained silent and the onlookers seemed entertained, Lady Hwizet smirked again and spoke,
“I heard the launch of your family’s new products was delayed. But you had time to come to this tea party? Or are you going around promoting them yourself now? Oh dear… it must be tough if you can’t even relax at a tea party.”
“……”
“Was it really necessary for you to attend…? It was such a lovely gathering, too…”
The sarcasm was skillfully veiled. Wasn’t she basically saying, ‘If you’re struggling so much, stay home instead of ruining the mood’?
Angelica clenched her fists, her expression stiffening in frustration, but she still didn’t speak.
Even if she responded, she was outnumbered and alone. The mood in the crowd wasn’t on her side, either. She had no way to defend herself.
Watching Angelica hang her head while Lady Hwizet stood smugly made my blood boil. A mere extra character acting like this to our heroine? I couldn’t stand by any longer.
“Tiana?”
Ignoring Alexandra’s voice, I stepped past the fountain and walked straight toward the group. Everyone’s eyes turned toward me in surprise—Angelica’s and the mean girls’ alike. I gave Angelica a slight smile, then addressed Lady Hwizet.
“Are you implying that Her Highness the Princess made a mistake by inviting Lady Berner?”
“W-What?”
“You said there was no need for Lady Berner to attend. But she’s a legitimate guest, personally invited by the princess. Why are you questioning that?”
“I-I only said that because I felt bad that she wasn’t able to enjoy herself…”
Flustered by my sudden appearance, Lady Hwizet trailed off. Her stiffened expression made me want to laugh.
“How one chooses to enjoy themselves is personal. Must they look visibly happy to count as having fun? This tea party is in a beautiful garden—perhaps she’s enjoying it quietly on her own. I saw her appreciating the sculptures earlier and sipping tea contentedly. It looked like she was enjoying it just fine to me.”
Angelica had been admiring the fountain’s carvings, and even the tea she drank had left her satisfied. Judging by the teacup fragments, she had likely been enjoying it peacefully until someone interfered.
“And you seem to know a lot about Lady Berner’s situation. Was this really the place to bring it up?”
“I was just… concerned about her…”
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you have welcomed her and offered comfort? She responded to the princess’s invitation sincerely, and now you’re saying her actions were unnecessary?”
“N-No, I didn’t mean it like that… I have no right to say such things…”
Lady Hwizet shook her head quickly, panicking. She hadn’t expected the situation to turn on her. She looked around for help—but just like before, no one stepped up. The people who had been so eager to mock Angelica now avoided eye contact.
The two girls who’d been flanking her had quietly backed away. I now stood diagonally in front of Angelica, flipping the entire situation.
Even with me stepping in, no one was siding with Lady Hwizet. No wonder she didn’t make it into the original story—she really was just a forgettable extra.
Eventually, her expression twisted into one of humiliation, and her head drooped.
I clicked my tongue and added,
“Honestly, I don’t know why you thought it was your place to say Lady Berner shouldn’t be here. Was it really necessary to air her private matters in this setting?”
“……”
“Her Highness went to great lengths to prepare this tea party. I wonder who’s truly ruining the atmosphere. From where I stand, it’s not Lady Berner.”
With a cold glare, I silenced her. Her head lowered even further. It felt like I’d just chased off a minor villain. The frustration in my chest eased, leaving me refreshed.
Well, she wasn’t even a proper villain—just a background nuisance who would’ve faded away anyway. Still, I was satisfied. I’d done it for Angelica’s sake.
I glanced at her. Her previously bowed head was now lifted, and the stiffness in her face had eased. Her eyes, wide with surprise, met mine with a warmth that made me smile without thinking.
