Chapter 7
Emma chased after Eve, who was walking ahead of her, wearing a confused expression, clearly unable to understand why her mistress was acting this way.
But Eve quickened her pace to avoid raising any useless hopes. Arsen wouldn’t come. He had never come before, and this time wouldn’t be any different. Perhaps if it were someone else…
“Unless Arsen isn’t actually Arsen?”
Eve let out a dry laugh at her own absurd imagination. What on earth was she thinking? Maybe the betrayal had hurt her more than she realized, making her think such ridiculous things.
Soon, the carriage Eve had boarded began to move. She composed herself and steadied her shaken heart.
Now was the time for her favorite little revenge.
“Welcome, madam.”
Eve handed over the invitation in response to the gatekeeper’s greeting and stepped inside. A moment later, the gatekeeper loudly announced:
“The Duchess of Fontaine has arrived!”
With that single name, dozens of eyes turned toward one spot—where Eve now stood. Their gazes felt like piercing needles against her skin.
But no one dared greet her casually. As the awkward silence dragged on, someone finally broke it—Eve herself.
“Hello, everyone? Isn’t there even one noble among you who remembers your manners enough to greet me?”
According to imperial etiquette, guests at a tea party were supposed to welcome those who arrived later. Eve had pointed out that very rule. At her words, the nobles’ faces turned red with embarrassment.
The wife of the Chancellor, the Duchess of Bonaparte, rushed over belatedly to greet her.
“Duchess Fontaine. My apologies for the late greeting.”
“No need to apologize, Duchess Bonaparte. Thank you for inviting me today.”
“Oh, don’t mention it. It’s a pleasure to have you. We’ve prepared a seat for you over here.”
Eve followed the Duchess of Bonaparte to her seat. There sat Countess Dubois, Lady Alain, and a few others. It was the exact same scene from before her regression.
“Oh my, hello? I didn’t expect you to actually come.”
“Well, I was invited—of course I came.”
Eve responded smoothly to Countess Dubois’s sarcastic remark and sat down with grace.
Seeing her unusually stunning appearance today, both Countess Dubois and Lady Alain frowned in displeasure. Eve smirked inwardly at the sight.
Before her regression, they had ridiculed her for wearing cheap clothes, calling her tasteless and disrespectful to the Bonapartes. But this time, Eve had put special care into her attire. So even if they wanted to criticize, they couldn’t find anything to nitpick.
“Well now, what a shame. I’m just getting started.”
After sipping her tea, Eve suddenly spoke, as if something just came to mind.
“Speaking of which, Lady Alain, your dress seems a bit poorly tailored. May I ask which designer made it?”
Lady Alain flinched, as though struck by something.
“W-What? How could you say such a thing?! This dress was custom-made at Veronique’s Boutique!”
“Veronique’s? The same boutique that supplies the imperial court?”
As expected. Eve tilted her head with an innocent look.
“How odd. My dress was also custom-made there—by Madame Veronique herself. But she said that you hadn’t placed any orders recently.”
“…! Th-There must be some misunderstanding…”
Sensing the growing attention of others, Lady Alain tried to explain, but Eve didn’t give her the chance. She calmly closed her fan and continued in an elegant tone:
“Oh, right. I happened to hear that your father, Marquis Alain, made a poor investment? Something about a risky mining venture and being scammed… I heard the damage was quite substantial.”
“H-How do you know that?!”
“How else? I lived through it before.”
While the scandal wouldn’t become public knowledge for quite some time, Eve already knew about it due to her past life. Because of the financial troubles, Lady Alain couldn’t afford dresses from high-end shops and had settled for a cheaper one.
“And yet she had the nerve to mock me.”
Even now, it was infuriating. While the rivalry between their families—both in the wine business—was known, Lady Alain’s hostility felt unusually personal.
Now, Eve realized that maybe, just maybe, Lady Alain had also fallen for that foolish Arsen at some point. She vaguely remembered hearing they’d been childhood friends.
“Well then—”
As Eve thought that, a sharp voice cut in.
“Duchess Fontaine, your words are excessive. Spreading baseless rumors is hardly dignified.”
It was Countess Dubois, one of Arsen’s many past lovers. Though he’d dropped her quickly—typical of him—Eve suspected she still had lingering feelings.
“And yet she took it out on me, who had done nothing wrong.”
Eve had always avoided social gatherings due to her poor health and busy life. But these two women played a big part in her isolation.
This time was different. She had no intention of being their doormat ever again.
“If what I said is baseless, then I suppose we’ll find out by watching Lady Alain’s reaction. Or perhaps by checking the loose threads on her dress?”
Laughter rippled through the crowd.
The Duchess of Fontaine, once thought dull and slow, had changed. Sensing this, the nobles’ attitudes began to shift.
Ignoring the now-red-faced Lady Alain, Countess Dubois spoke with feigned calm:
“Even if it’s true, exposing someone’s flaws in front of others is unkind. Shouldn’t a duchess know better?”
“Oh? Then why did you wear the necklace my husband gave you—to this event, of all places?”
“…!”
Countess Dubois quickly grabbed the peridot necklace around her neck. Eve sneered at the pitiful gesture.
Countess Dubois hadn’t expected Eve to know the necklace’s origin. She faltered briefly, but quickly recovered.
“Indeed, I did. The Duke of Fontaine is a free spirit, isn’t he? His heart wanders freely—though it never seems to land on you.”
A sharp remark. The old Eve might have burst into tears. But not this time.
“Really? Did you know that necklace costs only 50,000 gold? He also gave the same one to Marilyne, a barmaid—and to my maid Sophie.”
“Wh-What?!”
Countess Dubois turned pale, horrified to realize she’d been lumped in with commoners.
“And to think you wore it proudly—that says a lot about your taste.”
This time, whispers spread among the nobles instead of laughter. Countess Dubois, who had always claimed she was special to Arsen, now faced total humiliation.
“My husband once asked me to buy a few of those as gifts. Perhaps yours was one of them.”
“L-Lies… That’s a lie!”
Countess Dubois screamed in protest, but Eve simply tilted her head. Her serene expression showed no hint of smugness—only quiet truth.
“That should do.”
But just as Eve turned to savor her perfect victory—
“Duchess, is the Duke of Fontaine not joining you? I noticed you arrived alone.”
Caught off guard, Eve turned toward the unfamiliar voice.
“Yes, I came alone.”
“Oh dear. Where’s your husband, then?”
“Probably wrapped in some other woman’s skirts.”
Someone said it loud enough for all to hear, and the nobles chuckled quietly. The laughter behind their fans stung more than outright ridicule.
This time, Eve couldn’t even retort. It wasn’t just Countess Dubois and Lady Alain—there were so many who disliked her.
So many people hated her.
“What did I do wrong…? My only crime was dying unjustly.”
Had she truly done something wrong? Was loving Arsen—being deceived by him and eventually dying—such a terrible sin?
“Why does everyone hate me? Why only me and not them…?”
Then, the voices of the maids from her past echoed in her mind.
“The madam’s so foolish. What is she even hoping for, staying with him?”
“If it were me, I’d have divorced him out of shame.”
“Didn’t even her own family abandon her? She must have nowhere to go.”
“Ugh, I hate waiting on her. I’ll bring her meal later.”
Now, it felt like those same voices were whispering behind the nobles’ fans.
Though it wasn’t real, the contempt and scorn she’d endured for so long came rushing back like reality. In less than a month, she still hadn’t escaped the past.
And she had no one to lean on. Back then, and even at the moment of her death…
“I… I…”
Eve staggered backward in confusion. Among all these people, she felt unbearably lonely and miserable.
Could she truly live differently this time? When she was still so weak…?
“Eve.”
At that moment, a familiar voice called her name. Familiar, yet strange—because she’d never heard her name spoken with such warmth and affection in that voice before.
