It has been a week since Mardian assaulted me.

Mother submitted a legal complaint against the Count Abreldine family to the Empire’s court, insisting that we couldn’t let this issue slide. Initially, the court was indifferent, but thanks to Viviana’s support, the investigation was clearly underway.

In conclusion, Mardian was not punished at all.

Our family received some financial compensation, and the trial was concluded in secret. While it was proven that Mardian had kidnapped me in a carriage, the attempt to assault me could not be substantiated.

There were various elaborate explanations, but the real reason was clear. The Count Abreldine was a founding hero of the Empire, while we were merely the declining Barons. Furthermore, the Count had certainly bribed the court.

In the end, Mardian faced only minimal damages and the scandal of having kidnapped me. Mother made many efforts afterward, but ultimately, she could only meet the cold wall of reality.

One night, when my mother’s face had grown increasingly grim, I secretly visited her room. The ever-composed mother was soothing her sorrows alone with alcohol late at night. I quietly sat beside her and poured her another drink, causing her to lower her head with sad eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Tina, for being such an incapable mother…”

“Don’t say that.”

I comforted my mother. She was never incapable. In fact, she was more skilled and versatile than anyone else. I moved behind her, hugged her tightly, and whispered softly into her ear to console her.

“I love you, Mother. You’re the one who cares for me the most in this world. I’ve never once not loved you, so please don’t say such hurtful things.”

“…What have I done for you?”

“That’s a bad thing to say, Mother.”

I climbed onto her lap, kissed her cheek and forehead, and soothed her self-reproach.

“I can’t even imagine what would have happened to our family without you. It’s all thanks to you that I can live happily here.”

“…Yes, I’m really grateful.”

Although she still looked a bit sad, thankfully, my mother’s expression seemed to lighten up a little. She looked at me, her cheeks flushed lightly from the alcohol, and pursed her lips.

“Tina.”

“Yes?”

“Do you remember the last time our lips touched?”

She seemed to be referring to when I accidentally kissed her on the lips instead of giving her a peck on the cheek. I worried that she might dislike me, but thankfully, she brushed it off.

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Well… if you’re okay with it, I don’t think it would be particularly bad for Mom.”

“What?”

I tilted my head in confusion, not understanding my mother’s words. She gazed at me for a moment, then shook her head vigorously and affectionately ruffled my hair.

“No, I’m just drunk. You should head back now.”

I had questions, but that marked the end of the night. It seemed my mother wasn’t completely over her anger towards Mardian, but she started dealing with family matters again as her usual self.

After that, Mardian’s name was never mentioned. My mother seemed to avoid bringing up Mardian directly for my sake.

And nothing had changed in high society either.

—

“Tina…”

“Lady Sharione.”

Sharione looked at me with eyes filled with complicated emotions. With somewhat powerless steps, I fell into her embrace. Sharione patted my back, sitting on the sofa and cradling me in her lap.

“I heard the rumors. There was an unfortunate incident with Lady Mardian.”

Sharione said as she gently stroked my hair. The other ladies around us cautiously offered their comfort.

“You must have been very startled, Tina.”

“Lady Mardian sometimes seems a bit impulsive.”

“I’m sure it was because Tina is just so adorable. Sometimes I feel impulsive urges when I see you, too.”

…I wish they would keep those kinds of remarks to themselves. Mardian’s psycho-villainess gaze was more than enough.

“It’ll be okay, Tina. Don’t blame Lady Mardian too much.”

Everyone was worried about me. However, no one strongly reproached Mardian. They likely knew very well how powerful the influence of the Count Abreldine family was.

And it made sense.

The Count Abreldine is a family deeply rooted in both the light and shadow of the Empire. It would hardly crumble for touching the daughter of a declining Baron family.

The other ladies here also couldn’t blame Mardian’s clear fault, knowing that. No matter how much they cared about me, it was still a cute pet-like affection.

There wouldn’t be any lady willing to oppose Mardian for my sake. Even the most beloved puppy is still less precious than one’s own livelihood. Well, that was the nature of the relationship I had wanted with them, so I didn’t have any major complaints.

In this situation, expressing animosity towards Mardian wouldn’t do me any good. It would be better to use this incident to gain even more favor from the ladies.

I leaned my cheek on Sharione’s shoulder, smiling faintly.

“Right… Lady Mardian must have made a mistake. I’m not blaming Lady Mardian.”

“…Tina.”

“There’s no reason to blame her, right? I like her as much as I respect you, Lady Sharione. I want to clear up the misunderstanding with Lady Mardian as soon as possible.”

Clearing up the misunderstanding, what a joke; just meeting those red eyes would probably make me want to retch. But thanks to my words, there was more affection in the way Sharione looked at me.

“Tina is really obedient.”

“I could never harbor ill will toward my masters, could I?”

“Heh, I prepared a gift because I was worried about you being upset.”

“Really? Ah, no, you don’t have to do that…”

Sharione handed me a small box next to the sofa. When I opened it, a transparent glass bead was inside.

“It’s a magic tool. If you keep it next to you while sleeping, it should help you fall asleep more peacefully.”

As Sharione tapped the glass bead with her finger, a soft light began to emanate from within, accompanied by soothing music. It really was the perfect item to keep beside me before bed, just as Sharione said.

“…Thank you so much, Lady Sharione.”

In terms of efficiency, it may not be particularly valuable, but being a magic tool, it surely must have some price. Hiding my scheming thoughts, I hugged the glass bead tightly to my chest. The weight of the magical item felt indicative of its worth.

Yes, for now, this approach seems right.

If someone were to see me, they might question why I’m still being all sweet despite what happened with Mardian, but there was really nothing to worry about.

After all, Mardian was a special case.

Just look at Sharione and Versha; they were treating me purely as a charming pet. Mardian harboring sexual desires for her pet was the real abnormality.

To begin with, she was a villain in the original game who tormented one of the protagonists, Lilian, relentlessly. Given how she tortured Lilian both mentally and physically, she must have been inherently twisted.

That I hadn’t realized this was my own negligence. However, one thing was certain: the other ladies wouldn’t cross the line like Mardian did. Not in a world where homosexuality isn’t commonplace; surely there wouldn’t be another twisted pervert like her who harbored sexual desires for another woman.

“Tina’s intent is admirable, but unfortunately, you won’t be seeing Lady Mardian for a while. The Count Abreldine has ordered her to stay in the mansion for a month.”

I swallowed a curse inwardly at Sharione’s words. Trying to rape someone and only receiving a month of confinement in the mansion? Must be nice to be a noble. While I had many complaints, the good news was I wouldn’t have to run into her for a month.

Even though I felt resentful towards Mardian, I wasn’t in a mindset of revenge. After all, I didn’t have the energy to harbor such thoughts.

Unless I had a protagonist buff like Lilian or Viviana, it would be suicidal for a mere extra like me to stand against Mardian in high society.

To be honest, there were ways to strike a fatal blow against Mardian using my knowledge of the original story and the other ladies around me, but there was no need to take that gamble.

After all, she was going to fail anyway.

This was the main reason I had no intention of taking revenge on Mardian. I didn’t have to do anything; a downfall was already in the cards for her.

Lilian Eldoria.

The protagonist of this world, like Viviana, who would later uncover all the wrongdoings of the Mardian family and eliminate the villainess. She was probably still busy with menial tasks at the temple as a low-ranking priestess.

If I’m right about the timeline, Lilian will soon receive the Saint’s blessing and make her debut in high society. When that happens, Mardian’s interest would shift back to the protagonist. Mardian’s fixation on Lilian and her tormenting couldn’t change regardless of her route in the game.

‘It’s a bit unfortunate for Lilian.’

Having to deal with a twisted pervert like Mardian. Especially with our protagonist being so good-natured that she’s labeled a pushover would make things even more troublesome for her.

But well, that wasn’t my concern.

No matter what suffering Lilian had to endure … as long as it isn’t me.