Chapter 71

In the icy silence.

Lillian said nothing in response to my accusations filled with malice.

As if she had become mute, her lips remained tightly shut, not even twitching.

I smiled contentedly as I watched her.

Since I only whispered softly, no one would have heard our conversation.

From a distance, we must have looked like we were having an intimate conversation.

“Have a good time, Lady Lillian.”

I turned around with a perfectly measured smile on my face.

The kind of smile that’s neither too bright nor too dark, commonly used in social circles.

And without any lingering attachment, I slowly walked away from her.

But—

“Lady Blanchard.”

Lillian’s low, subdued voice echoed behind me.

At the same time, her grip on my wrist tightened, holding me back.

“Ha…”

A surge of irritation rose within me.

For someone who claims to have learned noble etiquette, she still has this habit of grabbing people so rudely.

I slowly turned around, fully intending to criticize her impolite behavior.

But before my sarcastic remark could leave my lips, I paused for a moment, feeling the intense heat radiating from her hand.

The heat traveled up my wrist.

As if flames were devouring everything in their path.

It quickly enveloped my body, beginning to burn me.

“Ah?!”

Instinctively, I twisted my body in pain, trying to shake off my arm.

I pushed her away so hard that Lillian stumbled back several steps.

‘What was that just now…?’

For a brief moment, I felt an intense heat, as if my entire body was on fire.

It was so intense that I almost felt like my whole body was screaming in agony.

I brushed my trembling hand over my wrist.

The inexplicable heat still lingered there.

But no matter how much I looked, my wrist was pale and thin, with no burn marks, perfectly clean.

As I stared at my wrist in confusion, Lillian was also gazing at her palm.

After staring at it for a while with an unusual expression, she slowly clenched her fist.

And in that moment, her gaze turned serious and fixed on me.

“Did I perhaps make a mistake towards Lady Blanchard?”

The atmosphere shifted instantly, sending a shiver down my spine.

“Y-yes…?”

“I feel like you dislike me.”

Those eyes, which always seemed so pure, were no longer the same.

They were calm yet piercing, with a depth I couldn’t fathom.

Instinctively, I swallowed dryly under her gaze.

‘Get a grip. This is the social circle.’

Clumsiness could be seen as harmless charm, but looking foolish was absolutely unacceptable.

I quickly composed my expression and forced a faint smile towards Lillian.

“Y-you seemed to have made a mistake just now. Your habit of grabbing people so rudely is still there, huh?”

“I’m sorry, I’ll apologize for that. Is there anything else?”

“…That’s it.”

“Tell me. If it’s something I can fix, I’ll fix it.”

The reason I dislike Lillian. Ridiculously, nothing specific came to mind.

Aside from the fact that our ideologies are completely opposite, there was no reason for me to harbor any negative feelings towards her.

Lillian silently waited for my answer.

But I couldn’t say anything.

“…I’m not feeling well, so I’ll take my leave first.”

In the end, I had no choice but to smile as if nothing was wrong and leave the scene.

As if I were running away.

※

“Ha… seriously…”

I buried my face in the pillow and let out a deep sigh. I don’t even remember what expression I had when I returned to the mansion after leaving the banquet.

My mother kept asking if I was okay, probably because I looked so terrible. After reassuring her for a while, I finally managed to return to my room like this.

“Why am I like this…?”

I couldn’t understand it myself. I was perfectly fine until I entered the banquet hall, but the moment I saw Lillian’s face, my mood plummeted.

It felt like I had fallen into a deep swamp. Like my mood was rotting away.

It’s not like I have bipolar disorder, but can my mood really change so drastically in an instant?

At first, I tried to brush it off as just a bad mood, but this is already the second time.

This is definitely not normal.

If this continues, it’s going to seriously disrupt my smooth social life.

“Maybe… do I have a saintess allergy or something?”

Like a constitution that doesn’t agree with holy power? Or… maybe a phobia related to the color pink?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t figure out the reason.

In the end, unable to find a proper cause, I rolled around on the bed, tormented by guilt and confusion.

And the conclusion I came to was simply that I disliked her for no reason.

They say love has no reason, right? Then isn’t it possible to dislike someone without a reason too?

My mother in my past life was like that. She would beat me, starve me, and lock me up for no reason, saying I was like a bug that made her sick just by looking at me.

And yet, I remember clinging to her affection every night, longing for it.

The discomfort and disgust I feel now—maybe my mother in my past life felt the same way when she looked at me.

Only now do I feel like I can understand her a little.

That thought made me both happy and sad at the same time.

I kicked off the heavy blanket and got up from the bed, walking over to the mirror.

As I gently placed my hand on the mirror, the cold sensation of the glass traveled through my fingertips. Somehow, it felt like it was calming my mind.

“Are you… there?”

[Always.]

As the familiar voice responded, the loneliness that had been enveloping me disappeared in an instant.

The woman smiling back at me from the mirror had a face exactly like my mother from my past life.

I told her everything that had happened today. As always, since our time to talk was limited, I hurriedly poured out my words.

My childhood friend listened to my story, then rested her chin on her hand and made a deep, thoughtful expression.

[A saintess, you say? She doesn’t seem like a good person to me.]

“…Really? You think so too?”

[Of course, there are no truly good people, Tina. Everyone wears a mask. Haven’t I told you that many times?]

“Yeah, you have.”

[The kinder the mask, the uglier the true face hidden beneath it.]

“Right.”

[So it’s only natural that you dislike her. There’s nothing wrong with you.]

Her words settled softly in my heart. Like a gentle breeze passing by, a sense of comfort slowly spread through me.

As always, she knew exactly what I needed to hear.

“…But I’ll have to face her many times in the future. I don’t know what to do.”

[If you don’t want to see her, then don’t see her. Simple, right?]

“It’s not that easy… If I go to social events, I’ll inevitably run into her.”

Lillian will continue to attend countless banquets, expanding her influence.

Avoiding her would mean leaving the social scene, which would only put me at a disadvantage.

As the daughter of a powerless, incompetent baron, the only way I can survive as a noble is by feeding off the attention other young ladies give me.

The social circle is my only means of survival.

It’s so unfair.

With just the title of ‘Saintess,’ Lillian will soon have the support of countless citizens and the temple, and now she’s trying to take over the social circle too.

Looking back now, there’s no one as greedy as her.

If only Lillian would stay out of the social circle, how much better it would be.

After all, she’ll live well even without the social circle, thanks to her title as the Saintess.

“Ah.”

I suddenly widened my eyes and stared blankly at the mirror.

My childhood friend gave me a faint smile and slowly faded away.

It was ridiculous.

The answer was so simple and clear, yet I hadn’t realized it until now.

I never wanted to face Lillian in the social circle again.

But for me, the social circle isn’t just a luxury—it’s a matter of survival.

I can’t just leave it, so there’s only one way.

“All I have to do is drive Lillian out of the social circle, right?”

That clear solution brought a smile to my lips.

It’s only been a few years since Lillian rose from a commoner to the position of Saintess.

Many nobles still find her presence disagreeable.

Driving out a Saintess who hasn’t fully awakened shouldn’t be too difficult.

I don’t even need to worry about her seeking revenge later.

“As long as I don’t directly antagonize her, there’s no problem, right?”

Mardian relentlessly tormented Lillian, stepping forward herself. With her ruthless personality, she had no qualms about it.

But I don’t have that kind of courage, so it’s impossible for me.

Instead.

There are plenty of masters who can drive her out for me.

“I should host a tea party.”

A light smile spread across my lips.

I calmly sat at my desk and took out a piece of stationery.

“To my beloved and respected Lady Bersha…”

On the pure white paper.

Ink filled with dark malice began to spread.

※

It looked at its own hand.

As if scorched by eternal flames, deep, dark burn marks were etched into the pale forearm.

[There’s something annoying in this world.]

It spread its palm in front of its lips and gently blew on it.

The thick darkness gathered on the palm began to scatter like dust.

Disgust, jealousy, resentment, murderous intent.

All the negative emotions of the world filled the space, rising like a tide.

Even the faint light that remained lost its strength in the darkness, slowly but surely being consumed.

[Sorry for lying, Tina.]

A saintess hiding ugliness within her?

What nonsense.

She is the pure essence of ‘good.’

The incarnation of a savior who will never fall, guiding humanity to the light.

If left alone, she will one day lead even my Tina to that light.

How dare.

A foolish servant of God, bowing at the feet of an angel, coveting what is mine.

[Tina must always be unhappy by my side.]

The owner of that lovely, fragile soul is one and only.

It is me alone.