After the grand banquet, I returned to the mansion. The melodies of countless instruments still seemed to linger in my ears.
“Ugh… Did I go too far…?”
After a light bath, I returned to my room, clutching my head in deep contemplation.
The gaze of Lilian, who was watching me in the banquet hall, still vividly remained in my mind.
Those pink eyes, trembling with deep betrayal, seemed like they were about to burst into tears at any moment.
Strangely, in that fleeting moment, I found that gaze somewhat appealing.
But now, the dominant emotion was guilt.
There was no reason to humiliate Lilian, after all.
For some unknown reason, the sight of Lilian set off an incomprehensible loathing within me.
Was it a feeling of my insides twisting?
“…I’ll just be nice next time.”
Burying my face in the pillow, I exhaled a short sigh, hoping to wrap up my thoughts.
Although it seemed that I had inadvertently troubled Lilian, it didn’t weigh too heavily on my mind.
Looking at the comments left by players on the strategy site, the complaints regarding playing as Lilian were somewhat similar.
You might wonder what complaints one could have while walking the flowery path as a character, but there was one frustrating setting.
That was Lilian’s inherently good nature.
Her kindness was so abundant that it made her seem like a complete pushover, excessively generous towards others.
Even toward those who had once tormented her.
Before fully awakening her powers as a saint, Lilian had to endure countless criticisms and dismissals from nobility.
If it had stopped there with just the criticisms, perhaps it would have been for the best.
She suffered from immature and petty acts of malice, such as getting tea poured over her head, being slapped across the face, and tripping her on purpose.
After awakening her powers, she gained status equal to that of the Archbishop, and those problems disappeared, but until then, Lilian had no choice but to endure continuous suffering.
Yet, the real issue was separate.
Whether it was the game developers’ intention to emphasize the saint’s nobility, once Lilian awakened her powers, she only had one choice.
Forgiveness.
Lilian forgave all the nobles who tormented her. Rather than choosing revenge, she welcomed them with a benevolent smile.
Thanks to this, she was able to raise their favorability, but for players expecting a sweet revenge, it was a highly unsatisfactory outcome.
The only one on whom Lilian exacted punishment was Mardian.
Lilian tried to forgive her until the very end, but only after experiencing an assassination attempt did she reluctantly sentence Mardian to the gallows.
To put it differently, unless there was an exceptional assassination attempt, Lilian wouldn’t have any reason to harbor resentment.
So there was no need for concern.
Moreover, I hadn’t directly committed any wrongdoing here. The one who staged the farce was someone else, and I had merely offered slightly embellished testimony.
In the first place, there was no way that Lilian would hold a grudge against me for such a minor prank, and even if she did, it would likely be against the woman who concocted that farce.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t really done anything wrong, have I?”
I just twisted the truth just a wee bit, that’s all, right?
I figured Lilian would learn through this incident not to carelessly touch nobles.
If she’d dared lay a finger on someone like Mardian, she would have had that hand cut off immediately.
I took comfort in believing my actions would end up being beneficial to Lilian.
“Heh.”
I’ll just be nicer next time.
—
Frustration bubbled within me.
Seeing Lilian smiling brightly from a distance made my insides feel as if they were boiling.
The Hibli Count family, one of the founding families of the Empire.
A small banquet was held to celebrate the birthday of its head, Dirard von Hibli.
Being a prestigious noble, many attendees were there raising their glasses in camaraderie.
‘But why is that girl here?’
My gaze fixed on a certain girl.
A lively girl with soft, pink hair swirling like cotton candy—Lilian.
She was giggling while covering her mouth, and that smile twisted my insides.
Once again, negative emotions began to rise up within me.
I gazed at Lilian, trying to suppress these inexplicable feelings.
‘…Has she already mastered noble etiquette?’
Once, she had shown a naive side, stumbling around cluelessly, but now she maintained quite a dignified poise.
Of course, some awkwardness was still apparent, but at least she didn’t come off as frivolous.
Instead of overreacting, she replied with a calm smile and stood still rather than fidgeting.
‘Weird… Isn’t it too early for Lilian to have learned aristocratic manners?’
Sharpen.
A guide that leads inexperienced noble ladies into high society.
The influence of a Sharpen is far from trivial. Depending on which noblewoman becomes a Sharpen, a young lady’s standing in high society can completely change.
Of course, our protagonist, too, would meet an outstanding Sharpen eventually.
That would be none other than the Duchess Helitiar, one of the four in the Empire and possessing the most noble character.
However, that’s still a tale for the distant future.
Even if the game progresses quickly, it would take at least a year after Lilian entered high society for Duchess Helitiar to appear on stage.
Timing-wise, it shouldn’t be possible for the two to meet yet.
Could it be that Lilian taught herself noble etiquette alone?
“Oh… there you are, Young Lady.”
Was I too lost in thought? I didn’t realize how close Lilian had come until she stood right in front of me.
“I’m glad to see you again, Lady Blanc.”
Her pink eyes sparkled far too brightly.
The last time I saw her, she had been on the verge of tears, her face twisted in betrayal.
Yet now, as if none of that had happened, she melted the surrounding atmosphere with her radiant smile.
The soft chubbiness of her cheeks against her fair skin seemed almost irresistible, while the rosy flush made her all the more endearing.
Anyone who laid eyes on her would unanimously call her lovely; her beauty left no room for dispute.
But strangely, the instant I met her gaze, my insides began to twist once more.
Negative emotions slowly welled up in my mind.
A bright person who remains undeterred under any circumstance, eventually losing none of their confidence.
Someone who firmly believes that the world, in the end, is beautiful, and that a good world will someday arrive for everyone.
Lilian’s beliefs are in stark contrast to mine.
I want to deny her.
Moreover, a growing desire to shatter her beliefs swelled within my heart.
However, whether she noticed my turmoil or not, Lilian’s expression remained annoyingly bright and clear.
“I want to thank you for what happened back then.”
“…Thank you?”
Her unexpected words baffled me. I had done nothing to warrant gratitude, so what was she thankful for?
“Thanks to you, I realized how reckless I had been. If it weren’t for you, I would have continued to act embarrassingly.”
Her eyes reflected genuine sincerity, free from any pretense.
Lilian was genuinely self-reflecting and showing gratitude towards me.
“…I see.”
Just like the Lilian I had seen in the game.
When she makes a mistake, she admits it, uses it as a stepping stone to improve, and captures the hearts of those around her, winning them over to her side.
Unlike the ugly me, Lilian is an upright person.
[Disgusting.]
Hatred whispers from my heart. That feeling begins to spread towards Lilian, intertwined with jealousy.
What could possibly be so delightful to her that she smiles so broadly?
She hasn’t enjoyed a wealthy life, having lost her parents as a child, missing out on family love, so what makes her so bold?
I sure didn’t have that kind of courage.
‘Why are you like this?’
Endless questions and rage lifted my head from suppressed emotions.
“Young Lady? Your expression doesn’t look good.”
Lilian gazed at me with curiosity.
Caught in the purity of her gaze, I quickly adjusted my own expression.
My stiff lips weren’t wearing a smile.
What kind of face am I making?
This is high society.
To be unable to even muster a grin at the banquet made me angry with myself.
“I apologize, Saint. I was caught off guard at this unexpected meeting.”
I forced a smile and looked at Lilian with innocent eyes.
Seeing a bit of brightness in my voice, Lilian seemed reassured and took a step closer.
“Since we have met like this, would you mind if we became friends?”
“…Friends?”
“Yes, I’ve heard a lot of rumors about you, Young Lady. I’ve been wanting to become close.”
“…Rumors.”
What kind of rumors could they possibly be about me?
Obedient and harmless pet?
A cute doll for high-ranking folks?
Or perhaps, they might have heard of me as a good-for-nothing parasite who clings to others to survive.
Realizing such thoughts chilled my heart.
“If it’s alright with you, Lady Blanc—”
“Are you pitying me right now?”
“Excuse me?”
I stepped closer to the startled Lilian.
I looked into her eyes.
Reflected in her bright pink eyes, my gaze looked as hollow and gloomy as a rotten fish.
I gently wrapped my hand around Lilian’s waist, pulling her into my embrace.
“Huh?”
Lilian, caught off guard as I pulled her closer, jolted slightly.
I scanned the surroundings and leaned in to whisper softly into her ear.
“So, Saint, do you want me to flatter you, too?”
“Y-yes?!”
“Do you want to treat me like a pet, just like the others do?”
“N-no, that’s not what I meant…I wanted to tell you that you’re very charming—”
“Wake up, commoner.”
“Huh?”
I pulled back to look at her.
The bright light in Lilian’s eyes dimmed slightly.
That fact brought me a twisted satisfaction.
“While others really flatter because they ‘love’, I—”
“…”
Smiling beautifully, I whispered one last thing close to her ear.
“I’ll never flatter a worthless commoner like you, so I hope you don’t get ahead of yourself.”
With my voice filled with scorn, Lilian seemed frozen, not moving an inch for a while.
