In the chilling silence, Lilian remained utterly mute in response to my scornful accusations, as if she had become dumb, her lips sealed tight, betraying not the slightest twitch.
I gazed at her expression, smiling smugly.
I had only whispered, so surely no one could eavesdrop on our exchange.
From afar, we must have appeared merely as two acquaintances sharing a pleasant conversation.
“Have a good time, Lady Lilian.”
I turned away, wearing a smile that was neither too bright nor too dark, the kind commonly seen in high society.
Without any lingering attachment, I slowly distanced myself from her.
However—
“Lady Blanc,”
Lilian’s low voice echoed behind me.
At the same moment, her hand clamped down hard on my wrist, halting my steps.
“Ugh…”
A surge of irritation bubbled up within me.
She claimed to know noble etiquette, yet she still had the audacity to grab someone so carelessly.
With intentions of reprimanding her rudeness, I rotated my body slowly.
But before my mocking words could escape my lips, the intense warmth I felt from her grasp made me pause for a moment.
That heat surged up my wrist.
It enveloped me quickly, like flames consuming everything in their path.
“Gah?!”
Instinctively, I twisted away as a feeling akin to searing pain coursed through me, pushing her arm away violently.
The force I exerted sent Lilian staggering back several steps.
‘What was that just now…?’
It was only for a moment, but I felt an overwhelming heat, as if my entire being was ablaze.
It was almost as if my body was screaming in agony from that heat.
With trembling fingers, I brushed my wrist.
The heat lingered, inexplicable and mysterious.
Yet no matter how I examined it, my wrist remained pale and slender, devoid of even a single burn mark, entirely unscathed.
As I stared at my wrist in confusion, Lilian was also fixated on her palm.
With an odd expression, she stared at her hand for a long while before slowly clenching it into a fist.
Then, at that moment, her gaze shifted, becoming gravely serious as it settled on me.
“Is it possible I’ve made a mistake with you, Lady Blanc?”
The atmosphere around us had abruptly shifted, causing my skin to crawl.
“Yes, yes…?”
“I just sensed that you might dislike me.”
Those eyes, usually so innocent, were no longer the same.
They were calm yet relentlessly sharp, unfathomably deep.
I instinctively swallowed hard at that gaze.
‘Snap out of it. This is high society.’
While clumsiness might appear as harmless charm, I absolutely could not allow myself to look foolish.
I hurriedly adjusted my expression, forcing a faint smile at Lilian.
“You, um, seemed to make a mistake just now. That shabby habit of grabbing people’s hands hasn’t changed, has it?”
“I’m sorry, I’ll apologize for that. Is there anything else?”
“…Well…”
“Tell me. If it’s something I can fix, I will.”
The reasons for my dislike of Lilian seemed absurdly absent.
Aside from the fact that our ideals were complete opposites, I had no real negative feelings toward her.
Lilian awaited my answer in silence.
But I found myself at a loss for words.
“…I don’t feel well, so I’ll excuse myself.”
Ultimately, I had no choice but to smile as if nothing were wrong and leave the scene, much like I was fleeing.
“Ha… Really…”
Burying my face in a pillow, I let out a deep sigh. I couldn’t even recall what expression I wore when I returned to the mansion after exiting the banquet hall.
Noticing my obviously poor demeanor, Mother repeatedly asked if I was alright. Only after reassuring her for some time was I able to retreat to my room.
“Why am I acting like this…?”
Even I couldn’t comprehend it. Up until I entered the banquet hall, I had been perfectly fine, but just seeing Lilian’s face caused my mood to plummet suddenly.
As if sinking into a deep swamp; I could feel my feelings rotting away.
Was it possible for someone’s mood to fluctuate so drastically in an instant?
Initially, I thought I could chalk it up to a mere moment of bad luck, but now it was already the second time.
This was far from normal.
If this continued, surely my smooth journey in high society would be at risk.
“Could it be that I have a saint allergy?”
What if my body simply didn’t suit divine power? Or could it be an irrational phobia related to pink?
No matter how much I thought about it, the cause eluded me.
In the end, having failed to find a suitable explanation, I lay in bed, tormented by a gradually pricking sense of guilt and confusion.
The conclusion I reached was that I simply disliked her without reason.
After all, isn’t it said that love has no reason? So then, it shouldn’t be odd to dislike someone without cause.
My mother in my previous life was like that too. She treated me like a pest, rigorously beating, starving, and confining me for no apparent reason.
Yet still, I find myself longing for her affection, clinging to her every night.
Now I could somewhat understand her feelings.
The joy I felt from that realization was mixed with a simultaneous wave of sadness.
Kicking off the heavy blanket weighing down on me, I rose from my bed and approached the mirror.
Gently placing my hand on the glass revealed the cold sensation flowing through my fingertips. Somehow, it seemed to calm my heart.
“Are you… there?”
[Always.]
As the familiar voice echoed back, the loneliness that had enveloped me moments before vanished in an instant.
The woman in the mirror, smiling back at me, had a face strikingly similar to my mother from my previous life.
I poured out to her everything that had transpired that day. As always, my time to converse with her was limited, so I hurriedly spouted out my thoughts.
My childhood friend listened intently, resting her chin in thought, a serious expression crossing her face.
[Did you say ‘saint’? Honestly, I’m not getting good vibes from her.]
“…Really? Do you think so too?”
[Of course. There are no truly good people, Tina. Everyone wears a mask. Haven’t I told you that multiple times?]
“Yeah, that’s true.”
[The kinder the mask appears, the more hideous the true self usually is.]
“Exactly.”
[So it’s only natural that you dislike her. You’re not strange at all.]
Her words settled softly in my heart. Like a gentle breeze, warm feelings began to fill me from within.
As always, she articulated exactly what I most needed to hear.
“…But we’ll likely encounter each other frequently in the future, and I’m not sure what to do.”
[Well, if you don’t want to see her, then just don’t look at her?]
“That’s easier said than done… Once I’m in high society, I’ll inevitably run into her.”
Lilian would continue to attend countless banquets, expanding her influence.
Avoiding her would only be detrimental to me in the realm of socializing.
As the daughter of an incompetent baron, lacking both strength and ability, my only means of surviving as a noble is feeding off the attention from other young ladies.
High society was my only way to survive.
It felt so unfair.
With just the title of a ‘saint,’ Lilian would quickly gain support from numerous citizens and the temple, and now she was attempting to dominate high society as well!
Looking back, it seemed there was no woman more greedy than her.
How wonderful it would be if Lilian didn’t step into high society at all.
After all, she could live well with the title of ‘saint’ without setting foot in the social scene.
“Oh.”
In an instant, I widened my eyes, staring blankly into the mirror.
My childhood friend gave me one last gentle smile before gracefully fading away.
It was funny.
The answer had been incredibly simple and clear, right in front of me, and yet I hadn’t realized it until now.
I no longer wanted to cross paths with Lilian in high society.
Yet for me, high society wasn’t a mere luxury; it was akin to a lifeline.
I had no choice but to remain there, so there was only one way forward.
“I just need to chase Lilian out of high society, right?”
That clear solution brought a smile to my lips.
It had barely been a few years since Lilian had risen from commoner to saint.
There were still many nobles who likely disapproved of her.
It shouldn’t be too difficult to displace a saint who hadn’t fully awakened yet.
I won’t even need to worry about her plotting revenge against me one day.
“As long as I don’t personally torment her, it should be fine, right?”
Mardian had endlessly tormented Lilian herself, but her vicious nature meant she had no one to back her.
But me? I lacked that kind of audacity; it would be difficult.
Instead, support to chase her out would be more than sufficient.
“I should host a tea party.”
A light smile grazed my lips.
I calmly sat down at my desk and took out some stationery.
“To my beloved and respected Versha…”
On the pristine white paper, dark malice began to spread out like ink.
