‘I suddenly feel the reality of being in this story, folks.’
The social mind games I had only ever read about in novels were now something I was experiencing firsthand.
It seemed clichés were clichés for a reason. Just as I was watching them with intrigued eyes, a woman who had been observing my reactions carefully covered her mouth with her hand and spoke.
“By the way, did the Grand Duke leave already?”
“Indeed. I thought you two would be attending the party together.”
“…Oh dear, my lady. Surely not. Their relationship is far from ordinary.”
“Well…”
“Is there anyone in the Empire who doesn’t know of the Grand Duke and Duchess’s reputation?”
They laughed, their gazes sweeping over me from head to toe. Isabella hid a satisfied smile behind her fan, clearly pleased with herself.
‘Look at these people.’
They were picking a fight with the Grand Duchess just to please a mere marquis’s daughter?
Even if the Howard family was influential, this was blatant insubordination.
And yet, no one in this greenhouse dared to point out their behavior.
From this alone, I could tell just how far Eloise’s reputation had fallen.
‘Ian, that jerk….’
I couldn’t help but resent Ian for letting things get to this point.
When I got home, I should trip him up and act like I didn’t know anything.
Despite my silent annoyance, these people seemed in no hurry to stop their taunts. Even though I hadn’t said a word.
“Just escorting her to the door… If it were me, I’d be too embarrassed and would have left immediately.”
“Oh my, that’s harsh. But the Grand Duchess did grace us with her rare appearance today!”
“I’m only saying. Isn’t that right, Your Grace?”
The women giggled as they looked me up and down.
“Well… the Grand Duke didn’t even glance at his childhood friend, who used to follow him around everywhere.”
“Oh, right. What was her name again? Anyway, she was so ashamed she went abroad to study.”
“Oh dear… but I must say, Your Grace has a rather bold and dignified presence.”
‘Oh, you little….’
For the first time, my composed expression cracked.
Frankly, if they were only insulting me, I wouldn’t care.
In a year, I’d be free of all this nonsense and happily living my single life.
The problem was that these people were subtly dragging Diana into their mockery just to take a jab at me.
‘That’s something I can’t let slide.’
I can tolerate insults directed at me, but not at my “child.” Do you know what makes a keyboard warrior the angriest? Is it when people hurl insults at them? When they bring up their parents? No. It’s when they mess with their “child.”
I looked them over before raising my lips into a broad smile.
“Oh my.”
My sweet tone caused a brief silence. I glanced around at them with a gentle smile.
“I never realized how much attention I’ve been getting from all of you. You’re all so thoughtful.”
“…What?”
“How considerate of you to be so attentive to me and the Grand Duke. If I had known you cared so much, I would’ve met with you all much sooner.”
“…Your Grace?”
“As you mentioned, I’ve been rather busy taking care of matters within the Grand Duke’s household. With him being so occupied with state affairs, I’ve also had my hands full.”
My innocent laughter caused them to exchange glances, clearly unsure of how to react to someone who wasn’t offended but rather acting like a screw was loose.
Normally, this situation would be quite a blow to any noblewoman’s pride.
But why should I care? After years of surviving fan wars and harsh comments from male protagonist fandoms, I had built up quite a resilience.
I wouldn’t let something like this shake me.
I glanced around the group, then averted my eyes as if embarrassed, raising one hand to my cheek.
“…Actually, I must admit that earlier, I did feel a bit shy. As you all saw.”
The women, who had been staring into space with blank expressions, suddenly perked up, their eyes gleaming like hyenas spotting prey.
“Ah, so you do feel embarrassed. If it were me…”
“Exactly. Escorting me to the party like that was just too much. I told him I’d be fine going alone, that he didn’t have to accompany me, but he insisted on coming with me.”
“…Excuse me?”
“He’s such a dear, isn’t he? I told him not to show his affection in public, but still…”
I blushed shyly, as if embarrassed, while glancing at the women around me who had opened their mouths to speak but then froze in place.
“When he dropped me off today, he was so fidgety. I wondered if two years of keeping me within the walls of the Grand Duke’s estate still wasn’t enough for him.”
“……”
“Oh dear, now that I’ve said it out loud, it’s even more embarrassing….”
I blushed like a bashful bride, covering my cheeks with my hands and shaking my head.
The atmosphere around us became awkward, and they all stared at me with bewildered expressions.
“That’s not what we meant….”
“But how could I refuse my husband when he insisted on accompanying me here despite being so busy? He said it was becoming impossible to hide his feelings in public anymore.”
I smiled brazenly, emphasizing the word husband with a bit more emphasis.
The women surrounding me were left speechless, their expressions saying, This wasn’t how it was supposed to go…?
‘Good grief, ladies. Who picks a fight this openly these days? How outdated.’
Honestly, I didn’t have many options on how to handle this situation.
I didn’t have the backing of a powerful faction, nor did I have a strong footing in high society.
I couldn’t just dump wine on them like they had done to Diana in the past.
Even though I would love to, it would only further tarnish my already precarious reputation.
At that moment, I recalled a wise saying from someone whose name I couldn’t remember: “In life, the most oblivious ones win.”
No matter how much they tried to insult me, I wouldn’t fall into their trap.
One of the skills I had acquired in my life as a fandom underdog was the ability to subtly infuriate people.
Insulting without actually cursing.
Making them feel frustrated without being overt.
All the skills I had honed to avoid backlash were, coincidentally, a perfect match for the speech patterns of these noblewomen.
‘You started this.’
I clapped my hands together with a bright smile.
“Instead of this, why don’t you all come to the Grand Duke’s residence sometime? I’ll send out invitations.”
“Wh-what?”
“You’re all so interested in our relationship, so rather than chatting here, why not visit us and have a proper conversation? There will be many ladies in attendance… Oh.”
As I prattled on, I made eye contact with Isabella and gasped, quickly covering my mouth.
“Lady Howard, I heard you haven’t had any marriage prospects yet?”
At my innocent remark, Isabella’s face went blank before quickly flushing red with anger.
“Y-your Grace. I just haven’t been thinking about marriage yet.”
For context, Isabella Howard had been rejecting all marriage proposals, still hopelessly hung up on Ian, only to end up in a situation where no offers were coming her way anymore.
‘Marriage is a personal choice, sure, but…’
Clinging to the male protagonist and picking fights wherever she went was a different story.
Just from how she still hadn’t given up on Ian, even though he was already married, it was obvious what her problem was.
No matter how much she tried, soon enough, our crown prince would be completely enamored with Diana, the one and only female protagonist.
“Oh dear, have I misspoken? Now that I think about it, I heard someone say Lady Howard had been pining after a man for a long time….”
“Ahem.”
“But perhaps it’s impolite to ask further?”
My utter lack of tact made the women around me glance away, awkwardly clearing their throats.
Meanwhile, Isabella trembled with rage, her face alternating between red and purple.
‘You’re one to talk, chasing after Ian just like Diana did, and yet you dare to bring her up?’
I quietly twisted the corner of my mouth into a small smirk, careful not to make it too obvious.
“Y-your Grace… right now….”
“Oh, don’t tell me!”
I interrupted Isabella mid-sentence as if something had just occurred to me, clapping my hands again.
Isabella glared at me with suspicion, wondering what nonsense I was about to spout.
I beamed at her and continued in a loud, clear voice.
“Is it because you’ve experienced unrequited love that you’re so interested in other people’s marriages?”
“Wh-what did you say?!”
“Recently, I read a book that said people who are unsatisfied with their own lives tend to show more interest in the lives of others.”
“Wh-what?!”
Isabella’s face reddened as she trembled violently.
At the same time, I could see the glint of interest in the eyes of the surrounding noblewomen.
You’re not the only one who can embarrass someone, Isabella.
I can do it, too.
♧♧♧
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