Episode 7

【The Banquet Hall of Poison】

I wasn’t particularly surprised by Helena Steins’ sharp words and responded calmly.

“I look good in anything I wear.”

“With such modest clothes, it might be hard to entice those high-ranking young men you’re so eager to attract.”

Her malice was blatant. I replied smoothly.

“Oh my, entice? I merely smiled politely.”

“Don’t most people call that seduction when you smile like that at men?”

“No, usually it’s the young men who think any smile from a lady means she’s interested that are distasteful, isn’t it?”

Helena flinched momentarily. She hadn’t expected me to counter like this.

“And the young men who accept my smiles also accept smiles from other ladies.”

“Well…”

“Is that all? There are also those who pursue any lady without considering her feelings.”

As I said this, I glanced at Seth standing a distance away. He met my eyes, frowned, and turned away.

“Isn’t it common for men to act like that?”

I replied to Helena with a composed smile.

“It’s okay for young men to do that, but I’m condemned for smiling at them?”

I deliberately spoke brazenly, and my opponent forced a smile. Sensing that this attack wasn’t working, someone quickly changed the subject.

“By the way, Lady Mindia, your dress seems to belong to someone else.”

“Exactly. The usual dresses you wear… the silk quality is quite poor.”

One of the ladies glanced at Aria, standing in the distance. It was clear they were trying to compare me to her.

Ignoring their provocation, I turned my gaze to where Chris had been standing. He was already far off with his bodyguards.

For some reason, the Grand Duke’s party seemed to be walking unusually fast. They must not have liked being near the Duke’s family for long.

‘I missed my chance.’

Watching his figure recede, I felt a pang of regret.

Suppressing my frustration, I turned my attention back to Helena. They were still attacking me.

“Lady Helena, it seems you misunderstand. I’ve never needed to rely on revealing clothes to gain attention. It’s simply that men are often drawn to confidence and grace, which I possess in abundance.”

Helena’s smile grew tauter, but she didn’t back down.

“Confidence? Is that what you call your brazen attempts to climb the social ladder?”

“Call it what you will,” I replied lightly. “But I’ve never been one to hide behind false modesty or pretend to be something I’m not.”

One of Helena’s friends chimed in, “Perhaps that’s why you’re often the subject of rumors.”

“Rumors are just that, rumors. They only hold power if you let them. And I, for one, have better things to do than concern myself with idle gossip.”

Helena’s expression soured, but she couldn’t find a retort. Instead, she turned to another one of her friends, silently signaling for support.

I maintained my poise, refusing to be intimidated by their petty tactics. My goal tonight was clear, and I wouldn’t be deterred by their spiteful words.

‘Stay focused.’

I reminded myself.

‘Chris is the key.’

As I stood my ground, a new figure entered the scene, drawing the attention of everyone present. It was Aria, radiant and graceful, commanding the attention of all around her.

For a moment, the hostility directed at me dissipated as everyone turned to watch Aria. I seized the opportunity to collect myself and prepare for the next steps.

Tonight’s banquet was crucial, and I couldn’t afford any more missteps.

“It’s somewhat a relief, really. We were starting to wonder if Lady Mindia wasn’t receiving her allowance for maintaining her dignity.”

“Oh my! Lady Mindia, you must feel quite hurt!”

“But indeed, it’s worrying. Everything you wear seems… rather concerning.”

Their words were unusually blatant for noble ladies. It didn’t affect me much, though.

‘They’re trying to provoke me into reacting.’

They probably hoped I would lose my temper and cause a scene, or get so angry I’d be thrown out. Their intent to prevent me from even stepping foot into the banquet hall was clear.

‘Not surprising.’

Before my regression, I had made plenty of enemies in the social scene, almost as if it were second nature. Helena Steins, the second daughter of the Count of Steins, was among them.

Our rivalry began the year we both debuted in society and happened to set our sights on the same man.

‘Who ended up marrying a baron’s daughter last year, didn’t he?’

It was a classic case of a bad start. My lack of interest in improving my relationship with Helena only worsened things.

I responded to their blatant remarks with a bright smile.

“Indeed. This time, the Duke was generous with the allowance. I even tried something new.”

“……”

“Oh! It’s a pity, though. I didn’t have time to wear the pearl necklace. It would’ve matched perfectly with this dress.”

“Pearls?”

“Yes. The pearls from El Sabara that the Duke has yet to receive.”

“El Sabara?”

A bewildered response came from the other side.

‘They can’t help but react like that to the name of one of the most famous pearl necklaces.’

It was true that the Duke’s house had purchased the pearls from El Sabara. Rumors about it had likely spread through the social circles. People love to talk about who buys famous jewels.

Though those pearls were intended for Aria, there was no need to mention that.

If people saw me wearing similar clothes to Aria, they’d naturally assume I’d wear the pearl necklace as well.

In reality, if I asked Aria to lend it to me, she probably would.

Helena forced a smile in response to my nonchalant answer.

“…Indeed. That’s the Duke’s house for you.”

“Isn’t it? I’m truly fortunate to be the Duchess of Reinhardt.”

“In that case, why don’t we have a drink to celebrate? It’s been a while since you’ve attended an event.”

Soon, someone brought a champagne glass. It looked hastily grabbed to offer me from the circulating trays in the banquet hall.

Other ladies around Helena encouraged me to drink.

“Yes, Lady Mindia. Didn’t you get banned from social events last time for fighting with the host?”

“Oh, the rumors that spread…”

“The Duke must’ve been quite troubled.”

“We should avoid such incidents this time, don’t you think? Relax a bit.”

I stared at the champagne, watching the bubbles rise.

‘The moment I take the glass, they’ll spill it on me.’

It wasn’t hard to guess their plan. After all, I had experienced this a few times in my previous lives.

If that champagne spilled on my white dress, it would cause a scene, making it difficult for me to even enter the banquet hall.

I had no intention of letting things go their way.

“Aren’t you going to drink?”

When I merely smiled without taking the glass, more sneers followed.

“Ah, have you forgotten how to drink champagne? It’s not something you find on the streets, after all. You might forget if you don’t drink it often.”

Noticing that I wasn’t easily provoked, they resorted to mocking my origins.

‘They’re really trying to get under my skin.’

I briefly considered snatching the glass and pouring it on them, reverting to my old ways.

‘Wait a minute. Champagne…’

Something quickly crossed my mind.

‘Helena Steins’ family prepared this champagne for today’s banquet.’

Though they didn’t provide the most important wine for the event.

‘Actually, they were supposed to provide the wine but couldn’t. Because…’

I stared at Helena, whose face was now flushed with anger. I realized that Helena Steins was precisely the person who could give me what I wanted from this banquet.

‘Missed my chance because of Helena, so I’ll use Helena to make up for it.’

I raised my hand to gently cradle one cheek, making sure to look even more irritating on purpose.

“I don’t want to seem indulgent by drinking too early.”

“……”

The young ladies flinched at my response. I sighed and continued.

“Offering and accepting drinks before we’ve even entered? This is still a religious event. I’d prefer to save drinking for later, to maintain the dignity of a high noble.”

With a single remark, I turned them into people without restraint. I then bowed my head slightly towards Helena and added.

“Lady Steins, it’s not good to develop a fondness for alcohol so early. It could lead to dependency.”

“I was merely suggesting a drink…”

“Or perhaps something upset you so much that you need a drink?”

Twitch.

I didn’t miss the moment Helena’s eyebrow twitched. To probe further, I added a little more.

“That can’t be. The Steins are wealthy. Any issue can be resolved with your resources.”

Helena’s face began to harden. Seeing her reaction, I became certain.

‘The financial situation of the Steins family must be dire.’

In my previous lives, the Steins family always went bankrupt in the same way.

‘Financial ruin due to the count’s gambling addiction.’

It seemed this time was no exception. Helena’s reaction to my mention of finances was very telling.

‘Helena might wish the count would disappear.’

For the past ten years, the Steins family had been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy due to the count’s uncontrollable gambling debts.

In my previous life, Helena’s older sister, the next Countess of Steins, and Helena both had their engagements canceled, their mansion sold, and they were cast out onto the streets. They had fallen overnight to a status lower than that of ruined nobles. What happened to the two sisters afterward was unknown.

‘But these circumstances haven’t yet been made public.’

The Count’s family had kept their situation a secret for the sake of their honor, and the truth only spread after their downfall.

Had they swallowed their pride and sought help from someone, they might have lost their honor but saved their family. However, the Count refused even that, leading to their ruin.

I decided to strike.

“By the way, didn’t the Steins family prepare the champagne for this event? I heard you were supposed to provide the wine as well. What happened that you only brought champagne?”

“……”

“Oh, the young countess must be getting married soon. Perhaps the family finances are too strained to provide both champagne and wine.”

The young ladies around Helena looked a bit puzzled. I leaned in closer to Helena and whispered.

“How are the preparations for your sister’s marriage going? That must be costing a significant amount.”

“How dare you worry about me…”

“I must.”

I lowered my gaze and voice, adding softly.

“What did the Count bet on this time? The mansion? The land? Or perhaps…”

“……”

“Is he planning to call off your engagement and marry you off to some wealthy, old nouveau riche?”

Crack.

The sound of something breaking was heard. It was the glass Helena was holding.

Sensing the shift, I immediately stepped back from her.

Splash.

The glass shattered in Helena’s hand, spilling champagne onto her dress.