RYL Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Feeling pleased with herself, Sophia took another sip of her brandy, which now tasted even sweeter.

A woman with violet hair, wearing an elegant blue mask, watched her with interest.

“Are you sure the Devonshire Count’s daughter really said that?”

Caught off guard by the sudden question, Sophia hesitated for a moment before turning her head.

The masked woman was smiling at her.

“I… I only heard it as a rumor, so I’m not completely sure,” Sophia mumbled, trying to brush it off.

The masked woman’s smile widened mischievously.

“Interesting.”

Then, the women sitting beside her whispered something into her ear.

As if losing interest, the masked woman simply stood up and led her companions out of the room.

***

“You’re going to a banquet hosted by that villainess Simona?”

Sabrina asked in surprise, and I nodded.

“Yes. Lilianne got an invitation too, right?”

Lilianne nodded as well.

“Yes, I was debating whether to go, but if Claire is attending, I’ll go too.”

She smiled, and I smiled back.

“Good! Honestly, I wasn’t too confident about going alone.”

“Why not? What’s wrong with you?”

“It’s not that. I just… plan to befriend Simona at this banquet. And having a Marquis’ daughter like Lilianne with me will make it easier.”

Both Lilianne and Sabrina widened their eyes.

“You want to befriend with the villainess?”

I expected that reaction, so I grinned and leaned forward.

“Think about it. She’s only a villain in the heroine’s story. But if we get the powerful Duke’s daughter Simona on our side… imagine what we could do.”

Sabrina finally seemed to understand, her face full of awe.

“Wow… that would be amazing.”

Well, that was an honest reaction.

“Not to mention, if we use Simona properly, it could help Claire’s club business a lot.”

Lilianne added, and I nodded proudly.

“Exactly. That’s part of the plan.”

“As expected from Claire, the brain of our group!”

Huh? When did I become the brain of this group?

Just then, Sabrina spoke up with a regretful expression.

“But… I don’t think I’ll be able to go to this banquet.”

Since Sabrina was a maid, she couldn’t just attend noble gatherings.

She was only able to join the Sinclair Marquis’ banquet because of Lilianne’s personal invitation, but this time, it wouldn’t be so simple.

Seeing her disappointed, Lilianne tilted her head.

“But didn’t the Valerian Duke’s family also receive an invitation?”

Sabrina made a face.

“You’re not suggesting I go as the Duke’s escort, are you?”

“You could just attend as his personal maid.”

“No thanks. Besides, the Duke isn’t the type to attend banquets anyway.”

Lilianne thought for a moment, then clapped her hands.

“Then why don’t you come as my personal maid?”

“As your maid?”

“Yes. No one really checks the identities of the guests’ maids.”

“Hmm… well, that’s definitely better than going with the Duke.”

As I listened, I pointed out something that concerned me.

“But… what if the Duke suddenly decides to attend?”

Sabrina shook her head confidently.

“No need to worry. The Duke hates noisy places. He won’t go.”

She even shuddered, as if creeped out.

“He likes sitting alone in dark corners. So yeah, makes sense that he’s the hidden villain.”

I watched her silently for a moment, then suddenly realized something.

“…Wait. Aren’t you supposed to be a maid? How do you have so much free time?”

Even today, she was hanging out with us instead of working.

Sabrina casually leaned on her hand and sipped her fruit juice.

“I already told you. I quit.”

“…But the Duke won’t accept your resignation?”

“Exactly. So, I’m on strike.”

“So you just wander around doing nothing?”

“Of course. If he doesn’t like it, he can fire me.”

“Wow…”

I stared at her in awe.

Meanwhile, Lilianne suddenly clapped her hands together, eyes sparkling.

“This is what you call a salary thief?”

No, this is worse than that. It’s like the villain himself is serving Sabrina!

Wait… wasn’t the Duke supposed to be a ruthless and cold-hearted villain?

Why was he spoiling his maid like this?

As I seriously reconsidered everything I knew about him, Lilianne cheerfully spoke again.

“Well, this means all three of us can go to the banquet together!”

Looking at Lilianne, who was purely excited, both Sabrina and I couldn’t help but smile.

***

The Day of the Belfour Duke’s Banquet

In front of the enormous Belfour Duke’s mansion, almost as grand as the imperial palace, luxurious carriages began arriving one by one.

From a white carriage decorated with gold patterns, Lilianne and Sabrina stepped down.

Lilianne wore a silver dress matching her hair color and accessorized with blue sapphire jewelry that complemented her eye color.

Beside her, Sabrina wore a deep navy dress. Unlike Lilianne’s sparkling silver dress, hers had a more elegant and sophisticated feel. Her long black hair was half-tied with a navy ribbon as a subtle accent.

The two walked calmly toward the mansion entrance.

As they approached, a servant stood by to check invitations and politely bowed.

“My lady, may I check your invitation?”

Without hesitation, Lilianne handed over her invitation.

After confirming it was issued under the Sinclair Marquis’ name, the servant smiled politely and gestured toward the banquet hall.

“Please enjoy your evening, Lady Sinclair.”

Lilianne stepped forward, and naturally, Sabrina followed behind her.

But before she could enter, the servant quickly stepped in front of her, still smiling.

“My lady, may I check your invitation?”

Hearing this, Lilianne turned around.

“She is my maid,” Lilianne stated firmly.

“Pardon…?”

The servant looked at Sabrina in shock.

With her luxurious dress and elegant appearance, she looked nothing like a maid—more like a noble lady.

“You mean… this lady is your maid?”

“Yes. Is there a problem?” Lilianne responded coolly, her tone sharp.

Realizing his mistake, the servant quickly corrected himself.

“Ah, no, not at all.”

After all, what a noble chose to dress their maid in was entirely their business.

Still, it was surprising. The servant could only assume that the marquis’ daughter had rather… unique tastes.

At that moment, a familiar voice called out.

“Lilianne! Sabrina!”

Claire, dressed in a lovely lemon-colored dress, approached with a bright smile.

“Claire! We were just about to go inside.”

Claire handed her invitation to the servant before confidently joining Lilianne and Sabrina.

“You two look absolutely stunning today!”

“And you look amazing in that lemon dress, Claire!”

“Can we go in and talk while eating? I’m starving.”

Sabrina’s grumbling made Claire and Lilianne chuckle.

And so, the three most talked-about ladies of the social scene stepped into the banquet hall together.