CHAPTER 75,………………….
She gestured to Kaas, who had accompanied her as escort.
At first, when Linaria beckoned, the young ladies didn’t understand what she meant.
But when the tall, broad-shouldered man stepped forward from behind her, all eyes naturally turned toward him.
“Oh my.”
Someone let out an involuntary gasp.
His strikingly handsome features were as if carved by a master sculptor.
As if that weren’t enough, the neat knight’s uniform he wore added to his presence.
And with the slave’s choker around his neck, their minds strayed into improper fantasies.
They stared blankly at his face, only realizing belatedly that the knight had taken off his outer garment and draped it over Linaria’s shoulders.
“Please don’t mind me. Carry on with your conversation.”
None of them realized it, but the moment Kaas stepped forward, not a single person had uttered a word.
Linaria’s clear voice broke the silence, snapping them back to themselves.
Hastily, they tore their gazes away from Kaas.
Then, as their eyes fell on Linaria again, they noticed something.
The coat Kaas had given her came with a black cloak.
Thanks to it, her yellow dress was partially covered, no longer standing out so garishly.
Realizing Linaria’s intent, the young ladies felt an inexplicable sense of humiliation and defeat.
“Ah! By the way, have you seen the new dresses at Nora’s boutique?”
That was why.
They hurriedly shifted the subject.
It was something Linaria, who had lived her whole life in the capital, wouldn’t know about—deliberately chosen to exclude her from the conversation.
“Look at this. Austin gave me this hairpin as a gift. Honestly, I was worried about our arranged marriage, but he’s been so kind to me!”
They were in the middle of chattering about the boutique’s new releases when one lady proudly showed off her hairpin.
That was when—
“How strange.”
Linaria, who had remained quiet until now, spoke up.
Her tone was impossible to ignore. Everyone turned to her, waiting to hear what she would say.
“I heard Young Master Austin Russell was courting Lady Julia. Did I hear wrong?”
“What are you talking about?”
Julia, who had stayed silent until now, reacted sharply. But Linaria calmly lifted her teacup and sipped.
Then she addressed the murmuring girls in an even voice.
“I mean exactly what I said.”
“And where, pray, did you hear such nonsense?”
“An outsider hears more rumors than you’d think. I don’t live with my eyes shut and my ears closed.”
Perhaps because she had once been trapped in the palace, cut off from all news, Linaria was now sensitive to information.
“Lady of Obel, please don’t cause discord.”
Alicia tried to stop her.
“Discord?”
“You’ve no proof. That makes it discord.”
“I heard that Young Master Russell ordered a hairpin to suit green hair.”
Julia, of course, had green hair.
And the girl who had flaunted the hairpin—Lea—was a redhead.
Which meant…
“If Young Master Russell wasn’t courting Lady Julia, then perhaps he gave it as a friendly gift.”
Though it seemed the hairpin had ended up in someone else’s hands.
Most likely, Austin had given it to Julia first.
She, displeased, must have returned it. Then Austin had likely passed it on to Lea.
“Pretending it was meant for her all along.”
Linaria didn’t say this aloud.
But surely, the others caught on.
“Anna managed to bring back useful information.”
Anna was good with people.
And servants often knew more than they should—especially their masters’ private affairs.
“She must have had a hard time digging all that up.”
While pretending to run errands, Anna had visited the estates of other families, drawing wary stares.
But—
“Ah, the Lady of Obel I serve? We all work under the same roof. Contractor or not, a lady is still a lady. You’ve no idea how fussy she can be. Ha…”
—by creating such moments of shared understanding, she made them think they were in the same boat.
“Still, at least you’re not caught up in messy love affairs. This is a secret, but our young master, you see…”
Nobles were arrogant.
They thought secrets remained theirs alone, but their hands and feet—servants—were human, too.
With eyes, ears, and hands.
No secret stayed hidden forever.
“Lea, do you really believe this?”
“It… makes sense. I suspected something was off. That hairpin didn’t suit my hair color, but I pretended not to notice.”
Lea’s pale face betrayed her dawning realization.
“Julia, you told me Austin was a good man. Could it be that you—”
“I only gave Austin advice!”
“Advice? More like you schemed to steal someone else’s fiancé!”
“What? I did no such thing! Austin acted on his feelings because I’m simply more attractive than you!”
In an instant, chaos erupted.
And with that, Linaria was no longer the common enemy.
“You think I wanted this?”
“How dare you be so brazen?!”
Their voices rose.
Finally, the two of them grabbed each other’s hair and began to fight.
Crash!
Teacups and teapots shattered on the floor, mingling with screams.
The other young ladies covered their mouths in shock, unable to decide what to do.
Only Linaria sat back, serenely watching the brawl as if it had nothing to do with her.
“What disgraceful behavior! Stop this at once!”
The hostess, Alicia, tried to intervene when things turned physical.
But it was no use.
“Are you taking Julia’s side?”
“Side? Perhaps in Alicia’s eyes, you’re the one unfairly grabbing at hair.”
“What did you say?”
Instead of calming down, things only worsened.
The scuffle grew more violent, as if Alicia weren’t even there.
“Kyaah!”
Alicia, struck while trying to break them apart, fell to the floor.
But no one paid her any attention.
Lea and Julia’s fight was too fierce for anyone to look away.
Linaria gazed down at Alicia, collapsed right beside her.
“Oh dear, did I misspeak? Please forgive me. I’ve not been here long—it’s only natural I wouldn’t know.”
Just as Alicia had once feigned innocence, Linaria now did the same.
Alicia’s eyes changed as she looked at her.
“So the Lady of Obel takes quite an interest in us.”
Though Alicia tried to keep calm, her tightly clenched jaw betrayed her.
“You’re all quite well-known around here. Impossible not to know you, even if I wished otherwise.”
Linaria sipped her tea, answering with leisurely composure.
“And at the very least, I should know who I’m speaking to, shouldn’t I?”
All of Ricardo’s invitations had been to gatherings restricted to those with contracts under Obel.
“Which means, wherever I go, I’m always the outsider.”
Like when she had gone to the restaurant with her father, she was again subjected to open doubt about her origins.
So before they could mock or belittle her, she chose to strike first.
To make sure no one would ever dare look down on her again.
“…It seems the Lady of Obel is more meticulous and perceptive than I thought.”
With a stiff face, Alicia rose again to separate Lea and Julia.
Linaria merely observed.
She had chosen Alicia’s party for her first appearance for a reason.
Alicia Fletcher.
The most influential young lady in the region.
“And the one rumored to be engaged to Ricardo.”
Rip, tear—
At last, after a long struggle, Lea and Julia broke apart, panting.
Their hair disheveled, their makeup ruined, their dresses wrinkled and stained with spilled tea.
They were a mess.
Alicia sighed wearily.
“We’ll have to end the gathering here. Lady Julia, perhaps we should talk once you’ve calmed down. Things have gone too far today.”
She tried to send Julia away first.
“Alicia, I…”
“Yes, yes, I understand how you feel. But please, leave for now. I’ll see you to your carriage.”
When Alicia left with Julia, the remaining girls gathered around to comfort Lea.
They were clearly on her side over Julia’s.
Amid them, Linaria handed a handkerchief to the sniffling Lea.
“It’s only natural to grieve, but don’t cry too much over this.”
“……”
“Your pretty face will be ruined.”
“Pretty? Hardly. My fiancé finds another woman prettier, and I, foolishly, accepted a castoff gift. What’s pretty about that?”
Lea lamented, then abruptly fell silent.
She realized she had been too honest, even in front of Linaria.
“In my eyes, you’re still very pretty.”
Linaria gently dabbed her cheeks with the handkerchief.
