Chapter – 13
“What on earth is going on?!”
Octavia’s horrified voice rang loudly throughout the drawing room.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Tabby, aren’t you close with Lady Taylor?”
“We’re very close! Which is exactly why I can guarantee this makes no sense. Isn’t the photo manipulated or something?”
Strongly denying it, Octavia quickly scanned the text beneath the photo.
Miller opened the article by claiming the two had been secretly meeting for weeks, and then added a sly speculation that they were avoiding public eyes because the cause lay with Briel Taylor.
“Why are they dragging Bri into this again?”
The ending was even more absurd.
“…Miss Briel Taylor, who has been embroiled in countless scandals from a young age. It is said she has had numerous romances—not to mention affairs—with various men while hiding them from her family…. No, what kind of ridiculous fiction is this? Romance? Affairs? They’re talking about a girl who’s fought with men, not flirted with them—how unfair!”
“Calm down, Tabby. I know most of those rumors about Lady Taylor are made up. I only came to check the truth about these two myself.”
Thanks to Alexander’s soothing voice, Octavia’s angry breathing barely settled. She spoke firmly to her father.
“Of course Briel has nothing going on with the Duke of Hill…!”
…Or rather, she tried to say it, but failed. A memory suddenly hit her—Briel had once pretended to confess to the duke to avoid marriage.
To make it worse, vines of imagination began to wrap around her mind, fed generously by the romance novel she had read overnight.
What if they aren’t just nothing? What if the duke believed Briel’s lie and came last night because of it…? And honestly, with those faces, it wouldn’t be strange if they fell for each other. Maybe things progressed super fast and…
“Tabby? So can I officially announce that this rumor is false?”
Alexander looked frustrated at his daughter, who had suddenly stopped talking.
But Octavia, who was already mentally picking out a bridesmaid dress for their hypothetical wedding, had no room in her head to notice her father anymore.
Briel spent the entire day answering the same question with the same reply until she felt completely drained.
“Lady Taylor, is it true you and the Duke of Hill—”
“It’s a false report. He only visited because he owns this building, and we had contract issues.”
She must have said that line a hundred times. Rubbing her sore throat, Briel fumed about the nonsense article that caused all this trouble.
“I wasted my precious energy clarifying such trash! Miller, that rotten—!”
Her anger simmered even more because she had a Rolling Pin job scheduled for tonight.
The target was a massive man who easily weighed over 100 kilos—even Briel, who was naturally strong, was worried.
Molly, fully aware of that situation, tried to comfort her. Octavia, who knew nothing, only teased her gleefully.
“When in life will you ever have a scandal with such a handsome man again? Our newspaper already posted a correction, so stop being mad and just enjoy it.”
“Enjoy what? I don’t even like that man.”
“Please, if someone looks that good and has a great personality, they wouldn’t even be human. You’re gorgeous too, which is exactly why your personality’s weird.”
After throwing a statement that was half-compliment, half-insult—successfully throwing more wood into Briel’s burning anger—Octavia stood up. She was supposed to attend a party next, but said she would skip it and go home.
“If I go, everyone’s only going to talk about you and His Grace, so I’m not going.”
“Then that’s all the more reason to go. Go explain for me.”
“What, and get treated like a maid even more? Why would I do that?”
At the casual remark, both Briel and Molly’s expressions darkened.
Despite Octavia growing up wealthy, wearing the best clothes, eating the finest food, and receiving a proper education, nobles still saw her as beneath them.
No matter how rich one was, a gentry was still not a noble.
To their narrow eyes, Briel Taylor and Octavia Wood couldn’t possibly be friends. Regardless of upbringing, one was a viscount’s daughter, the other a commoner. Briel’s terrible reputation, ironically, meant nothing when compared to the status divide.
“Idiots. They don’t even know how brilliant you are. Who do they think they’re treating like that?”
“That’s what I’m saying. Hey, so how about you finally show up to a social gathering? Let’s show everyone that we’re close friends so they shut their mouths.”
“…You have a point.”
For the first time, Briel showed a positive response to a debut in society—which left Octavia speechless. She knew how uncomfortable Briel felt in social settings, so the acceptance was moving.
“Are you serious? Then we’ll go together next time?”
“Why next time? Let’s go today.”
Both Octavia and Molly widened their eyes.
“M-My lady? You mean actually attend the party?”
Molly emphasized “attend” for a reason—but Octavia didn’t notice. Her focus was entirely on Briel’s sudden decision to debut.
Octavia had no idea Molly was panicking because Briel originally planned to infiltrate the party as the phantom thief Rolling Pin.
Molly’s friend happened to be a butler at the mansion where the party was held, so she had obtained all the layout information and planned the route with Briel.
Now, if Briel went openly as herself, the entire plan risked falling apart.
But Briel winked mischievously at Molly behind Octavia’s back and said brightly:
“Since we’re going, I should change clothes. Tabby, wait here so we can share the carriage. Molly, come help me get dressed.”
A short while later, Briel came downstairs wearing a dress with a voluminous skirt. The design was outdated, but her dazzling beauty made that irrelevant.
“How is it? I stole it when leaving the viscount’s house, just in case it’d be useful someday.”
“Don’t even ask, you look gorgeous. Ugh, rumors will definitely say I’m your maid now.”
Though she grumbled, Octavia was actually holding back tears while touching Briel’s skirt.
She knew all too well why Briel had never shown her face in society. Seeing her finally debut made emotions surge inside her.
Sensing her friend’s feelings, Briel grinned and slapped Octavia’s back hard—so hard that instead of tears, a sincere scream burst out.
“Argh! That hurts!”
“Alright! Let’s go show everyone how amazing Octavia Wood is!”
The mansion’s grand central hall was overflowing with chatter from the guests and soft chamber music.
And at the center of this evening’s attention stood none other than Briel Taylor and Octavia Woods.
From the moment they entered, people sparkled with curiosity—commenting on Briel’s radiant beauty and Octavia’s brand-new dress—naturally sparking conversation.
Surrounded by guests, the two continued chatting nonstop.
But among the crowd, one man glared disapprovingly at Briel Taylor.
Ian Walker, the owner of the mansion, and the man who should have been the star tonight.
The original purpose of the party was to celebrate his promotion to viscount.
But the moment Briel—appearing in society for the first time—showed up, everyone seemed to forget that fact entirely.
Viscount Walker, who had spent a fortune on this party to bask in the spotlight, felt as though Briel’s arrival had struck him like lightning.
Seeking attention, he stood on a slightly elevated platform in the center of the hall—clearing his throat, stomping his feet, even clapping loudly.
No one reacted.
Why is someone I didn’t even invite here…?!
He wanted to confront her for coming uninvited, but she was the daughter of a viscount—he had no authority to do so. Like it or not, her status was equal to that of his own household.
Even someone that low-class benefits just because she was born a viscount’s daughter. And I had to claw my way up here… damn it.
Mixed with petty jealousy over the stolen attention, a deep-rooted inferiority complex twisted the viscount’s already unpleasant face into something even uglier.
