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1622-chapter-172

The air crackled with an undeniable chill that lingered in the atmosphere. Karmen’s rejection of the young lady’s advances mirrored her past life, unwavering and sharp as a blade.

‘Wait a minute. Didn’t he diligently study etiquette to impress the young ladies?’

Of course, the only difference now was Karmen’s etiquette. Back then, his rejections were laced with venom, whereas now, they were merely polite.

“Ah… Yes…” Garcia, the Viscount’s daughter, stammered in response, clearly intimidated by Karmen’s refusal. However, she seemed to interpret his response positively.

[Shelly Garcia]
Thought: He even answered me! I thought he would completely ignore me!

‘Huh? Karmen wouldn’t be so rude as to completely ignore someone.’

At least not the Karmen she had observed so far, unlike her past life.

Meanwhile, Karmen suddenly shifted his gaze to Siervian from quietly looking down at the Viscount’s daughter. One of his eyebrows twitched as their eyes met.

[Karmen Kasselov]
Thought: Tsk, why in front of Siervian of all people?

After a moment of contemplation, Karmen added another sentence.

“I hope I haven’t offended you.”

“No, no…! Sir Karmen!” Garcia replied, clasping her hands together as if overwhelmed by the unexpected courtesy. It was a strange atmosphere, as if she hadn’t been rejected at all.

‘Me? Why me!’

Siervian tilted her head in confusion at Karmen’s seemingly deliberate actions. Then, she quickly figured it out.

‘Ah, is he embarrassed?’

Of course, not everyone shared Lady Garcia’s sentiment. The young ladies still exchanged cautious glances, unnerved by his lingering coldness.

[Thought: Scary!]

[Thought: Sir Karmen is, um, probably better to look at from afar…]

[Thought: Haa, that’s what’s charming.]

‘Did I just see something strange?’

In any case, the atmosphere quickly calmed down. This was thanks to Damian, who skillfully intervened.

“Then, since the introductions are over, we won’t intrude on the young ladies’ time any longer.”

“See you later, Brother.”

“Alright, Siervy. Let’s go, Karmen.”

Karmen bowed his head just enough to avoid being rude and obediently followed Damian. As the two walked back to the young lords’ table, a peculiar status window appeared behind them.

Damian was looking at Karmen with an oddly approving gaze.

[Damian Erveldotte]
Thought: A clueless fellow, nonetheless.

‘Brother is worried about Karmen, too, I see.’

As the two moved away, the young ladies once again crowded around Siervian. If they had been deliberately polite before, now they were showing a bit more of their youthful innocence.

“You seem to be very close to His Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“Your Highness. What kind of person is Sir Karmen?”

Their chattering voices continued, regardless of their respective factions. Thanks to this, Siervian had a decent conversation topic, and she smiled as she guided the conversation.

‘In my previous life, I was just scared of people, but looking at their childhood, they all seem cute.’

Siervian was the youngest here, but she felt a strange warmth growing within her. It allowed her to gently brush off the young ladies’ probing gazes and their subtle attempts to draw her in.

‘Now, I should probably look for the Marquis’ daughter…’

Despite the concept “table hopping,” the young ladies at Siervian’s table remained glued to their spots. Instead, more and more young ladies who wished to join this table were gathering.

‘Should I move my seat?’

Extending the table wouldn’t be a problem, but it wouldn’t be proper for her to move her seat.

‘Where is the Marquis’ daughter?’

So, for now, she scanned her surroundings while occasionally sipping her tea amid the relentless conversation.

Siervian’s target, the Marquis’ daughter, was surprisingly easy to spot. Her bright red hair stood out even from afar.

‘I’ll just naturally move toward that side… Huh?’

Siervian had been about to greet her with the rise of her teacup but now paused upon seeing the Marquis’ daughter’s status window. The Marquis’ daughter’s inner thoughts did not align with Siervian’s goal.

[Harahe Navij]
Thought: I desperately want to be alone.

Siervian struggled to maintain a composed expression as various questions flooded her mind.

‘…Isn’t she already alone?’

The Marquis’ daughter’s table was already deserted. It wasn’t uncommon for young ladies or young masters who didn’t fit in well with society to spend time alone at their tables. However, the Marquis’ daughter seemed a bit different.

‘Is she deliberately driving people away?’

As she observed quietly, she saw young ladies and young masters of her age approach the Marquis’ daughter from time to time. However, they would always leave after exchanging a few words.

‘She’s just not good with speaking, I guess.’

Thinking back, that was also the case when she handed her the handkerchief, based on the curtness of her hand gesture and the advice that she gave. However, even Siervian, who hadn’t seen status windows in her previous life, could sense her sincerity, so she figured she was just a bit awkward.

‘Anyway, that’s probably why the Marquis’ daughter suffered so much in my previous life. Unlike Lady Greenwood, she probably didn’t have many close friends.’

There was a reason why nobles formed factions in society. Forming such a team was helpful in many ways, especially when something happened.

Just then, Siervian and the Marquis’ daughter’s eyes met.

‘Should I just leave her be for now?’

She simply smiled back and promised to see her later.

Given the brewing brooch incident, it was in her best interest to have Lady Navij agree with her. To achieve that, she needed to win her favor first, so she opted to observe from afar rather than overwhelm her with a crowd.

[Harahe Navij]
Favorability: +50
Thoughts: I wonder if people will flock over here. Thankfully, that’s not the case.

Indeed, it seemed like the right decision as she visibly sighed in relief. Just as Siervian was about to catch her breath, however…

“My, my, all the stars of the pre-debutante are gathered here!”

‘Ah.’

Having briefly focused her attention solely on Lady Navij, she had neglected to pay attention to the other side.

At today’s table-hopping event, there was another table as crowded as hers. This was because someone who had participated in the pre-debutante with her was present.

‘Lady Irvita…!’

Her long-standing rival. Lady Irvita from Count Hardouin, who was the polar opposite of the villainess that she was.

With an inexplicable nervousness, she slowly turned her gaze to the side. There stood Irvita, whom she had faced countless times before. But she wore an expression she had never seen before.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Princess…!”

[Irvita Hardouin]
Favorability: 12,800
Thoughts: We finally meet…!

‘Huh?’

As if to catch Servian’s attention, the status window, which she had never seen before, shimmered brightly. She struggled to hide her bewildered expression at the thrilling sensation she felt from it, as if it were a wave of excitement.

‘Here we go again.’

Ever since she discovered her father’s letter in the status window, she had occasionally experienced this strange warmth.

In any case, the situation was far different from what she had imagined, so she slowly met her gaze. Then, suddenly, memories from her previous life flashed through her mind.

‘Greetings, Your Highness the Princess.’

During the pre-debutante, she was so intimidated that she failed to observe her surroundings carefully. Moreover, the incident with the red brooch was so intense that she had few remaining memories of the surroundings.

‘…I’ve always wanted to meet you.’

However, wasn’t it true that Lady Irvita, whom she had met for the first time that day, wore an expression very similar to the one she had now?

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Irvita Hardouin.”

Realizing that she was once again being overwhelmed by memories of her previous life, she relaxed her tense shoulders. It was all in the past, the days when they were constantly compared and pitted against each other.

“I’ve always wanted to meet you, too.”

“I– I do too, Your Highness…!”

The lady’s face lit up at her response. Her pale lemon-colored hair, as if reflecting her excitement, swayed gently as she approached her. Her appearance had always been a stark contrast to her own.

‘But honestly, I’ve always thought her hair was beautiful.’

She was so glad that she could now express that fact without reservation.

“Um…”

Lady Irvita, who had cautiously approached her table, stopped hesitantly. Her table had been full since earlier. However, Irvita looked at the seated ladies expectantly, as if waiting for something.

‘Ah, the privilege of the pre-debutante!’

On the day of the pre-debutante, the participating ladies and gentlemen had one special privilege. It was the right for the main character to sit at any table they wished.

‘Why isn’t anyone giving way?’

However, the ladies at her table all averted their eyes with subtle expressions. Of course, it wouldn’t be considered rude to refuse to grant the privilege. After all, it was something that was entirely dependent on the ‘courtesy’ of the other members of the social circle.

[Catherine Greenwood]
Thoughts: Hmph, it’s that annoying Hardouin. How shameless of her to come here.
The Princess won’t like her anyway, so I guess we can just ignore her.

Now that she noticed, the others were also looking at her expectantly.

‘Why me…? Oh, no way?’

Suddenly, information flashed through her mind, so she pretended to be oblivious and said to Irvita, “Since we’ve met, why don’t we enjoy ourselves together as fellow pre-debutante participants?”