“It seems like we’ve bothered you a bit.”

With the mention of being bothered, Elysia couldn’t hold back and let out a sarcastic laugh. How could they describe it as being bothered a bit? It wasn’t just a little inconvenience — it was blatant mistreatment.

If she hadn’t possessed the resilience of an adult, she wouldn’t have endured it. The torrent of insults and violence was expected, along with labor that would be difficult for a child’s body to bear. Above all, she had been neglected without basic education.

Even for her, with memories from a previous life, it was challenging. Despite having the mind of an adult, she inhabited the body of a child.

Naturally, she wanted to play, be protected, and feel loved.

“I can say I was bothered.”

“As expected, you hold a grudge over that…”

“I don’t hold any grudges. I don’t want to waste any more emotions on you and the Countess.”

This was the truth.

Now that she confirmed Angelina couldn’t harm Edward anymore, there was no reason for her to have any lingering emotions toward the Countess.

“Don’t lie. If it’s not that, why did you humiliate me?”

Was this her ultimate goal? Rowena seemed intensely angered about how she had been humiliated.

“Don’t be mistaken. I simply stated the facts as they are.”

“Isn’t it you, the vulgar illegitimate child with an unknown background?”

Right now, even this conversation seemed tiresome. At first, she knew nothing. Elysia thought she was the most pitiful person. After all, everyone said so.

“If I were truly a vulgar, unknown illegitimate child, would Edward have been able to ascend to the heir’s position? Rowena Caitlin, wake up. Using Caitlin’s surname as you please—that’s you, right?”

The reason the Count disliked the Countess was precisely due to the noble’s pride. For an incompetent Count, money was needed to maintain the family and to cover that, he had no choice but to marry Angelina.

Angelina’s household was originally not a noble one. By chance, they earned a lot of money and bought a noble title.

That was why Angelina, despite wanting to enter the noble society, couldn’t. In the noble society, the most crucial factor was one’s lineage. Without a background that could be presented, Angelina, who happened to earn a title and money, couldn’t just enter high society.

No matter how much she bought her status and had money, she was just a humble commoner in the eyes of the nobles.

“Who is the one of low birth who couldn’t even bear a child, barely maintaining the title of Countess?”

“You…!”

The Count hated that aspect the most. He, who considered himself more noble than anyone, had to have a wife of lower status, but he still chose Angelina because he needed money.

“Becoming a lady-in-waiting to the Empress, did it make you feel like you were something?”

Angelina and Rowena, who said that Rowena had been given a dress by the Empress and mocked her, came to mind. In the dressing room, there were thousands of such dresses.

“Rowena, did you receive proper education in noble society? Is it useless for someone of humble origin to receive an education?”

“Why am I considered of humble origin!”

“I still can’t figure out where your manners went. You truly amaze me.”

How could a person be so naïve? It was truly remarkable to believe that she had become the Empress’s lady-in-waiting.

“I’m the Empress’s lady-in-waiting.”

“Sure, you’re the Empress’s lady-in-waiting, and I’m the Grand Duchess. Who is higher, I wonder? Should I explain it this way for you to understand? You still see me as Elysia Caitlin from the attic.”

Elysia Caitlin from the attic was someone who could be treated carelessly. Rowena still regarded her that way.

“Ha… I don’t know how Angelina raised you. Did you really think you became a lady-in-waiting?”

“I truly became the Empress’s lady-in-waiting. You may not know what it means to be the Empress’s lady-in-waiting in society…”

Perhaps she finally noticed.

Looking at Rowena’s rapidly shifting eyes, Elysia sighed inside. Yes, being the Empress’s lady-in-waiting meant a significant deal. It meant that the Empress would be a reliable backer for whatever one did.

For Rowena, who hadn’t properly entered the central society so far, it must have been an offer she couldn’t afford to miss.

“The Empress’s ladies-in-waiting haven’t changed for a while. It’s almost like a fixed position, but suddenly, they take you in as a lady-in-waiting? You should have thought it was strange from the beginning.”

Maybe she was too excited by the immediate proposal to consider anything else.

“Have you been officially introduced as a new lady-in-waiting at a formal party, even once?”

“Ah… I’m sure it was mentioned at the last gathering…”

“I mean at a formal party.”

Only then did it seem like Rowena realized everything, as her complexion turned pale. Despite her concerns about whether she’d understand even if she explained this much, Rowena seemed to understand.

“You were just a disposable tool to reveal to the Empress that I’m an illegitimate child.”

* * *

The term ‘disposable’ seemed quite shocking. Rowena couldn’t utter a word and stood still, seemingly stunned. On one hand, the thought crossed her mind that maybe the Empress had used her in such a way.

Rowena had a subtly naive side.

“No way… there’s no way… She definitely said that she had high expectations of me.”

“Of course. Using you was necessary to tarnish me. Maybe the Empress even wanted us both to attack each other.”

The Empress might have wanted that. Regardless, what the Empress wanted was for Elysia to be completely rejected in high society.

“Haven’t you felt it yet? We are different from those people.”

Despite debuting in high society much earlier than her, it was incomprehensible why Rowena seemed to know less about high society. Even though Rowena might lack maturity, she wasn’t completely clueless.

“If she truly treated you and me in the same class as those people, today wouldn’t have happened.”

Elysia thought she should have understood after this explanation.

“But… you’re… the Grand Duchess, right?”

The Grand Duchess… was she truly recognized as the esteemed Grand Duchess? She realized it only today. To them, being the Grand Duchess was like being a passing visitor. Since she would soon die anyway, no one acknowledged her.

In high society, the one who lasted the longest was the winner. Naturally, people had to attach themselves to the Empress, who would last the longest.

“To those people, we are neither commoners nor nobility. We’re like an abrupt mutation. What do you think is our way of surviving there?”

“I… I don’t know—”

“They paved the way for us. An opportunity for us to step on each other and attack.”

The more she pondered, the more Elysia disliked the Empress. How could she hide such malice? The eyes don’t lie. Whenever Damon’s name came up, the Empress looked at her as if she would kill her.

“And I’ve only stepped on you to climb up and survive. I harbor no ill feelings toward you.”

She had merely revealed the fact that she had survived, and in the process, the well-being of the Countess and Rowena was of no concern.

“It will be difficult for you to be seen in society from now on.”

“….”

Rowena would find it challenging to move freely in high society.

Before tomorrow came, rumors would spread about her being an illegitimate child, and her origin would be exposed. Nobles who valued lineage wouldn’t accept Rowena. After all, she couldn’t even be considered half-blood. Her status wasn’t high enough to be significant.

Just an ordinary Count’s daughter… there was no way for her to survive.

“Send my regards to the Countess.”

Elysia intended to turn and leave if it weren’t for the words that held her back.

“Aren’t, aren’t you curious about Brother Edward’s return?”

“What?”

Rowena’s bewildered expression quickly disappeared, replaced by an excited face. This was why Elysia didn’t particularly like her.

“Brother Edward has returned.”

“I know that.”

“Do you know that the County has been turned upside down since then?”

Of course, if the ailing Edward returned, things could have turned upside down. Moreover, he had returned completely cured.

“….”

“Then, you also know that he was completely cured?”

He said he didn’t return to the County, but he actually came back?

“…I’m aware.”

“We were all deceived? Even Mother.”

The only consolation was that she wasn’t the only one deceived. However, the bitter truth couldn’t be ignored. Elysia had been treated similarly to Angelina.

“Currently, Edward isn’t staying at the County, right?”

“That’s right. How could he stay at the County after causing a commotion?”

A commotion? What kind of commotion did he cause? From the conversation alone, it was impossible to imagine. Edward wasn’t the type to cause a disturbance.

“What commotion did he cause?”

“You really don’t know anything. We’ve all been deceived by Brother Edward.”

“Rowena Caitlin.”

It wasn’t clear what Elysia didn’t know. She was confident that she knew more about Edward than anyone else, at least.

“I don’t know the details either. That’s why it was so desperate. I really needed the position of the Empress’s lady-in-waiting.”

So, she didn’t just want to enter high society and seek the position of the Empress’s lady-in-waiting? The fleeting expression on Edward’s face that crossed her mind bothered Elysia.

“What’s going on?”

“The Master of the County will change soon.”

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