Olivia’s sharp intuition quickly seized the situation.

Cynthia took a deep breath, gripping her dress with trembling hands. However, it was undoubtedly a credible rumor. It was directly recounted by Lady of Beatty Uvinat in the southwest, and as they discussed it thoroughly, all the pieces fell into place.

“Isn’t it suspicious that the timing of Baron Ravonis’ departure from the East continent matches the period when the Duchess was supposedly bedridden?”

“This is some valuable information… They didn’t use the same room until recently, but then they suddenly moved in together, and now there’s a child.”

Still, Laria had no significant connections in the capital.

‘How could she possibly know about our private conversation unless they commissioned the Information Guild? It must have been overheard somewhere vaguely.’

Cynthia, who had been trying to maintain composure, froze completely at Laria’s continued words.

“It’s about the speculation between Barony Ravonis and me. It’s believed to have originated from Lady Uvinat’s, who isn’t on good terms with my friend, Ladi Eldspey, and has spread many baseless rumors from the start.”

Laria accurately recited their conversation. As she told the scandals about herself with an innocent face, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.

“I felt so unfairly treated that… I even received a letter from Baron Ravonis on the East Continent.”

As Laria placed a letter on the table with a solemn thud, Olivia quickly unfolded the letter and began reading it aloud.

[ “It’s so embarrassing that such speculation is circulating. The truth is, the person I was involved with was Serena Moristo.” ]

Everyone sighed in response.

“I had no choice but to reveal the truth, as it was becoming a nuisance to the Duchess. Serena’s deceit was exposed, and that’s why we both came to the East Continent together.”

Olivia threw the letter down in frustration.

“My poor goddaughter! She frequently visited to purposely set couples up! And now these baseless rumors are spreading?”

Now, all the incidents that had been circulating in the salon were starting to fall into place in a different direction.

So, if the person who caught his eye wasn’t Laria but the pretty doctor who was always beside her…!

Cynthia bit her lower lip. If she knew this much, there must be someone in the salon who was colluding with Laria.

“Still, it’s Icard! They sided with the other party, right?”

Perhaps they thought it would be better to be closer to Icard than the salon. No matter how long they had been together, if their children were somehow involved, they would inevitably attach themselves to the current ruler.

‘Who could it be? Marchioness Milde? Countess Servia?’

Once she began to suspect, too many names came to mind. Of course, the expressions of the salon members were all strange. It seemed that it was now time to be cautious, even within the salon.

‘Though if Duchess Icard is rational, she wouldn’t explicitly warn anyone here without saying which salon it is. This is a reception, not a complaint hearing…’

However, even though Laria might have some sense left, there was one person who had already lost theirs.

“It’s obvious what salon it is! Cynthia, how dare you insult Icard’s women for forty years?”

The next moment, as Olivia stood up and threw her teacup at Cynthia, she couldn’t deny it as she suspected an internal spy. She couldn’t act innocent.

“This XX, XXXX, XXXXX, XX….”

Eventually, with a gaze from Elanie, four handmaids rushed to pull Olivia away as all sorts of curses echoed in the silence that followed.

In the silence after the curses, Laria spoke coldly.

“I might seem like I haven’t been active, but I do have some connections in the capital. You wouldn’t believe how many letters I receive at Duke Icard’s residence.”

Indeed, even just by looking at the high-quality letter paper she used, one could guess how much effort she put into her correspondence.

All the people sitting there inwardly realized they couldn’t overlook Laria. It wasn’t just any other gathering, and she knew the gossip of the long-established and equally exclusive salon. They couldn’t even guess where or which key personnel she had planted.

“By the way.”

Laria smiled brightly, tilting her head, a chill running down everyone’s spine. Moreover, she had already unfurled Olivia’s terrible tiger fan.

“You may not know, but I’ve been educated about social circles since I was young, thanks to Great Aunt.”

As she said this, everyone exchanged glances. If the duchess in front of them was a refined version of Olivia, then the social circles of the capital had little choice but to remain tense.

“Hoo.”

Elanie sighed, her head drooping.

“Marchioness Daniac, running the salon in this manner is problematic, despite its closeness and long-standing reputation. Spreading false gossip behind people’s backs like this is simply inappropriate.”

The Princess’s golden eyes glimmered disapprovingly.

Cynthia could do nothing but quickly lower her head. If she made a mistake, the entire salon gathering could dissolve.

How disgraceful it would be. Even if they couldn’t trust each other anymore, she couldn’t let it disband dishonorably due to this incident. Therefore, she thought she should at least mention the functional aspect of the salon.

“Bu, but, Princess… even though our salon has been engulfed in false rumors, it has certainly been of some help.”

She racked her brains hard. What possible connection could there be between Elanie’s salon and her own, even a tiny one? Cynthia thought frantically.

‘That’s right! There is!’

Cynthia quickly interrupted.

“In our salon…”

* * *

I wanted to put a stop to the gossip about Duchy Icard in Marchioness Daniac’s salon.

‘At times like these, internal suspicions are more effective than external pressure.’

No matter how much Lady Olivia tried to turn things around, they would only bind together against a common enemy. Therefore, I used Sven to identify salon members with connections to Lady Uvinat and somehow managed to create a connection and spread rumors about Kyle.

Honestly, I didn’t expect Beaty to remember the frivolous gossip from a few years ago. Still, the fact that it had reached even Evan meant she really hadn’t forgotten.

‘As always, mixing in some appropriate truth increases credibility.’

Everything went exactly as I expected. Even Lady Olivia’s actions to escalate the situation were anticipated.

Watching Elanie warn Cynthia, I couldn’t help but feel proud.

‘Well, this should be enough to achieve my goal.’

No gathering would dare speak ill of me recklessly. They wouldn’t even be able to tell who my people were.

I was sure they clearly saw that the seemingly invisible Duchess Icard had an unexpectedly vast network of information and the ability to bring considerable disgrace to a salon. Not to mention Lady Olivia, who confidently declared ‘my goddaughter’ would act as a powerful backer.

“Bu, but, Princess, even though our salon has been engulfed in false rumors, it has certainly been of some help.”

When Cynthia earnestly spoke to Elanie, I was simply basking in a sense of triumph. Everything went exactly as I had expected. She would probably explain the historical significance of the salon or something.

“We invited Baron Litshua, whom you cherish, to our salon a lot!”

Wait, why was Seymour’s name being brought up here?

Even Elanie seemed as flustered as I was, stumbling over her words.

“What, what?”

“We purchased Radian Cares’ Afternoons in Hanua’ in bulk at our salon.”

Seymour had become a business magnate at a continental level rather than just within the empire. Consequently, he hadn’t been around the capital much these days.

“What, what does that have to do with me…?”

“Don’t you cherish Baron Litshua? You’ve danced the first dance with him at parties and even visited the Baron’s residence yourself…”

“When was that ever the case!”

Elanie exclaimed in a fluster.

I blinked in surprise at the unexpected turn of events. While Cynthia bringing up Seymour’s story was unexpected, Elanie’s extreme reaction was even more surprising.

“The, the first dance was just because there wasn’t anyone else available at the time, and the visit to the Baron’s residence, well, um… it really wasn’t meant in that way at all.”

Elanie rambled before suddenly turning her head to look at Fred.

“Oh, please don’t misunderstand. It’s really not what you think.”

“…Princess?”

“It’s true, believe me. My first dance so far has never had any significance. And as for the visit- um, it’s because the Baron didn’t invite me either, and I waited and eventually… visited out of pride.”

Oh my.

I blinked slowly. Fred’s ears were as red as Elanie’s cheeks.

It seemed that Elanie was more interested in beautiful legal documents than beautiful purse strings. It was unexpected, though it seemed that my in-laws were going to become even more remarkable.

“Then…”

Fred said, looking puzzled.

“It seems that people are misunderstanding, so it might be better to dance with another man at the next party. I will invite you to the mansion soon.”

Watching the drama of high society was entertaining, but it was somewhat difficult to watch. I had to endure my hands and feet squirming.

That day, while I wrecked one salon, I gained a foothold in high society, and Elanie shattered Fred’s heart and won his love.

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