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59.

"Friends with Hanella?"
I immediately waved my hand dismissively at Wilhelmina.
"Of course not. That's merely an invitation."
As I ‌‌‌‌spoke in a soothing tone, Wilhelmina also visibly relaxed upon noticing the excessively formal letter envelope format.
"I was worried—not that I possess such a narrow-minded heart as to insist you befriend only me, absolutely not."
Wilhelmina, having barely settled into her ‌‌‌‌seat, began speaking hesitantly while avoiding my gaze.
"My goodness, I would be delighted even if Wilhelmina asked me to be friends with only her."
"...Truly?"
Wilhelmina's eyes widened once more.
"Of course."
At my immediate response, Wilhelmina broke into a radiant ‌‌‌smile.
Yet soon after, she shook her head gently and softly declined my words.
"Roselita will be marrying First Prince Charlie later. It would not ‌‌‌be proper for someone destined to become ‌‌‌‌a Crown ‌‌Princess to do such a thing."
Wilhelmina asked carefully, her cheeks flushed with bashfulness.
How could she be both so endearing and so dignified? ‌‌‌
"Instead, ‌‌‌‌would it be acceptable for me to take pride in being your closest friend?"
"You would take pride in being my closest friend?"
"Of course!"
Certainly at first, I had lavished ‌‌praise upon Wilhelmina to fill the void in her self-worth and emotional needs.
But seeing her answer without a shred of doubt, I felt as though I myself were ‌‌being recharged ‌‌‌with confidence.
Had I actually been wounded by the words I heard while working ‌‌as Cassian's aide?
The stinging remarks—"merely a baron's daughter" ‌‌‌‌and "shameless"—which I had thought meant nothing, suddenly seemed to dissolve away.
As a result, I too became bashful like Wilhelmina and squeezed her hand tightly.
"I'm so glad, Wilhelmina."
Indeed, the Duke Lopez's daughter was my sparkling wine and my source of healing.

*

The herbal tea Joan ‌had thoughtfully prepared and my own pale americano released their fragrant aromas in warm wisps of steam.
While waiting for the beverages, I explained to Wilhelmina the ‌‌‌full circumstances of why I had placed Countess Hanela's Daughter's invitation ‌‌‌‌at the very top.
"You're going to Hanella's tea party?"
At that, she reacted as if she'd sprung from her seat.
"Oh, could it be that the invitation Wilhelmina was planning ‌‌to give me overlaps in date? If so—"
I was naturally about to say I would spend time with Wilhelmina instead, but she fixed me with a resolute expression and swiftly handed the invitation she had written to a maid, her gaze settling on me.
"W-Wilhelmina?"
"You absolutely cannot go alone."
A flicker of color danced across her otherwise colorless eyes.
"Do you understand? I'm going to that party ‌with you."
Why, why was she being so ‌‌adamant?
The current Wilhelmina seemed to have only a lukewarm relationship with Countess Hanela's Daughter.
In the original story, she had pretended to be friends before stabbing her in the back, and during Roselita's poisoning incident, Wilhelmina alone would have taken the fall...?
The truth was, the ‌‌‌actual perpetrator who switched the medicine was Countess Hanela's Daughter.
That's why I was accepting this invitation—to turn the original story's events to my advantage and bring her down this time.
Needless to say, Countess Hanela's Daughter, the fiancée of First Prince Charlie, possessed tremendous pride in both her family and herself.
Just yesterday at the ball alone....

'Obtaining a Lair may be unusual, but it cannot fill one with nobility.'

I saw her eyes waver similarly to the First Empress when she watched me being called the prospective Crown Princess by other nobles.

'Of course, I do think well of you. The Imperial Family must have various people so that it can embrace various thoughts.'

While First Prince ‌‌Charlie ‌‌‌danced with another young lady, she spewed such pretty garbage at me as if venting her frustrations.
I let it go in one ear and out the other.

'Your Highness Cassian, you should dance with other young ladies as well.'
'Why would I? My eyes see only Roselita.'
'Hanella says one's perspective broadens when you get along with many people. I ‌‌‌don't want to be someone with a narrow mind.'
'No, it's not you who has a ‌narrow mind—it's me. If I step away, others will immediately try to claim your hand, so I'm anxious and simply cannot bear to leave ‌your side.'

Of course, I ‌‌‌had taken a mild form of revenge. ‌‌‌
After rumors spread that Wilhelmina Lopez harbored an unrequited love for Cassian Artez, she seized the position of First Prince Charlie's fiancée, and with each passing day, her arrogance grew more insufferable.
Moreover, whenever other noble heirs politely invited her to dance, she would rebuff them with questions about who was asking whom—so now she spent most of her time alone whenever First Prince Charlie stepped away.
In ‌‌any case, I had naturally assumed no invitation would be sent, so I was relieved when one arrived.
Conversely, I had anticipated that Countess Hanela's Daughter might attempt some petty mischief toward me, and I had been concerned about whether ‌‌‌I should display such a harsh side to Wilhelmina—but then....
"Truly, I worry so much because ‌‌‌Roselita is far too naive."
"...Pardon?"
Naive? Me?
As I hesitated over my response, Wilhelmina opened her mouth with exasperation, ‌‌attaching an adjective to me that ‌‌simply did not fit.
"Do ‌you know what Hanella said at the ball yesterday? Since you are such a kind person, you might go even if you heard it!"
Wilhelmina leaned forward and shook her head with a resolute expression.
"She told everyone that since you are beneath her station, if she invited you, you could not possibly refuse—and that if she needed a favor, she would ask you then!"
She huffed with indignation, as though more offended than I was.
"You are so gracious that you cannot bring yourself to refuse, so you mean to go! But Hanella does not think that way."
The warmth in Wilhelmina's gaze ‌as she looked at me seemed excessive, but I chose not to point it out.
"So come with me. I shall protect you."
Though I was confident I could single-handedly ruin the tea ‌‌party and humiliate Countess Hanela's Daughter.
"Very well, Wilhelmina. Spending ‌‌‌time with you is my joy."
I decided to graciously accept a measure of protection.

*

The next day, as I was preparing for the tea party, ‌‌Cassian Artez's ‌‌gift arrived with impeccable timing.
'Does he really know me this well?'
I had merely observed Countess Hanela's Daughter at the ball, yet he had predicted my preferences down to this detail.
Until now, the dresses ‌‌Cassian Artez had gifted me were invariably for evening parties or balls we would attend together, or casual day wear.
Since I had no intention of displaying my appearance at the tea party, I had planned ‌‌to wear a modest evening dress and cover it with simple accessories and adornments.
"This is perfect timing, my lady. ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌It will suit you far better than a shawl or brooch."
Joan teased me with a subtle jab, remarking ‌‌that even a prince possessed such refined taste.
Honestly, I rarely attended tea parties with my peers, so purchasing a new dress seemed wasteful. Yet instead of praise, I received....
Though I felt a twinge of indignation, I graciously accepted Cassian Artez's kindness.
Besides, this dress seemed ‌‌‌‌perfectly suited to prick Countess Hanela's Daughter's pride.
With Joan's assistance, I arranged my hair and ‌‌‌applied makeup lightly, befitting a daytime tea party.
The dress Cassian Artez had sent featured ivory as its base fabric, with enough weight to reflect the season's growing chill.
From the shoulders to the neckline and along the sleeves, delicate lace fabric with ‌‌an elegant aesthetic added decorative richness.
I selected accessories with modestly sized jewels to complement it, draped the coordinating coat over the dress, and completed my preparations for the tea party.
Not long after finishing, Wilhelmina Lopez arrived.
As I boarded the Duke Lopez's carriage, she clapped her hands in admiration.
"Your dress suits you beautifully today, Roselita Salice. Did you choose it yourself?"
"First Prince Charlie sent it—I'm not sure how he knew."
"His Highness did...!"
At my words, Wilhelmina Lopez's expression brightened considerably. ‌‌
"It's reassuring to see how much he cares for you, and...."
Wilhelmina Lopez smiled with an uncharacteristic coolness.
"I'm also quite curious about Countess Hanela's Daughter's reaction."
She quickly turned to me with a reminder.
"You understand, don't you, Roselita Salice? Today, you need only smile elegantly. I'll protect you!"
Wilhelmina ‌‌‌‌Lopez beamed with joy and ‌‌‌anticipation.
Since she was delighted, I was content simply to nod in agreement.

*

The Hanella Marquis Family was a house that had risen swiftly alongside ‌‌the emergence ‌‌of new entrepreneurs in recent years.
If one considered wealth alone, the Ashwood Ducal House of our Second Advisor and ‌‌‌‌Wilhelmina's Lopez Duchy would surely possess greater fortunes.
Yet within the Empire, the Hanella Marquis Family was where currency circulated most rapidly.
Merely two decades prior, the Hanella Marquis Family ‌‌‌‌had barely maintained its name; now it had experienced explosive growth and risen ‌‌‌to prominence.
Consequently, honor and appearance had become paramount, so some ten years ago, they had purchased several neighboring properties adjacent to the town house of a once-grand noble family that had fallen into ruin and neglect, demolished them, and constructed what could only be described as a grand mansion.
Its scale rivaled the country houses within the territories of even the most distinguished nobility.
Moreover, being the ‌‌‍newest building within the Capital City, its paintwork and furnishings gleamed without a trace of age, commanding immediate attention.
And yet, despite residing in that resplendent mansion, Countess Hanela's Daughter stood out even more strikingly.
"What an honor it is that the renowned Roselita Salice, ‌‌‌mistress of the Flare Dragon's Lair, and the esteemed daughter of the ‌‌‌Lopez Duchy would grace our marquis house with a visit."
And as our hostess, her words were equally striking.
Wilhelmina opened her mouth with an elegant voice toward Countess Hanela's Daughter, who preened before the gathered young ladies as if to confirm her own words.

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