Chapter 9

"Good afternoon, Cordelia. I am grateful for your response to our family's invitation."

The welcome seemed to be only in words.

Catherina did not even stand from her seat, merely glancing at Cordelia sideways.

This tea party was held in a tranquil green area by a forest and a lake on the outskirts of the capital.

The host was the Arbold Duke's family, Catherina's family.

"I wish to apologize for nearly spilling wine on you at the ball the other day."

Given that she was invited with such a statement, Cordelia, as a viscountess, had no choice but to accept.

It was clear that the true intention behind the invitation was not to apologize to Cordelia.

The guests at the tea party were all young ladies close to Catherina.

They were waiting with bated breath, ready to gang up on Cordelia.

(While it's their choice to waste their time, I wish they wouldn't drag me into it.)

Cordelia inwardly vented her frustration at being forced to waste her precious time.

However, she did not let it show on her face, and instead greeted Catherina with graceful manners.

Just because the other party was rude, it didn't mean she had to be as well.

Even if it was just a formality, in noble society, face and pretense were important.

Cordelia's approach was to respond perfectly, giving the other party no room to exploit.

"You're quite skilled at putting on a good front, aren't you? Are you used to deceiving men because you're good at it?"

Immediately, one of Catherina's followers threw a nasty comment.

"Thank you for the compliment. I'm flattered."

"Flattered? I can't understand, nor do I want to understand, the feeling of being called a flirt and being happy about it."

"Your demeanor naturally reflects your inner self. Being called pure-hearted is the highest praise, isn't it?"

"I'm amazed. A young lady should never act on her feelings. No matter how dirty one's heart may be, one can always maintain a good appearance when necessary. In fact, a perfect example is right in front of me now."

"The heart and the appearance are separate. If you say so, isn't it impossible to judge my essence by just looking at my appearance?"

She said this with a bright smile, and the first follower fell silent.

She deflected the insult and countered, but always within the bounds of politeness, turning the other party's malice into a word game.

(They're so easy to handle.)

There were about ten of Catherina's followers at the tea party.

They sat at four tables spread out on the grass, watching Cordelia with undisguised hostility.

Cordelia sat across from Catherina, unflinching under their gazes.

As soon as she sat down, sarcastic remarks disguised as casual conversation flew from all around.

"A flirt who changed fiancés four times and seduced a prince."

"A rude person who dared to defy Catherina."

"An ordinary-looking girl who thinks too highly of herself, unlike her sister."

Cordelia deftly parried these verbal attacks.

(They're blunt. Given the company today, it's to be expected.)

Catherina was known for being haughty and emotional.

She was avoided by proper high-ranking nobles, and those who followed her did so for the power of the duke's family.

Among those who fawned over Catherina, the shrewd ones were not present today.

(They must have thought they might incur Prince Leonhardt's wrath.)

For some reason, Leonhardt seemed to favor her.

It was natural to think that bullying a prince's favorite lady might incur his displeasure.

Cordelia had no intention of using Leonhardt's favor, but others wouldn't know that.

As a result, those who followed Catherina today and attacked her were

"arrogant young ladies who can't see the bigger picture and insult those they don't like," the kind of characters who often appear as villains in popular novels.

They were like the dregs of the noble world.

(Some of the young ladies seem to be attending reluctantly, and I feel sorry for them...)

One young lady was sending her a look of discomfort.

They seemed to understand that attacking Cordelia now was a bad idea.

However, as Catherina's followers, they were bound by noble obligations.

Their families owed a lot to the Duke's family, so they had to attend to make up the numbers.

(I'll have to send them a letter later, saying, "I know you didn't mean to be hostile.")

While subtly countering Catherina's insults, Cordelia added a task to her mental to-do list.

It was a subtle operation, but such steady groundwork often paid off in the long run.

After running around to clean up after her sister and parents, Cordelia had reached this conclusion by the age of eighteen.

As she was thinking this, the insults from Catherina and her followers seemed to run out of steam, and silence fell around her.

Cordelia took advantage of this and reached for the tea snacks on the table.

They were small apple pies, crispy on the outside and sweet with the flavor of apples when bitten into, very delicious.

Indeed, a tea party hosted by a duke's family.

While she disliked Catherina, the tea snacks were innocent.

She carefully maintained her manners and ate the snacks gracefully.

Recently, she had been busy, and even before that, the viscount's family finances had been strained due to Priscilla, so she rarely had the luxury of enjoying sweets.

Exhibiting her usual resilience, Cordelia savored the tea snacks when Catherina suddenly stood up.

"It's getting hot. Shall we go for a boat ride to cool off?"

It was a command disguised as a question.

She might be planning to start over and do something unpleasant.

At Catherina's command, the young ladies stood up and headed for the water's edge.

Reluctantly leaving the tea snacks, Cordelia joined them on the boat.

It was a small, light boat that could seat three.

Following Catherina's suggestion, they started rowing towards the opposite shore.

(...It's so quiet.)

The only other people in the boat were one of Catherina's followers and a servant who was rowing.

The sound of the water and the splashes were the only sounds accompanying the boat's path.

The young lady sitting across from her seemed to have been forced to attend the tea party.

She was watching Cordelia's expression, but avoided eye contact and remained silent.

However, as they passed the middle of the lake and the opposite shore came into view,

"Please forgive me!! Please!!"

With a scream, the young lady kicked the bottom of the boat hard.

The boat shook, and a crack appeared in the bottom.

Cordelia regained her balance and saw the thin crack in the boat.

Cold water seeped into her toes.

It seemed the boards had been pre-cut, and the kick had caused them to split.

"What are you doing?! If you do this, you'll drown too!!"

"Please, please forgive me!! But it's okay!! The boat won't sink!!"

"It won't sink?! ...Oh, I see!!"

She said this and ordered the servant to row harder.

Water splashed at her feet, but the rate of water ingress was slow.

They soon reached the opposite shore, and Cordelia helped the young lady onto the ground.

Her shoes were wet, but otherwise, she was unharmed.

Looking back at the lake, she saw Catherina and the others rowing back to the opposite shore.

"I've been set up..."

"I'm sorry!! I tried to stop them!! But...!!"

"...How could you do something so ridiculous?"

"Ah...!!"

Cordelia sighed at the cowering young lady.

It was unpleasant to see her act like a victim, but she couldn't bring herself to bully the weak.

When Catherina suggested the boat ride, she had a bad feeling, but

(To think they would do something this absurd...)

It was impossible to predict.

The crack in the boat was small.

Catherina probably didn't intend to drown Cordelia.

The purpose was likely to cause a slow leak, strand Cordelia on the opposite shore, and perhaps make her panic and get her dress soaked.

Catherina and her followers would probably claim it was an unfortunate accident.

But if Cordelia had drowned, Catherina, as the host and someone with a grudge against Cordelia, would have been suspected.

(Both Priscilla and Catherina need to learn some common sense...)

Muttering to herself, she checked the abandoned boat.

The water had risen to her ankles, but there was no guarantee it wouldn't sink before they could return to the original shore.

The forest was close to the shore where they had landed.

The lake was large enough that walking around it would be a considerable distance.

It would be difficult to navigate the dense undergrowth in a dress.

Cordelia calmed the whining young lady and ordered her servant to go for help.

Fortunately, the forest was off-limits to commoners and had no dangerous animals.

Cordelia's servant was also waiting at the tea party on the opposite shore, so it was just a matter of waiting.

It was frustrating to waste time, but lashing out at the young lady would be pointless.

Thinking this, she and the young lady stood by the shore.

"Ah!!"

At the young lady's shrill scream, Cordelia looked in the direction of her gaze.

(No way!!)

A man in a black hood, carrying a sword, was walking towards them.

He looked suspicious and clearly hostile.

(Catherina's henchman?! But to go this far just to harass me?!)

The sword pointed at her made her spine chill and sweat break out.

"Why are you doing this?! I don't know you, I don't want to hear this—ah!!"

The bandit started running.

Just as Cordelia instinctively shielded the unconscious young lady behind her—

A clear sound.

A figure slipped between Cordelia and the bandit.

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Thank you for reading.

I will respond to any typos or comments you have in order.

The next part will be posted tomorrow, so please look forward to it.