TVWD 04

Chapter : 04

“I-I’m sorry.”

I pretended to lightly wipe at my eyes, but I didn’t actually remove the tears.

“I-I was worried that I might be rude to Miss Eikel again… like last time.”

If someone examined the situation closely, they might notice the contradiction in my words and actions.

Just like the Duke, who was currently looking at me with a disdainful expression.

The reason I asked him whether I was involved with Merina wasn’t really for him—it implied that I didn’t trust what Merina had said.

But most people would just see me as pitiful.

I had invited the Duke to a tea party in a perfectly ordinary way, yet some ridiculous woman who seemed to follow the Duke had started a scene.

Just as Merina was about to shed tears belatedly, Stella subtly intervened.

“Shameless, Miss Eikel.”

“Huh? Me?”

“I heard everything. You cornered Miss Levian and told her to stay away from the Duke.”

“I heard it too.”

Violet, famous in high society, stepped in. As the eldest daughter of Count Clen, she wasn’t particularly close to me, so she was neutral, though her mouth was far too loose.

“You said you had feelings for each other, right? So you told Miss Levian not to meet him.”

“Is that true?”

Gasps of shock spread around.

“Yes! She even shoved Miss Levian!”

“No wonder there was dye from her dress….”

Merina seemed at a loss, acting as if she had done something wrong, while I lightly dabbed at my eyes with my gloved hand.

“I’d appreciate it if everyone stopped. Miss Eikel wouldn’t have done it on purpose.”

I spoke with a gentle, almost pleading expression.

“Still, it’s a relief. From now on, I can keep speaking to the Duke without fear of being rude.”

I smiled lightly, and those around me followed suit. The only one left out was Merina.

Because of today, Merina Eikel had become the ill-mannered girl who, relying on her sister’s influence, dared to shout at the Levian Marquis’s daughter and even use violence.

Though the rumor that I disliked Merina might prevent everyone from believing it completely, many had witnessed it.

It was enough to dilute any negative impressions about me.

Above all, I seemed to have succeeded in ruffling the temper of that man with the cold, piercing blue eyes.

Even though it was all planned, my heart froze when the Duke of Lissiansious gave me a cold glare.

No. You should distance yourself from me.

Look at me with that contempt, as if you can’t help but dislike me. Don’t think of giving me even a shred of your heart.

I controlled my expression and scanned the people around me.

“I-I’ll be leaving now.”

Merina bit her lip and left, claiming she was going home.

I changed out of my dyed dress, greeted the guests, and the tea party ended very successfully.

During the holiday, my younger brother Calvin, who had returned from the Knight Order, burst in.

“Sis! Did you bother Merina again?”

Here it comes.

I had been leaning on the sofa reading a book, but I straightened up.

“What are you talking about, Calvin? I didn’t bother Miss Eikel.”

“Don’t play innocent! I heard you made Merina cry at the tea party recently.”

The youngest of the male protagonists, Calvin was skilled as a knight but emotionally immature.

“I don’t know from whom or what you heard, Calvin. But will you hear my side? A knight must be fair, after all.”

Mentioning knightly duties, Calvin bit his lip and nodded, ceasing his fussing.

“You know Miss Eikel came to the family’s tea party. And, whether you knew or not, the Duke of Lissiansious also attended.”

“The commander?”

“Yes. I invited him. Back when we went to Count Eikel’s birthday party.”

Calvin was surprised because he knew I never asked anyone for favors.

“Yes. Of course, many guests besides the Duke were invited.”

“And Merina was among them?”

“Yes. But Miss Eikel wanted to speak with me alone. She claimed she had feelings for the Duke.”

“What…?”

True to being the first of the male protagonists to realize his feelings, my brother was flustered hearing that Merina had given her heart to someone.

“She asked me to stay away from him.”

“Merina… the commander…”

“The truth is, I was interested in the Duke too. But hearing what Miss Eikel said, I thought they might be special to each other.”

“Special?”

“Yes. Miss Eikel made it sound like they met frequently, so I assumed it was true.”

Jealousy made Calvin’s eyes spin. He had already forgotten why he came to me.

“It’s rude to be interested in someone who already has a partner, so I asked the Duke if he was seriously involved with Miss Eikel.”

“And?”

“He said no.”

Calvin muttered, swaying forward and backward as if struck.

“Merina cried because she was rejected…”

“Exactly.”

I reopened the book I had closed.

“Sis, I should go now.”

“Wait, Calvin. Don’t you have something to say to me?”

“…Sorry, sis. I got angry at you without properly checking the facts.”

“Thank you for admitting your mistake and recognizing that I did nothing wrong.”

I smiled faintly, making him flinch.

“Calvin, since you’re friends with Miss Eikel, go comfort her.”

“Good idea. Wait, didn’t you dislike Merina?”

I sighed lightly and shook my head.

“I don’t dislike Miss Eikel. I actually want to get along with her. But I think our personalities clash sometimes, you understand?”

“I understand. By the way, sis, you are interested in the Duke, right? Right?”

“Sadly, the Duke doesn’t seem to have any interest in me.”

I shrugged as if disappointed, and Calvin’s expression first turned serious, then brightened.

“There’s an event at the Knight Order soon. They’ll demonstrate the training process, but only direct family can attend. Will you go?”

“There’s such an event? I’d be grateful if they invited me.”

I already knew about it, but pretended otherwise.

Originally, I would have tried to get closer to the Duke at this event, but this time, I would make him dislike me deliberately.

“I’ll find out the commander’s ideal type, so wait and see, okay?”

“Thanks.”

My brother was cute and funny, believing that if I got close to the Duke, Merina would shift her attention to him.

Calvin, the Duke is just one of the male leads; he likes Merina.

If you ask why he likes her, it’s probably her delicate heart that couldn’t even kill a bug, and her obedient demeanor.

The 48-times-dead me had a nature I could never gain, no matter how many times I died.

“Welcome, Miss Clen.”

“Thank you for inviting me, Miss Levian.”

It seemed that in this 49th life—the final one—I was destined to frequently host tea parties, like in my previous life.

“This way, please.”

I had invited Violet Clen, who had criticized Merina at the previous tea party.

It was to bait someone for the game I was setting up. Violet was simple-minded and easy to manipulate.

After softening the atmosphere with a normal greeting, I got to the point.

“Thanks to you, Miss Clen, my innocence was proven, and I could avoid trouble.”

“Could it be that Merina Eikel treated you that way all along?”

I didn’t answer, just smiled quietly, and Violet shook her head, dumbfounded.

“A girl from an unknown family dares to confront Miss Levian!”

I neither agreed nor denied Violet’s words. She would exaggerate the story and spread rumors herself; if traced, I could step back.

Still, I had to maintain a proper limit, so when Violet’s words began to escalate, I deliberately changed the subject.

“I thought someone as well-informed as Miss Clen in high society might know, so I have a question.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

“You must keep this a secret, understood?”

Violet tried to reassure me, but her gossip-loving lips were smiling.

“I recently went to the Rose Garden and saw Miss Eikel with Youngsik Geodeun.”

Youngsik Geodeun was the man Violet liked, and unsurprisingly, her expression quickly stiffened.