Chapter 5: Chapter 5

The gossip continued, and it was quite helpful in introducing the heroine from the original story.

"Maria is making her debut this year, right? At 21, she's debuting late, just like someone from the countryside. I guess she’s relying on her looks."

"If marriage were only about looks, Natalie Redfield would have been married long ago."

"She just filtered out all the men who were interested, and now she can’t find anyone. If she lowered her standards just a little, she wouldn’t have been single for five years."

"Maybe she just wants to dance with more men."

"Hahaha!"

The lady I was speaking with burst into laughter.

Seems like gossip is really fun. And her younger sister has no idea she’s listening…

Just then, one lady suddenly turned to face me.

"Hey, Doris Redfield. What do you think?"

"Huh?"

"Pretending to be surprised? You were listening to our conversation, weren’t you?"

"..."

"Don’t try to act angry. Everyone here knows you’re always ignored by your sister."

Wow...

I was speechless from their brazenness.

Another lady tried to stop her, but the one who spoke to me said, "It's okay, Doris is nice, she won’t mind," as if she were poking fun at the quiet kid in class.

The lady lifted her chin proudly and said,

"Don’t you have any interesting stories about your sister? I’d like to steal the spotlight at a gathering for once."

"You want me to gossip about my sister?"

"Why are you surprised? When was the last time you and your sister got along?"

"..."

That’s true. I don’t like Natalie. She’s the type who would always sneer at me when we passed each other.

But still.

"Doris, I’ll invite you to a banquet where the good men go. You’re not as pretty as your sister, but that’s good because it won’t make the men feel burdened!"

I hated people like this even more!

I stood firmly in front of the lady, who was looking down at me with pride, and said,

"You really are obsessed with my sister’s looks, aren’t you? Is that all you have to talk about?"

"...Wait, what? Obsessed with what? Hah, come on, I’m just talking about the social scene!"

"Why do you even come to these social gatherings? Is there no other way for you to survive? And yet, you keep harping on my sister’s looks—aren’t you just saying you care about her appearance?"

"Ugh... Why are you saying that to us? You must think Natalie’s insufferable too!"

"Don’t assume things!"

It’s not that I think my sister’s face is insufferable—it’s her personality that’s the problem!

Right at that moment, I smelled a familiar perfume.

"Hmm, you’re having quite an interesting conversation, aren’t you?"

I, along with the two other ladies, slowly turned to the side. The person who had quietly approached us was…

"Sister Natalie?"

A beautiful woman with red hair looked down at us. Her eyes were smiling, but I could almost feel her mouth filled with curses.

"Sister, were you planning on coming to this banquet?"

"I was thinking of taking a nap today, but my mother kept glaring at me. So, I decided to come, just to drink some tea."

"How did you get the invitation—"

"Did you think I needed one? When I said my name, they let me in immediately."

Natalie smiled confidently.

Come to think of it, I read in some book about how hosts prefer guests who are charming with their words.

I wasn’t sure if Natalie was known for her charm or for making people’s adrenaline spike, but...

Soon, Natalie’s smile shifted toward the two other ladies at the table.

"Why are you suddenly quiet after talking so much? You won’t look considerate by pretending to be all serious now."

"Natalie..."

"We’re not close enough for you to just call me by my name. It’s ‘Miss Redfield,’ and you should say it properly."

"..."

"Unless..."

Suddenly, Natalie’s face moved very close to theirs, almost touching their eyelashes.

"Have you lost your mind looking at my face?"

"Aaaaah! W-what are you saying!"

The ladies jumped back in shock, but Natalie’s hands tightly gripped their shoulders, and they soon found themselves facing the curious gazes of those around them.

With the world’s most beautiful woman and the commotion combined, it would have been strange if people didn’t stare.

The two ladies' faces turned bright red as they tried to escape, but with Natalie holding their lace-covered shoulders, they couldn’t easily pull away. If they did, their dresses might tear.

"Let go, let go!"

"Say thank you for giving you the chance to catch more attention from the men."

"Sorry!"

"Say thank you, I told you what to say. Why can’t you understand?"

Natalie’s voice grew sharper, and people began pretending to look away, hiding behind their fans or other people's shoulders, only glancing at us.

The ladies muttered in voices barely audible.

"Thank you... for this."

"Good job. See you next time?"

Natalie let go of them. The two ladies hurriedly stumbled away.

And then I realized.

Damn. I should’ve run when it was loud earlier!

But now it was too late. Natalie turned her attention to me.

Don’t panic! I had been intervening while she was getting scolded just now, right? She won’t say anything bad!

"Doris."

"Yes, sister?"

"I guess I should give up on giving you advice about dresses. You should just wear pajamas from now on."

"..."

Ugh, she’s so annoying.

...But, is my taste really that bad?

I thought I picked a pretty neutral dress.

"Doris. How tall are you?"

"Huh? I’m 162 cm."

"That’s short."

I’m not short! I’m 1 cm taller than the average height of Korean women!

However, Natalie, who was easily over 170 cm, looked at me like I was some sort of puppy and said,

"I see."

"Why did you ask about my height?"

"How old are you?"

"...Twenty-three."

"You’re at an age where you won’t grow any taller, so be careful with the snacks. It’d be a problem if your dress burst."

She finished saying what she wanted, took the snack I was eating, and quickly walked away.

What’s wrong with her?

I appreciate her helping, but there’s no need to start fights too!

After Natalie’s red hair disappeared from my sight, I slumped down onto the sofa with a heavy sigh.

‘I’m so tired.’

I wish the male lead, Arthur, would show up soon.

Then Natalie would focus on Arthur and stop bothering me.

Tristan would also stop picking fights with me while he was too busy watching Arthur and clinging to Maria.

Come on, Arthur! Hurry up!

‘Please, make sure I can break off from all these annoying people soon!’

***

I had never been interested in clothes. More precisely, I couldn’t afford to be. With a lack of money, I always chose plain clothes, and in the end, I wore the same trousers and neutral-colored shirts like a school uniform.

Still, it bothered me that Natalie always criticized my dresses, so I casually asked a maid,

"Do my dresses look that bad?"

"Hmm... You always pick the ones that are tucked away in the corner of the wardrobe. I thought you didn’t like anything too flashy, so I assumed you did it on purpose."

"..."

I could tell from her indirect answer.

‘They're not pretty.’

To me, they all looked like princess dresses.

Honestly, I’m fine with the way I am now, but I don’t want to give Natalie any more reasons to criticize my dresses.

I went to the Count’s study and searched for books about fashion from this era. The books weren’t even organized by the Dewey Decimal system or in alphabetical order, so I spent days organizing the study and selecting the books I needed.

One day, as I was sitting at the dinner table, my father casually mentioned,

"There’s a botanical garden opening event in a few days. It’s a baron’s event, but I don’t think any important guests will attend. You can join if you’d like."

Natalie wasn’t interested in that event at all.

But my senses were on high alert.

‘The male lead, Arthur Albion, will make his first appearance at the event!’

‘The main plot is finally beginning.’

Rumors had been circulating since the start of the season that the future Duke of the North would make his debut in the social scene this year. So, nobles with daughters had been eagerly watching the guest lists for prestigious events.

But Arthur, who was more accustomed to armor than formal wear, and sword fighting than escorting, wasn’t fond of parties. He likely chose this modest event, the botanical garden opening, as his first public appearance because it was an outdoor event focused on plants, and he didn’t expect much attention.

Of course, in the original story, the male lead is an irresistible heartthrob, tall with striking features, who will inevitably captivate everyone and become the talk of the social scene the moment he steps in.

But he’s the protagonist, so I guess I’ll endure it.

On the day of the botanical garden event, the maid who accompanied me asked while helping me get ready,

"Miss, I thought you didn’t like outdoor events?"

"I thought it might be one of the last days I can enjoy seeing flowers. The season will end soon, and my future will be decided."

...Of course, that was just an excuse.

I was going to see if the male lead was moving according to the original story.

The maid sighed without knowing my true intention.

"Sigh... It would be so nice if the prince could show you the flowers or take you to the sea, wouldn't it?"

Her tone sounded like she was saying, "Wouldn’t it be nice if I won the lottery this week?" The maid, too, didn’t trust the prince’s character. I sympathized with her.

"Let’s go enjoy the present, then. We shouldn’t be late for the event..."

Just as I was about to leave the room, someone panting heavily stepped in front of me. It was Natalie.

She looked me up and down with her deep emerald eyes.

"Doris. Father told me. Where are you going?"

"The botanical garden opening, like I mentioned before."

"Why would you go to such a dull event?"

"I like plants. Plus, the weather is nice today."

"..."

Natalie stopped for a moment.

It was rare for her to not immediately say something sharp.

After a brief hesitation, she said something completely unexpected.@@novelbin@@

"Do you really have to go today? There’s a better party a few days later."

"Huh? Sister, you know I don’t like parties. Today, I’m going to see flowers."

"I wouldn’t recommend a party with poor flower decorations. I’ve found a really good one."

What on earth was she talking about?

Not wanting to waste any more time, I finally spoke up.

"Please move aside. If you have something to say, I’ll listen later..."

"Oh, your dress isn’t finished being altered!"