"It's hot," Lariette thought, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
Is it because of the sponsorship? Even though she was wearing a cool summer dress, her skin still felt strangely warm, and the sun-exposed limbs were hot, with a trickle of cold sweat running down her back.
"Maybe it's because those eyes are annoying."
That makes sense. Shelia's voice and tone were so superficial that she wanted to slap her in the face. When Asrahan was mentioned in her mouth, she felt her head spinning. Perhaps due to stress, her body felt heavier, and a wave of intense fatigue washed over her, making her on the verge of yawning.
"I'm so slow to realize that bad luck."
Lariette bit the inside of her lip to hold back the urge to vomit. Now is the time for a relaxed look. That way, she can properly warn Shelia Mirchen.
"Did you hear what Lady Blanche just said?"
"Asrahan, it shouldn't be a false rumor, considering she called him by his name."
"Marriage!"
There was a commotion among the young aristocratic ladies invited to the tea party. They were busy sharing the information that Lariette had just whispered, and soon a chattering voice filled with sarcasm spoke up. Someone burst into exclamations, while another let out a sigh of regret. Asrahan Candel was always the talk of the town, so it's no wonder that everyone was so surprised. Furthermore, his fiancée was Lariette Blanche. Blanche was only a fictitious name, but it was still a story of the two main royal ducal families coming together. Rumors had once swept the social scene when she was expelled from Blanche and was dating the Duke of Candel. It was rumored that she moved in with him and ran off with money after the breakup, then she appeared at a social gathering after a long time and announced her marriage to Candel.
"Hey, you're lying!"
Shelia's sharp cry drew people's attention. She continued with a vulnerable voice, feeling a satisfying shiver run down her spine as the attention returned to her.
"Well, no matter how rude Lariette was to me, I tried not to say it for old times' sake... I feel sorry for Duke Candel."
She looked sad as if her heart was broken. It was an abominable attitude, and the surrounding nobles leaned in to listen more closely to Shelia. Everyone was dying to hear the provocative scandal surrounding Candel and Blanche.
"I heard it myself. Duke Candel said he now hates Lariette."
Shelia lowered her eyelashes and spoke loudly.
"Oh, if possible, could you please stop looking at us? I want to apologize properly."
"No, I don't want to."
Clearly, Asrahan's aversion was a response to Shelia's request, but in Shelia's mind, it had long become "I hate Lariette." She was so confident in her exaggeration that she even altered her memory to suit her own narrative. She didn't even realize that she changed it herself. Therefore, Shelia had no qualms about paying Candel a false and ridiculous price. If she had known such reality in the first place, she wouldn't have spread unfounded rumors until now.
The buzz grew even louder with Shelia's comments. They caught glimpses of Lariette and engaged in various speculations.
"It must be true, the way you speak so confidently."
"After Blanche's failure, Lady Blanche went mad."
"And did you run away with the jewels?"
All of that was very clear to Lariette, who had enhanced her hearing after learning magic.
