Chapter 3

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: A Perfectly Tied Shoelace
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‘So that’s why!’

The first day Serapina and I debuted in high society.

The reason my fiancé, Gregory, chose to have his first dance with Serapina instead of me at the debutante ball.

“Lari, we’re best friends. You understand, right?”

The reason Serapina always used me without a single word of apology!

‘Wow, this is seriously infuriating.’

I was so furious my hands were trembling.

And what really made me snap was…

‘What’s this?’

Serapina’s shoelace was tied perfectly!

‘She definitely said her shoelace was untied, didn’t she?’

I stared in disbelief at the shoelace, tied in a perfect bow, then lifted my head.

Just then, Serapina, who was chattering with Gregory, glanced down at me with amusement in her eyes.

It was a look that clearly saw me as beneath her.

‘Ah, I see.’

In that moment.

It was as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head; my mind cleared instantly.

‘The shoelace was just an excuse. She just wanted to make me kneel at her feet.’

Recommending that tacky, ill-fitting dress, claiming it suited me so well.

Doing my makeup herself, leaving it splotchy.

Always keeping me by her side at every picnic and banquet.

And even showing off how I doted on her, as if for all to see.

Just as darkness makes the starlight more beautiful, and a calyx makes the blossom’s brilliance stand out.

That’s what I was to Serapina.

…A role solely meant to make Serapina shine.

‘So that’s how it was?’

I gritted my teeth.

I had always felt out of place.

As if I were forcing my way into a world that revolved around Serapina.

Until now, I had been desperate not to be cast out from it.

My best friend.

The fiancé arranged by our families.

Those two were my entire social world.

That’s why I was so afraid of being hated by them, but…

‘Like I give a damn about that anymore?!’

I reached out and yanked Serapina’s ankle hard.

“Aah!”

Serapina’s shriek cut grandly through the air.

And then.

*Thump!*

Serapina, toppling backward chair and all, stared at the sky with a dazed expression.

The sight was reminiscent of a frog flipped onto its back by a stone.

It was a rather ridiculous sight, completely at odds with the usually graceful Serapina.

“Oh my, Lady Lopes… pfft.”

“Are you all right, pffft…”

The people who had rushed to ask if Serapina was all right couldn’t hold back their suppressed laughter.

Serapina’s face turned as red as a ripe tomato.

“Lalitt!”

A horrified Gregory shot up from his seat.

Amazingly, while everyone else was desperately trying to stifle their laughter, Gregory wasn't laughing at all.

Is that how you know it’s true love?

How utterly ridiculous.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

Gregory’s eyes widened as he raised his voice, carefully helping Serapina to her feet.

The look in his eyes as he gazed at Serapina was full of tenderness.

“Sera! Are you okay?!”

“Ah…”

Serapina staggered to her feet, supported by Gregory.

Trembling like a newborn fawn, she leaned against Gregory’s chest.

Then, with her eyes glistening with moisture, she murmured just loud enough to be heard.

“Oh, heavens, Gregor. I was so startled…”

My eyebrow twitched.

I had to admit, it was impressive how she managed to maintain her pure and delicate image even in a situation like this.

It’s not like I pulled that hard.

“I feel a bit dizzy, and my heart is pounding so fast…”

“A doctor! We need to call a doctor!”

The horrified Gregory started making a scene.

“No, I can’t let the atmosphere of the picnic be ruined because of me.”

Serapina shook her head, her eyes cast down pitifully.

“Lalitt, how are you going to take responsibility for this?!”

Gregory, who had been looking down at Serapina with a pained expression, turned and pointed a finger at me.

“What would you have done if Sera had been seriously hurt! Huh?!”

I had to admire his consistency—calling Serapina by her pet name, ‘Sera,’ while addressing me, his fiancée, by my full name, ‘Lalitt,’ even now.

“Please… don’t worry too much, Lord Gusto.”

Just then, Countess Johanson interjected, her face showing her discomfort.

“I too have made thorough preparations to ensure none of my esteemed guests are injured…”

“What? How can you call a mere carpet ‘thorough preparations’?!”

Gregory burst out in anger.

“Sera is frail! The slightest impact could injure her severely!”

“…”

“…”

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

Wow, a *mere* carpet.

To insult the hostess so openly like that?

I couldn’t hide my stunned expression.

‘Does Gregory have no sense at all?’

The hostess of today’s picnic was Countess Johanson.

And Countess Johanson had spared no expense for today’s picnic.

The meticulously manicured lawn was as soft as a cotton quilt, and a thick carpet had been laid over it.

Furthermore.

“Isn’t that a bit much?”

one of the noblewomen muttered discontentedly.

“He’s propped up so many cushions behind Lady Lopes.”

“I know. Lord Gusto took all of them so no one else could use a single one.”

“That’s right. She couldn’t possibly get hurt even if she tried.”

That was true.

Serapina was currently surrounded by a mountain of cushions Gregory had brought for her…

To exaggerate a little, with that many cushions, she’d probably be fine even if she fell from the second story.

Tsking inwardly, I glanced sideways at Countess Johanson.

‘If a rumor spread that a guest was injured at her picnic, it would be a stain on the hostess’s reputation.’

Of course, since I was the one who made Serapina fall, the initial blame would fall on me.

But a subtle rumor would linger.

‘Heavens, did you hear Lady Lopes was injured at the Countess’s picnic?’

‘Shouldn’t the hostess, the Countess, have been more diligent in her management?’

Something like that.

But Gregory, who didn’t have a single ounce of tact, looked ready to scoop Serapina up and run for a doctor at any moment.

All while Countess Johanson’s face was visibly shifting between red and blue.

In that case.

‘I should present myself as Gregory’s opposite.’

I bowed my head politely to Countess Johanson.

“I apologize, Countess Johanson. My hand slipped by mistake, and I’ve caused you worry.”

First, I offered a sincere apology to the Countess, who had been needlessly caught in the crossfire.

Then, I put on a guilty expression for Serapina.

“And I’m sorry to you too, Serapina. I didn’t realize you would fall like that.”

“Why would Sera fall while you were tying her shoelace?!”

Gregory was still shouting at the top of his lungs, and…

‘Good, you walked right into it.’

I covered my mouth with my hand, feigning surprise.

“Ah, about that. Her shoelace was tied perfectly fine.”

For a moment, people looked back and forth between Serapina and me with suspicion.

“Hmm… Didn’t Lady Lopes say her shoelace was untied just a moment ago?”

“Indeed, that’s what I heard as well.”

Countess Johanson, particularly offended by this incident, sharpened her tone.

“Lady Lopes, surely you didn’t deliberately make Lady Ansi kneel?”

At the Countess’s sharp and sensitive question, it was the surrounding people who quickly waved their hands in dismissal.

“Oh, surely not.”

“There must have been some misunderstanding.”

The general atmosphere was one of disbelief toward my words.

But well, I was satisfied for now.

Serapina had always maintained such a kind and lovely image, after all.

Just making the words ‘deliberately made her own friend kneel’ come out of someone’s mouth in reference to her was enough.