-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Tables Turn
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Serapina struggled to suppress the anger boiling inside her.
The moment she lost her temper here, everything would fall apart.
Everyone would condemn her for being too sensitive.
They would laugh at her for losing her composure, mock her, and drag her down into the dirt.
So, even if her feet were on fire, she had to feign an air of utmost composure.
“By the way, I hear Lady Ansi has been attending the Watkins Book Club with the Duchess lately, is that right?”
‘Watkins? That gathering of bookworms?’
Serapina raised an eyebrow.
Wasn’t that the club she and the other members of Peony had always looked down on?
But now, with Duchess Claudius’s name attached to it…
“Oh my, I’d love to go!”
“Reading… how very intellectual.”
The book club was instantly elevated to a gathering one ‘desperately wanted to join.’
And that fact became a sharp arrow, shot once again in Serapina’s direction.
“Lady Lopes, were you perhaps not invited this time either?”
…Why are they suddenly bringing that up?
Serapina felt a sense of foreboding.
And her feeling was spot on.
“Actually, I’ll be attending from the next meeting.”
Lady Sanchez, who had always been relegated to second place in the Peony social club, overshadowed by Serapina.
She triumphantly held up an invitation to the Watkins Book Club for all to see.
“To be honest, I never gave it much thought before, but the Duchess has been so active in society lately, hasn’t she?”
Lady Sanchez’s eyes crinkled into a smile.
“I’ve been wanting to meet her, and my mother and the Countess of Sherwood are very close friends. So, my mother got an invitation for me.”
“Oh, I’m so envious!”
“I’ve been dying to go. Do you think you could somehow get me an invitation later?”
The ladies of the club looked at Lady Sanchez, each with an expression of envy.
“Of course. What are friends for?”
Shrugging, Lady Sanchez fixed Serapina with a gaze full of triumph.
“Oh, and just so you know, I should mention this beforehand. For Lady Lopes, it might be a little… difficult.”
“…”
Serapina’s eyes grew cold.
Lady Sanchez, feigning caution, provoked Serapina once more.
“We have to be mindful of the Duchess’s feelings, after all. You understand, don’t you?”
“Don’t you worry. I never had any intention of asking for an invitation in the first place.”
Serapina smiled as beautifully as a lily.
“That would be a bit… childish, wouldn’t it?”
Of course, Serapina herself had once asked Lalitt for an invitation to the Duchy’s salon.
But she forced that memory away, putting on her boldest front.
“Actually, I’m more curious about your intentions, Lady Sanchez.”
“My intentions?”
“Yes. I never planned on asking, so why must you insist on bringing me into it?”
In truth, the best response would have been to stop at ‘childish, wouldn’t it?’
But Serapina, thoroughly annoyed, had to add one more thing.
“Oh my, were you offended?”
Lady Sanchez didn’t miss the opportunity, her eyes widening as she painted Serapina as a petty person.
“I was only trying to be considerate, in case you were to misunderstand. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
“Lady Sanchez, that’s…”
“I was worried you might feel a bit isolated, you see.”
Lady Sanchez beamed.
“I forgot how proud you are, Lady Lopes. Of course you wouldn’t need a silly invitation like this… I was being presumptuous.”
Though her voice was as soft as down, her words were laced with thorns.
“You’ve been so quiet today, I was worried you might be upset. I suppose I was mistaken.”
“…”
Serapina clenched her jaw, her smile never wavering.
‘A mistake.’
She shouldn’t have given Lady Sanchez any opening to criticize her.
‘…How irritating.’
Normally, Lady Sanchez wouldn’t have dared to speak so freely, always watching Serapina’s reactions.
But today, she was leading the conversation in Serapina’s stead.
That in itself was proof that Serapina had lost control of this gathering.
It only made her feel worse.
“Speaking of which, don’t you think the Duchess has softened a little lately?”
“I agree. She smiles much more than she used to.”
“Before, she seemed so unapproachable, but it’s not like that anymore.”
“I happened to run into her the other day, and she actually greeted me first.”
The very ladies who once gossiped about the Duchess with Serapina had flipped their allegiance in an instant and were now taking the Duchess’s side.
Moreover.
“Lady Lopes always said the Duchess was so cold, so I just assumed it was true.”
“Perhaps that was just our own prejudice.”
…They were subtly shifting the blame for all that gossip onto Serapina.
‘Patience.’
Serapina squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm herself.
She still had some influence in this circle, so she had to stick with it as long as possible.
Peony was one of her most important foundations.
For now, the best course of action was to keep showing her face at the gatherings and wait for an opportunity to push Lady Sanchez out.
She no longer had Lalitt to exploit, and the Barony of Lopes was too insignificant to offer any help.
And Gregory had been cold to her lately as well…
‘Gregory.’
The name made Serapina feel like she couldn’t breathe.
It was only natural.
‘I think Gregory’s been avoiding me.’
Ever since the incident in the south, Gregory seemed to have completely lost interest in Serapina.
He used to visit her so often the doorstep was worn, but now, his visits had ceased entirely.
When Serapina could bear it no longer and went to see him herself…
“Sera, what brings you here?”
He made it painfully obvious he wasn't interested in her.
“Didn’t Lalitt come with you?”
…The despair of hearing those words to her face.
Was that all?
He would let her sit beside him while he stared blankly into space, lost in thought.
Leaving her alone while he stepped away was also a common occurrence.
If not that, then…
“Sera, have you heard anything about Lalitt lately?”
He would press her for every little detail about Lalitt.
‘No, it must be my imagination.’
Serapina clenched her fists.
Just losing Lalitt to the Duchess was a huge blow.
If she were to lose Gregory on top of that…
‘That can never happen.’
She didn’t even want to imagine it.
* * *
The sun began its slow descent toward the horizon.
At last, the gathering came to an end.
“I had a wonderful time today, Lady Sanchez!”
“Until we meet again!”
The ladies exchanged cheerful goodbyes.
Serapina, who had remained until the very end, finally allowed herself to relax a little.
‘I need to get home and rest.’
Sitting under the ladies’ piercing gazes all day had left her entire body stiff.
Her lips, forced into a smile for hours, were on the verge of trembling.
But just then.
“Oh my.”
Covering her mouth with a wide-open fan, Lady Sanchez’s eyes curved into a sweet smile.
“I don’t see Lord Gusto today.”
“…”
Caught off guard, Serapina drew a sharp breath.
Lady Sanchez continued, fanning herself gently.
“Lord Gusto always used to come and escort you home, Lady Lopes.”
“…That’s.”
“Didn’t he always take care of you before his own fiancée, Lady Ansi?”
Lady Sanchez’s smile widened slightly.
“Every time I saw that, I couldn’t help but feel envious, thinking how loved you must be, Lady Lopes.”
With that, Lady Sanchez looked Serapina up and down, her eyes filled with scorn.
Serapina felt her face flush.
Snapping her fan shut with a crisp sound, Lady Sanchez gave a sly shrug.
“Well then, do get home safely, Lady Lopes.”
And with that, the ladies departed in their respective family carriages.
Serapina scrambled into her own carriage as if she were fleeing.
