Chapter 145

Chapter 145
## Chapter 145

“Trisha. Have you made any progress with the Ravenclaw family or the Duplain family?”

“Trisha, if there is ever a time you need your mother’s help, be sure to tell me.”

“Trisha, I heard they are opening a new training center on the Duplain grounds. It would be wonderful if you could participate in that.”

“It would be good to periodically check on the status of the training center, Trisha.”

Trisha was sweating profusely.

Every time she returned home, Countess Rodelia looked at her with eyes full of expectation, hoping her only daughter had established some kind of contact with the Ravenclaw family.

Countess Rodelia was already desperate to bring Dereck under her command.

Seeing the head of the House of Renwell looking at her with such anticipation, Trisha, who lived under her protection, couldn’t help but feel pressured.

After enjoying the splendid and luxurious banquet at the Renwell mansion, Trisha returned to her private room, immediately held her breath, and pulled at her hair.

‘What am I supposed to do…? This is too much…!’

Even now, she thought about honestly telling her mother that she and the young lady of the Duplain family were practically like cats and dogs, so she shouldn’t expect anything; but considering Countess Rodelia’s fierce personality, that would be suicide.

She remembered the moment she poured tea over Aiselin’s head, mocking the Duplain family, thinking they would soon collapse.

Trisha wanted to go back in time and beg her past self not to do that.

‘Calm down… calm down…’

Trisha sat down and wiped her face several times.

“What my mother truly wants is to bring Baron Ravenclaw under her control. So, even if it seems a bit irrational, perhaps it would be better to visit Baron Ravenclaw directly.”

Although she had been rejected once before, that time she went to make a request; this time, she would simply go for social interaction.

The Baron also seemed to have a fairly positive impression of Count Renwell, so from Trisha’s perspective, it wasn’t entirely impossible.

In short, Trisha looked quite pretty when she kept her mouth shut.

No one knew better than herself that her appearance was acceptable.

‘…’

However, no matter how much self-esteem Trisha had, she knew perfectly well that what is not meant to be, will not happen.

How could a man who regularly saw women like Aiselin, Ellen, and Denise be moved by Trisha?

Even so, she had to do it…

No matter how much she thought about it, winning over Diella was impossible. The next time they saw each other, she seemed ready to bite her arm off.

To please Countess Rodelia, she had to do something, anything.

“I am going to personally visit Baron Ravenclaw, give him some gifts, and have a pleasant conversation with him.”

“Oh, Trisha. How wonderful to hear you say that.”

“So, I made a list of various gifts along with the servants. And I think it would also be a good idea to make some handmade items!”

“Even though I am a woman, I understand a man’s heart better. The more impenetrable a person is, the more they are moved by handmade objects than by material or mundane gifts.”

Rodelia smiled with satisfaction.

Seeing Rodelia’s expression, Trisha also smiled awkwardly, feeling that for the moment, everything was fine.

After a brief and emotional moment between mother and daughter, Trisha spoke with an awkward smile.

“Well, anyway, I need to visit Baron Ravenclaw’s territory as soon as possible.”

“Yes. But… as I already mentioned, Baron Ravenclaw is not in his territory right now. Did you forget?”

“…Yes, yes, I definitely forgot. Now that I think about it, where did you say he was?”

“I already told you. He is at Duke Duplain’s mansion.”

Trisha slapped her forehead.

Contemplating her pale complexion was like observing cattle in front of a slaughterhouse.

***

*Crunch.*

“We have arrived, Lady Trisha.”

“…”

Is this place truly hell?

The Duke of Duplain’s mansion, whose restoration was already finished, looked from the outside like a neat Western house, but in Trisha’s eyes, it seemed like a gloomy lair radiating a sinister aura.

Who resides primarily here?

Aiselin Eleanor Duplain. The one over whose head Trisha had directly poured tea.

And next to her, Diella Katherine Duplain. The one who had given her a hard slap on the cheek.

But since she had come this far, she couldn’t turn back. If she returned to Countess Rodelia without having obtained results, she might receive a reprimand like: “And what were you doing then?”

Trisha held her breath.

Yes. Living as a noble lady, there are places you don’t want to enter but must, things you don’t want to do but must, and moments when you have to bow your head.

With tears in her eyes, Trisha walked quickly, guided by the maids of the Duplain family.

As she toured the mansion with the servants, the interior already seemed somewhat chaotic.

“I would like to apologize. Because the business plan is being carried out within Duplain, there are many external personnel moving frequently, which causes some disorder.”

“I-it’s fine. I heard Duplain had gone through difficult times, but seeing that you are starting new projects… it seems you have recovered quite a bit.”

“Yes. The training center project led by the Baron of Ravenclaw is going better than expected, bringing great vitality to the Duplain family.”

That damn Ravenclaw again!

Originally, Duplain, who should have collapsed and been trampled by Trisha, was revived after receiving a transfusion from that damn Ravenclaw.

The efforts of Aiselin, who had rolled up her sleeves and run everywhere like a disgraced noble, were bearing fruit.

They say that even if the night is long, the sun eventually rises.

It seemed a ray of light was illuminating Duplain’s future, which previously seemed plunged into eternal darkness.

In fact, even the faces of the servants were full of color. They imagined a hopeful future in which the family would be reborn.

Not long ago, the family had lost its head and its eldest son, and was stripped of all its rights for being involved in necromancy, thus carrying a stigma.

But now it was difficult to imagine that those lively servants belonged to such a gloomy house.

‘R-really… is Duplain rising again…?’

And the one at the forefront of all this was Aiselin.

Although Leigh held the title of family head, the real power resided in Aiselin, no matter what people said.

The same Aiselin over whose head Trisha had spilled tea.

‘God…’

It was time to settle past karma.

The bad decisions she had made—mocking, insulting, humiliating—were coming back to her like a boomerang.

The positions had been completely reversed.

To establish any connection with Baron Ravenclaw, it was impossible to ignore the ladies of the Duplain family, who were practically his closest assistants.

This was because Baron Ravenclaw fully trusted their words, considering them part of a special relationship.

As Trisha crossed the hallway with a somber expression, she saw a familiar face in the distance.

*Eek…!*

It was Aiselin Eleanor Duplain. They say even a tiger appears when you speak of it.

In the Rose Hall, she wore a dress that at first glance seemed noble and sacred, but at home, she wore something more comfortable.

The cotton dress looked simple. She had her sleeves rolled up confidently, but she didn’t look vulgar.

Aiselin radiated elegance just by existing, so no matter how much someone adorned themselves, they would pale standing beside her.

This was because her beauty did not come from ornaments or cosmetics, but from the elegant dignity that emanated from herself.

“…!”

Aiselin, who was moving as if she were busy, made eye contact with Trisha.

Just by looking at her for a moment, she could understand the whole situation. She was a very perceptive person.

The arrogant Trisha had traveled to the Duplain mansion to meet Baron Dereck, who was staying there.

Why? Because it was obvious he would soon become an important figure in social circles.

What would she think of such an obvious action?

The girl who had looked at Trisha with eyes full of vitality while the tea spilled over her head.

How would she declare her victory now?

When Trisha was about to bite her lower lip to endure the torrent of emotions that were coming—humiliation, defeat, misery—

“Oh, Lady Trisha!”

“…?”

Contrary to what Trisha expected, Aiselin called her in a cheerful tone.

“I heard you were going to visit the Duplain mansion, but I was so busy I couldn’t come out to receive you. For the young wife of Countess Rodelia to come in person… How rude of me! I don’t know how to hide my embarrassment.”

“…”

Aiselin offered an elegant apology with a radiant smile.

Her smiling face was so refreshing it was almost intoxicating. Only then did Trisha, with her somber expression, understand the situation.

‘Ah, that’s it…’

There are many ways to mock a defeated person whose status has been overturned. Trisha knows this better than anyone, because she did it herself more than anyone.

In fact, mocking openly is too simple and crude.

The most insidious and malicious way is to smile kindly and show compassion like this.

*Oh, what a tragedy! You should have been more careful. Poor thing.*

Smiling like that, lowering one’s gaze behind a feather fan, is what drives people crazy.

Now it was her turn to suffer. Thinking about that, she gritted her teeth.

*Thump.*

“Oh?”

“I heard that the Renouel family provided a lot of help in this matter. From our position, having a close relationship with the Ravenclaw family, we must also be grateful.”

Aiselin, who had approached, firmly took Trisha’s hands and gave her a surprisingly radiant smile.

It wasn’t a hypocritical smile to mock or show false compassion. Aiselin was sincerely grateful to Trisha.

“Y-yes?”

“I heard that Lady Trisha also worked very hard following Lady Rodelia’s orders. It must have been difficult for you. Our Duplain family also received benefits, so I express my gratitude to you.”

“N-no… I didn’t do that much…”

Trisha stepped back, overwhelmed by a smile so pure and devoid of malice. The smile was so clean and beautiful that it seemed flowers were blooming around her.

Aiselin tilted her head slightly at Trisha’s awkward reaction.

“…?”

“N-no… it is bold of me to say this, but…”

“Yes?”

“I… the other day… at the tea house… I spilled tea… and acted somewhat inappropriately… do you remember?”

“…?”

Aiselin tilted her head again and then clapped her hands as if she had just remembered.

“Ah, now that you mention it! Back then… Lady Trisha was quite mischievous.”

“Don’t cross the line, Lady Trisha.”

The image of Aiselin came to mind, with a cold gaze, speaking while soaked in tea.

The difference was so enormous it was hard to believe they were the same person.

Normally warm and kind, Aiselin’s cold attitude could make people shudder even more.

But now she seemed not to care at all.

Why?

The humiliation Trisha had inflicted on Aiselin that day was not something that could be easily overlooked.

But Aiselin took it as a joke, downplaying it, and spoke softly.

“That is already in the past.”

“Ah…”

In that instant, it seemed as if a halo radiated from behind Aiselin.

*We all make mistakes. Lady Trisha may have acted driven by a moment of emotion. If I hold on too tightly to those memories and keep pointing them out, I won’t be able to apologize when I make mistakes myself. For my own sake, it’s better not to hold onto those things for a long time, don’t you think?*

When she first entered the Ebelstein social circle, she suffered harassment and bullying from many young noble ladies, and yet she came to be recognized as the Lily of the Rose Hall.

How would Trisha have acted if she had been in Aiselin’s place?

She would have shown all kinds of cynicism and looked at her with pity. After all, the girl who was once arrogant and rebellious was now dejected, prostrate in a sign of defeat.

But Aiselin didn’t do that.

She was pulling her family forward with her own strength. Perhaps she wanted to scream at the world that had ignored and humiliated her.

But even so, she maintained her dignity as a noble lady until the end.

*Flutter*—a hallucination of wings sprouted from Aiselin’s back.

Choral music flowed. The halo shone even brighter, almost blinding. Feathers fell and a sacred light descended from the sky.

What other explanation could there be? One might wonder if this girl was an angel descended to Earth.

‘This cannot be…’

Trisha noticed the difference in class.

This is what a true noble lady looks like.

One who guides countless followers, controlling them with just a smile.

A mind that firmly points out mistakes, but welcomes others with a heart as vast as the sea. Even if they insult her, she never forgets to show respect with elegance.

Once one recognizes her benevolence and wisdom, one is left speechless.

When an unbearable light suddenly illuminated her dark heart, filled only with petty desires for recognition, Trisha could only stutter and step back several paces.

The light was so intense she felt she was going to go blind.

“T-that… t-that…”

“Miss Trisha?”

Is Aiselin a goddess?

Even the proud and arrogant Trisha, realizing the difference in their own natures, had no choice but to follow her.

***

“I was wondering what brought you to the Duplain mansion…”

“To repent for my past mistakes and seek forgiveness from the noble Lady Aiselin… I came to repent…”

“…”

When Dereck heard the news and arrived at the reception room, Trisha, who had already finished her confession, was speaking with tears in her eyes.

Dereck wondered what on earth had happened for that to occur, but decided not to ask.

Aiselin was sweating profusely and smiling awkwardly, while Trisha, sitting next to her, spoke with her hands clasped, crying.

“I am nothing but a miserable creature compared to Lady Aiselin…”

Had she used some kind of high-level confusion magic or was she under hypnosis…?

Dereck alternated his gaze between the two with a confused expression.

“Compared to the immense generosity of Lady Aiselin, an insignificant person like me is nothing more than a pathetic beggar…”

“…”

Dereck, who had come to talk about the specific agenda of the Duplain reconstruction plan, had to set aside the documents he had brought.

It seemed better to start once Trisha regained her sanity.

After all, she was the final piece of the noble southwest structure that Dereck was designing.

Dereck planned to turn the Duplains’ homeland into a massive academy.

Whether he liked it or not, he also needed Count Renouel’s help to carry out a project of such magnitude.