The only thing I could remember was that they annoy the protagonist, and it made me want to beat them up.
While I was rummaging through useless memories, the maids finished my preparation. Soon after, the invited guests began to arrive one by one.
“Lady Harington has arrived.”
At the butler’s announcement, I composed my expression. The carriage bearing a large family crest was extremely extravagant.
A young girl stepped down from the carriage in a lavish dress. She looked to be about my age.
She had long warm brown hair and large, deer-like eyes—quite a pretty girl. As soon as she saw me, she greeted me cheerfully.
“Lady Marchioness! It’s been a while!”
“Welcome, Lady Harington.”
“How have you been all this time?”
The young lady smiled kindly, immediately asking after my well-being. There wasn’t a single crease on her bright, cheerful face.
Since her name never appeared in the original story, I had no clues about her. At first glance, she just looked like a kind, ordinary girl—but I didn’t let my guard down.
Even if the Harington Duke and Felicita Marquis families were close, there was no need for their children to be close as well.
A duke’s daughter wouldn’t need to cater to a marquis’s daughter. And Lady Harington would definitely know Suen’s personality.
So why would she actively attend this tea party?
‘Suspicious…’
It was highly possible she had a personality as sharp as Suen’s.
The tea party was set in the marquis’s garden. A long table was covered with a dazzling white tablecloth.
Vases filled with fresh flowers, neatly arranged cutlery at every seat—everything showed the maids had worked hard.
I was about to sit anywhere when I hesitated.
‘If Suen is an attention seeker, wouldn’t she naturally take the seat of honor?’
My prediction was correct—no warning appeared even when I sat there. Lady Harington naturally took the seat beside me. The other guests gradually arrived.
Pretending to know people whose names and faces I didn’t recognize was exhausting. I awkwardly exchanged greetings, secretly memorizing the names people called each other. Soon, everyone was seated.
Maidservants pushed trays of teapots and desserts and began pouring tea into cups.
I looked at the red tea filling my cup and clenched my fist tightly.
Alright, let’s do this.
As if heading into a battlefield, I made a solemn resolution.
My goal today was simple: don’t slap anyone, don’t throw tea, don’t tear any dresses.
Just sit quietly, drink tea peacefully, and end this tea party without incident.
But shortly after, I realized I had been naive.
Crash!
The sharp sound of a teacup hitting the floor echoed through the garden.
I looked down in shock at the shattered pieces. Even though I had mentally prepared for something like this, it was still surprising.
Because the broken cup… was mine.
The spilled tea stained the dress of the person sitting next to me.
Lady Harington, with furrowed brows as if wronged, asked me:
“Lady… did I do something wrong?”
I could only stare at her in disbelief.
Just before the cup fell, I clearly saw it—Lady Harington subtly moving her elbow to knock it over.
The noble ladies around us held their breath.
Lady Harington bit her lip delicately and spoke tearfully.
“If you have something you dislike, please tell me. I will apologize.”
Her eyes shimmered with tears, as if she were the victim. Watching her act, I couldn’t help but admire her inwardly.
‘Wow…’
She really was the perfect friend for Suen.
‘Are they soul twins or something?’
One of the observing ladies cautiously spoke up.
“I think the lady is right… Marquis’s daughter.”
With her head bowed, Lady Harington let out a faint sob at just the right timing. Her shoulders trembled dramatically.
Seeing this, the other ladies began to sympathize with her.
“You should apologize to the lady…”
“She looks so pitiful…”
To my ears, it all sounded like nonsense. Not only had she framed me, but now I was the one being blamed.
A faint smile appeared on Lady Harington’s lips as she kept her head lowered.
She seemed pleased with how the situation had turned out.
‘She’s probably relying on her family background.’
I was about to speak in frustration, but stopped.
These girls here were all very young. In Korea, they’d probably just be middle school freshmen.
Suddenly, I felt drained.
What am I even doing, arguing with kids?
There was nothing more childish than an adult getting angry at children for revenge.
I calmed myself.
‘I am an adult. Even if my body is fifteen, my mind is grown…’
If this had been Suen, she would’ve made a full mess of things. But I didn’t feel like doing that.
‘Let’s just aim for two warnings.’
Today’s schedule ended with this tea party, but tomorrow I had classes with Izael.
It might actually be fine to accumulate warnings here, trigger auto-mode at night, and reset everything cleanly.
After calming myself, I spoke.
“I’m sorry, Lady. It was my mistake.”
A bell rang immediately.
<<Warning! Inconsistent behavior.>>
<<Total warnings: 1>>
Gasps echoed around me.
Every noble lady looked shocked and horrified. Judging by their expressions, I could guess how Suen had behaved until now.
‘She must have always caused chaos and never apologized.’
The most shocked of all was Lady Harington. Her expression was completely shaken.
“W-What did you just say?”
I smiled brightly.
“I said I’m sorry for spilling the tea. I’ll compensate for the dress.”
Ding!
<<Warning! Inconsistent behavior.>>
<<Total warnings: 2>>
It had been a while since I received warnings this quickly.
Lady Harington was now pale as a sheet.
Her trembling face mixed suspicion and confusion. She seemed terrified, unable to understand my intentions.
‘One more warning and I’m done.’
I frowned at the maids.
“What are you doing? Why haven’t you brought a new cup yet?”
Startled, the maids snapped back to attention. The broken cup was quickly cleared away.
A new cup was placed in front of me, and freshly brewed tea was poured, filling the air with a warm aroma.
Silence hung over the table.
I calmly took a sip, pretending nothing was wrong.
One of the ladies finally broke the suffocating silence.
“Lady Milan, I heard you recently traveled?”
The attention shifted. The Count’s daughter, surprised, quickly responded.
“Oh, yes! I visited the Magic Tower with my father.”
At the mention of the Magic Tower, everyone’s eyes lit up with curiosity. She began enthusiastically describing her trip.
“The tower was so tall and beautiful, like the sundial of the continent.”
“Did you meet the Tower Master?”
“No, I met the elders, but I didn’t see the Tower Master.”
She looked disappointed.
Others comforted her and continued the discussion.
“I heard my cousin has lived there for over a year and has never seen the Tower Master even once.”
“Maybe he’s too busy with research?”
I narrowed my eyes.
The reason the Tower Master hadn’t appeared recently wasn’t research.
His laboratory was currently gathering dust, abandoned.
Because the Tower Master had disappeared.
But only a very small number of people knew that.
The Tower elders had concealed his disappearance to prevent chaos.
It had already been five years since he vanished.
And during that time, the elders had been fighting over who would become the next Tower Master.
‘Rotten elders.’
Just thinking about them made my stomach boil.
Among readers, there had been a joking “Villain World Cup of the Worst Characters in This Life.” The Magic Tower elders had taken first place.
