“Actually, I overheard the noble ladies talking a few days ago when I was passing by the inner palace…”

I trailed off, gauging Floria’s reaction. As I hesitated, my lips barely moving, Floria leaned forward and grasped my hand.

“Please speak freely, elder sister.”

“…Your Highness, may I ask what color dress you have chosen?”

“It’s yellow.”

I suppressed a sigh, and Floria asked.

“What’s the matter?”

She seemed displeased by my hesitation, her lips tightening. Feeling I had stalled long enough, I opened my mouth.

“The noble ladies seemed to be planning to wear blue dresses.”

“What?”

Floria furrowed her brows, forgetting to control her expression.

In the kingdom, there was a tradition of lovers and family members giving scarves to knights returning from war. When they returned victorious, it was common to gift blue, symbolizing victory. For those who sadly fell in battle, a yellow scarf would be buried with their coffin.

Floria was also aware of this custom. However, as someone who had not yet solidified her position, she had no choice but to listen to the royal noble ladies. It was suspicious, but she never expected them to ensnare her in such a petty trap.

In the original story, Shana urgently changed the color of her dress with magic right before the banquet. This time, I took preemptive action, so the noble ladies would once again fail to see what they wished for.

“It seems the noble ladies are trying to play a mischievous prank on you.”

“Such…”

Floria’s hand trembled as she gripped her teacup. To others, it might seem like the timid her was startled, but it was actually anger at nearly being made a fool of.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

When I asked worriedly, Floria shook her head, her lips quivering.

“I’m fine. I almost committed a grave discourtesy to the First Prince and the knights upon their return.”

“They all went too far. How could they even think of pulling such a crude prank?”

“I knew they didn’t regard me favorably, but to think they would go this far… My heart aches terribly every time something like this happens.”

Floria wiped her tears with her fingers. I looked at her with pity and took her hand.

“You shouldn’t let such people upset you. I’m by your side, aren’t I?”

“Thank you, elder sister. Thanks to you, I won’t ruin the atmosphere of the banquet.”

“I’ll hurry and call the salon.”

Shana, who had been quietly listening to our conversation, interjected. In the original story, she had no choice but to magically change the dress due to the urgency of the situation, but the fact that she was a fairy was being kept hidden. So she wanted to call the salon to avoid raising suspicion. However, this time, I had to take all the credit.

“It’ll be useless. The blue silk used for dresses is already in short supply, and the noble ladies have likely snatched up what little remains.”

“You don’t have to worry about that…”

“Rather, how about doing this?”

I cut off Shana and sat up straight. I could see Shana’s arrogant expression distorting.

“What do you mean?”

I smiled at Floria, who tilted her head questioningly.

“Wear a white dress.”

“But then I’ll stand out alone among the noble ladies in blue dresses.”

Her eyes seemed to say it would be tantamount to revealing she was being ostracized by the royal family, so why should she do that? I grinned.

“That’s precisely it. The people attending the banquet will wonder why only Princess Bi is wearing a different colored dress. And they’ll speculate. That the noble ladies deliberately excluded only you from the dress code. They may not guess that they told you to wear yellow, though.”

“Ah.”

“You have an excellent reputation, so the arrow will surely turn back on the noble ladies for their immature behavior. Unlike yellow, white has a celebratory meaning, so no one will think strangely of you.”

In the original story, Floria avoided humiliation by wearing a blue dress through Shana, but that was all. I wanted to use this incident to solidify her position. That way, Floria would develop a favorable impression of me, increasing my chances of surviving here.

“On the contrary, public opinion of you will only improve.”

The unobservant are bound to be disregarded, and those who bully others face harsh judgment, but a kind person being mistreated evokes sympathy and compassion. For the well-reputed Floria, it was a prime opportunity to strengthen her position.

Floria also looked intrigued, but she hesitated, her voice trailing off.

“I wonder if the noble ladies will be hurt by that…”

“Princess Bi, they started this fight first. Imagine what would have happened to you if I hadn’t accidentally overheard. Just the thought makes me dizzy. The Queen would have been terribly disappointed too.”

At the mention of the Queen, Floria’s eyebrows twitched.

“I understand your kind and gentle nature makes you hesitate, but if you let it slide this time, the same thing will happen again. And next time, you may not emerge unscathed.”

I took Floria’s hand, pretending to waver despite having already made up her mind.

“This is earnest advice from your elder sister out of concern, so please heed it just this once.”

“…Alright. Since you insist, elder sister…”

“And later, in case the noble ladies try to find fault, how about spreading a rumor that I tore up the yellow dress you had prepared?”

“What? But how could you…”

“Don’t worry about me. I can endure any stigma for your sake, Princess Bi.”

See, I can be quite useful, can’t I? I smiled brightly.

As I exited Floria’s room, Silvia, who had been waiting for me, hurried over.

“Are you alright, Lady Reneola?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

Seeing me in a pristine dress, Silvia let out a sigh of relief, then frowned uncharacteristically.

“I’m sure Ginger spilled that water on purpose. The way she acted all innocent afterwards made me so angry!”

I looked at Silvia venting her frustration. Among all the people in the hall earlier, this child was the only one who believed my words. No matter how fond she was of me, it was both touching and curious that she believed in me to the end after witnessing that scene.

“Aren’t you disappointed in me? I spoke harshly.”

“Not at all. I thought it was unlike your usual self, but I believed you must have had a reason.”

“How can you trust me so much?”

“Because I’ve seen how you are. Lady Reneola, you’re a bit…”

For some reason, Silvia’s face turned slightly red as she continued.

“…unique in your tastes, but I don’t think you’re someone who would torment others without reason.”

What does she mean my tastes are unique? I looked at Silvia quizzically as she nodded with a confident expression. Silvia, her face flushed, averted her gaze and pouted her lips.

“But why did you stop me earlier? I wanted to stand up for you, even if it was just me.”

“I had a reason for that.”

Silvia seemed to sense I didn’t want to say more, so she didn’t press further, but still looked somewhat dissatisfied.

“It upsets me that everyone seems to misunderstand you, Lady Reneola.”

In this place where everyone was turning against me, Silvia was the only one on my side. Recalling her concerned eyes amidst the envious gazes directed at me, my heart ached.

“Thank you, Silvia.”

“Huh? For what?”

Silvia tilted her head. Finding her cute as she blinked her round eyes, I patted her head. Then I asked with a grin.

“By the way, where is Ginger now?”

Thanks to her, Floria got to show what she wanted, but the sudden drenching I received still needs to be repaid, don’t you think?

I headed straight for the back garden where Ginger was said to be. Spotting me as she chatted with other maids, Ginger snickered. It was a complete contrast to when she cried injustice on the stairs. But as I strode closer, she flinched and stepped back.

“Wha- what is it?”

I continued advancing directly towards her without stopping. The faster I approached, the more Ginger retreated. Startled by my momentum, the maids beside her also started stepping back in confusion.

“Why do you keep coming closer! Stay there and talk!”

“In the place I used to live, there was a saying. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

“What?”

As Ginger scowled, looking at me as if I was spouting nonsense, her body swayed greatly.

“Eek!”

Letting out a short scream, Ginger fell backwards and tumbled headfirst into the fountain. Drenched from head to toe after falling in, Ginger gaped her lips in a dazed expression. Even in that moment, a strong stream of water from the fountain continued to pour over her head.

“It means paying back what you received.”

“You, you…!”

Ginger glared at me, trembling furiously. I crossed my arms, looking down at her with a smile.

“What do you think you’re doing! Are you crazy?”

“Sorry. I didn’t know there was a fountain behind you. My mistake.”

“What?”

“That’s what you get for messing with someone who was minding their own business. If you ‘accidentally’ spill water on me one more time, you’ll find yourself dunked in a lake instead of a fountain, got it?”

“Wha- what the heck is that?!”

I clicked my tongue, looking down at Ginger as she screamed in a disheveled state. Then I sharply glanced to the side, and the maids who had been covering their mouths with shocked expressions flinched and shrank back. As I glared, the maids hastily retreated.

As if possessed by a villainess, I scoffed at them and turned away without hesitation.

“Hey!”

Ginger screamed in a fit, but I didn’t look back. In the distance, I could see Silvia giving me an elated thumbs-up.