She got out of the carriage and stood in front of an opera house.

It was owned by the Parkshian troupe, the second largest in the capital, which had recently experienced ups and downs in popularity and was rumored to be in crisis.

Arasila entered the theater without hesitation.

“I’m here to see the owner, where should I go?”

“Are you perhaps Duchess Vandermir?”

“Yes.”

“Please come this way.”

The staff member guarding the first floor lobby politely guided her to the office.

The owner, who had been notified of her visit a few days ago, greeted her warmly.

“Hello, Duchess Vandermir. I am Roberto, the owner of the Parkshian troupe.”

“Nice to meet you, Roberto.”

After seating her on the sofa and serving tea, Roberto asked with a very curious expression about her business.

“What is the reason you wanted to meet me?”

“I’ll get straight to the point. There’s a story I’d like you to put on as a play here.”

“What kind of story……”

“Adultery.”

Roberto’s eyes widened. He thought it fortunate that he wasn’t drinking tea at the moment. Otherwise, he might have spit it out right in front of the noble lady.

Arasila calmly held out the envelope she had brought from the carriage and said:

“Let me correct that. It’s not exactly adultery. I’ve roughly outlined the story, so see if you can turn it into a proper script and perform it.”

“Ah, but……”

Roberto received the envelope from Arasila with a bewildered expression and took out the papers inside to read.

It was roughly about a woman who, envious of a married couple, tries to drive them apart but ends up being punished by heaven.

Though the subject matter was provocative and the plot quite interesting, Roberto hesitated to accept the proposal right away.

“I apologize, madam, but is this based on a true story? If so, we could potentially face a lawsuit…”

“That’s not possible. It’s not about anyone specific, and it hasn’t actually happened yet.”

“Still, we have a rule not to perform private stories…”

“Isn’t the rent here 50 million gold?”

Arasila asked an unexpected question. Roberto nodded reflexively.

“I’ll give you two months’ rent as a down payment. I’ll continue to invest in the theater. I promise to give you full support to surpass the Stella Theater.”

The Stella Theater was the largest in the capital and Parkshian’s rival, having frustrated Roberto with a series of successful performances.

Roberto’s expression changed at the tempting offer. His eyes seemed to sparkle, turning into gold coin shapes.

“Is that really true…?”

“Yes, but in return, you have to perform as much as I want.”

Roberto quickly calculated in his head. He had been worried about decreasing revenue, so it would be good if he could receive investment.

In fact, although Arasila’s story was a bit uncomfortable, he thought it could be popular and sell well if polished properly.

“Duchess Vandermir! Please trust and leave it to our Parkshian! We will adapt the story to be very entertaining and perform it!”

Roberto, judging it would be beneficial to accept the proposal, jumped up from his seat, bowed deeply, and exclaimed.

The negotiation concluded with a promise to have Arasila review the script once it was completed.

Arasila steadily attended the Grand Duchess’s gatherings and expanded her network.

She gave out gloves recommended by Iris as gifts, and readily stepped forward to help when a member of the gathering was in trouble.

Among these, what unexpectedly solidified Arasila’s position was giving advice on personal concerns.

“Thank you, madam! Just as you said, Young Master Shark really changed. When I showed an indifferent attitude, he contacted me first, came to see me, and became much more attentive to me!”

It started when Lady Harriet, the first to receive advice, grabbed Arasila’s hands with a flushed face in front of everyone to express her gratitude.

At the news that her fiancé, who was rumored to be a lost cause, had changed, everyone started coming to Arasila to confide their worries, as if seeking a renowned doctor.

“Madam, my close friend secretly met the man I had a crush on and even received a confession from him. Do you think she deliberately approached and seduced him?”

“Don’t jump to conclusions hastily. Have a serious conversation with that lady. Isn’t a friend more precious than a man you’ve had a crush on for a short while? Listen to the whole story before making a judgment.”

“Actually, my hobby is horseback riding. There’s a small equestrian competition coming up soon, but my husband is against me participating. What should I do?”

“Just participate and inform him afterward. It’s not like participating in a horse riding competition will ruin your household, so why should your husband control that? If you accept everything without reason, he’ll develop bad habits.”

“How do you manage your weight, madam? Lately, people around me keep saying I’ve gained weight and that I should take better care of myself.”

“You haven’t gained weight at all, so focus on managing your relationships rather than yourself. It’s better for your life to distance yourself from people who lower your self-esteem with such nonsense.”

Those who received such advice returned to the next gathering with refreshed faces.

“You were right, madam. When we had a serious talk, I found out there were misunderstandings on both sides. It wasn’t my friend who approached him, but that young man who was weighing his options between us.”

“I participated in the horse riding competition and won the gold prize! When I informed my husband afterward, he was dumbfounded, but who cares? I feel so proud!”

“When I kept hearing that I gained weight, I really thought I had become chubby. But after cutting off those people who said such things and looking again, my body was normal. Thanks to you, I feel much better mentally.”

Naturally, Arasila’s popularity within the gathering increased.

Her frank and straightforward manner of speaking, along with her solid demeanor that seemed trustworthy no matter what was confided in her, won everyone’s favor.

Even Grand Duchess Kiston expressed surprise at how quickly Arasila was gaining allies.

Around the time she had completely established her position in the gathering, the script from the Parkshian troupe was also completed.

To explain the more refined plot, it went like this:

A certain lady, out of kindness, rescues a woman in crisis and brings her home.

However, seeing the lady’s harmonious family and wealthy estate, the woman becomes greedy and ungratefully plots to kill the lady and take her place.

But in the end, the lady overcomes the crisis and returns to reclaim her place, while the woman is ruined.

Arasila was satisfied with the well-polished story. Once she approved the script, the Parkshian troupe accelerated their preparations for the performance.

On the day the performance opened under the title “The Lady of the Yellow Rose,” Arasila distributed free tickets to the members of the gathering.

Most of them, having developed a liking for her, readily went to see the performance, and as they spread reviews here and there, the opera gained word-of-mouth publicity.

As the performance became famous and popular enough that people had to pay extra for scalped tickets, Arasila bribed newspaper companies to draw out various gossip.

The content was that although the details differed, broadly speaking, many families had been ruined because of those who fell in love with married individuals.

The gossip that arose riding on the popularity of the opera immediately stirred people up.

“Whether man or woman, it’s morally wrong to get involved with someone who has a family.”

“In fact, having a mistress is illegal too. Everyone just turns a blind eye, but you shouldn’t cross the line!”

“Both of those who have affairs should be properly punished. That’s the only way to prevent such behavior from happening again!”

Judging that the atmosphere she wanted had been created, Arasila went to see Demian.

“Demian, it’s finally time for you to step in.”

The time had come to enter the final stage of eliminating Nora.

“Have you heard the news that Duchess Vandermir has joined Grand Duchess Kiston’s gathering?”

At Lady Cooper’s cautious words, Nora flinched while drinking tea.

All the ladies attending today’s tea party were looking at her. Nora answered, trying her best to feign composure.

“Of course I’ve heard. Seeing how she’s caught the Grand Duchess’s eye, she must have been born with the skill to charm people.”

“My younger sister’s friend is a member of that gathering, and apparently Duchess Vandermir’s reputation within the group is excellent. The Grand Duchess seems to favor her particularly.”

“…Is that so? She must be good at managing her image.”

Nora tried to smile as if nothing was wrong, but her lips trembled involuntarily. Her hand, hidden under the table, clenched into a fist so tightly that it turned white.

She had already received news that Arasila had begun full-fledged social activities.

At first, Nora didn’t feel a great sense of crisis. She thought, how well could a woman who was called odd before marriage do?

There probably wouldn’t be many people willing to be friends with her.

However, Arasila cunningly didn’t step forward immediately, but gradually expanded her influence by making Grand Duchess Kiston her patron.

At first, she made the participants of the Grand Duchess’s gathering her allies, and through them, slowly spread her good reputation.

As Arasila quickly established her position in high society, people in Nora’s gathering also started to become cautious.

Arasila, who came from a prestigious family background, had Grand Duchess Kiston as her patron, and was married to a man from the Vandermir ducal family, was not someone to be trifled with easily.

“Shouldn’t we be more careful with our words? Seeing how Duchess Vandermir even changed the hat fashion, her influence seems extraordinary.”

The fashion for narrow-brimmed hats quickly faded after Arasila appeared at exhibitions and art gatherings wearing wide-brimmed hats.

It also helped that a lady who received a hat as a gift from her wore it around everywhere as if to show off.

“That’s right, my mother also told me not to do anything to fall out of favor with Grand Duchess Kiston.”

“Given Duchess Vandermir’s unstoppable momentum, it seems necessary to compromise to some extent.”

“Why don’t you invite the Duchess, Lady White? There’s nothing to lose by being friendly with her in many ways.”

The young ladies belonging to Nora’s gathering were young and easily swayed and crumbled.

While they had enjoyed and been excited to criticize Arasila under Nora’s lead, they naturally became afraid when they thought that Arasila could retaliate.

Unlike Nora, they hadn’t criticized Arasila out of genuine hatred or dislike.

‘What nonsense are you talking about.’

Of course, for Nora, as the leader of the gathering, these were absolutely unacceptable words.

If Nora reached out to Arasila first here, it would appear as if she was bowing down to her.

Above all, Nora wanted to bury and ruin Arasila in high society, not get along with her amicably.

“Well, I think such things should be decided carefully. Is there really a need to be friendly with Duchess Vandermir?”

“Ah, right, Lady White dislikes Duchess Vandermir after all…”

One lady blurted out thoughtlessly and quickly covered her mouth. However, Nora was already glaring at that lady with fierce eyes.

“When you say it like that, doesn’t it sound like I have ill feelings towards Duchess Vandermir? I only spoke about what I saw, as it is. You understand?”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry, Lady White…”

The lady bowed her head, intimidated by Nora’s sharp exclamation.

Usually, this would have been enough to calm things down, but Nora couldn’t contain her emotions.

Anger towards Arasila surged up at once, and she was consumed by the desire to bring her down somehow.