Tanya shouted at Erina to hide her premature fear.

“O-Of course!”

Tanya was too busy glaring at Erina to notice the frowning looks around her.

“If you’re going to be like this, just reveal it!”

“Reveal what?”

“Who is the mistress that Count Iolls brought to the mansion!”

Erina forcibly suppressed the corners of her mouth from rising at the question she had been waiting for.

It was perfect.

It was a perfect timing where she had to answer inevitably in a situation that had become entirely favorable to her.

“Stop it, Lady Papia.”

“Yes, what kind of disgraceful behavior is this in front of the Count?”

The nobles scolded Tanya’s immature behavior.

No matter how immature a young lady was, there were things to be observed.

“It’s absurd! Lady Asila must be suffering, but she might have really met Count Iolls officially, yet she’s caught up in needless rumors!”

“Are you saying that all those who witnessed the two of them were mistaken, Lady Papia?”

Tanya, who had ended up insulting all the witnesses, flinched at Erina’s words that hit the mark.

People’s gazes turned cold.

Feeling this, Tanya bit her lip and shouted at Erina.

“S-So just tell us clearly who that shameless mistress is! It can’t be Lady Asila, right?”

Erina wondered in that brief moment what kind of belief Rose had given Tanya to make her have such solid trust.

Did the descendants of fairies have such a special ability?

“You’re right, that woman.”

“So who is that woman…!”

“Lady Rose Asila, that woman is indeed the mistress who shamelessly entered the mansion when I was the wife of Count Iolls.”

People were silently shocked.

It was the first time the identity of Count Iolls’ mistress was revealed by her own mouth.

People were excited about the newly learned fact, but they were busy watching Erina’s reaction and had many questions, so they just closed their mouths while drinking tea.

“W-What did you say?”

“Count Iolls and Lady Asila, who were rumored to be continuing secret meetings, their shameful relationship is true.”

“L-Lies.”

Tanya, flustered, stuttered as she denied Erina’s words.

But Erina continued speaking with a calm face.

“Shall I say it again? The woman who came to the Iolls mansion one day and ruined my life is none other than Lady Rose Asila, whom Lady Papia says couldn’t possibly do such a thing.”

“Lies…”

“Not only did they show their affection in front of me, but I even heard that she came to stay at the Iolls mansion.”

“It can’t be…”

Tanya kept muttering that it couldn’t be true, denying Erina’s words, and the people watching tried not to laugh at the fascinating scene.

“Was it a week before the Founding Day? The Iolls Grand Madam finished all the preparations for her Founding Day and asked me to approve it.”

People were surprised by Mirea’s actions that Erina suddenly mentioned, and they quietly gasped and covered their mouths.

It was such an inconsiderate action that they could hardly bear to watch.

To ask for approval for purchasing items for a mistress while the legal wife was sitting right there!

If it were them, if their daughter had done such a thing, it would have been so absurd that they would have grabbed her by the neck right there.

“Lies!”

Unable to believe such words, Tanya strongly denied Erina.

It made no sense.

The kind and fragile Lady Asila would never do such a thing.

Moreover, for such a terrible thing to happen inside the mansion.

One should believe only when the fabrication of what happened was done moderately.

Tanya finished her thoughts and glared at Erina.

“It’s okay, I didn’t think Lady Papia would believe me anyway.”

Erina casually brushed off Tanya’s denial and picked up an empty teacup, signaling the maid standing behind to refill the empty cups.

The maids all came forward at once, discarding the cold tea and refilling the cups with warm tea.

Other nobles were busy looking at Tanya and Erina while sipping their newly filled teacups as if they had been waiting for them.

“You should lie in moderation for people to believe!”

“Lady Tanya Papia.”

Erina firmly called her name as Tanya started to insist like a child.

Tanya’s breath caught at Erina’s stern call.

“Are you saying that I’m deceiving people with lies after inviting all these people here?”

“Eek!”

Unable to bear Erina’s unbelievable statement and the cold gazes, Tanya fled from the tea party.

As Tanya left like she was running away, people finally started to open their mouths after watching Erina’s reactions.

“Um, My Lady.”

“Yes, go ahead.”

As Tanya disappeared, people quietly asked with sparkling eyes as if they had been waiting.

“But is it really true?”

“Did she really come to the mansion and even make the Count prepare for the Founding Day?”

She gladly answered those who were hoping for a response.

“Yes, it’s all the truth without a single lie.”

The tea party continued for a while, not knowing how time passed, with hidden truths being revealed one by one.

The social world began to burn brilliantly after the tea party, fueled by Erina’s words that threw firewood generously.

[This is the timeline separator]

While the tea party was burning brightly, Rose approached Belodi and handed over the Muang Cho.

After receiving the Muang Cho and taking a few roots of Tetenia herbs that Belodi offered as if doing her a favor, Rose was about to head to the villa where she would meet Peiron.

She felt that her father wasn’t as trustworthy as Peiron to keep it at the Asila County.

Rose’s head ached from having to wear a mask again and spout flattering words pretending to care for Belodi.

She hurried to move so she could take off her mask and be comfortable even in the carriage.

Just before stepping into the carriage, a carriage that was running so fast it kicked up dust rudely stopped in front of Rose.

Rose waved her hand at the intentionally raised dust and slightly furrowed her brow to appear moderately displeased.

Then the door of the carriage burst open instantly and the person inside jumped out urgently.

The person who got out of the carriage was someone completely unexpected to Rose.

“Lady Rose Asila!”

It was Tanya, whom she hadn’t been able to see even once since the auction.

“Oh my, Lady Papia?”

Rose erased the annoying feeling by closing and opening her eyes, then called Tanya with her eyes drooping pitifully.

At that sight, Tanya believed even more that Rose couldn’t have done such a thing and approached closer.

“Lady Asila, right now, you’re being slandered strangely in society!”

Rose momentarily pondered how to respond to her, who suddenly appeared and rushed in, declaring with a grave face that she was being slandered.

For a very brief moment, she wondered if Tanya had gone crazy and shut herself in at home.

“What do you mean, My Lady?”

“I went to that woman’s tea party. By my father’s orders! I absolutely didn’t want to go!”

Tanya strongly denied it, flapping both hands, afraid that Rose might misunderstand.

“Oh my.”

Rose looked at Tanya with a pitiful expression.

She had come in such a hurry that her outfit for the tea party was disheveled, and her neatly braided hair was a mess.

“Listen, My Lady!”

“Calm down, Lady Papia. First, this is the street, so would you like to get in my carriage for a moment?”

Tanya wanted to tell her before the rumors, which couldn’t possibly be true, spread everywhere, but Rose was infinitely leisurely.

When Tanya nodded with an impatient heart, Rose led Tanya into the carriage without showing any sign of displeasure.

“What on earth happened for you to be in such a hurry, My Lady?”

Tanya’s heart ached at Rose’s words.

How could such an angelic, beautiful woman have done such an evil thing?

She simply couldn’t believe it.

It must surely be that woman’s vicious plot.

Tanya asked Rose with her eyes glowing bright blue.

“She said that the mistress who entered the mansion when Countess Medelia was staying at the Iolls house was Rose!”

Tanya was so angry while speaking that she referred to Erina as if she were a lower-class person.

Rose’s eyes widened.

It was more puzzling than amusing that Erina, who had been acting as if she would never speak about it and take it to her grave, suddenly opened her mouth.

She naturally seemed to want to be discovered, but to speak directly about it.

Rose was momentarily puzzled, but that was all.

“And so?”

When Rose asked calmly, Tanya was rather confused.

“What do you mean ‘and so’! You should go right now and tell her not to misunderstand!”

Tanya shouted at Rose, clenching her fists in front of her, burning with a sense of justice.

She acted as if she would grab Rose’s hand and return to the tea party right away.

“Did that woman really say that? That I’m Count Iolls’ mistress.”

“That’s what I’m saying! Such an unpleasant slander needs to be addressed quickly or misunderstandings will remain, My Lady. So hurry…”

“There’s no need for that.”

Rose cut off Tanya’s words, hiding her annoyance at her flustered appearance.

“Pardon?”

When the surprised Tanya asked again, Rose said nothing.

At that moment, Tanya felt dizzy as if her head had frozen cold.

The moment she thought ‘it can’t be’, the face that had only seemed fragile felt somehow different.

“Don’t tell me… you’re the mistress?”

Rose didn’t answer Tanya’s question.

But Tanya couldn’t help but know that Rose’s lack of response was an affirmation.

“Lady Asila…?”

Tanya, who had been opening and closing her mouth in disbelief, felt her chest tighten.