At first, conventional greetings one would expect to find in an etiquette book were exchanged.

They scrutinized Aelfrie with the eyes of a hawk eyeing its prey. Under their piercing gazes, Aelfrie felt like a sinner dragged into the square.

Unable to avoid their stares, Aelfrie’s eyes eventually settled on the clothes she was wearing.

The most challenging part of coming here for Aelfrie had been the clothes. Invited abruptly, she had to choose something from her existing wardrobe to wear, but there were no suitable clothes left for a tea party.

She had managed to find some clothes she wore during her debut year, but they were already out of fashion even back then.

Moreover, they had been neglected for so long that they were discolored in places and were in no condition to be worn.

There was only one option left: borrowing clothes from Elize.

Naturally, Elize was not pleased. But she wasn’t so foolish as to prioritize her own feelings over the situation at hand.

Aware that Aelfrie wearing shabby clothes would immediately impact her reputation, Elize reluctantly lent her a dress she had bought for this year’s tea party.

The clothes had been secured, but the problems didn’t end there. Elize’s clothes didn’t fit Aelfrie.

To fit into the latest fashions every season, Elize always restricted her diet.

In Denertum, a woman’s virtue was her slender arms, legs, and waist.

Furthermore, voluptuous curves were considered vulgar as they might induce lewd thoughts in others, so everyone made efforts to tightly wrap their bodies to appear more slender.

Naturally, this didn’t apply to Aelfrie. The moment she tried on Elize’s clothes, her expression became serious.

The arms and waist fit well enough, but the chest area did not.

She could barely squeeze into it, but if she did, she wouldn’t be able to move properly, like a wooden doll.

Aelfrie and I hastily began to alter the dress.

Though a tailor would have finished faster, we were in such a rush that no one was willing to take on the task, leaving Aelfrie no choice but to do it herself.

Fortunately, her experience altering clothes that Elize had grown tired of wearing proved helpful.

Lady Sarok said, looking at the dress Aelfrie had altered, “This should be sufficient.”

“You should be fine wearing this, but aren’t you ashamed of your stout body? Your father is making his final efforts for your marriage this year, so be mindful and present yourself respectfully.”

Lady Sarok sighed heavily after looking at Aelfrie’s chest and Aelfrie had to lower her reddened face.

The stinging sensation of Lady Sarok’s disdainful gaze, coupled with the momentarily forgotten issue of marriage, pierced deep into her heart.

It was the same now. The looks cast upon her by others were as if a maid had entered their ranks.

Riena led Aelfrie to her seat, the third one from the host of the tea party, Riena.

Seating at a tea party was usually determined by one’s closeness to the host.

The third seat was too close for Aelfrie, who was attending for the first time. Yet it wasn’t so close that Riena would send a carriage to fetch her.

‘Why on Earth?’

Why did Riena specifically call her to this seat, instead of Elize?

One thing was clear: she had done nothing wrong. Having accepted the invitation, all she had to do was enjoy the event as stated on the invitation.

Aelfrie relaxed a little and straightened her posture.

Was it contrary to their expectations? When Aelfrie picked up her cup of tea, relaxed, the faces around her showed surprise.

House of Aradis. A vulgar family that prided itself solely on their looks, namely Elize.

Compared to her, Aelfrie had nothing to offer. Furthermore, unable to conceal her insolence, she had incurred the wrath of the nobles during her debut year and had virtually been banished back home, that sister of hers.
Everyone burst into laughter when they heard the name Aelfrie, as if they couldn’t even remember her name properly.

It was because a being so different from the name of the most powerful successor in myth came to mind.

Others were also curious. Why had Liena invited her less competent older sister instead of Elize to this place?

Their question was soon answered. Not long after the tea party began, Liena subtly revealed the purpose that everyone had been curious about.

“Elize seems to be quite busy these days, so I ended up inviting only my sister Aelfrie. I will convey that the tea from the Ash Company was received well? It was really aromatic, considering how difficult it is to obtain.”

“Of course.”

“Come to think of it, I heard that the tea came from helping the Ash Company. Being family, you would know what that help was, Aelfrie.”

Naturally. After all, it all started from her in the first place.

Just when Aelfrie was about to speak, Liena seemed to remember and pointed to a man sitting at some distance.

“I forgot to introduce. This is Ino Baltun, who is in charge of the regional office of the Ash Company’s Denertum branch.”