Gasps and whispers erupted from every corner of the ballroom. I could feel the quality of the gazes changing—from shock to intense, hungry interest.
"Honest advice? You were said to be crazy about men, but now you've truly lost it," the Countess Rotaria shrieked. "Was it a rumor that the 'Crazy Bitch of the Empire' was begging for attention because she couldn't keep Duke Lemut? Are you so desperate that you're attacking other women's fiancés now?!"
"Countess Rotaria! Please, calm down! No matter how rude she is, she is still the Princess..." A nearby nobleman tried to intervene, his voice shaking with panic.
But the Countess was beyond reason. Her eyes were wide, bloodshot with fury.
"Why?! What did I do wrong?! I’ll say what needs to be said even if it kills me! Who was it that cruelly bullied Duke Lemut for years? Ha! I have nothing to lose now. I feel refreshed! This crazy bitch is trying to play some sick game with my future husband, and you're telling me to stay still?!"
I was actually a bit impressed. I’d kicked the man’s shin and slapped him across the face, and she interpreted that as me "playing a game" with him?
'Does she think I only hit men I like?' I wondered sarcastically.
I didn't even consider this woman an equal, let alone a rival. I looked at her with a face full of mock pity.
"A sick game? That’s funny. Truly funny."
I turned my head away from her and looked toward the table where my "clique" was sitting—the three young ladies I’d shared a drink with earlier.
* * *
The three ladies knew exactly why I was calling on them. In the world of high society, being "vicious" was a talent that only the most intelligent could truly master. These three were experts at it.
They were clever, quick-witted, and possessed the kind of survival skills that allowed them to use others as shields while they did whatever they pleased.
Arrikta, the blue-haired girl, was the first to speak. Beside her were Pesone, the brown-haired girl, and a young lady from the Sickle family.
"Countess Rotaria, please... calm yourself for a moment," Arrikta said, her voice soothing and treacherous.
"Calm down?! How can I?! She’s trying to take my fiancé!"
Geren Arus was still lying on the floor, trembling in a way that was anything but dignified. He certainly wasn't acting like a man who needed "protecting."
The Countess’s courage in challenging me was almost admirable, but to the three girls watching, it was just pathetic arrogance. Arrikta shared a subtle look with the other two. They were all thinking the same thing.
"However," Arrikta said, her voice suddenly turning cold. "In my opinion, the Princess’s actions were entirely justified, Countess."
"What?! Are you taking her side now? I’m sick of this!" The Countess’s eyes filled with tears of betrayal. She’d expected support, not a knife in the back.
But Arrikta wasn't done. "Daughter of Countess Rotaria, you are being very careless with your words. Are you saying the Princess should just endure it even when her honor is tarnished?"
"Exactly," the girl from the Sickle family joined in, her voice full of feigned indignation. "It’s absurd! The Princess was simply defending her honor as a lady of the Altsbeit family!"
"And considering she is the only Princess of her kind in this Empire... it’s a matter of national dignity," Pesone added.
The Countess’s mouth fell open. She looked around the room, realizing the tide was turning against her. Arrikta let go of the Countess’s hand, a look of pure contempt on her face.
"There is no one here who doesn't know the dignity of the Princess," Arrikta said, looking at my pink hair—the symbol of the Empire’s harmony. "But I saw it. Master Arus... the way he was openly scanning the Princess’s body."
"Just thinking about it makes me feel ill," Sickle added.
"It was filthy," Pesone finished.
Every eye in the room turned toward Geren Arus. It was a well-known fact that I was the "villainess" of the capital, but that didn't mean I was fair game for every low-rent nobleman with a wandering eye.
The Imperial family was on one side of me, the Altsbeits on the other. And regardless of my reputation, my beauty was something even the most jealous women had to acknowledge.
The envy and longing the other ladies felt for me were two sides of the same coin. They might spread rumors about me, but they still shared my disgust for men like Geren. And more importantly, they felt the weight of my power.
"He didn't just scan her," Arrikta added, twisting the knife. "I even saw him lick his lips."
"Filthy."
"Disgusting. How dare a dog like that look at our Princess that way?"
The crowd, which had been ready to mock me as a "scapegoat," suddenly turned into a pack of wolves, and Geren Arus was their prey. The testimony of the three "ingenious" ladies had completely flipped the narrative.
Other members of the Gaemang Club quickly realized which way the wind was blowing and jumped on the bandwagon. In high society, the loudest voice usually won, and the club’s voices were the loudest of all.
"Oh my God, that’s so dirty! To think he has the spirit of a dog sniffing at people's legs!"
"I heard the Princess had to break someone else's jaw for the same thing recently. I can see why now!"
"Some people just don't know how to behave."
My reputation for "viciousness" didn't discriminate, but it did have certain standards. And Geren Arus had just failed them.
"Wait... did you hear?" someone whispered. "I heard from my cousin that Master Arus was seen on Pasane Street—you know, the red-light district."
"No! Really? A nobleman of his standing in such a low-quality place?"
"I heard the same thing! I thought it was just a mistake, but after seeing him today... it all makes sense."
The public opinion was overturned in an instant. The "Crazy Bitch of the Empire" was now the "Protector of Noble Honor," and Geren Arus was the target of everyone’s repressed frustrations.
The Countess Rotaria was trembling, her face pale as she tried to deny the reality. "No! That’s not true! My fiancé is a straight and upright man! He would never!"
But the Countess’s family only had money, not dignity. She’d engaged herself to Geren precisely because his family was supposed to be "respectable." Now, that respectability was being torn to shreds.
"If you insult him any further, I will take legal action!" she screamed. "Everyone shut up! SHUT UP!"
Behind their fans, the other guests were laughing. They could see the atmosphere; they knew she was finished.
"Youngshik, tell them! Tell them it’s not true!" the Countess begged, grabbing Geren’s arm. "It’s not too late! Just say you're innocent!"
Geren Arus sat on the floor, trembling and silent. He couldn't even look her in the eye.
"Youngshik? What’s wrong? Speak! You have to say something, or they'll think it’s all true! Tell them!"
The man who avoided her gaze, this pathetic, trembling creature... was this really the man she’d chosen? Despair finally began to cloud the Countess’s eyes.