Seraphina, who had been wearing a pitiful expression the entire time, suddenly twisted her face in anger.
Ignoring her reaction, I continued speaking.
“I only tugged lightly to check whether your shoelace had actually come undone... but I guess you fell backward because you're just so delicate, Seraphina.”
I spoke loudly enough for Gregory to hear, then cast Seraphina a sidelong glance.
“Of course, since we're friends, I'm sure you'll understand a small mistake like this...”
After all, we were friends.
Weren't we?
Repeating the phrase Seraphina always used like a mantra, I lowered my head slightly.
It was to hide the smile tugging at my lips.
“Still, I thought I should apologize. I'm truly sorry.”
“......”
Seraphina glared at me murderously.
Even now, it was astonishing how only her gaze sharpened while her expression remained perfectly controlled.
Maybe that level of self-restraint was exactly what it took to become a heroine loved by everyone.
Whether that was true or not, I turned back to Countess Johansson.
“Countess Johansson, I believe I'll be taking my leave now.”
“But Lady Ansi...”
“I may have caused a disturbance, but I'm not shameless enough to continue attending the picnic after something like this.”
At once, Gregory's and Seraphina's faces twisted.
With a single sentence, I'd turned them into the people who had caused a disturbance and yet remained shamelessly seated at the picnic.
Serves you right.
I grinned inwardly and quietly slipped away from the gathering.
After that day,
I blocked every letter and request for a visit and shut myself inside the townhouse.
“Miss, letters keep arriving from Lady Lopes and Young Master Gusto...”
“Oh, those?”
Sitting at my desk, I answered without even raising an eyebrow.
“Throw them into the fireplace.”
Whatever they wanted, it was probably another demand for me to apologize.
What mattered more was the document sitting right in front of me.
<Letter of Broken Engagement>
That's right.
I had decided to break off my engagement with Gregory Gusto.
To be honest, I had nothing to lose.
Gregory belonged to a count's family, but he was the second son—unable to inherit the title.
Meanwhile, I was the heir to a viscountcy with its own territory.
Frankly, Gregory hadn't gotten engaged to me because he liked me.
It was more because...
He'd calculated that marrying me would make him the future Viscount Ansi.
His intentions had been so obvious that even my parents noticed.
“Lari, are you really planning to marry Young Master Gusto?”
“It seems he has feelings for Lady Lopes.”
They had tried to dissuade me as gently as possible.
Fortunately, our engagement had only been a verbal agreement between families.
Sending a letter was enough to end it cleanly.
If it had been an official marriage certified by the Imperial Family...
I would've been stuck as Gregory's wife forever.
I thought back to the original novel.
The story bent over backward to shower every benefit and favor on the heroine, completely ignoring logic.
Which meant every supporting character besides Seraphina was treated mercilessly.
And I wasn't the only victim of the heroine's plot armor.
For example...
Lady Claudia.
One of the male leads in this world was Duke Claudius.
And he had a younger sister.
That sister was the infamous villainess of the story—Lady Claudia—who constantly tormented Seraphina.
The young lady regarded Seraphina as a thorn in her side and committed various acts of malice.
Meanwhile, Duke Claudius, being a reasonable person, tried to stop his sister's behavior and ended up becoming involved with Seraphina.
However, the story was still in its early stages.
Seraphina hadn't even crossed paths with the Claudius siblings yet.
At this point... Lady Claudia's situation must be quite difficult.
Recently, rumors had spread through high society that the young lady was arrogant and insufferable.
In the novel, Duke Claudius eventually grew fed up and sternly warned his sister to repair her reputation.
He even threatened to cut off her allowance if she didn't.
For a woman who lived and died by fashion and social prestige, that was a devastating threat.
Come to think of it... Seraphina was involved in those rumors, wasn't she?
Of course, she hadn't spread them openly.
Instead, she used her innocent, fragile image to subtly encourage people to dislike the young lady.
She cleverly exploited the fact that most people were already intimidated by Lady Claudia's cold and noble demeanor.
In the novel, it was portrayed as satisfying comeuppance for a villainess.
But watching it happen in real life...
It felt nothing like that.
Isn't she just kind of awful?
After all, Lady Claudia hadn't actually done anything significant to Seraphina yet.
For whatever reason, she simply didn't particularly like her.
In fact, the first person to act hostile was Seraphina, who resented the young lady for not paying attention to her.
Which meant...
If we're being honest, Lady Claudia is another victim of Seraphina too, isn't she?
And yet, because Seraphina was the heroine of this world, she would continue to receive endless affection and support while succeeding at everything.
Ugh. I hate it.
Honestly...
I wanted to see Seraphina's composed face crack just once.
I'd spent years acting as her loyal little follower.
Was it really so much to ask?
...In that case.
My eyes suddenly lit up.
What if I became friends with Lady Claudia?
The young lady needed to repair her reputation.
And I wanted to make Seraphina and Gregory miserable.
Wouldn't it be mutually beneficial?
To the Esteemed Lady Claudia Claudius,
At the time, I didn't realize it.
I know a way to restore your reputation.
That hastily scribbled letter, written in a fit of anger, would return to me with consequences I could never have imagined.
The next morning.
“Ah... Aaaah...”
Unable to bear the crushing regret, I buried my face in my pillow.
What in the world have I done?!
The House of Claudius.
The greatest noble family in the Empire.
The only ducal house.
A family whose power rivaled even that of the Imperial Family itself.
Most nobles couldn't even speak to a member of the Claudius family without trembling.
Their status was simply that far above everyone else's.
The only reason Seraphina—a mere baron's daughter—had been able to maintain a rivalry with Lady Claudia in the original story was because she was the heroine.
In reality, a low-ranking noble without land wouldn't even dare meet Lady Claudia's eyes.
And yet...
I, a viscount's daughter from the countryside whose greatest accomplishment had been serving as Seraphina's lackey...
Had sent a letter proposing a deal to Lady Claudia herself.
The absurdity of what I'd done was perfectly reflected in Amy's reaction yesterday.
My faithful maid had asked me several times:
“Miss, are you really planning to send this letter?”
“The recipient is truly Lady Claudia... right?”
Her face had been full of concern.
But blinded by anger and thoughts of revenge, I'd merely shoved her toward the door.
“Of course! Make absolutely sure Lady Claudia receives that letter, understood?!”
Now that my head had cooled...
The embarrassment was unbearable.
“Ah... This has to be a dream. It has to be.”
In romance-fantasy novels, heroines traveled back in time all the time.
Couldn't I just rewind one day?
Seriously.
Wasn't it bad enough that I'd reincarnated as a minor extra destined to be used and discarded by the heroine?
Did I really have to create new blackmail-worthy memories in real time too?
“Should I just run back to my hometown now? At least I'm my parents' only daughter. Surely they won't throw me out...”
Just as I sat there clutching my head in despair—
Knock. Knock.
A brief knock sounded at the door.
“Miss, you have a visitor.”
The maid's voice carried a strange note of discomfort.
And for some reason...
A very bad feeling settled in my stomach.