“Not only would it improve Your Ladyship's reputation, but it would also deal a blow to Seraphina. A perfect two-for-one proposal.”
While desperately trying to persuade the young lady with my words, my mind raced.
The one thing working in my favor right now was that Lady Claudia didn't have any reason to dislike me yet.
After all, Seraphina and the Claudius siblings hadn't become deeply involved at this point in the timeline.
Naturally, this was also my very first time meeting the young lady in person.
If the original story had proceeded as written, I would've foolishly defended Seraphina and thoroughly gotten on Lady Claudia's nerves.
Right. To the point of being slapped, insulted, and drenched with water...
Suppressing a sigh, I continued.
“Even if people are only adding their own speculation to the rumors, it'll still cause significant damage to Seraphina. Her entire image is built on being kind and pure.”
The young lady stared at me as though telling me to continue.
I was more than happy to oblige.
“And if I become Your Ladyship's friend, Seraphina will definitely be furious. Doesn't that alone sound satisfying?”
“Hmm. And?”
“And if we slowly chip away at her confidence... eventually, Seraphina will make a mistake.”
Smiling wickedly like a little devil, I drove the point home.
“Wouldn't you like to see it? The moment Seraphina's mask falls away and her true face is exposed?”
For a brief moment, the young lady's sapphire-blue eyes sparkled.
A moment later, she gave a prim nod.
“Well... I suppose that isn't entirely without merit.”
Straightening her posture, she faced me directly.
“It is true that I need to restore my reputation first.”
At the same time, her delicate fingers tightened around her teacup.
The veins on the back of her pale hand became visible.
S-Scary!
“Honestly, I have no idea why such ridiculous rumors started spreading all of a sudden...”
The young lady spoke through clenched teeth.
“My brother was quite angry. He said that, for the dignity of the ducal house, I need to put an end to these rumors immediately.”
As she finished speaking, she slumped her shoulders and sighed deeply.
“Well... I suppose they aren't entirely baseless rumors.”
Hm?
“I know my personality can be a little sharp. I'm sensitive at times, and yes, I can be prickly.”
What was this?
Just moments ago she'd told me not to put myself down.
And now she was doing exactly that.
Staring at her unexpectedly dejected expression, I spoke up.
“No, actually. I like your personality because you're straightforward.”
The young lady blinked her golden lashes in surprise.
“Pardon? What did you just say?”
“I said I like how straightforward you are.”
“M-Me?”
“Of course.”
At my answer, she bit her lip.
“But everyone keeps their distance from me. Whenever I say anything, they flinch like they're frightened...”
“That's only because people misunderstand you.”
I shrugged lightly.
After all, I knew the truth.
I knew Seraphina had subtly encouraged people to avoid Lady Claudia.
Granted, the young lady did have a few rough edges.
But from everything I'd experienced so far, she absolutely didn't deserve the level of criticism she was receiving.
The young lady hesitated before asking cautiously,
“D-Do you really think that? That I... don't have some major flaw in my personality?”
“Of course not. In fact, I'd like to be more like you. You're incredibly cool.”
I nodded enthusiastically.
A rosy blush immediately spread across both of her cheeks.
But only for a moment.
Suddenly, her eyes narrowed sharply.
“...Then my brother really is being unfair.”
“Huh?”
The Duke of Claudius?
Out of nowhere?
The next second, she slammed both hands onto the tea table.
Bang!
“Can you believe it? Just because a few rumors are going around, he threatened to reduce my allowance! Isn't that unbelievably petty?!”
My eyes widened.
Oh, the allowance issue... This part is exactly the same as in the novel.
In society, people only knew rumors were spreading about the young lady being arrogant.
The private matter of her allowance being threatened had never become public knowledge.
Yet it matched the original story perfectly.
Maybe the characters' personalities aren't exactly the same, but the major events are unfolding in a similar way.
The information from the original novel might prove very useful in the future.
Meanwhile, after grumbling to herself for quite some time, the young lady finally calmed down only after chugging half a cup of lukewarm tea.
“Anyway, as you said yourself... you're Lady Lopes's closest friend.”
Leaning back comfortably in her chair, she fixed me with a questioning look.
“How exactly am I supposed to trust you, Lady Ansi?”
Her sapphire-blue eyes narrowed with suspicion.
“You could very well have approached me under Lady Lopes's orders.”
The pressure behind her gaze was immense.
The old me would've been completely overwhelmed by it.
But—
It's okay.
I forced myself to remain calm.
From the moment I received her reply, I had spent nearly an entire day running through every possible scenario in my head.
I'd already expected a question like this.
“Of course. It's only natural that you don't trust me.”
After taking a short breath, I smiled.
“In that case, what do you think of this idea? We become temporary friends for a set period of time.”
“Temporary friends?”
A new emotion appeared in her previously suspicious eyes.
Curiosity.
“What exactly do you mean by temporary friends?”
“Well, even shops have probation periods when they hire employees, don't they? Think of it as something similar.”
“...Hmm.”
Though she still wore an indifferent expression, I could tell.
She was definitely interested.
How could I be so sure?
How many years did she think I'd spent carefully monitoring Seraphina's and Gregory's moods?
Naturally, I'd become very sensitive to other people's emotions.
This isn't exactly a healthy life skill...
Suppressing another sigh, I pressed forward.
“How about this? We spend time together as temporary friends first. If you're satisfied with the results, we can then move forward and sign an official friendship contract.”
Honestly, from Lady Claudia's perspective, blindly trusting someone named Larit Ansi would be difficult.
After all, I'd practically volunteered to act as Seraphina's attendant for years.
And now I was suddenly asking to become her friend.
Of course she'd be suspicious.
At the same time, completely rejecting my proposal would feel like a waste.
My position as Seraphina's closest friend was a double-edged sword.
If it appeared that I'd completely cut ties with Seraphina and chosen Lady Claudia instead...
The damage to Seraphina would be significant.
That's why I'm offering a probationary period and letting Lady Claudia make the final decision.
Creating a safety net would make her feel more comfortable as well.
I wouldn't deny that the idea was inspired by a common romance-fantasy trope: contract relationships.
But who said only romance could be contractual?
These days, contract friendships were all the rage too.
And as it turned out—
My calculations were perfectly correct.