In the meantime, the carriage ran smoothly to its destination and entered the splendid downtown area.
âThatâs Saint Trio Hotel!â
The Saint Trio Hotel was a large building that encompassed department stores and theaters.
The auction would take place at the hotelâs largest party hall.
âWeâve arrived, Miss.â
The front area of the hotel was lined with carriages with various seals.
My exclusive carriage really stood out.
Through the open window, I could hear the whispers of the nobles who were smoking outside.
âHmph, thatâs a pretty fancy carriage. Did the royal family come?â
âThatâs not true. Looking at the seal, it is the Duke of Squire.â
âThenâŠâ
When the carriage door opened, a hotel attendant waiting outside brought out a velvet-covered footrest.
With my hand clad in a black pearl satin glove, I grabbed the hand of the escort knight who had approached me, and lightly stepped on the footrest, then landed on the ground.
When I finally lifted my head, I could see countless gazes flying and piercing me like a rain of arrows.
Certainly, Theresa had an overwhelming look when she kept her mouth shut.
The employee respectfully kissed the back of my hand with a leisured face even though he knew that the other person was a jerk.
âIâve been waiting for you, Princess Teresa Squire. This way, please.â
Nod.
I moved as quietly as I could with a haughty expression.
In fact, my heart was pounding at the explosive attention that I received for the first time in my life.
I wanted to hide in a place where people couldnât see me.
âI heard that she was coming today, but I didnât know it was real.â
âHow can that dress sparkle so beautifully? Even the afterimages remain, just like fairies!â
The nobles were busy talking about Theresa without mentioning the subject.
âItâs really amazing how she wears a dragon to get attention every time, whether itâs a dress or a carriage.â
âI know, a dress like that would cost a castle. Who can afford such an extravagant woman?â
I stopped and looked at the owners of intrusive talks.
ââŠAhem!â
They turned their heads with a grimace.
They were extras that I didnât even remember making.
âHow dare you attack a villainess who has dozens of death routes despite being an extra?â
The escort knight asked politely.
âShould I grab their hair and drag them?â
ââŠNo.â
He was really the villainessâ escort knight.
He said crazy words so casually.
âThe maids are all fine.â
Ring!
[The Constellation âPro Helperâ has sponsored 1,000 coins.]
[If you carelessly look at those things, your reputation will fall further. I have seen it.]
I didnât intend to use direct violence, but I also didnât intend to let it go.
The life of being a ticking time bomb that everyone hated wasnât bad.
I spoke to the maids.
âFind out who their families are and tell them that I will remove their names from the list of nobles if I run into them in the future.â
It was the villainessâs mercy not to forgive and not to kill.
The maids had an expression of admiration.
âYou are so sweet and generous, Lady. Iâll do as you say.â
The hotel staff, who was guiding us, blinked with a doubtful look on his face wondering whether I was serious or not.
I openly looked at the staff with haughty eyes.
âWhy donât you show me to the VIP room?â
ââŠExcuse me. This way.â
Ring!
[The Constellation âCider Passâ has sponsored 1,000 coins.]
[100% refreshing]
I soon arrived in the waiting room, which was only available to VIPs among the numerous nobles attending the auction.
âIâll be waiting outside. If anyone needs to be dealt with, please call me, Lady.â
âYes.â
The escort knight couldnât go inside, so I went into the waiting room only with the maids.
It was called the waiting room, but this place was no different from a closed banquet hall.
âThatâs why I spent a lot of money to become a VIP at the Saint Trio Hotel.â
This was definitely a class among the upper classes.
These were the people who actually spent money to buy this space.
âCertainly, money and power are good. Iâve been to all these places.â
The vivid color of the lights felt through my five senses, the elegantly flowing chamber music, and the scent of flowers tickling the tip of my nose.
It was a place where you could feel the dignity tailored to the tastes of the nobles.
âI canât even dream of this unless itâs from a decent family!â
âIâve only heard that thereâs a small banquet hall like this, but itâs so cool.â
The maids were also enraptured by the high society culture that they would not have experienced if it had not been for me.
I spoke to the maids who had suffered all day long.
âWe donât really need an attendant here, so everyone enjoys it. Just make sure you donât get too drunk.â
The maids seemed very happy ad smiled brightly as if they would burst out flowers.
âThen weâll be nearby, so call us anytime, Lady.â
I roughly nodded and moved away.
âIâm so hungry.â
All I ate today was a few biscuits and a glass of juice.
Even if it was a VIP waiting room full of nobles, it would be rare to find a person with a higher status than Theresa.
So, no one could talk to Theresa recklessly unless they were close friends, but there were immature kids everywhere.
Among the nobles who recognized Theresa, I could see men with cunning impressions smiling at me.
âMm, I donât want to get involved.â
I deliberately pretended not to see and focused on putting the food on the plate.
I wanted to eat without being disturbed by strange people.
Thud.
At that time, I slightly bumped my shoulder into someone who was holding food next to me.
âTsk, why are you not looking ahead⊠Whoops!â
The opponent fell into shock and even dropped the plate in his hand on the floor.
I quickly stepped back.
âHe almost splashed it on my dress.â
The other person trembled like an aspen tree and stuttered excessively.
âThe-The-The-Theresa! I-I am s-sorry!â
Anyone seeing this would misunderstand that I had harmed him. For example, like causing hair loss on his head.
I somehow knew who this man was.
âLord Fabio?â
âY-Yes!â
âItâs really him.â
No matter how squeamish he was, he looked at least 10 years older than Theresa, but I was stunned.
I opened my mouth bitterly.
âYour apology is accepted, so you can go now. Itâs uncomfortable being together.â
âThank you. I will never forget this kindness until I die!â
Then he went out of the VIP waiting room.
The male nobles who had approached me cleared their throats and went back to their seats.
Not only that, but I also felt that the other nobles around me were gradually moving further away from me.
Beyond the time bomb, I was almost like a plague nowâŠ
âItâs nice to have a wide space.â
I was able to eat leisurely without being disturbed by anyone.
âOh, Lady Teresa? I see youâre here!â
When I was having my third bowl of strawberry sherbet for dessert, someone greeted me.
When I turned around, there were three noble old ladies approaching me.
âHow have you been? Youâre perfectly beautiful again today.â
âUh⊠Who is this?â
Even if I was the game developer, I had no choice but to know unless they were characters created by the team.
âFortunately, Theresa is a fool, so according to the setting, she doesnât know the faces of people below her. Wouldnât it be okay to skip over them in moderation?â
But my thoughts were turned upside down by one character.
âI see a lot of familiar faces. Would you mind if I join?â
âOh, Mrs. Shati. Of course.â
I looked at the old lady, who looked very fastidious and stubborn.
âMrs. Shati.â
Mrs. Shati was the mistress of a marquis, but her mother was from the royal family, so she was of noble lineage.
She was also a highly influential etiquette teacher in the social world, and Mrs. Shatiâs teachings could elevate a ladyâs dignity to a true lady.
In other words, she was a person who was going to become Libbyâs etiquette teacher.
âThe process is not easy because of Theresaâs notoriety. There are quests you have to complete to please Mrs. Shati.â
If I made a worse impression here, she probably wouldnât want to serve as an etiquette teacher.
Then Mrs. Shati greeted me first.
âLong time no see, Lady Theresa. Nice to meet you.â
Ring!
[Quest: Greeting according to etiquette]
Mrs. Shati ââââââ
âžReward: Rising social reputation
âžFailure: Decline in social reputation
â»If the social reputation is below a certain level, you cannot have an audience with the Emperor.
ââŠWhatâs with the sudden puzzle game?â
The fact that I had to greet Mrs. Shati, who had the highest status here, could be inferred from the context alone without the explanation in the quest window.
The problem was the other three.
I didnât know all of their names and titles.
The moment I thought, âGive me a hint!â
Ring!
[There is a product at the store.]
The store alarm popped up for the first time.
The alarm came in at impeccable timing, so I thought there had to be something.
âShop.â
âŒ
[Store]
âčWish ticket [1,000,000 coins]
: Grant any wish once.
âč Character identification [5,000 coins]
: You can check the information of anyone who has introduced their full name. (Including Theresaâs point of view from before the possession)
âčIntermediate etiquette [9,900 coins]
: Depending on the situation, appropriate etiquette will be used.
âČ
This is it!
âCome to think of it, how much money do I have?â
[Sponsorship: 98,900 coins]
It was still a small amount, but it didnât feel burdensome because the store items were not expensive.