The number one beauty in all of the imperial court of Lagrange? That’s right.
The golden rose of society? I didn’t name myself that.
But on the inside, she’s a mean villainess. You’re welcome. Those of you gossiping about me are no better.
Upon hearing that the daughter of a famous household—one who had been praised since childhood for her beauty—was making her debut, many people took interest in me. Some took interest out of pure curiosity, while others took interest in me as a woman. Not all of them seriously considered me as a possible marriage partner. There were even people who saw me as an enemy who threatened their positions.
Most of the women popular in society at the time viewed me as a rival from the very beginning. It became a regular occurrence for them to bad-mouth me loudly enough that I’d overhear, and countless spiteful tricks were played on me. I was still in my mid-teens at the time, so I wasn’t as wholly capable as I am now. There was even a time I wasn’t able to fight back and could only shake in frustration, alone.
“Don’t worry, a stain like that can be removed in no time. Let’s go take a break in that room over there.”
The woman gave me fake platitudes as she looked over my dirtied dress. She called for the manor’s servants to prepare cleaning tools...even though I was surely an enemy in her eyes too. Or perhaps she thought a little girl like me wasn’t even worth being seen as an enemy?
“Did you not have an escort tonight?” she asked. “Should I have someone stay by your side?”
“Thank you for the kindness,” I said bitterly. “Please, don’t mind me. I’ll be fine by myself.”
“Someone might play another prank on you if you go back alone.”
“They can go ahead and try. I will not be devalued by such base acts. They’re the pathetic ones. Even if they managed to drive me away with their desperate jabs, their own reputations won’t improve.”
I wouldn’t be hurt by such things, nor would I cry and run home. When I told the woman that I didn’t need to flee from this, she merely laughed, ecstatic.
“Roses are noble, gorgeous, and have sharp thorns. You’re right—girls like them aren’t any match for you.”
Her older maturity was on display with that statement. I didn’t appreciate her looking down on me with that smile, but I could tell that she didn’t harbor any ill will toward me.
Had I kept in contact with her, perhaps we might have ended up friends. But she vanished soon after that. I learned through the grapevine that her father had passed away, that his status and assets had been stolen by her uncle. I thought it unfortunate, but I couldn’t imagine her strong figure living a meager life through tears. Surely, she was living well somewhere. I assumed she wouldn’t want my sympathy and decided to forget about it.
As for me, it was impossible for someone such as myself to remain a powerless victim forever. Just one year later, my positions with those fiends of women had flipped. They, who had once done nothing but attack me, were now either hastily running away whenever they saw me or giving me empty praise in an attempt to curry my favor.
Around that time, that girl jumped into society.
She was debuting at fifteen years old—a bit early for a noblewoman. I found it surprising, as someone who’d known her since childhood. Was her will to get married really so strong? She’d always sat apart from the rest of the children, only ever doing whatever she wanted.
I would soon find out that she had no intention of finding a marriage partner.
Even when she attended balls or garden parties, she wouldn’t speak to anyone. She’d merely roam around the venue by herself, her eyes glinting as if she were enjoying something in secret. She’d only snack lightly as she gazed at others, and she blended into the background so well that no one noticed her. She wasn’t particularly beautiful or ugly—she had no standout features to speak of, so she didn’t leave any impressions at all. Her presence was so thin that she was like the air, never to be noticed.
Why in the world are you here, then?! You have to make yourself known, or else there’s no point in attending in the first place!
Her baffling actions irked me to no end. She lacked in appearance, appeal, and age, so she’d never even enter marriage talks at this rate!
One day, she just happened to be wearing the same color dress as mine, so I called her out using the girls who hung around me. At this point, I’m even fine with you standing out in a bad way. At least you’d be leaving an impression on people!
That was what I’d thought, but...
“Why did everyone immediately forget about her?! They just met her yesterday!” I was at my wit’s end.
“Don’t bother doing stuff like that. Believe it or not, she was happy that you bullied her.”
The strange animal’s older brother turned his head to me, exasperated. That’s strange too! How could she have been happy?!
It was nothing less than vexing. All the women here were working hard to make themselves known, yet that girl was running in the opposite direction, seemingly enjoying the world by herself. I simply couldn’t understand it. Why did she look like she was having so much fun? Why was she satisfied with this? How could she be fine with no one paying attention to her?
I’d always been told to be more beautiful than anyone, to shine more than anyone. I’d built up my sensibilities so that no one could say my appearance was my only positive trait—I’d learned to converse well and had educated myself. As a noblewoman, doing such things was only natural, and more than anything, I wanted to be proud of myself.
And yet...I couldn’t laugh like that girl. She was only average at everything, with nothing to boast about, yet she enjoyed her days more than anyone else.
Sometimes, knowing that makes my confidence waver.
Between me and her, which of us is truly shining...?