For Romantic Superpowers - Chapter 46 - Cold Weather (2)

#46. Cold Weather (2)

“Lady Ferdinand.”

It was Abigail, who was supposed to be dining in the mansion. Lia, taken aback, stood up from her seat. She wasn’t someone who would normally be here. Everyone murmured as they looked at her. Up close, she was even more beautiful. Moreover, she was meticulously groomed from head to toe for receiving guests from the palace. Elegance overflowed from her.

“Weren’t you in the middle of dinner? What brings you here…?”

“How could I stay still upon hearing that Lady Penelope is here? Come inside, won’t you?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I came as a palace staff member.”

Lia was taken aback by her sudden offer. She and Lady Ferdinand were not particularly close. Being somewhat of a recluse in social circles, she rarely crossed paths with her. A casual greeting if they happened to meet was about the extent of it.

But now, Lia was being treated like a guest, which was quite odd. Moreover, Abigail seemed aware that Lia worked at the palace. Lia couldn’t fathom why this was happening. Abigail openly scanned her attire up and down upon hearing she worked at the palace, then covered her mouth with one hand, unable to hide a look of blatant disregard.

“Oh, this is palace attire….”

“Yes. Neat and nice, isn’t it?”

Lia disliked this. Disregarding people based on mere clothing and status. That’s why she kept her distance from social circles.

“But still, since you’ve come all this way, wouldn’t you like to at least have a drink? It wouldn’t be proper to refuse, would it?”

Lia wanted to refuse. But the atmosphere around her was more favorable towards Abigail than Lia. They admired the Ferdinand family’s wealth, not just their beautiful appearance. 

“Go ahead then, since Lady Abigail wishes it.”

Lia glanced at Kevin with a feeling of grasping at straws. However, he didn’t catch Lia’s signal and simply nodded. As soon as Kevin’s approval was given, Abigail linked arms with Lia.

“Shall we go then?”

Acting like they’re close all of a sudden! Lia wanted to pull her arm away immediately, but that would have made Abigail uncomfortable in front of everyone. Lia awkwardly tried to withdraw her arm.

Even that was futile as they quickly arrived at the reception room. Contrary to expectations of someone being present, there was no one there. Alfonse and Perth seemed to have already gone upstairs. The thought that Abigail had made time to meet her amplified her doubts even more.

“Please, help yourself since there are some light snacks.”

As soon as Abigail finished speaking, Lia reached for the snacks. She had been dragged here in the middle of dinner. There was no way she wouldn’t be hungry. If it was something less important than dinner conversation, it might have irritated her a bit.

“By the way, is this our second meeting since you don’t often come to social gatherings?”

“Oh, yes.”

She saw her at the festival too, but it was subtle—they only exchanged glances, so it’s hard to say they really met. Lia nodded affirmatively. Abigail, without getting straight to the point, began by asking about Lia’s well-being.

“Is the Count doing well? I’ve heard many stories about your father being a very fair and good person.”

“Yes, he’s doing well. He’s very healthy.”

That was not the story Lia had heard from Count Penelope about Duke Ferdinand: ‘He doesn’t even know that he’s growing old, and he’s stubborn like a mule… How can he only solve everything through violence?’ Ignoring the Count’s usual rant, Lia smiled and picked up a cup of tea.

Lia couldn’t bring herself to say even empty words like ‘My father also speaks highly of the duke.’ The two didn’t know much about each other. Furthermore, even at a glance, their interests were different. Unable to find words, Lia silently ate a few cookies as time passed.

“How’s life in the palace?”

“It’s challenging but enjoyable.”

With a faint murmuring and another period of silence, Lia was about to say she should leave if there was no more conversation.

“I’ve heard interesting rumors from the palace.”

“Interesting rumors?”

Abigail’s face smiled as she talked. With a flower-like smile, she stabbed with a dagger.

“I heard Prince Alfonse is giving you special treatment?”

It was a comment that Lia hadn’t even considered. It seemed to refer to a few early dinners. Angrily, Lia struggled not to break her smile to avoid revealing her dissatisfaction to Perth.

“Special treatment? He simply advised me a couple of times while I was adapting to palace life.”

“He’s not just someone who gives advice.”

She was like a wife controlling her cheating husband. Desperate to refuse and run away, she thought she was. Lia started to get angry beyond confusion. Nothing had happened, but it didn’t feel good to be suspected.

“I’m sorry, but I have no romantic interest in him. It seems you’ve got the wrong impression.”

So, before continuing any further meaningless conversation, she spoke honestly. The smile had already disappeared from Lia’s lips. But Abigail’s mouth was still upturned. Her eyes weren’t smiling, though.

“Then is it Perth?”

Why had this topic come up? Unknowingly, Lia almost frowned. Anyway, both this person and that person were just suspicious of the relationship between her and Perth.

“No, Mr. Perth and I are just simple friends.”

How many times had she said this? Now, the words came out without even taking a breath.

“Just friends?”

At Lia’s response, Abigail snorted. Now she didn’t even show a fake smile.

“Why on earth did you enter the palace?”

“To work. Why else would I go in?”

Lia gave up trying to be kind. There was no need to be polite to someone who had shown hostility. It was clear that Abigail had intended to criticize her from the beginning. And Alfonse’s side was just an excuse, while Perth’s side was sincere.

“I hear you’ve had no fiancé since you came of age. Did you enter the palace to find a partner?”

Her father, the Count, shared Abigail’s views. But Lia’s thoughts were different. Why bother looking for a fiancé when she never wanted to marry in the first place?

“You seem very interested in my affairs. Shouldn’t Lady Abigail be more concerned about her own fiancé?”

At the mention of Alfonse, Abigail clicked her tongue. It was as if she didn’t want such pathetic talk brought up.

“We’re both just playing a game, anyway. We don’t care who meets whom. I prefer someone like Perth, who’s serious and doesn’t joke around. You called him a friend, right? Then please don’t interfere.”

They were talking about having a consensual affair. They didn’t care what each other did, but Lia hoped Perth wouldn’t get involved.

“This is a message from Mr. Perth’s friend. Please don’t demand inappropriate relationships from Mr. Perth.”

“Don’t meddle where you don’t belong.”

Finally, her mask cracked. Her expression, revealing discomfort, was arrogant. Raised in the powerful Ducal family, almost at the pinnacle of Psychedelia, she was untouchable even to royalty. She had the position to be forgiven for anything. No one could oppose her.

“Only the daughter of a Count.”

Indeed, she was Ferdinand’s typical ‘daughter.’ Moreover, her fiancé was a strong candidate for the next throne. Whether it was a strategic engagement or not, she could get anything she wanted, whether she had feelings or not. But no matter how she grew up, she had no right to insult Lia. It was true that Lia was only the daughter of a Count, but she couldn’t be dismissed as “only.”

“It seems you judge people solely by their household, Lady Abigail. But without your household, what are you left with? What abilities do you have yourself? Haven’t you obtained everything—your household, power, appearance, and money—by birth? You didn’t need to make efforts to gain them yourself. You work like that because you have nothing else?”

Abigail spread her hands in both directions. Her current attitude was as if she had the world resting on her empty palms. If she wanted to prove her abilities in the palace, there would undoubtedly be sneers. Above all, Lia felt that continuing to converse with her was a waste of time.

“If that’s what you desire, then so be it. You’re satisfied with this level of superficiality, aren’t you? Despite having everything, why do you insist on Mr. Perth?”

It seemed appearance was indeed an important criterion for her.

“I heard your fiancé is quite remarkable in terms of appearance.”

“Oh my. I have no interest in what’s already mine.”

To her, Alfonse was nothing more than a toy to be played with. There was no way he could break off their prearranged engagement from a young age. Whether it was rebellion or hobby, his fidelity to their engagement was evident, even as he met other women. Whenever she saw him perfectly play the role of her fiancé like a doll, she found it boring.

On the other hand, Perth, who came with the prince, was different. While outwardly polite and refined, it was easy to detect his indifference to everything. He didn’t even seem interested in Abigail’s praised beauty.

“It seems like you’ve been referring to people as toys.”

Her choice of words annoyed Lia. She frowned and glared at her. While she had no right to meddle in who her friend Perth chose, she hoped it wasn’t her.

“Me? Well…”

Abigail shrugged as if to say it wasn’t her. Lia let out a quiet sigh. She didn’t want to converse with her anymore.

“I just want to prove my usefulness in the palace. Relationships, whether with Prince Alfonse or Mr. Perth, are currently not of interest to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So please do as you wish. If Mr. Perth decides to meet the lady of his own will… I will discourage it, but I won’t interfere either. Is that okay?”

“Hmm… for now.”

“May I leave then?”

Instead of answering, she nodded her head. Lia didn’t bother to bow or say goodbye; she simply got up and walked out the door. She felt a surge of anger, thinking she had disrupted her evening with such trivial talk. If Perth chose to associate with such a woman, then he was no different. Her head cooled strangely amidst the turmoil.