I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 37

Chapter 37

“Hello, Ms. Kate.”

“Bianca! Thank you so much for coming!”

Kate’s face, beaming with a wide smile, seemed to radiate the word ‘welcome.’

“Oh my! Bianca, you look beautiful today as well. I’ve never seen someone who carries such a vibrant red so well since I was born.”

As expected, the conversation started with compliments on my dress from Lady Conwell.

The dazzling cocktail dress was captivating enough to seize people’s attention. That was precisely why I had chosen this dress.

It was a reminder not to forget that I am here, that I shared a drink with all of you.

“You look stunning today, Kate, and as the hostess of the tea party, you’ve managed to capture the sweet creaminess of the occasion, and I love that yellow rose on your bosom.”

When I complimented her in a praising tone, Kate’s smile brightened even more.

“Panya.”

As I called out Panya’s name, she came forward, holding a large box.

“I have a small gift for you, Kate, though it pales in comparison to the kindness of your invitation.”

“Oh, what is this?”

In response to Kate’s question, Panya, as if she had been waiting, extended the box a little further toward Kate.

“Just pull here.”

Having already opened the box once, Panya adeptly found the end of the ribbon and handed it to Kate.

“Oh my, it’s so pretty!”

Untying the ribbon and opening the box, Kate exclaimed in admiration.

Inside the box were colorful, beautiful cupcakes.

“Oh, are these the trendy Angelica Pastries cupcakes?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I heard you have to order them at least three days in advance. Did Ms. Bianca personally order and bring them?”

“Yes.”

“Oh my!”

Although they were just cupcakes, Kate seemed touched by the fact that Bianca had ordered the ‘trendy’ cupcakes a few days ago ‘in advance’ for ‘today.’

Of course, it was intentionally done to impress her.

A box of cupcakes with the same composition as the one Kate received had already arrived at Panya’s house this morning, and her sisters had tasted them even before us. There was no need to mention that.

“Now, come in. Other guests arrived a little while ago and are waiting.”

“Oh my, am I late?”

“Not at all! Everyone came early to wait for Lady Bianca.”

It may have been a rehearsed line, but neither I nor Kate paid any attention to it.

“Welcome, Lady Bianca!”

“You look beautiful today too.”

“Oh, that dress! Is it a new release?”

Following Kate to the location of the reception, everyone was waiting for me, and I exchanged greetings with them in turn.

“Please, have a seat.”

Kate offered me the seat next to her. It was a good spot to enjoy the beautifully blooming flowers in the garden through the large window.

As I took my seat, I could feel the young ladies on either side of me subtly adjusting their positions toward me.

Sending them a light smile, I waited for the servant to pour tea.

“The flowers have really bloomed brightly.”

Speaking towards Kate, everyone turned their gaze to the garden.

The young lady on the opposite side of me, whose name I couldn’t remember, had to awkwardly turn her body backward to see it.

“Oh, why is everyone looking outside? I was just complimenting the lively and beautiful young ladies gathered here.”

Throwing a somewhat playful joke, I quietly lifted the teacup provided by the servant.

“Oh my, Lady Bianca!”

“My goodness! How can you say only pleasant words even in jest?”

“You have a perfect sense of humor, Lady Bianca.”

There was no woman who disliked compliments. The young ladies, praised as vibrant and beautiful like flowers, laughed heartily, and the atmosphere became even more warm.

The conversation naturally shifted to compliments about each other and discussions about trendy dresses and skincare routines. I smiled and listened to their stories.

Honestly, it was boring.

I preferred to lead rather than follow trends, and if a method suited me, I stuck with it unless there was a revolutionary reason to change.

For years, I had been engaging in social etiquette, smiling, making small talk, and playing along, but it was truly tedious.

Discussions about the latest designs from fashionable designers and debates about whether brushing one’s hair five hundred times before bed was excessive or three hundred times was sufficient were meaningless.

Whether putting a ribbon in one’s hair or placing flowers in it was prettier was equally unimportant. Just do what suits the attire of the day.

‘What is Lara doing right now?’

Eventually, my mind started to wander.

‘I need to finish this quickly to go to the orphanage, when will this chatter end? At least two hours…’

“…isn’t that right? Lady Bianca, you also think so, don’t you?”

Suddenly, my name reached my ears, and I snapped back to the tea party.

Kate was seeking my agreement, but I had not been listening at all, so I had no idea what she had just said.

“Ah…”

However, not having heard anything and not knowing what she had talked about, I couldn’t ask her to repeat. That would be impolite.

“Not everyone agrees, but I mostly concur with Lady Kate’s statement.”

I replied naturally with a smile.

Kate’s face briefly showed disappointment when I mentioned not everyone agreeing, but as soon as I said I mostly agreed, her face lit up with a cheerful smile again.

“As expected! Lady Bianca, I knew you’d think the same way.”

Kate laughed, and when she looked at the other young ladies, they also nodded with smiles.

For some reason, they seemed to have already agreed with Kate’s words.

All the young ladies gathered around the table had bright smiles.

At that moment.

***

“Ah…”

Those were the words I uttered as I arrived at the orphanage and stepped down from the carriage.

Inside the carriage, there were cupcakes and cookies that I had personally ordered from the pastry shop, piled up.

In truth, the Conwell reception was just a bonus. The reason I had pre-ordered from the pastry shop was because I wanted to treat the children to delicious, high-quality pastries.

According to the original plan, I was supposed to receive a surprise hug from Lara as she ran toward me, and then show her the unexpected gift.

I intended to call the children, and each one would grab a cupcake or a cookie from my hands.

Naturally, the children would show immense joy and bright smiles, and I, too, expected to be rewarded with those smiles, compensating for the challenging time at the reception.

“Peter, run!”

“Nicole, big brother Peter is chasing after you!”

“Eek! You’ll catch me!”

“Oh, be quiet! Now it’s Maria’s turn to be the chaser!”

“Hey, you just spilled the beans! Maria noticed!”

No one paid any attention to me as I got off the carriage. No, it seemed like they didn’t even know I had arrived.

Under the blue sky, on one side of the yard, children sitting in a circle on the grass were laughing joyfully, playing some game.

And among the joyful-looking children, there were two adults.

It was Maria and Ricardo.

Maria, giggling, circled around the children before placing something she held in her hand behind Lara. When she did that, nearby children burst into laughter.

Lara, looking at the laughing children, giggled herself. I couldn’t understand what made Lara laugh, why the children were laughing; I couldn’t grasp it at all.

After spinning around, Maria suddenly pulled Lara into a tight hug, lifting her up and twirling in place. Lara, initially surprised, soon burst into laughter.

It seemed very enjoyable—for Lara and Maria.

And on the other side, Ricardo was clapping along with the children, laughing in a circle.

I couldn’t help but smile, even if I didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“Oh my, Lady Bianca!”

The first to spot me was Maria.

While holding Lara, spinning her around until the child’s legs could stretch out in mid-air due to centrifugal force, our eyes met.

“Oops! Princess!”

As Maria gently placed Lara on the ground, Lara finally noticed me.

“Wow! It’s the princess!”

The child, slightly dizzy but managing to stumble towards me, jumped into my arms as always. Seeing Lara cling to my skirt, a smile finally blossomed on my face.

“Did you have a good time?”

“Yes!”

“Are you doing well in your studies?”

“Uh… well…”

This time, the lively response from earlier didn’t come out.

“Studying is too difficult.”

Lara’s slightly defeated voice followed.

“Studying is naturally a bit challenging. But if you work hard, you’ll get better.”

“Playing is more fun.”

With slightly protruding lips, Lara murmured.

“Hello, Lady Bianca.”

It seemed that Maria, who had been energetically running around the children a while ago, had approached me with a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead.

“Hello, Lady Maria.”

“What brings you here?”

Suddenly, Maria asked, as if she were the owner here and I were the outsider. Her tone made me feel a bit annoyed.

“Maria, what brings you here? This place is one of the places I sponsor.”

“Yes, I know. After hearing that the last charity ball sponsored this place, I got curious. So I came, and I became close with the children.”

Maria’s face, bright with a smile, showed no sign of malice. On the contrary, it was filled with pure goodwill.

“Lady Bianca, you are truly amazing. Nobles usually only contribute money to support, rarely coming in person. Lady Bianca, you really visit frequently.”

In her sparkling eyes, there was nothing but respect, admiration, and astonishment directed at me. I knew that.

But I couldn’t figure out why Maria’s words and gaze suddenly made me feel uneasy.

As Maria spoke, a firm gaze could be felt over her shoulder. Glancing in that direction, I saw Ricardo looking at this side.

For a moment, confusion set in.

Who was Ricardo looking at now—Maria or me?

“Smile Love”