Three days had passed since the tea party.
Ariella walked through the garden every morning. As spring deepened, the buds began to open one by one. Marga followed half a step behind her. The spirits circled around them. Arga spun in circles above the buds, Sol glowed gold on her shoulder, Ru brushed through her silver hair, and Rin hovered quietly by her feet.
It was a peaceful morning. But Marga's expression was different from usual.
"Young lady."
"Hmm?"
"There's a rumor going around."
Ariella stopped in front of a bud.
"What kind of rumor?"
"That you apologized at the tea party. And that you stood up to the young ladies' insults head-on."
Marga's voice was cautious. Ariella smiled.
"That was fast."
"Rumors in high society travel faster than the wind."
Marga sighed. It was a worried sigh.
"Is it a good rumor?"
"Half and half. Some people say that Young Lady Belfior has really changed, while others say you're only pretending to be different."
Ariella nodded. It was what she had expected. There was no way everything would change after one tea party.
"It's okay, Marga. They'll find out with time."
Marga looked at Ariella. Something flickered in the nursemaid's eyes—a mixture of worry and relief.
"If that's what you say, young lady, then I'll believe you."
Ariella took Marga's hand. Marga's hand trembled. It seemed she still wasn't used to her young lady taking her hand.
Afternoon.
Ariella was in the study. A spellbook lay open on the desk. Ariella's body had inherited the magic of House Belfior. After her reincarnation, she had naturally been able to use magic as well. Just like etiquette, her body remembered it. But being able to use something and being able to control it were two different things. In the original novel, Ariella's doom began with her inability to control her power. She wouldn't make the same mistake.
She opened her palm and concentrated. Gold bloomed from her fingertips. It was a familiar sensation—the flow of magic her body already knew. But controlling that flow according to her intentions was another matter.
She tried reducing the size of the light. Carefully. It grew and shrank, wavering as if dancing at her fingertips.
Sol sparkled on her shoulder.
Good job.
"Thanks."
Arga flew over and circled around the light.
It's Ariella's light! It's pretty!
"Be quiet. I need to concentrate."
Arga can do it, too! Watch!
Arga conjured a red flame. Beside the golden light, the red flame danced. It was pretty. But it broke her concentration. The light suddenly tried to expand. She quickly pulled the magic back. The light flickered, then went out.
"Arga."
Hehe.
Ariella sighed. But she was smiling.
Rin spoke from beside her feet.
You can take it slow.
"Yeah. I'll take it slow."
She opened her palm again. This time, the light bloomed a little more steadily. Small, but firm. Using magic wasn't difficult. The problem was holding it in place whenever the flow began to waver. She had to etch that sensation into her body.
The door opened. She quickly lowered her hand, and the light vanished. The spirits scattered in an instant.
Ririella stood at the door.
"Big sister, what were you doing?"
"I was reading."
Ririella looked around the study. Her eyes weren't suspicious, just curious.
"Can I stay with you?"
"Of course."
Ririella sat beside her and took out a book of her own. It was a book about the saintess. Ariella looked at Ririella's profile. Her silver hair glittered in the sunlight.
"Big sister."
"Hmm?"
"Letters came after the tea party."
"Letters?"
"Yes. From other young ladies. They said they wanted to have tea with Young Lady Belfior."
Ariella blinked.
"With me?"
"Yes. With you."
Ririella smiled. Ariella was dumbfounded. The people who had insulted her just a few days ago wanted to have tea with her now?
"Not all of them are coming. I think some of the young ladies changed their minds after seeing you apologize at the tea party."
Ariella thought it over. Her knowledge of the original novel fell into place. Three young ladies had attacked Ariella at the tea party, but many more had watched. Some of them had begun to accept that the change was genuine.
"Should I go?"
Ririella's eyes widened.
"You're going?"
"Yeah. There's no reason to avoid it."
Ririella grabbed Ariella's arm. Her violet eyes sparkled.
"Can I go with you?"
"Of course. You'd be worried if I went alone, right?"
Ririella shook her head.
"I'm not worried. I want to go with you."
Ariella's heart warmed. This child really was something.
Dinner.
Grandis looked at Ariella and spoke.
"I hear some letters came?"
"Yes. A few of them."
"You can turn them all down if you want. If it would be too much for you."
Helenia lightly tapped Grandis's arm.
"Dear, Ariella said she wants to go."
"Still, we can't know what might happen. If something like that happens again..."
Grandis's voice lowered. The worry of an overprotective father settled over the dinner table.
Ariella smiled.
"It's okay, Father. This time, I was the one who got invited first."
Grandis fell silent. Helenia took Ariella's hand.
"Our Ariella has really grown up."
Across the table, Leoniel ate quietly. He didn't look at Ariella. But there was one moment when his fork stopped. When they started talking about the letters.
Ariella saw it. Pretending to pick up his teacup, Leoniel stole a quick glance in her direction.
It was a very brief look. But she didn't miss it.
Big brother, you are curious, aren't you?
She pretended not to notice. She didn't smile, either. If Leoniel realized he'd been caught, he'd only become colder.
Ririella tugged on Ariella's sleeve.
"Big sister, let's write the replies together tomorrow."
"Okay."
It was a warm evening.
Night.
Ariella lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The spirits circled around her.
Arga stuck himself to her forehead.
Ariella, you held the light really well today!
"I still have a long way to go."
No, you don't! You did great! Arga saw it, and you did great!
Sol glowed on her shoulder.
More.
"Yeah. I need to refine it more."
You saw that person again today.
Ariella turned her head.
"Who?"
The redhead. At the dinner table. He looked at Ariella.
Ariella smiled.
"You saw that?"
I did. It was brief, but I saw it. His eyes weren't as cold as before.
Rin was good at reading emotions. Perhaps because it was a water spirit, it could sense even what didn't show on the surface.
Not as cold.
Ariella closed her eyes. Slowly. Little by little. It was okay.
Ru brushed through her silver hair, and a cool breeze soothed her forehead.
Sleep well.
"You too. Sleep well."
The spirits' lights dimmed one by one.
Just before she fell asleep, she remembered what Marga had said earlier that day.
"Young lady, one of the letters is a little special."
"Special?"
"It came from the Imperial Family. It's an invitation to the society debut ball."
Ariella opened her eyes. The society debut ball. It had appeared in the original novel, too. It was where the children of the Empire's most powerful noble families officially made their debut in society. The original Ariella had acted arrogantly at this ball and made a whole host of enemies.
This time, I'll do things differently.
But something else concerned her more. The person who attended this ball in the original novel. Dian de Asteron. The male lead of the original novel. The man who loved Ririella.
She hadn't met him yet. But she knew what happened in the original novel. She knew what kind of person Dian was. She knew how much he hated Ariella.
This time, I'll do things differently. With Dian, too.
She closed her eyes.
The night deepened. The spirits' lights quietly went out.
She couldn't fall asleep.