The tea party was bustling. As soon as I arrived, they immediately turned cold toward me.
Meanwhile, Lilian Winston, the hostess, simply allowed it and showed no concern as people began gathering behind me to mock me.
"Since the event is about to begin, I hope all the guests will take their seats," Lilian said. The guests promptly took their seats.
Once everyone was seated, Lilian finally began her tea party.
"First of all, thank you for coming to this small tea party. I hope you're all enjoying yourselves," Lilian said.
"Of course we're delighted to be invited by such an honorable woman as you—someone who always keeps her word and never lies," Miss Maria Siren said, occasionally glancing in my direction.
I knew exactly what she meant. She was insinuating that I had once lied about getting engaged to Felix.
I gave a bitter smile. Of course, that was because of the person I used to be, before I returned to the past. Back then, I had bragged about winning Felix, the man most coveted by noblewomen—including Lilian Winston, who had also set her sights on him.
I could understand why they were angry with me.
"You're right. Who knows, perhaps that woman had already been rejected. And yet she fantasized about getting engaged to that young man, when it's obvious that Miss Lilian Winston is far more captivating," Miss Sonia Trovill said.
My brows drew together. Miss Sonia's words were incredibly rude. They were openly mocking me while praising Lilian.
"Using her status to get what she wants—how childish. No wonder that man rejected her."
Laughter erupted and echoed through the room. I lowered my head, holding back my embarrassment. What the young ladies said wasn't entirely wrong.
The truth was that Felix didn't love me.
They continued mocking me, but all I could do was stay silent. I couldn't fight back. Not here, where not a single young lady would take my side.
If I kept seeking support from people who looked down on me, I would only make myself look foolish.
"What the young ladies said does have some truth to it. However, we don't know the real reason the engagement was called off. If you're mistaken, you could get yourselves into trouble, ladies," Lilian Winston said, and the atmosphere immediately grew awkward.
I never expected Lilian Winston to defend me. As I'd suspected, someone as charismatic as her was different.
Although I was still a little annoyed—she had seemed to ignore me at first—I was still grateful. Thanks to her defense, the conversation about me was cut short. In the end, they chose another topic that seemed more interesting.
After the tea party ended, the guests began returning to their respective homes one by one.
Just as I was about to leave, Lilian suddenly approached me.
"Princess, before you go, I'd like to apologize for what happened today and for allowing you to be hurt. As the hostess who invited you, I truly regret it."
I shook my head. "It's all right. To me, the young ladies' words were nothing more than passing wind. But thanks to your help, I was able to get through it," I replied with a faint smile.
Lilian chuckled softly. "You're quite interesting, Princess. To be honest, I deliberately let them continue at first because I had no reason to defend you. But when I saw how composed you were, I changed my mind. I thought you'd at least slam your fist on the table or shout at those impudent young ladies."
If that had been the old me, I would have shouted and slammed my fist on the table, just as Lilian said. Then I would have left without saying goodbye.
I really had been childish back then.
"Actually, I have a request for you. Could we talk for a moment?" Lilian suddenly asked, startling me. However, I nodded in agreement.
After that, she led me to the flower garden at the Winston residence.