“Haha……”

Is this what they call post-nut clarity?

Maria let out a hollow laugh.

Life, really…… She’d studied herself to death, landed a job, thought she’d finally earn a decent salary, only to get pushed around by her b*stard boss at a company that called itself a “family.” Then she opened her eyes to find her next life had begun…… completely nerfed from the start.

Maria laughed as if her soul had left her body. Sylvie’s face crumpled.

Maria had holed herself up in her room for a while after breaking off the engagement.

Whether it was from losing her fiancé or not, Sylvie couldn’t say, but seeing Miss so upset made her own heart heavy.

Poor Miss…….

Even the one person she’d grown close to and friendly with had grown distant. It hurt, and it hurt again. If not a spouse, she wished Miss had at least a friend.

“Miss, let me give you a massage!”

“Hm? No, Sylvie. I’m really fine now.”

“No, you’re not. Just wait a moment!”

Sylvie answered with deliberate cheerfulness.

Then she worked hard on the scalp massage to keep from showing her upset feelings.

But what Sylvie knew, Maria knew too. Sylvie was the one who took such good care of Maria. Maria could feel just how upset Sylvie must be.

‘I’m being ridiculous…… I told you I’m really fine.’

She was being needlessly sentimental anyway.

Still, Maria didn’t dislike this sentimental side of Sylvie. Sylvie was like the older sister Maria never had, neither in the past nor present.

A bit fussy, sometimes annoying enough to make you want to smack her, but impossible to hate.

“Sylvie, I’ve just given up.”

“What? Miss, what are you saying?”

“I realized something this time. Marriage just isn’t meant for me. You always say there’s no woman like me, right? But if I haven’t married at this age, there’s just no hope.”

“Good heavens, Miss, what are you saying!! Our Miss should eat the best things in the world, see the best things, and then marry a wonderful man!!”

“That’s what I was trying to do, and look how I ended up? Causing trouble and getting the engagement broken off. Though of course they started it, I’m too annoyed to bother anymore. Marriage isn’t my life goal anyway, and I think I’ve tried hard enough.”

“Miss……”

“So I’m just going to live doing what I want. If my parents complain, I’ll just enter a monastery and hole up there. You’ll come with me, right, Sylvie?”

Sylvie fell silent for a while after hearing Maria’s words. The massage she’d been working on gradually slowed.

“Miss. I’m already married, so I can’t go to the monastery with you……”

Maria thought she’d be upset, but instead she left behind words about not being able to go to the monastery. That was so Sylvie.

“But I’ll visit every single day to brush your hair, Miss. Bring you meals, and also……”

Sylvie choked up over such pointless worries.

‘I’m really fine, though.’

“Sylvie, I’m just saying. Like I’d actually go. Why are you crying over something like that again? You’re making me upset. You know I’m a noble lady, right? Just because I can’t marry doesn’t mean my future is blocked, and entering a monastery doesn’t mean my life is over.”

Maria couldn’t see because of the towel covering her eyes, but she knew.

Crybaby worrywart Sylvie was so upset right now that she wanted to bawl her eyes out. So Maria deliberately spoke playfully to reassure her.

“Starting a new life with style would be nice too. Better than just sitting at home waiting to get married—pioneering my own life proactively would be cool.”

“……”

“I’m not smart, but I’m pretty good with my hands, so I could use that to start a business or something. Anyway, don’t cry, Sylvie. Stop crying. If you cry more, I’ll get upset.”

“……Yes, Miss……”

Sylvie, who’d been sniffling, finally calmed down when Maria soothed her. Seeing Sylvie catch her breath, Maria tossed out a topic she’d like.

“So, Sylvie, since I’m going to live recklessly anyway, I’m thinking of going to the debutante ball this time.”

Sylvie stopped mid-application of the face pack, startled, then asked again loudly.

“Good heavens, Miss. Is that true?! A debutante ball so suddenly? Miss, you’ve cut yourself off from balls and social gatherings for years, saying you hated them, and now you’re really going to the debutante ball?”

“Yeah, I’m not some moldy hermit. I’m tired of living like this.”

Actually, she was still worried about going to the debutante ball. She loved pretty things, sparkly things, cute things—so why hadn’t she been anywhere near a ball yet…….

She still didn’t feel like meeting lots of people.

Because she didn’t know what mistakes she might make in this transmigrated body.

Thanks to the major incident caused by the original Maria, her family still received cold looks in high society.

Knowing this situation, she’d kept putting it off, but now that the engagement was broken anyway, there was nothing left to fear.

She’d received all kinds of looks from people. Because of House Clodence, they’d been expelled from high society, and unable to mingle with people, House Certi had been utterly ignored. In the midst of all that, the insulting remarks from her ex-fiancé that she’d heard recently made Maria unable to bear it anymore. She couldn’t just live listening to such insults any longer. Now was the time to face the world and move forward.

Having finished thinking this far, Maria felt relieved.

And seeing Sylvie so happy made Maria’s mood improve as well.

This world belonged to the protagonists.

Since nothing would work out anyway, she’d give up on marriage—it would be nice if she could at least make a friend to visit dessert cafes with…….

‘Am I really wrong……?’

The price for ruining the life of a pretty flower boy was truly harsh.

Time passed and the day of the debutante ball approached.

Unlike the dresses she wore only when going out, the ball gown she tried on for the first time was extremely splendid.

The pale pink like milk had been mixed in was quite lovely. This dress was one Sylvie had specially chosen, and it matched Maria’s eye color well.

“I secretly prepared this dress while dreaming of the day you would go to a ball, Miss!”

She couldn’t stop Sylvie from humming cheerfully.

Maria’s wavy, lustrous brown hair was put in a half-updo.

When she inserted the hair ornament studded with small crystals, thin crystal strands hung down and sparkled between the strands of hair.

Maria checked her appearance once, then pulled out “those things” from the vanity with a determined look.

They were the foundation and mascara she’d worked hard to make for a day like today.

Maria had wanted to try making cosmetics that didn’t exist in this world.

Actually, she hadn’t planned to make them from the start.

‘I had no friends and was bored……’

It just happened—’It would be nice to have what I used in the previous world. Oh, this doesn’t exist? Then should I make it?’—and that’s how the foundation and mascara came about.

This world did have powder compacts that served as foundation, but when she first used them, her skin cracked so badly…….

Even if it rained in the desert, it would be more moisturizing than this. Judging she absolutely couldn’t use such things, she ended up making her own.

So she crushed powder and mixed it with toner, mixed it with cream, tried all sorts of things—this was the result. Today she’d finally take the stage with that result.

“Heheh.”

Maria laughed wickedly with satisfaction.

Not just foundation but mascara too—she’d gone through such h*ll making them…….

Ancient women in the past apparently made mascara by mixing petroleum residue with coal dust.

She tried to do something similar and nearly went blind, and the staying power was bad so she became a panda within minutes…… there were so many trials and tribulations.

‘But all those past days were for today!’

After finishing her makeup with the cosmetics she’d made herself, the reflection in the mirror was the prettiest doll in the world.

Her eyes sparkled as if sprinkled with pink diamond dust. Her new mascara was carefully applied over her sharp eyes.

“Miss, you will be the cutest and prettiest at the ball today. Oh my, how can you be so lovely~”

Sylvie hummed while smoothing the dress with something like an ironing board.

‘I’ll be the prettiest today. I’ve never seen anyone this lovely.’

It was cringeworthy to praise herself like this, but Maria decided to think that way just for today. Her makeup came out so well, and the perfume she sprayed on her body smelled so good.

Maria loved the smell of perfume she’d worn after so long that she kept sniffing during the entire carriage ride. Perfectly prepared. These were her favorite things.

Perhaps proud that they were setting foot in high society after so long, her parents also crossed the garden with the most satisfied expressions in the world.

But that was what her parents thought…….

In reality, there wasn’t a single noble who cared about House Certi.

“Mother, we came almost first?”

“It seems the other nobles will come much later.”

Maria’s eyes widened as she looked around the ballroom.

She hadn’t noticed when coming down, but the most eye-catching thing was the semi-elliptical staircase descending from the second floor.

There were chandeliers so dazzling they hurt the eyes, ceilings so high she couldn’t even guess how many meters, and curtains with gold embroidery on top of that.

The refreshments prepared in detail were full of desserts she’d never seen in her life.

And even she, who’d thought herself splendidly dressed, was rather modest compared to how other noble ladies were adorned.

Among the other ladies, many were dressed so lavishly it was hard to tell if they were gorgeous or garish.

For example, one lady had so many hair ornaments she worried the lady’s neck might break. Another lady was carried away mid-event by maids, apparently suffocated by her tightly laced corset.

Did they all not eat, or were their waists naturally that thin, or did she have too much belly fat……? Anyway, there were many ladies she wanted to ask if their organs were doing okay.

Maria watched the scene and clicked her tongue briefly.

Inwardly, of course.

She felt regretful for having no talent in making clothes. If she made comfortable dresses and sold them, she felt like she’d hit it incredibly big.

Maria earnestly hoped this trend would pass quickly.

While having random thoughts, various nobles entered. From mediocre nobles, nobles who could whisper in the imperial family’s ear began to appear.

‘Geez, the protagonists are d*mn hard to see.’

But when the h*ll would those d*mn male leads appear?

She’d eaten so many desserts by now that she was full. Maria’s legs were swollen from standing continuously in high heels, thoroughly abused.

“Ugh…… This is hard.”

Before transmigration, Maria had stamina strong enough to run a marathon in heels. But the current Maria had such terrible stamina that her legs hurt like they’d break after standing just a little.

As if understanding Maria’s boredom, the sound announcing the male protagonists’ entrance finally rang out.

“His Grace Claude Sernui Aemon and Sir Luca Clodence, heir to Duke Clodence, are entering!!”