Chapter 3

“Ah, I know. I heard Earl Herwin took her in. Well, she’s the daughter of the former chairman, after all.”

“She’s not even his real child, is she? I heard she was adopted when she was young.”

“Well, that’s a pretty well-known story. Is there anyone who doesn’t know that woman is of commoner origin?”

“Her origins are lowly, and she even ruined the father who adopted her… No matter how many times I hear it, it’s still amazing. What on earth was Earl Herwin thinking when he took in a woman like her?”  

To be precise, Cornell was an easy target—someone they could tear apart without facing any consequences. Simply because she was of commoner origin and had achieved so much despite her status.  

‘Did you hear? The great Lady Lawrence has become the youngest head of the academy this time.’  

‘They say she’s a genius, a real genius. Not like people like us.’  

‘She’s got nothing, so she must be desperate to claw her way up, right?’  

Karina placed her glass back on the table. She had only taken a single sip, but her head was already aching. It wasn’t just the headache—it seemed her mood had soured as well. When she turned around, she caught sight of their vicious backs.  

In truth, it was an ambiguous situation. Just because she overheard them didn’t mean Karina was obligated to stand up for Cornell.  

“Excuse me.”  

But she had no intention of letting such words slide just because she wasn’t in a good mood.  

The women turned around at her call, their faces momentarily surprised. Without much thought, Karina spoke concisely.  

“It’s unpleasant to hear. It’d be better if you refrained from saying such things.”  

“Ah…”  

The two women, clearly flustered, were at a loss for words and hung their heads in embarrassment.  

Did they realize their actions were shameful?

Karina doubted it as she picked up the glass she had left on the table.  

At that moment, someone approached Karina, who was about to leave.  

“Karina! It’s been so long!”  

A woman with bright ginger hair greeted her warmly. Karina looked at her, slightly startled.  

“Emma.”  

“I’m so glad to see you! Why are you all alone?”  

It was Emma, part of the same social circle as Celine. She was also the only person besides Phyllis who was friendly toward Karina.  

The two women who had been reprimanded hurriedly left their seats. Emma grabbed Karina’s arm without hesitation.  

“If you don’t have anyone to talk to, come with me. I’ll introduce you to my friends.”  

Her attitude made it clear that she didn’t care about Karina’s consent. Reluctantly, Karina followed Emma. After walking for a bit, they approached a table where several people were gathered. Emma introduced Karina as her friend without hesitation.  

Most of the people there were acquaintances of Celine, as it was her party. Karina felt the awkward atmosphere and lowered her gaze.  

“By the way, Karina, did you greet Celine?”  

As if she had just remembered, Emma alternated her gaze between the front of the party hall and Karina as she asked.  

“…I did. Right when I arrived.”  

“Really? It must’ve been nice to see her after so long.”  

Emma’s playful tone left Karina unable to respond. Emma’s lack of malice only made her feel more uncomfortable. Emma was, to put it kindly, sociable and free of prejudice, but to put it bluntly, she was oblivious.  

‘I should’ve just stayed alone.’  

She was probably the only one unaware that Celine disliked Karina.  

“By the way, where’s Phyllis?”  

“…”  

“I’m sure I saw him earlier. Didn’t you come with him?”  

Emma tilted her head in confusion at the sudden change in atmosphere and shifted the topic.  

At the same time, the gazes directed at Karina moved elsewhere. A faint sound of someone clearing their throat broke the silence, making the mood even more awkward.  

It was an excessive reaction for it to be just because of Celine. Following the subtle commotion, Karina turned her head.  

Near the front podium, she saw Phyllis mingling with a group at a table. Of course, he wasn’t alone.  

“Um… Emma.”  

“Yes?”  

“I think they came separately today, the two of them.”  

“Oh, right. Phyllis is over there at the front.”  

One of the women who had been whispering earlier spoke to Emma. The man next to her gestured toward Phyllis with his chin and added to the conversation.  

Without even glancing at them, Karina tightened her grip on the glass in her hand. She saw Cornell standing next to Phyllis, smiling as she greeted the group.  

“Really? Why didn’t they come together for once?”  

“Who knows? Maybe they had a lover’s quarrel.”  

The man who had pointed out Phyllis’s location earlier made a blatantly mocking remark. A sound close to a scoff escaped his lips.  

“Karina, that’s not true, is it?”  

For the first time, Emma lowered her voice, as if she were being tactful, and asked Karina quietly. Karina deliberately raised her voice to respond.  

“No, not at all. Nothing happened.”  

“Of course. You two wouldn’t fight.”  

“Exactly. Thanks for worrying, Emma.”  

Emma seemed relieved and returned to her usual cheerful self. The people who had been leading the conversation exchanged glances, pretending not to notice.  

Karina deliberately smiled faintly in their direction. Even if something had happened, there was no reason for her not to hold her head high.  

“…Well, it’s good to hear she’s fine. Lady Karina must have a very generous heart.”  

One of the women, who had been wearing a dissatisfied expression the entire time, smiled faintly as she spoke. Emma tilted her head, as if asking what she meant.  

“Well, isn’t it obvious? Her fiancé came to the party with another woman, and yet she seems completely unbothered by it.”  

“Jen, what would you do if I acted like that?”

The man asked playfully, and a woman named Jane glared at him before lightly hitting his chest.  

It seemed the two were engaged. Karina stared at the couple with a subtle expression.  

It wasn’t entirely wrong. To others, it might seem strange that she wasn’t bothered seeing her fiancé with another woman.  

“Don’t worry. I’m not the type of man to make my woman uneasy, unlike someone else.”  

The man, Charlot, wrapped his arm around Jane’s shoulder and kissed the corner of her eye. Half-joking, half-serious jeers erupted around them.  

Jane twisted her body as if she didn’t like it, but she didn’t completely pull away from his embrace. Her gaze, filled with an unclear emotion, turned toward Karina.  

“They’re at it again. Sorry about that. I hope you can understand, Karina.”  

Emma apologized on their behalf, as if trying to excuse the couple’s behavior, which the others seemed to ignore.  

“No, it’s fine. They look good together.”  

“Are you serious? I feel like the cookies I just ate are about to come back up.”  

Karina nodded as if it didn’t bother her at all. Then she locked eyes with Jane, who was about to walk away, and said:  

“Worrying about someone you don’t even know well… You must be good people.”  

Though her voice wasn’t loud, it seemed everyone heard her. Jane and Charlot exchanged glances simultaneously.  

In the slightly tense atmosphere, only Emma eagerly nodded in agreement.  

“Right. They may be a bit over-the-top, but they’re not bad people.”  

“They seem like it.”  

“They probably brought up Phyllis because they were concerned. Even earlier, Celine was talking about you…”  

Emma trailed off mid-sentence. Karina noticed the sudden awkwardness among the group and turned her head.  

“Emma?”  

But Emma’s expression was a little strange. Rather than being surprised at her slip of the tongue, she looked as if she were entranced by something.  

‘What could she be looking at to make that face?’  

Karina followed Emma’s gaze.  

But all she saw were the backs of people, with no particularly unusual scene. Instead, she ended up locking eyes with someone she had been trying to avoid.  

When her eyes met Phyllis’s, Karina immediately turned her head. Just that brief moment of eye contact from such a distance made her heart pound.  

“Emma, what’s wrong?”  

“…Huh? Did you call me?”  

One of the group, who had been watching her, called out, and Emma blinked as if snapping out of a trance.  

“Sorry. I just made eye contact with some guy… He was so handsome.”  

Emma confessed with an embarrassed smile. Her words made the women around her glance around curiously. Only Karina remained focused on Celine’s name, which had just been mentioned.  

“I’m serious. He was over there, and it felt like he was staring at me for a long time.”  

“Hey, more importantly, about what you just said…”  

Emma, who had been pressing her flushed cheeks with her hands, suddenly remembered something and looked startled. At the same time, the group began to scatter one by one, pretending to be busy. A few awkwardly acted as if they had other things to do and left the table.  

“…Charlot, aren’t those your friends over there?”  

“Oh, they are. Shall we go over? Jane, I’ll introduce you.”  

“Hey, hey, wait a second.”  

In the blink of an eye, the table of nearly a dozen people emptied, leaving only Emma and Karina behind. Karina quietly placed a hand on Emma’s shoulder. Even Emma, usually oblivious, flinched and turned around this time.  

Whatever it was, it was clear it was something she needed to hear. Karina didn’t wait any longer and asked.  

“Can I ask what Celine said about me, Emma?”  

***

Lively music echoed throughout the party hall. Dance time, the highlight of any party, had begun.  

Karina leaned against the wall next to a pillar with no interest whatsoever. It was the most inconspicuous corner of the room.  

“May I request a dance with the beautiful lady?”  

In front of her, a man and woman held hands and walked toward the dance floor. Karina absentmindedly followed their backs with her eyes.  

‘I’m sorry, Karina. To be honest, it wasn’t so much that Celine talked about you… She was talking about Cornell.’  

The romantic atmosphere filling the room felt like a dreary fog to Karina.  

‘It’s true. She was probably worried since Phyllis has a fiancée, and it wouldn’t look good to others. She must’ve been concerned about you.’  

It was nonsense. If Celine were the kind of person to care about her, she wouldn’t have isolated Karina from the group all this time.  

Besides, it was Celine who had invited Cornell to the party. She probably hoped Cornell would recognize her place and not attend.  

In the end, since her plan failed, she was just using Karina to bring Cornell down.  

“As if she’d ever care about me.”  

Karina muttered under her breath and stepped away. The music grew increasingly bothersome, like the buzzing of flies.  

“Where are you going when the party’s just getting started?” 

Just as she was about to leave, a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.