Acelia, who had been thinking deeply, slapped her knee.

“Could it be because of solving the slum problem?”

Though it wasn’t completely resolved, rumors would have spread throughout the slum.

Since Duke Seta had begun dismantling the gangs, life would have become more comfortable.

That explained why the number exceeded 10,000.

Though she doubted whether achieving 100,000 followers within two months was even possible.

She felt fortunate to have this much at least.

Come to think of it, she needed to thank Joachim too.

Thanks to him suggesting she visit the empress, she had raised her favorability and escaped the poisoning.

A truly unfunny “isekai oxygen poisoning.”

Was it because she came from another world and needed time to adapt?

Perhaps the dizziness and nausea were part of the adaptation process to this world.

Even coughing up blood somehow made her body feel refreshed afterward.

“……But I feel like I’m forgetting something important.”

She felt strangely uneasy.

Acelia tilted her head, then suddenly screamed “Ah!”

“The social club! The empress told me to join the social club where Ensia is. That’s right…… Ugh, what’s with this annoying social club. Ensia’s schemes are so predictable.”

She couldn’t help but groan. Acelia, who was shy around strangers, already felt uncomfortable.

What would they do at the social club? Since she was told to learn ladylike behavior, perhaps they would elegantly brew tea, arrange flowers, or recite poetry.

Acelia’s meager imagination could only go that far. Just thinking about it made her feel tired.

“No, if I do well, I might increase my followers.”

Though the social club would obviously be full of Ensia’s followers, Acelia decided not to give up hope.

Whatever, she’d just captivate all the ladies with her overflowing charm.

With a resigned mindset, Acelia went to her desk and picked up a pen.

What’s already happened. She was quick to give up on impossible things.

“Let’s start by gathering information first.”

* * *

“What? The Princess at a social club?”

Liliana, who had been summoned to the imperial palace, wore a surprised expression. Soon after, she puffed her cheeks and stomped her foot.

“If you were interested in social clubs, you should have told me! I would have recommended the one I’m in.”

“No, no. The Empress ordered me to join. I’m not particularly interested. But Liliana, you’re in a social club too?”

“Of course. Every noble lady must participate. It would have been so fun if we were in the same social club!”

Liliana couldn’t hide her disappointment.

Acelia laughed awkwardly.

She hadn’t expected Liliana to react so strongly.

“What do you usually do at social clubs?”

“We do various activities. We gather to drink tea, go horseback riding. We have book discussions and do embroidery sometimes. Oh, and we give love advice too. That’s the most fun one.”

“Oh……”

They do more diverse activities than I thought.

Is it like a college club?

Focused on socializing and exchanging information.

She remembered the theater club she had belonged to.

If the social club was like that, Acelia would have sought it out herself.

“But I heard that Lady Monium’s social club is quite special.”

“Special? How?”

“They say they do activities that other clubs don’t. That’s why they don’t readily accept new members, and you can only join through referrals.”

Acelia gulped. They’re inviting me to such a place?

She could feel Ensia’s intention to make her suffer.

When the invitation from Ensia’s social club, Rosementium, arrived, Acelia heaved a deep sigh.

* * *

After barely dissuading Liliana who wanted to come along, Acelia went to Poinsettia Palace.

Unlike male nobles who operated clan houses externally, the ladies borrowed rooms in the outer palace for their social club headquarters.

This Poinsettia Palace housed two other social clubs besides Ensia’s Rosementium.

Hiding her reluctance behind an expressionless face, Acelia walked slowly according to the map in her head when suddenly someone jumped out from around the corner and collided with her.

“Kyaah!”

“Your Highness!”

“Are you alright?!”

“Oh, yes. I’m fine.”

Acelia reflexively grabbed the woman, but the papers she was holding scattered across the floor.

‘Oh dear.’

Waving off the maids who offered to help, Acelia began picking up the papers one by one.

In truth, she was trying to buy more time.

The lady, who had been dazed until then, suddenly came to her senses and knelt down.

“Y-Your Highness! I’m s-sorry, no, I’m h-honored, please k-kill me!”

“What are you doing? It’s fine, please calm down.”

“How could a mere baron’s daughter like me dare to bump into the august Princess…!”

“I said it’s fine. Just pick up the papers. They’ll get dirty.”

“I! I have dirtied Your Highness’s n-noble hands…!”

“Shh. If you say one more word, I’ll really get angry.”

“Eep!”

The bespectacled lady watched Acelia nervously as she hurriedly gathered the papers.

Suddenly, the writing on the papers caught Acelia’s eye.

‘〈When the Ash Trees Bloom〉? Is this a novel?’

Looking closer, it appeared to be a screenplay or script.

Immediately interested, Acelia read a few pages.

She was impressed.

“Wow. Did you write this? It’s interesting.”

“What?! R-really?”

Unlike the abstract title, the content was quite provocative.

Acelia looked at the seemingly innocent lady with fresh eyes.

There’s potential for drama here too.

The lady, who had been surprised by her compliment, now looked gloomy.

“B-but the theater troupe rejected my script without even reading it……”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I was really confident in this one.”

After thinking for a moment, Acelia suggested,

“How about changing the title?”

“The title…… you say?”

“Hmm, let’s see. 〈The Widow with Two Husbands〉, 〈The Husband Different by Day and Night〉, 〈The Widow Who Desired a Man〉……”

“Eek! S-s-such explicit titles!”

“Why not? You need to do whatever it takes to sell. Besides, these titles stimulate imagination while being intuitive.”

Such titles were actually familiar to Acelia.

Dramas, web novels, webtoons—they all had titles like these.

In this world, even commercial novels had literary qualities, making them boring.

She had read what was called a bestseller, but it served as her sleeping pill for a while.

Rather, this unknown lady’s spicy, dramatic script matched Acelia’s taste and was entertaining.

It would cause a sensation if performed on stage.

“Your Highness, we must go now.”

“Mmm…… I should. I’m going. Lady, it was nice meeting you.”

“Y-yes! Goodbye!”

Turning around, Acelia thought with a solemn expression.

That script was good. Ah, I want to act.

* * *

“……”

The ladies belonging to Rosementium were staring at the clock with stern expressions.

It was because of the new person scheduled to come today.

Princess Acelia Hedwig.

Previously known as the “Forgotten Princess,” she had recently been involved in many controversies.

Some rumors about her were unbelievable.

That she had caught a gray bear, or that she had achieved great results in the talks with the Yulitas Empire.

The ladies glanced at Ensia.

Everyone knew that she was overly conscious of her cousin, the princess, despite pretending otherwise.

“The Princess is late.”

Feeling the ladies’ gazes, Ensia spoke with feigned composure.

The ladies quickly agreed.

“Indeed. Surely she wouldn’t refuse the Empress’s order and not come?”

“Not keeping appointments is against etiquette, even for a princess.”

“How long must we wait?”

Watching the ladies pretending to be angry, Ensia smiled gently with her eyes.

She imagined the princess who would be coming here.

Acelia entering her complete domain.

In truth, Ensia was feeling anxious because Acelia, whom she thought she had in the palm of her hand, kept behaving unexpectedly.

As a young lady of the influential Monium marquis family, she always needed to be the best.

Looks, personality, intellectual level, even the number of followers—everything.

The childish Lady Seta was no match for Ensia.

Ensia didn’t want to see Acelia walking around with her head held high as if she were something special.

She should always be beneath her.

Like the other ladies, she should either look at her with jealous eyes or be submissive.

Although Acelia had previously carried herself like a solitary flower blooming on a cliff.

At least she hadn’t shone like she did now. So Ensia asked her aunt, the empress, to bring Acelia into her social club.

The empress doesn’t like Acelia even though she was her own daughter.

She believed the empress would grant her request.

She had already planned how to isolate her .

The princess would realize her place in society.

Now they just needed the protagonist to arrive.

“I’m late.”

At that moment, the door opened and Acelia appeared.

Ensia’s pink pupils narrowed sharply.