Now that Eliza had opened her eyes, Lorina’s intentions were painfully clear.

‘You couldn’t even wait, could you? You wanted to hear how coldly James treated me when I collapsed.’

No matter how she thought about it, Eliza couldn’t recall doing anything wrong—so why had it come to this? A dull heaviness settled in her chest, and as always in moments like this, she gave the answer she usually did.

“Lorina, you’re probably the only one who cares about me this way.”

Lorina smiled as if to say of course, then deliberately swept her gaze over her new dress—a gesture meant to draw attention.

Once she confirmed Eliza’s eyes had followed, Lorina spoke, her tone laced with dissatisfaction.

“On Portbell Street in the city—”

Before she could finish, Eliza cut her off and turned toward the kitchen. For once, she didn’t wait for Lorina’s bragging to unfold.

“Marie isn’t here. Will you wait while I bring the tea?”

“Hm? Sure.”

As Lorina carefully took a seat, mindful not to wrinkle her new dress, Eliza opened each of the tea containers in the kitchen, sniffing them one by one. Then she chose the leaves that seemed the oldest and began to brew them.

She already knew exactly what Lorina was going to say today.

“There’s a new boutique on Portbell Street—run by a madam from Silomon, can you believe it? They say she once dressed royalty, though who knows if she’s really that skilled… What do you think, Eliza? Does this look like a seventy-thousand-derk dress? I’m supposed to attend an important tea party with Father soon, and I’m so worried I can’t even sleep.”

Today, Eliza had no intention of indulging Lorina’s so-called “worries,” nor of repeating, three or four times, how beautiful the dress was.

‘Why did you waste your patience on things like this, you fool?’

Shaking her head, Eliza lightly pinched her own cheek in front of Lorina, as if snapping herself back to her senses.

When she returned to the sitting room with the tea tray, Lorina resumed speaking. After all, she had been waiting for days because of Eliza’s collapse—her impatience was understandable.

“Portbell—”

“So there’s a new boutique on Portbell Street, is that it?”

“You’ve heard too? Well, if even you know about it, it must really be gaining popularity. I was also—”

“Why? Because its reputation isn’t proven yet?”

Eliza found herself slightly startled by how enjoyable it was to cut Lorina off like this, and for a moment, she held her breath to keep her expression composed.

Sensing that the flow of the conversation was different from usual, Lorina looked at her with mild confusion.

Still, buying a new dress and showing it off to Eliza had long since become a ritual for her. It wasn’t easy to stop midway.

“That’s exactly it, Eliza. They say she used to serve the Silomon royal family, but as you know, there’s no shortage of people who exaggerate their credentials.”

As always, Eliza replied gently.

“No, Lorina. You don’t need to worry at all. The plum sheen is so elegant, and that lace—what can I even say? Your dress is a masterpiece. Fifty thousand derks isn’t a bit wasted on it.”

“…!”

Lorina froze, her lips parting slightly in genuine shock.

Even Lorina Winclare—who would steal another woman’s husband and wouldn’t hesitate to attempt m*rder—found it difficult to claim her dress was worth seventy thousand derks when it wasn’t.

Eliza let out a quiet, amused breath at that thought and took a sip of her tea, waiting for Lorina to speak.

But Lorina remained silent, hoping Eliza would notice her displeasure first and offer comfort.

Knowing this, Eliza let the silence stretch just enough before widening her eyes in feigned surprise.

“Oh my, could it be even more expensive?”

“…I suppose you could say that.”

Only then did Lorina give a strained smile, while Eliza responded with an innocent one.

She found herself quietly impressed, she was teasing Lorina far better than she had expected. Simply mirroring Lorina’s own behavior was enough to play the villain convincingly.

“You know I’ve never been to the high-end boutiques on Portbell Street. Your last dress was fifty thousand derks, so I just assumed this one would be the same, Lorina.”

“That’s true… You’ve never been to those elite social gatherings, after all.”

Athern’s high society remained as exclusive as ever—a domain reserved for the nobility, with only a handful of newly wealthy families, whose fortunes rivaled theirs, allowed entry.

Eliza had practically withdrawn even from ordinary social circles, so bringing up high society was nothing more than a way to press down on her with the weight of status.

‘There she goes again.’

Eliza swallowed the flare of irritation rising inside her and took a calm sip of tea.

In the past, this would have been impossible. At the slightest humiliation, her face would have flushed red, and tears would have welled in her eyes.

But now that her feelings for Lorina had vanished, everything was different.

“I knew you’d understand, Lorina. Thank you.”

“Oh, you. What are friends for?”

Lorina took a sip of tea before continuing.

“Still, James must have been quite shocked. He’s always so busy, but when you collapsed, he must have rushed over right away, didn’t he?”

There it was.

Eliza deliberately averted her gaze and answered as if wounded.

“He’s a busy man.”

“Ah… so he didn’t come back from the bank? Even though you collapsed in the street…?”

Now, Eliza could clearly sense it—the faint pleasure Lorina drew from her misfortune.

Perhaps this had been her true purpose all along.

To watch.

To savor Eliza’s unhappiness.

Even knowing her intent, the words still pierced her chest like a blade.

She chose to reveal that feeling openly as she spoke.

“Since I’m the one at home, it’s only right that I understand. He handles large sums of other people’s money. He can’t just leave his post for something personal.”

“My goodness, Eliza. Your husband should realize how fortunate he is to have a wife like you!”

Eliza understood the meaning behind those words.

‘How lucky James is to have married a woman so easy to control.’

A chill ran down her spine.

How had she failed to see such blatant malice before?

Lowering her gaze to her teacup, Eliza answered in a timid tone.

“He already knows. He said that only after meeting me did he realize how remarkable women can be.”

That made Lorina’s gaze waver, just slightly.

Eliza had never been the type to boast about what she had. Speaking about her relationship like this—it was a first.

‘A confession that’s worthless now.’

Even recalling how deeply moved she had been when that cold man said those words was painful in itself.

But if it could wound Lorina, she didn’t mind.

Feigning innocence, she continued.

“Before that, he thought women were nothing but bothersome creatures who tried to seduce him whenever they pleased. He even laughed about it.”

‘Just like you.’

“…I didn’t expect James to say something like that.”

Lorina’s voice dipped slightly, her gaze falling to the carpet.

Seeing that, Eliza felt a flicker of satisfaction.

‘Now that you’re done showing off your dress, why don’t you leave, Lorina? Things aren’t going the way you wanted today, are they?’

But Lorina was not so easily discouraged. A woman who could weave long schemes to steal another’s husband would never give up so quickly.

Watching Lorina sip her tea, Eliza realized she wouldn’t leave until she had drawn out the satisfaction she wanted.

Reluctantly, Eliza took another step forward.

“By the way, are you planning to attend that tea party with only your father? For someone known as the flower of Athern’s society, the fact that you still don’t have a lover is entirely your own doing, Lorina. You’ve rejected countless suitors.”

Having her popularity acknowledged, Lorina’s expression brightened as she set down her teacup.

“Oh my… what can I do? I simply haven’t met my destined partner yet.”

“Ah, destiny. Yes, I know exactly what you mean. I felt it too when I met James. We didn’t hesitate at all when we decided to marry.”

“….”

Once again, her words were meant to provoke Lorina, but as Eliza spoke, a complicated feeling stirred within her.

Love, trust, sacred vows, even friendship—if all of these could prove so fleeting, then what was there to say about the illusion created by a love she had fallen into alone?

Lorina’s expression shifted subtly, her gaze drifting away. It felt different from before.

Eliza understood why.

Lorina had just thought of the man who had been secretly courting her—a man she would soon reject because of her father’s opposition.

To discard such a fine match, only to covet a married man—her friend’s husband, no less…

Eliza found herself staring at Lorina Winclare, unable to understand her at all. Then, with the sense that this would be the last time, she spoke with quiet sincerity.

“Lorina, you’d be happier marrying a man who loves you, rather than the one you love.”

And then she saw it—the slight twist of Lorina’s lips.

A smirk.

In that moment, words Lorina would one day say surfaced in Eliza’s mind.

“Did you really think a man like James would be yours forever? You should know your place!”

That was enough.

With that, Eliza let go of any lingering human affection she had for Lorina.

Lorina was still the same villain she had been in her past life.

As if that were her answer, Lorina rose with a faint smile.

“I should be going now. I think I’ve taken too much of your time.”

‘As if it was only my time you took.’

Eliza walked her to the door. And when the moment came to say goodbye, she spoke.