Madame Clognac asked a nearby maid to bring a book with a hard cover, then instructed Vivian to place it on her head and walk in a straight line without letting it fall. Naturally, the book fell to the floor with a dull thud after just a few steps.

“Again!”

Vivian returned to the starting line, carefully balanced the book on her head, and began walking. Again, the book fell after just a few steps.

“Again! Pull in your chin and keep your gaze straight ahead!”

“Again! Pulling in your chin doesn’t mean creating a double chin!”

“Again! Imagine someone is pulling a thread attached to the top of your head.”

“Again! I said walk in a straight line! Don’t spread your legs!”

Madame Clognac’s sharp voice continued endlessly. Even by the time she left the mansion after the scheduled lesson, Vivian still couldn’t walk without dropping the book.

But the Madame had no doubt that Vivian would master even this by the next day. Vivian’s eyes spoke volumes about her passion.

⁕⁕⁕

The Grand Fête was the biggest celebration of the year, held at the imperial palace for a week starting December 30th.

During this period, nobles from all regions reported important issues from their territories to the Emperor and exchanged various information while mingling with other nobles. The ladies busied themselves quickly grasping the capital’s latest fashions and calculating which families would be advantageous to form connections with, measuring each other’s wealth and influence.

And the young men and women who most eagerly awaited the Grand Fête spent the week exuding pheromones explosively, seducing one another and experiencing heart-fluttering moments.

Vivian had previously declared to her parents that she would not attend the Grand Fête after her social debut at fourteen, due to those memories.

From Vivian’s perspective, she couldn’t bear sitting idly in the banquet hall, changing into new dresses every day and engaging in silent battles of wits with men.

To Vivian, men were primarily competitors. Since she couldn’t gain recognition by performing similarly to men due to being a woman, young Vivian had determined she must excel beyond any man—making the pink atmosphere between young men and women almost nauseating to her.

But this year was different.

“Vivian! Pale yellow suits you wonderfully too. You look like a spring fairy.”

“Miss Vivian, your brown hair, though common, has the advantage of pairing well with any color. With this pale yellow, those with very light hair might look washed out. Plus, your fair skin complements most colors nicely.”

“Don’t I look too childish?”

“Ho ho ho. Don’t worry. You look exactly your age, which is perfect.”

While other noble daughters had ordered their dresses three months before the Grand Fête began, the Raine household was frantically preparing only in November, thanks to their daughter’s late change of heart.

Not only Selena but even Ezburn attended the fabric selection session to observe what would suit Vivian. The maids, too, eagerly volunteered for any errand to Vivian’s room, not wanting to miss this spectacle that might never happen again.

“This pink is pretty too. Oh, wait. I’d like to try on that grayish light blue as well. For the night of December 31st, the deep green we saw earlier would be good, don’t you think?”

She had many questions since she didn’t know much about dresses. But to others, it only appeared as if she was actively expressing opinions about dress production.

While Count and Countess Raine were pleased with Vivian’s behavior, they couldn’t shake the feeling that something was strange. After all, they say when a person changes suddenly, death might be near.

“Um, Vivian…… you don’t have something going on, do you?”

Vivian calmly answered her worried mother while contemplating several fabric samples before her.

“What would I have going on? It’s just that this Grand Fête marks the year I come of age. Father has permitted me to buy dresses, and I want to experience romance before it’s too late. I’ve studied plenty, so from now on, I want to enjoy life.”

Though concerned about Vivian’s suddenly mature-sounding words, the Raine couple decided to let it pass since her attitude was so natural and this was the behavior they had always hoped for.

As Ezburn had mentioned, most of Vivian’s expenses had been for books and stationery, so compared to other noble daughters, she had few decent dresses or accessories. Throughout November and December, merchants from dressmakers, jewelers, and shops selling women’s accessories frequented the Raine mansion so often they nearly wore down the threshold.

⁕⁕⁕

As the Grand Fête approached, Vivian could hardly sleep due to nervousness.

Human relationships had been what she struggled with most in her past life. Though many Academy students would surely be at the Grand Fête, she knew none well enough to greet comfortably.

A young lady of age standing awkwardly against the wall, unable to join other noble daughters and sons, would be perfect fodder for ridicule. In fact, that’s exactly what she had done at her first Grand Fête.

For a noble child of age to skip the Grand Fête without reason would be even more embarrassing—equivalent to announcing to everyone, “Our child isn’t presentable enough for a ball.”

But this time had to be different. Back then, she had acted selfishly, thinking only of her own feelings, but now she understood that being ridiculed meant the Raine household would be ridiculed as well.

In her past life, she had rebelled against even this thought, considering it the old-fashioned mindset of nobles who viewed their children as possessions. Though her opinion hadn’t changed, in this life, she didn’t want to bring shame to her parents’ faces. Moreover, she didn’t want to leave a stain on the family she would someday lead.

‘If only I could have returned to before entering the Academy…… then I could at least have been friendly with my classmates……’

Having awakened three years after entering the Academy, her social relationships were predictably poor.

Vivian had not only declined other noble daughters’ tea party invitations and fashion conversations but had also harshly criticized their lifestyles. She had been self-righteous, refusing to acknowledge that different people pursue different forms of happiness, so she naturally had no friends.

Her relationships with male students were even worse. Men were merely her competitors.

Ironically, the only person at the Academy who treated Vivian “outwardly” kindly was Luciel Evanhart—the very person she most despised there.

‘Come to think of it, Luciel Evanhart will attend the Grand Fête too. Will I be able to stay composed when I see his face again?’

This thought completely banished what little sleep she might have had.

Despite her determination to live on, she must have subconsciously thought she was already dead, as she hadn’t considered meeting Luciel again at all.

Throughout her Academy years, she had never smiled genuinely in his presence, but now, meeting him again, she doubted she could manage even a polite smile. If a girl who had seemed normal when they last parted suddenly showed a hostile attitude, anyone would find it strange.

‘This is terrible…… I should practice right now!’

Vivian, with her motto ‘Nothing is impossible with study and effort,’ sat before the mirror. In the whitish dawn light, she could vaguely see her reflection. But as she imagined Luciel’s face, her expression visibly stiffened even to herself.

Her eyes seemed ready to shoot flames, and her tightly clenched molars made her jaw twitch and lips purse. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried again, but the result remained the same no matter how many attempts.

If Luciel were actually before her, she would want to grab any nearby object that could serve as a weapon and charge at him. Though she knew the current Luciel wasn’t the same one who had driven her to death, just imagining his face made her head buzz with the voice that had mocked her until her very end. Vivian tried to suppress her trembling lips but ended up simply closing her eyes.

‘At this rate, I’ll really cause trouble. What should I do……?’

The day had fully dawned with no progress made. Naturally, the maid who brought Vivian’s morning washing water was startled to find her sitting before the mirror with a dejected expression.

“Sigh……”

Even with breakfast before her, Vivian only sighed without any intention of eating. Mia, unaware of Vivian’s inner turmoil, naturally placed simple morning refreshments before her as usual.

“Chef Ponte was boasting about how delicious the bread turned out today. You’ve lost too much weight lately, Miss, so you should eat heartily.”

Mia, smiling kindly while pouring milk, was much older than Vivian.

In life, one cannot be close with everyone. This meant Mia must have some people she didn’t get along with, and hearing the experiences of such a senior might not be a bad idea.

“Say, Mia. Have you ever fought with someone?”

“Hmm. It’s happened so many times that I’m not sure which instance to tell you about.”

Mia chuckled as if this were only natural.

“What I want to know isn’t how you fought, but…… how you got along with that person afterward. You know, when you’ve fought but inevitably have to face each other.”