Themis Perdia was not one to make empty promises; she really meant to make Elodie the ‘Queen of the Socialites’.

If Perdia’s only daughter didn’t conquer the social circle, who else would? As part of her plan, Themis’s first move was to summon the ladies from the dressing rooms to Perdia.

After all, if you didn’t show off on Toinette Street, what was the point? This time, the plan was to display a different kind of show.

Elodie felt dizzy at the extravaganza of luxurious items unfolding before her. It was breathtaking…

“Um, Mother. I think we already have enough jewelry.”

Themis liked this situation where Elodie had no choice but to address her as ‘Mother.’

Since Elodie wouldn’t call her ‘Madam’ in the presence of outsiders who weren’t part of the Perdia family, Themis found it amusing. Besides, Elodie, feeling awkward about buying jewelry when she could easily afford several castles without raising suspicion, looked cute.

 “The more, the better. You can always sell them if something comes up.”

“But it’s family property, and I have no intention of selling it.”

“Lili. You entrusted everything to this mother, didn’t you?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“You have nothing to worry about. Sit if you’re tired.”

After that, it was all about Themis’s world. She carefully selected items from catalogs and samples brought from the dressing room and jewelry stores that would suit Elodie.

 And people were watching: Sylvester Perdia and his two sons.

“Mother seems to be in high spirits. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her like this.”, Jansi said.

“Of course. She’s like a rabbit catching food with her paws after a long time, isn’t she?”, Carlot added.

Sylvester silently listened to Jansi and Carlot.

Themis did seem to be enjoying herself. On the other hand, Elodie had a face that seemed to have lost her soul. They were surprised to hear that Elodie had approached her first, asking her to help her integrate into society.

“Sister is something, isn’t she? Suddenly declaring she’ll conquer the social circle.”

“Lili never said such a thing, Carl.”

“If it’s my sister, ruling the social circle? Totally possible.”

 “Even if it was mother’s claim.”

Sylvester listened to his two sons’ foolish conversation with one ear, leaning against the doorway, looking in the direction where Elodie and Themis were. Then, Jansi subtly approached Themis and smoothly joined the conversation.

“Lili looks good in bright colors, Mother. I think the dress on the right would suit her.”

“Do you think so too, Jansi?”

Jansi’s suggestion led to a joint effort with Carlot.

 “That’s what you should wear, sister. Should I wear something similar to what you choose?”

Sitting on the sofa next to Elodie, Carlot laughed heartily, having positioned himself closely.

Sylvester observed Carlot patting Elodie’s head, who had become familiar with it.

Apparently, he wasn’t the only one who had become an idiot. The styling discussion went on for a while. Sylvester moved away from the door to leave. 

 “Your Grace.”

At the abrupt call from Themis, he turned to her with an indifferent expression.

“Do you have anything to say, Your Grace?”

Sylvester didn’t immediately understand what Themis meant by her question. What she was suddenly asking him to say. Seeing Sylvester remain silent and show a slightly annoyed expression, Jansi added a word.

 “How do you like the things Lili bought today, Father?”

“The quality is good.”

Jansi smiled wryly. 

It was a smile he made when he was in a tight spot.

Quality wasn’t the answer Themis was looking for. Jansi added a more considerate explanation.

“Don’t you think they suit her well or anything like that?”

That was enough of a hint. Sylvester looked back and forth between the pile of dresses and Elodie. 

“Of course, you’re saying the obvious.”

Elodie, feeling awkward in this situation, subtly avoided Sylvester’s gaze. Themis, wanting a more direct response, joined the conversation.

“Because it may look different in someone else’s eyes.”

At her words, Sylvester furrowed his brow.

“If there’s anyone who dares to make such remarks about my daughter—”

A stern gaze swept through the audience.

“I’ll make sure their mouth never utters such words again.”

“Huh…?”

Elodie, who was astonished, was not paying attention to anyone. The madams from the dressing room and the owner of the jewelry store, who were working hard to please Themis, widened their eyes.

‘The Duke of Perdia has such a side?!’

The fact that the Duke of Perdia valued his daughter was considered common knowledge due to several incidents. Occasionally, rumors hinted at his daughter-loving side. But rather than a daughter-lover…

Wasn’t it more like a daughter idiot? The rumor that Sylvester Perdia was known as a daughter-idiot spread like wildfire within an hour of their departure from the Perdia Mansion.

“Krr, Krr…”

Amazingly, Greed shamelessly lay on the Duchess’s lap, making a growling sound. Anyone who saw this would think he was an adorable pet black fox.

“This creature is good at following people.”

“Animals usually recognize good people, you know.”

Perhaps because of the habits formed when dealing with the Duchess, a sigh escaped involuntarily.

Fortunately, the Duchess seemed unfazed by my sigh.

Due to the influx of various merchants visiting the mansion once, my dressing room was now filled to the brim. There was so much stuff that we needed to convert another room into an extension of the dressing room.

While I was following the Duchess’s intentions, the essential thing was not the decorations. Perhaps my thoughts were too apparent on my face. The Duchess, putting down her teacup, murmured in a calm tone.

“It’s not like you suddenly want to make friends… but if you let me know exactly whom you’re targeting, I could help you more effectively.”

It was indeed the Duchess. I only mentioned wanting to make friends, and she managed to deduce even more. I decided to package my words appropriately, not disclosing Gretel Sangpan’s abilities and revealing unnecessary facts.

 “I was in trouble during the last Demon subjugation, and a young lady named Gretel Sangpan helped me out. I want to be friends with her, but it seems she doesn’t quite fit in with the group she belongs to. So….. I thought about adapting well to the social scene to become friends.”

  “You mean to win her favor by defeating the group.”

The Duchess interpreted it straightforwardly, without bothering to return my words more subtly. Since she could read my inner thoughts no matter what I said, I could only nod in agreement.

“Not a bad strategy.”

Somehow, the Duchess had a satisfied expression.

 Would you say it was a plan, not a scheme……? Anyway, I was finally ready to get down to business. 

I had prepared the invitation in advance and spread it on the table.

“Well then, which invitation should we accept?”

For some time now, many invitations had been coming my way, and it was still the same. It was probably due to the various incidents that had raised my reputation. The Savior of Ishtar incident would be a representative example. Because of this, responding to invitations with rejection letters had become one of my regular tasks.

“Invitations, huh…”

The Duchess pretended to pick up one invitation, as if she was going to read it but suddenly tossed it away.

“Oops!”

If the butler found out, he would definitely nag at me! Well, I could just blame it on the Duchess if that happened. As I was contemplating excuses, the Duchess propped her chin up and stared at me intently.

“You don’t necessarily have to accept someone’s invitation.”

“But wouldn’t it be better to attend other gatherings to adapt well to the social scene?”

“No. Make them come to you.”

“What?”

“Let’s host a party.”

I doubted my ears for a moment.

‘Perdia hosting a banquet?’

They were two terms that did not go well together.

Originally, the Perdia family was known for its reclusive nature.

There were hardly any guests inside the mansion, and even if there were, they could only access the designated open spaces for guests.

In my memory, exceptions to this rule were rare, with only Duke Kreundel and the First Prince being notable examples. The Perdia estate was shrouded in mystery, perhaps because of its secluded nature, and people were naturally curious about it.

There was a time when rumors spread through the gossip circles that the Duchess had a private poisonous herb greenhouse within the mansion. The social impact of this revelation was tremendous. 

Despite the public curiosity, due to the Duchess’s reserved personality, the Perdia mansion remained quiet, and there was never a party held there as far as I could recall.

‘To think she wants to host a party just because I want to make friends?’

The idea was so terrifying that even thinking about it gave me goosebumps.

 “Father wouldn’t approve.”

Moreover, I never saw the necessity of hosting a party in Perdia in the first place. However, the Duchess smiled at me as if she found me cute, like a small animal.

 “I’m sure it won’t be such a hardship on your fake father. I’ll tell him the story, so there’s nothing to be afraid of, Lili.”

Once again, I quickly gave up since it seemed my opposition wouldn’t be accepted. Instead, I cautiously brought up another thing.

“How about just a tea time event?”

“Lili.”

The Duchess called my name and stared at me intently, creating a palpable pressure.

“Then, shall we have a tea party…?”

“It will be the first event hosted by Perdia since my marriage to His Grace. But if you suggest a tea party, won’t it be laughable?”

It was even the first event after the wedding of the Duke and Duchess! How burdensome. Whether I protested or not, the decision had already been made by the Duchess, who informed me.

 “I’ll take care of the banquet arrangements, so you don’t have to worry about it. However, I will leave the organization and the sending of the invitations to you, Lili. The mansion will be bustling in no time.”

 “Huh? Duchess……?”

I called her in surprise, but…

“I’m looking forward to who will be your partner. Well then, I should go meet His Grace.”

After she bestowed her greed upon me, she swiftly left.

‘Things are getting out of hand.’

This wasn’t a part of my plan? At this rate, I might truly become the queen of society as the Duchess declared.

“If it’s the Duchess, it might be possible…”

Once again, Perdia is frightening.

***

“We’re going to host an event at Perdia.”

At the first words from Themis, who came into the office uninvited, Sylvester immediately showed a displeased expression.

Before he could say anything, Themis spoke up. 

 “Don’t you think this would be a good opportunity for you, Your Grace?”

 “What in the world are you talking about?”

 “As you know, Your Grace, Lili is known to be Your Grace’s illegitimate daughter, and as such, her standing in social circles is not very good.”

 “…….”

“As much as Your Grace has bought good things for Lili and taken her to Toinette Street, it’s difficult to change people’s perception.”

Themis’s words were all correct. Sylvester had tried to change Elodie’s reputation, but erasing the stigma of being known as an illegitimate child was not easy.

 “But, Your Grace, perhaps a banquet at the Perdia manor will change perceptions. It’s a good opportunity to make it clear that Elodie Perdia is part of the Perdia family, and if this banquet makes her feel like she belongs, all the better.”

Sylvester disliked having an unspecified number of people entering his space, but once it was said so explicitly, he couldn’t refuse.

“Do as you wish.”

Having given permission, it seemed like everything was settled. However, Themis still had one more matter to discuss.

“Take this opportunity to win Lili’s favor. I know she made a mistake, but why don’t you stop scolding her and be an affectionate father?”

An affectionate father. Sylvester, who had momentarily imagined himself in such a role, narrowed his eyes.

“Affection is not my strong suit.”

 “Oh, my. If the Duke of Severes had been awake, he would have been a truly affectionate father. Don’t you think?”

Today as well, Themis provocatively smiled, teasing him.

Sylvester sighed. He was surprisingly unfazed by how much Themis was poking into his business lately. It didn’t even make him angry.

 “This is Lili’s first banquet, so as a father, how about you ask her to be your partner? I don’t think she’s decided yet.”

Sylvester muttered as if it was meaningless at Themis’ last suggestion. 

“What about a partner?”

Seemingly disinterested, Sylvester went back to looking at his documents, but Themis had already noticed him glancing at the door.

‘Be rejected as a partner.’

She silently cursed her husband in her mind.

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