“Because they had too much, it became difficult to manage. That is what it means to be the Duchess. It’s not a position just anyone can have, nor should anyone try to take it.”

Was she trying to scare me?

“Vivian endured it because she was intelligent and wise, but even she succumbed to illness due to the stress. The woman who is the mother of the current Duke’s also took a position far beyond her abilities, and look what happened to her. Well, to be honest, she had nothing to offer besides her looks.”

Her final words revealed her outright disdain for Kyron’s mother.

“You, on the other hand, had nothing but luck to get to your position. So, what do you think will happen now?”

Was this supposed to be some kind of quiz? I didn’t feel like responding.

The Marchioness didn’t wait for an answer and gave it herself.

“You now have so much, which means you’re in danger.”

She spoke as if she were some kind of prophet foretelling my future.

What was I supposed to do with that?

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you must live quietly, keeping your head down and staying out of sight in that position. Don’t try to enjoy what you have.”

“Is this advice?”

The Marchioness nodded.

“You’re doing well so far. If you dare to step into the social or political world recklessly, you’ll bring disaster upon yourself. Especially since you’re only from a Viscount’s family. You lack knowledge of noble society, and you lack refinement.”

Her gaze moved to the necklace and earrings I was wearing, examining them one by one.

“You probably don’t even have an eye for jewelry yet. That’s something you’ll need to learn first. Today, at least, your staff seems to have chosen something expensive, so there’s no issue.”

She looked me up and down.

“You’ll need to develop an eye for jewelry and gradually cultivate the refinement expected of a Duchess. Right now, you’re far from it.”

I already knew that she disliked both Kyron and me, particularly me.

She probably couldn’t stand the idea of someone she disapproved of acting as the Duchess. Judging by how she was trying to stomp me down before I could even begin to stand out, it was clear she didn’t want me to shine in any way.

“You have a long way to go. Coming from a shabby Viscount’s family, there must be so much for you to learn.”

“Ah, yes.”

“In my opinion, the current Duke lacks many qualities himself, but the Duchess is even worse. I suppose blood doesn’t lie.”

“Ah, yes.”

Thankfully, it was finally time to take our seats for the event. Kyron was still deep in conversation with his aide.

He would join later, so I decided to head there first.

“Well, I need to attend the event now, so I’ll take my leave.”

As I moved to leave, the Marchioness quickly followed.

“Duchess, let’s go together. I was invited to this event as well. They were so insistent that I attend as a high-ranking noble. Did you know that my husband recently distinguished himself during the suppression of bandits near the border? Because of that, they were practically begging me to attend this festival, even if it was just me and not my husband.”

She became quite talkative when boasting about herself.

“Ah, yes.”

“I really didn’t want to come, but I ended up coming all the way here just for this event. Thankfully, they prepared a separate area for the invited nobles. If I had to mingle with commoners, I think I would have been sick.”

On the way to the reserved seating area, she openly expressed her disdain for commoners without any hesitation.

The reserved seating area was cordoned off with barricades, and entry required verification at the entrance.

The Marchioness, assuming she could just walk in, ignored the staff standing by the entrance and tried to enter, only to be stopped.

“Are you stopping me?”

“Only those on the guest list may enter the reserved area. I’ll need to check your name.”

“Check? Do you not recognize me?”

The Marchioness raised her voice and widened her already sharp eyes, which would intimidate most people.

“And your name is…?”

“I am Marchioness Critch!”

Clearly offended by the staff’s failure to recognize her, she interrupted him mid-sentence.

Even in this commotion, the staff calmly scanned the guest list. His composure was admirable.

“I’m sorry, but the name Marchioness Critch is not on the list.”

“…What?”

“If your name is not on the list, you cannot enter. Please proceed to the general seating area over there.”

The staff pointed toward the general seating area, where commoners were jostling for front-row spots.

“What?!”

The Marchioness’s shrill outburst was loud enough to draw attention even from the general seating area.

Standing beside her, I frowned at the unpleasant noise.

“Why am I not on the list?!”

“The list was provided to us from above, so we are not aware of the selection process.”

“I was invited!”

Knowing exactly why her name wasn’t on the list, I quietly observed the situation.

“Let go of me! I received an invitation, so how can I not be on the list?!”

As expected, the Marchioness didn’t take this lying down. She wasn’t one to back down easily.

“Your list must be wrong! I received an invitation and came all the way here!”

“I will check again.”

“No need to check.”

I stopped the staff member, who was about to waste his time.

“She’s not on the list. I removed her.”

The staff, who had been unshaken until now, seemed slightly surprised. The Marchioness, too, was stunned, her jaw dropping.

“Duchess, removed? What do you mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. The Marchioness has been excluded from the guest list. I removed her myself.”

She clutched her neck as if she were about to faint.

“W-what?!”

“Shall I explain the reason? It’s because of the letter you sent.”

“This is absurd…!”

In the original story, she had deliberately provided me with incorrect event information.

She had kindly sent a letter informing me that the event time had changed.

In the original, the naive Ekette believed her words wholeheartedly and even sent her a thank-you letter.

But since I knew everything now, that wasn’t happening this time.

“You thoughtfully included the event time in your letter. However, it turns out the event you mentioned was not this one. Realizing you were meant to attend a different event, I adjusted the guest list accordingly.”

The Marchioness clutched her neck again, looking on the verge of collapsing.

“How… how dare you…!”

Her advice to live quietly and not wield power had come too late. I had already wielded my authority as Duchess to remove her from the guest list.

A few days ago, I visited the festival’s organizing committee and asked if they could remove someone from the guest list for me, as I wanted to avoid an awkward encounter.

If the person in question had been a royal, I would have removed myself from the list instead. But since it was the Marchioness, the situation worked in my favor.

This was the benefit of a hierarchical society.

The higher-ranking individual usually won.

This was my preemptive strike.

I told the committee that there was someone I didn’t want to see and asked them to either remove her from the list or let me withdraw. Naturally, they chose me over the Marchioness.

My request was granted more easily than I expected. Despite all her boasting, she wasn’t as important an attendee as she claimed to be.

“Where is my maid?! Bring me my invitation immediately! I definitely received one!”