As the debutante approached, every guest room in the mansion filled up with relatives from the Wiscombe family. Though they greeted Sophia in passing, none invited her to join them for tea.

In short, none of the Wiscombe relatives showed any intention of getting closer to Sophia. She spent her time in the mansion’s library, one of the few quiet places amidst the crowded house.

The city tour would continue after the debutante. Mrs. Finega offered Sophia careful advice on preparing for the event.

Though Mrs. Finega’s concern was appreciated, Sophia really had nothing special to prepare. Even so, she chose to stay quietly at the mansion.

Spending two whole days in the mansion turned out to be more difficult than expected. Whenever people passed Sophia, they whispered among themselves, often making mocking remarks about her appearance.

“They aren’t even Isabelle, so why are they acting so proud while putting me down?”

Having grown up with someone as handsome as Alex, Sophia was able to shake off their words more quickly.

“I know I’m not beautiful. So let’s just focus on something else.”

Sophia picked out the most expensive and rarest books from the library. She called for the butler directly, pointed to a precious book kept in a glass case, and said she wanted to read it.

“I can do this. It’s nothing to ask for these books. I should at least enjoy what I can.”

If the Wiscombe family intended to use her, Sophia thought, they should pay some kind of price. Though the butler’s discomfort was obvious, he followed his orders and took the book from the case, showing it to her page by page.

Thanks to this, Sophia was able to indulge herself in rare books until she grew tired of them. After finishing one, she would request the next, tormenting the butler up until the day before the debutante.

It was entirely the butler’s fault. He should have never left such expensive books alone with Sophia.

* * *

The day of the debutante.

The highlight of the debutante was the ball, and the invited guests arrived at the mansion in the evening. In contrast, Isabelle and Sophia, the debutante’s stars, had been busy since morning.

To be honest, it was only Sophia who had been busy since morning. She spent two hours in the bath and over two more hours getting her hair and makeup done.

Sophia finished all her preparations in the morning. The Wiscombe women had kindly let her have the earlier time slot.

While everyone else was enjoying a leisurely late breakfast, Sophia had to wake up at dawn to begin her preparations.

The true star of the day, Isabelle, didn’t start getting ready until late in the afternoon. Her makeup and hair were timed perfectly so that she would appear most radiant and beautiful when she entered the debutante ball.

Since Sophia had already finished her hair and makeup, she couldn’t relax for the rest of the day. She had to sit still in her chair, carefully flipping through the pages of a book to pass the time, worried that any movement might ruin her hair or makeup.

As little more than Isabelle’s shadow, Sophia made no complaints. In her heart, she wanted to take control of the Wiscombe estate and its servants. But she had no intention of quarreling with the women of the Wiscombe family.

‘I don’t want to get close to them either. We’re strangers. Wiscombe is no longer Ariel’s family. They’re enemies now.’

Even the maids who were watching could tell that Sophia was the person being treated most poorly at today’s debutante. They felt a bit sorry for her.

However, from the servants’ perspective, it made sense to prioritize the Wiscombe family over Sophia, who they might never see again after today.

The Wiscombe relatives who had finished their preparations, along with early-arriving guests, were freely chatting. Meanwhile, Sophia and Isabelle sat in the waiting room, biding their time until it was their turn to make an entrance.

Sophia stole a glance at Isabelle sitting beside her. She was truly beautiful, so much so that Sophia thought she looked like a princess from the novels she borrowed from Helen.

Naturally, it made her think of her mother.

‘When she was young, my mother must have been just as beautiful as Isabelle. No, she must have been even more beautiful.’

Sophia could only remember her mother lying in bed. Despite being visibly ill, her mother had always been beautiful.

When her father first saw her mother, he had thought she was an angel. Sophia never once thought that was an exaggeration.

Though she tried to act like nothing was wrong, Sophia’s eyes filled with tears before she realized it. It was probably because she had spent all day watching the Duchess hover around Isabelle.

For the first time, Sophia regretted coming to the debutante alone.

‘Father could have come with me, couldn’t he? When will I ever get the chance to dance with him again in the capital?’

But her father had been busy with estate matters, and Sophia couldn’t ask him to travel back and forth for something so trivial. Philip approached Sophia, who was sitting alone. He said:

“You seemed fine earlier, but now that the entrance is about to start, it looks like you’re getting nervous.”

“I guess so. I wasn’t nervous at all until now.”

Seeing Sophia’s face, which seemed on the verge of tears, Philip stopped himself from offering comforting words. He thought it would be meaningless, considering what was about to happen.

Philip said to Sophia, “There won’t be anything difficult for you. I’ll bring someone to escort you soon.”

He thought to himself, ‘There won’t be anything difficult for you. The hard part will be Robert’s responsibility.’

The ballroom briefly fell into silence, enough for Sophia and Isabelle to notice. Isabelle took a deep breath and straightened her posture. Sophia quietly listened to the sounds from the ballroom.

‘A distinguished guest has entered.’

A moment later, the door to the waiting room opened, and the Duke of Wiscombe appeared with two men. The first, with blonde hair and a bright smile, was Prince Frederick. Behind him, with brown hair and a dark, troubled expression, was Prince Robert.

Prince Frederick’s smile grew wider when he saw Isabelle. Taking her hand, he said, “The Duke of Wiscombe has asked me to escort Lady Wiscombe. Will you allow me the honor?”

Isabelle, blushing, covered her mouth with her fan and nodded shyly. Prince Frederick proudly placed Isabelle’s hand on his arm.

Meanwhile, Prince Robert, visibly angry, kept glancing around as if searching for someone, repeatedly running a rough hand through his brown hair. It was obvious to anyone that he was upset. However, Isabelle and Prince Frederick seemed to be in a world of their own, completely unaware of Robert’s presence.

‘Wasn’t it Robert who was supposed to be close with Isabelle?’

Sophia glanced at Prince Robert and then back at the pair. She finally understood her role for the evening.

‘I’m not a companion. I’m the bait in a trap set for Prince Robert.’

It seemed Robert had only realized the situation upon arriving at the Wiscombe mansion, as his visible shock and anger left no room for him to hide his emotions.

Sophia was the first to greet Prince Robert.

“I’m Sophia Ariel. Thanks to the grace of the Duchess of Wiscombe, I’m here to participate in the debutante with Lady Isabelle Wiscombe.”

Prince Robert gave a reluctant greeting in return.

“I am Robert Uranos.”

With nothing more than his name, Robert begrudgingly followed the signals from the Duke’s attendant, placing Sophia’s hand carelessly on his arm.

Sophia wanted to explain why she had become his partner, but it was clear that Robert wasn’t in the right state of mind to listen.

When Sophia’s name was called to enter the ballroom, Robert escorted her inside. Next, Isabelle Wiscombe’s name was called, and Prince Frederick escorted her in.

As Sophia and Robert made their entrance, the room was filled with hushed murmurs. But when Isabelle and Prince Frederick appeared, the crowd burst into applause and cheers.

‘So this is why they filled the guest rooms with Wiscombe’s relatives.’

Even from the corner of her eye, Sophia could see that Robert’s face was dark with anger, nearly black with frustration.

Isabelle’s appearance, which had been the subject of so much gossip, was unforgettable to anyone who saw her. So many people from dressmakers to jewelers and even her tutor had passed through the mansion.

It all made sense. The rumors about Isabelle’s looks had been carefully manipulated for this very moment.

‘They raised expectations by calling her an artist’s muse, then lowered them with misleading gossip, stirring up intrigue only to astonish everyone when she finally appeared. Is this the secret of the Duchess’s success in captivating the Duke?’

Everyone was now looking at Isabelle. Who would dare say she wasn’t the muse of artists? Sophia and Prince Robert didn’t even seem to be part of the scene, let alone her equals.

Some in the ballroom whispered amongst themselves, looking at Sophia with pity. They had accepted Wiscombe’s invitation but didn’t particularly like the family.

Sophia noticed a beautiful girl standing at the center of the group. It was clear, even at a glance, who the group was trying to flatter. Sophia turned to Robert and asked, “Is that Lady Parma Gareth?”

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