The invitation was thin.
It was made of fine paper, smelled pleasant, and even had a gold border.
It was far too elegant an object to kill someone with.
But I knew.
In noble society, paper kills people before swords do.
And right now, that single sheet of paper was very politely holding a blade to Eveline Rosette’s throat.
Arsene Berhardt.
Accompanying guest: Liana Bell.
Two names.
That was all.
But it was enough for Eveline.
More humiliating than notice of a broken engagement, more blatant than a challenge to a duel, and a signal faster than any social rumor.
A man with a fiancée had listed another woman as his companion for the pre-enrollment ball.
And that woman was a scholarship student of common birth.
While leaving the name of House Rosette’s eldest daughter blank.
The edge of the invitation began to burn.
Red mana bloomed from Eveline’s fingertips.
"I’ll kill him."
Her voice was low.
More dangerous than a shout.
Because it was the voice of someone truly capable of killing.
The color drained from the butler’s face.
One of the maids bit her lip.
I looked at Eveline’s right hand.
Her fingers were searching for a sword.
There was no sword in the study today.
Thank goodness.
No, not thank goodness.
Eveline Rosette could hurt people even without a sword.
The ink bottle on the desk.
The silver candlestick.
The letter opener.
And the red mana within her own body.
All of them could become weapons.
The system window flashed wildly.
Warning.
Eveline Rosette’s duel incident route is on the verge of activation.
Expected action: Storming House Berhardt.
Expected result: Severe injury to fiancé Arsene Berhardt, substantial damage to House Rosette’s reputation.
Leon Cart’s projected survival date is becoming unstable.
Great.
Even the system had finally become honest.
My future death had originally been seven days away, but now the schedule was shifting.
I tried to fix the villainess, and death became a freelancer.
"My lady."
Eveline did not respond.
The invitation was nearly half burned away.
"Eveline Rosette."
Her eyes turned toward me.
Mana churned within those red eyes.
"Move."
"No."
"I said move."
"That is the third time today I’ve refused."
Eveline smiled.
It was closer to baring her teeth than smiling.
"Do you think I’m playing around right now?"
"No."
I stood before her.
"That is why I’m stopping you."
"I’ve been humiliated."
"I know."
"My fiancé listed another woman as his companion."
"I saw."
"And you expect me to do nothing?"
"No."
Eveline’s brow stilled.
"I never said you should do nothing."
I picked up the half-burned invitation from the desk.
Its edges were hot.
The paper was blackened halfway through, but the names remained.
Arsene Berhardt.
Liana Bell.
Seeing the original story’s heroine’s name at this point did not feel particularly good.
Liana Bell.
A scholarship student of common birth.
A candidate for sainthood.
The true protagonist of [Academy of the Golden Crown].
According to the original story, she was not a bad person.
If anything, she was one of the good ones.
The problem was that good people did not always bring good outcomes.
In the original story, Liana attends the pre-enrollment ball under Arsene’s protection.
Arsene appears to be a kind nobleman protecting her.
From the player’s perspective, it was an affection event.
But from Eveline’s perspective?
It was the day her fiancé publicly chose another woman.
The game called it a romance event.
Eveline’s life called it a ruin event.
"Do you want to hit Arsene Berhardt?"
"Of course."
"What about Liana Bell?"
Eveline’s eyes sharpened.
"How do you know that name?"
"It is written on the invitation."
"Don’t lie. That wasn’t the expression of someone seeing it for the first time."
I paused for a moment.
She was sharper than I expected.
Though blinded by rage, she had noticed my reaction.
As expected, Eveline Rosette was not stupid.
She was merely broken.
"That is not what you need to know right now, my lady."
"Then what is?"
"Not who you should cut down, but where you need to win."
Red mana sparked from her fingertips.
"I want to see that bastard’s face right now."
"Then you lose."
"I do?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because that is exactly what Arsene Berhardt wants."
Eveline’s expression froze.
She was finally listening properly.
I did not miss the opening.
"Think about it. A man with a fiancée placed another companion’s name on the pre-enrollment ball guest list. On an official form, no less. Do you think it was an accident?"
"..."
"No. He wants people to see it."
I set the invitation down on the desk.
"You. House Rosette. Society."
Eveline’s lips hardened.
"Then I should kill him even more."
"Then Arsene becomes the victim."
"What?"
"You storm House Berhardt. You shout. You draw your sword. Arsene gets hurt."
I folded down my fingers one by one.
"At that moment, the story changes into this."
I deliberately imitated an aristocratic tone.
"The unruly young lady of House Rosette tried to harm a commoner scholarship student out of jealousy for her fiancé."
The study fell silent.
Eveline’s mana wavered slightly.
"Arsene Berhardt gains grounds to break off the engagement. Liana Bell becomes the victim. House Rosette becomes a family incapable of controlling its daughter."
"..."
"And, just like in the original story, you are ruined."
Eveline asked quietly.
"That original story again."
"I misspoke."
"No."
She looked directly at me.
"You keep saying things I do not understand."
Dangerous.
Her suspicions had formed too quickly.
But there was no avoiding it.
Eveline was not a stupid student.
If anything, she was dangerously perceptive.
I delayed my answer.
"If I explain that now, you will not believe me."
"Then when will you explain it?"
"If you do not rush to House Berhardt today."
"Is that a threat?"
"It is a condition for class."
The corner of Eveline’s mouth twisted.
"You really are insolent."
"I hear that often."
"And irritating."
"I hear that often too."
"I want to kill you."
"That is the first time I have heard that."
"Liar."
She was right.
It was probably the second time since I came to this world.
I held out my hand.
"Give me the invitation."
Eveline clenched the burned invitation.
"Why?"
"It is evidence."
"I am going to burn it."
"Then Arsene wins."
Her hand stopped.
Good.
Now I knew the words that worked best on Eveline Rosette.
Not, "Endure it."
"Then you lose."
"A letter is emotion. An invitation is evidence. Those who burn evidence lose their fights."
Eveline glared at me for a long while.
Then she threw the invitation onto my palm.
The edges were still hot.
But the names remained.
That was enough.
"Then what do we do?"
Eveline asked.
"You are not telling me to do nothing, are you?"
"No."
I folded the invitation.
"We go to the ball."
"What?"
"You will attend the ball where Arsene Berhardt presents Liana Bell as his companion."
Eveline laughed in disbelief.
"My name is not on the invitation list."
"There is no way House Rosette’s eldest daughter would not receive an invitation."
"Then why is my companion field blank?"
"Because that is Arsene’s aim."
I pulled a blank sheet of paper toward me on the desk.
"If you storm in out of rage, you are an unruly woman. If you do not attend, you are the discarded fiancée. Both favor Arsene."
"Then?"
"We create a third option."
"What is it?"
I answered.
"You enter that ballroom looking your most beautiful, most composed, and strongest."
Eveline’s face stiffened.
"And then?"
"We make the entire ballroom look at you, not Arsene Berhardt."
Silence.
Eveline looked at me.
Some of her anger subsided.
Another emotion rose in its place.
Suspicion.
Defiance.
And, very faintly.
Anticipation.
"Ridiculous."
She spoke.
"You want me to go there to be mocked?"
"No."
I shook my head.
"You are going to silence the people who intend to mock you."
"How?"
"With lessons."
"Swordsmanship?"
"Swordsmanship too."
I held up the invitation.
"Your walk, expression, replies, where you direct your gaze, your first greeting, and even your final exit. All of it."
Eveline frowned.
"That is what etiquette teachers do."
"Which is why you failed."
"What?"
"Your etiquette teachers must have taught you how to become docile."
I looked at her.
"I will teach you how to win."
Eveline said nothing.
The longer she remained silent, the more it meant she was listening.
"A ball is a dueling ground. Gazes are exchanged instead of blades, rumors clash instead of sword strikes, and reputation spills instead of blood."
"..."
"When you hold a sword, you swing it too quickly. You will do the same at the ball. Someone says one thing and you bite back immediately. Someone laughs and you lunge at them. Someone praises Liana Bell, and you explode at once."
"Maybe I will not."
"There is no chance of that."
"You really know how to piss people off."
"I am simply observant."
Eveline ground her teeth.
But she did not look for a sword.
Progress.
"So."
I wrote three lines on the blank paper.
1. Do not move first.
2. Ask first.
3. Smile last.
Eveline looked down at the paper.
"What is this?"
"The ball survival rules."
"Three lines?"
"You cannot follow long rules."
"Hey."
"First. Do not move first."
I continued, ignoring her.
"Even if someone brings up Arsene, do not react right away. Even if you see Liana Bell, do not approach her first. Even if Arsene ignores you, do not chase after him first."
Eveline’s eyes narrowed.
"What is the second?"
"Ask first."
"Ask what?"
"If they stab at you, do not stab back immediately. Ask them. ‘What do you mean by that?’ ‘Did I hear you correctly?’ ‘Should I take that as an official statement?’"
I tapped the paper.
"Nobles hate speaking clearly. Because then they have to take responsibility for it."
Eveline’s expression shifted slightly.
That was the look of someone finding it interesting.
"And the third?"
"Smile last."
"Smile?"
"Yes."
"When I am furious?"
"That is why you must smile."
Eveline stared at me for a while.
"That would be really obnoxious."
"It is effective."
"I like it."
For the first time, Eveline Rosette had responded positively to the content of my lesson.
The system window quietly appeared.
Eveline Rosette has learned the Ball Survival Rules.
The broken engagement event’s chance of spiraling out of control has decreased by 6%.
New branch: Pre-Enrollment Ball Counterattack Route created.
A counterattack route.
Good.
It was a path that had not existed in the original story.
Which also meant it was dangerous.
But it was still better than her rushing to House Berhardt right now.
"Is today’s lesson over?"
Eveline asked.
"No."
I rose from my seat.
"Now we begin practical training."
"What are we doing?"
I addressed the maid by the door.
"Do you have a small ball or a handkerchief?"
The maid was flustered.
"I have handkerchiefs."
"Good. Give me three, please."
Shortly afterward, three handkerchiefs were placed on the desk.
I folded them one by one and threw one at Eveline.
"Catch it."
Eveline snatched it out of the air on reflex.
"What are you doing?"
"Again."
The second handkerchief.
This time from the left.
Eveline caught it.
The third.
I deliberately threw it toward her face.
Eveline’s hand shot up like lightning.
The handkerchief crumpled.
"You used too much force."
"You throw handkerchiefs at me and then say ridiculous things."
"When someone throws words at you during the ball, you will react just like that."
I pointed at the crumpled handkerchief.
"Too fast, too hard, and too obviously."
Eveline looked down at the handkerchief.
"Again."
This time, she spoke first.
I smiled inwardly.
Good.
At last, she was beginning to accept training as training.
I threw the handkerchief again.
Right.
Left.
Face.
Shoulder.
Knee.
Behind her.
Eveline caught all of them.
But for the first ten, she crumpled every one.
From the eleventh, the strength in her fingertips eased slightly.
By the twentieth, the handkerchiefs were less crumpled.
On the thirtieth, a handkerchief landed in her palm almost perfectly flat for the first time.
"That was it."
Eveline looked at me while catching her breath.
"What was?"
"The first moment you received something without destroying your opponent."
Her eyes wavered.
"What does that mean?"
"It means a great deal."
I picked up another handkerchief.
"Swords, words, and rumors. You need to receive all of them that way."
Eveline looked down at the handkerchief for a long time.
The unwrinkled white cloth.
Perhaps it was the first thing in her life she had received without breaking.
Then the study door opened.
The butler had returned.
He looked in turn at me, Eveline, and the handkerchiefs spread across the desk, then remained silent for a moment.
"What is it?"
Eveline asked.
The butler bowed his head.
"Your reply has been sent, my lady."
"Good."
"And an envoy from House Berhardt is still waiting outside the estate."
My brow rose.
"Still?"
"Yes."
The butler’s face was stiff.
"The envoy says he has something to convey to you personally, my lady."
The handkerchief crumpled in Eveline’s hand.
It was the same handkerchief that had been flat moments before.
"Let him in."
"No."
My words came out first.
Eveline glared at me.
"Why?"
"If you meet him now, you are playing on their board."
"Then what?"
I thought for a moment.
Arsene was quick.
No, this might not be Arsene’s move alone.
The event had been brought forward compared to the original story.
I did not know whether it was because I made her write that reply, or whether the original plot’s corrective force was at work.
But one thing was certain.
If the envoy was still waiting, this was not a simple delivery.
It was a provocation.
Arsene Berhardt wanted Eveline to explode in person.
Then there was no need to oblige him.
I spoke to Eveline.
"Rule two."
Her eyes shifted.
"Ask first."
"Correct."
I turned to the butler.
"Tell the envoy that my lady does not receive private messages without official documents."
The butler looked at me for a moment.
"Shall I deliver those words exactly?"
"No."
I looked at Eveline.
"My lady must say them."
Eveline inhaled.
The handkerchief was still in her hand.
She was trying not to crumple it.
After a long while, Eveline spoke.
"The eldest daughter of House Rosette does not receive private messages without official documents."
Her voice trembled slightly.
But she said it to the end.
"If there is something to convey, send it in writing, bearing the seal and signature of House Berhardt."
The butler’s eyes widened ever so slightly.
Then he immediately bowed deeply.
"As you command, my lady."
The door closed.
Eveline slowly exhaled.
The handkerchief in her hand was not crumpled.
The system window appeared.
Eveline Rosette has applied Ball Survival Rule 2 in a real situation.
Activation of the duel incident route has been delayed.
Leon Cart’s projected survival date has been updated.
10 days -> 14 days
Two weeks.
I had finally crossed into double digits.
I silently felt relieved inside.
Then Eveline looked at me.
"Leon."
It was the first time.
She had simply called me by my name.
Not commoner teacher, not you, and not strange teacher.
Leon.
"Yes."
"The ball."
She looked down at the handkerchief.
"If I go, can I really win?"
I did not answer immediately.
This question was important.
Eveline was asking me about the outcome for the first time.
She was not asking to mock me.
She was asking because she knew she might fall apart.
I spoke.
"You cannot win as you are now."
Her face hardened.
"But."
I slid the three-line rules across the desk again.
"If I teach you, you will win."
Eveline said nothing.
She only looked at the paper.
Do not move first.
Ask first.
Smile last.
That day, the unruly young lady of House Rosette memorized rules rather than sword techniques for the first time.
And outside the estate.
After hearing Eveline’s answer, the envoy of House Berhardt remained silent for a while.
He soon boarded the carriage.
A blond young man was seated inside.
Arsene Berhardt.
Eveline Rosette’s fiancé.
He listened to the envoy’s report and fell silent for a moment.
"She said to send it as an official document?"
"Yes."
Arsene looked out the window at the Rosette estate.
It was not what he expected.
He thought Eveline would rush out.
He thought she would shout, demand answers, rage, and draw her sword.
That was what she was supposed to do.
It would have made everything easy.
Yet.
"It seems someone is beside her."
Arsene muttered quietly.
He held another invitation in his hand.
On it was one name field that remained blank.
Eveline Rosette, eldest daughter of House Rosette.
Arsene smiled quietly.
"Interesting."
And that smile.
Was dangerous in an entirely different way from Eveline’s.
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