I was possessed by the villain’s daughter.

EPISODE 10

The chatter stopped in an instant.

People stopped talking to each other.

Time seemed to stand still in the ballroom.

Through the open doors, I saw two people walking slowly toward me.

“Oh my…!”

An exclamation from someone echoed through the ballroom. Everyone’s mouths dropped open as if to echo the exclamation.

It was very rare for Laila to attend a banquet, but as a princess, she would show her face in public once or twice a year. The nobles remembered her from those days.

She was fat and short, unlike the other slender noble young ladies, and her demeanor was cold as if she rejected people, and she always gave short answers whenever someone spoke to her.

That was Laila’s impression of the nobles.

It wasn’t a very good impression, and they would often gossip that the Duke had raised his daughter too much.

But the young lady who came in now was a far cry from the Lila he had seen.

If it weren’t for the similarity in appearance, she would have been instantly recognizable.

Her beautiful green eyes sparkled in the warm afternoon sunlight. Her braided silver hair was like a fairy from a storybook, and her long, white arms and the nape of her neck were dazzling. No longer was she the small, fat, stubby Duchess Youngae.

Her face was as lovely as an angel’s, and when she smiled, everyone was awestruck.

She was truly a beautiful young lady.

Next to her, holding his sister’s hand, with warm eyes as if gazing at something precious, walked Edwin Confucius.

His dazzling silver hair and azure eyes were like those of a prince in a dream. All of the young people who admired Edwin wished that they could hold his hand just once, just like Laila.

Lupe chewed the flesh in her mouth as she watched.

“This…, this isn’t right.

Her group was chattering beside her.

“Is that the princess?

You don’t look the same, do you?

‘What the…!

‘….’

“You look beautiful.

Hearing someone’s voice whisper in a small voice made Lupe’s blood run cold.

The only thing she was better than Laila, the slim figure she’d managed to maintain by starving herself to the point of dizziness and drinking only drops of water, had been overtaken by Laila.

Lupe was now shorter than Laila. Lupe was now forced to look up to her.

No, it wasn’t just her body.

Her silver hair, braided with precious pink diamonds and emerald pins, and her pink dress, made of silk more precious than anyone else’s in this ballroom, were all out of Lupe’s reach.

Laila was never in Lupe’s league to begin with.

That much was clear.

‘Oh, no. How could I, how could I…!

She’d been so careful in her approach. He’d tried so hard to humiliate her, to sneak up on her, to stay by her side…, to bring her down to his level. But as if all her efforts had been for nothing, Lila was shining brighter than anyone else at this very moment.

Lupe despaired.

Laila strutted confidently to the center of the ballroom. The people around her were mesmerized and focused on her and Edwin.

When she reached the center, Laila opened her mouth.

***]

“Thank you very much for attending my birthday banquet.”

I stood in the middle of the banquet room. All eyes were on me. The midday sunlight streaming through the elegantly tied curtains, bouncing off the glow of the brightly lit chandeliers, bathed the ballroom in a multicolored hue.

“It seems to me that my birthday has been made all the more brilliant by your honored visit, and it would be my greatest pleasure to make it a short but memorable one.”

As I finished speaking, Eddie took over.

“My dear sister, thank you for attending Laila’s birthday banquet. May it be the best banquet ever.”

After Eddie’s brief toast, my brother and I bowed our heads slightly and bent our knees in a courtly fashion.

As we lifted our heads, the crowd began to roar again, as if the spell had been broken.

The orchestra sobered and began to play again. Smooth strings and gentle piano echoed through the ballroom. Eddie and I took our seats at the head table at the far end of the ballroom.

“Wow, I haven’t seen you since I was a very little girl… You’ve grown up so beautifully.”

“You look so much like the former Duchess.”

A lady could be heard talking to herself, and a few people, intrigued by the sound, rushed over to her.

The lady spoke of Evela, a beautiful former duchess, a countess with silver hair and green eyes, who was considered the queen of society.

The banquet was going well.

“Phew, thank goodness.

I sighed inwardly. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. But I somehow managed to get through the big moment.

“Are you nervous?”

Eddie whispered in a low voice. I nodded slightly. A few people came over to say hello to us. Few were my age, mostly marquises and earls.

As I was returning their greetings, one of them came up to me.

“How are you, Laila?”

I could feel the thought of ‘good to see you’ cross my mind.

The corner of my mouth twitched. The unmistakable look of defeat on her face as she bowed to me. And the pride she’s trying to keep up.

Lupe was still too young to hide all her emotions.

I rose to my feet, lifting the hem of my robe slightly and letting it fall. Though neither I nor Lupe had been knighted yet, I belonged to the Duke of Roshahil. Because of my higher official status, I did not have to bow to her.

It would be rather rare for me to have to bow here, and that fact seemed to irritate Lupe even more.

“…Happy birthday.”

At the half-sarcastic tone of her voice, I could only smile wryly.

“Thank you, Lupe, and how is Young Ae doing?”

“Of course.”

Lupe rolled her eyes. She smiled sheepishly.

“By the way, instead of talking here, why don’t you come over to where me and my friends are? I’m sure they’ll be glad to see you.”

“Pfft.

I muttered to myself.

I’d be lucky if they didn’t ignore me, given the way things had gone so far. But at least I was better at hiding it than Lupe. I smiled broadly and nodded as if I was too happy to resist.

“Really? Thank you for the favor, brother, I hope you don’t mind if I go and say hello to some of the younger kids for a while?”

“Please do.”

Eddie nodded.

I made my way to a corner of the ballroom and met Lupe’s group. I didn’t know them well, but none of them looked like they had more status than I did, and neither the jewelry they wore nor the dresses they wore were anything to write home about.

“Row, Princess…, hello.”

“Happy birthday.”

Half of them were friendly, half were hostile. But they all seemed to be confused.

“Good day, sir, and thank you for joining us.”

The confusion only seemed to grow as I smiled and greeted them confidently. Lupe’s eyes widened.

The old Laila would never have done this. Of course, the expensive and beautiful things I was wearing had a lot to do with her thinking I was a nobody.

“What a beautiful banquet.”

Lupe said in a breezy voice.

“But, excuse me. It’s not a special banquet, and I wonder if it’s too much for a birthday banquet that happens once every year.”

He scratched his head.

“Have you heard of it? About the people out west who are having trouble making ends meet because there’s been a drought over the summer?”

“Oh.”

I grimace.

This was a very poor way to argue.

“Of course, I’ve heard of it.”

I had nothing to lose, so I answered slowly.

“I’m sure you’ve also heard of this, dear Lupe, that the Roshahills are organizing a special relief effort to help those affected by the drought, not to mention the Roshahills’ usual work for the poor of the capital.”

Lupe looked as if she hadn’t expected my answer.

“And my father and brothers are so fond of me that they’re willing to do anything for me. They’ve given me banquets like this a hundred times, and it hasn’t even touched the Duke of Roshahill’s coffers. And it’s not like it affects them.”

As I finished speaking, I added, as if I had just remembered something.

“Speaking of which, I heard you also had a birthday banquet last month, Lupe, and I wish you a happy birthday.”

“…….”

Lupe replied after a long silence.

In my social studies class with Lloyd, I had learned that Lupe’s Marquise of Tyra was in financial trouble, that the Marquise was very sexist, and that her 14th birthday banquet was so shabby for a marquise that it was the butt of social gossip.

When people insult others, they tend to say the things that would hurt them the most. Lupe must have had an inferiority complex about wealth and family. I smiled prettily as if I knew nothing.

The other youngsters, who had noticed Lupe’s flirtatious behavior, quickly changed the subject. At least there was someone smart in the group.

“Oh, I see. By the way, I heard that the First Prince will be attending this banquet, which is amazing.”

“The First Prince? You must be…Roshahil.”

“I assume you’ll be dancing your first dance with the princess?”

“…You’re a good match.”

A certain young lady replied, unable to hide the envy in her words. I looked at her warmly.

“The First Prince is indeed coming, but I have decided that my first dance will be with my brother Edwin.”

The young ladies narrowed their eyes.