“Your reputation is constantly fluctuating, my lady. Recently, the negative gossip about you has decreased. We should strive to improve your social standing,” my maid said firmly, not budging from her spot.

She wore an expression of shameless defiance. Teresa was entirely unaffected by my visible frustration. It was like she regained the ability to talk back to me. Typically, she wouldn’t dare to do such a thing.

Is it because we’re in the middle of a ball? Is that why?

Sometimes, she’d have a burst of anger, and other times, she’d just scold me for my manners. The majority of the time, she relies on the duke and the duchess to feel remotely confident when facing me. Without the duke or the duchess, Teresa almost crumbles when she’s near me. Never do I hold it against her. Whatever the previous Elisabeth had done, it had scarred her mentally.

Meaning, if I ever meet the original Elisabeth, I’m going to have a very “civilized” conversation with her.

I sighed, folding my silk gloves up, stuffing one in the other. “Alright,” I finally decided. “I suppose it’ll be nicer if people stop treating me like trash.” Teresa’s “strict teacher” demeanor reduced to the miserable slump of dejection.

The mere idea was appealing. I would love to be treated like a human being by my peers. Something I dearly miss from my life on Earth was how people had at least one ounce of respect for me. Then again, how much work would it take for these self-absorbed students to stop acting so awfully towards me?

An intrusive thought emerged in my mind.

Perhaps, that’s why Elisabeth wanted to be with Caydel so much.

She wanted to become queen, and as queen, people cannot easily say anything towards you that could be the slightest bit offensive. Although she is a duke’s daughter, her status doesn’t seem to protect her anymore. Suffering from the aftermath of her schemes is all I needed to draw that conclusion. Either that or Elisabeth wanted the power of ruling over all of the citizens in Whitensen. I’d like to think she had a broader range of motives, and that she isn’t the usual villain like she is told in everyone’s stories.

“Is that your maid?” I turned my head to look at the person who the sweet and familiar voice belonged to. A lady with luscious golden hair and amethyst eyes suddenly appeared by my side. It took a moment for me to register who it was. My expression immediately became sour when it dawned upon me.

I was already in a shitty mood, I thought today couldn’t become worse.

Her silvery dress’s fabric brushed by mine as she stepped before me. The ensemble made her look like an angel, delicate yet powerful. “I simply cannot believe it, Lady Carabell. You’ve finally let your maid attend a ball, the debutante at that.” Viktoria seemed to be a little agitated, for her expression was unmoving. Usually, I’d see her smiling or something of the sort. I’m assuming she’s still the optimistic person she’s always been when we shared classes. Perhaps, that was all just a facade, and she’s showing her true colors now.

If I recall correctly, this is the debutante! Showing your charm is important! At least, that’s what Teresa had reminded me over and over again when we were dressing up for the ball earlier.

For some reason, my pounding headache had returned. There was this burning sensation in my heart that made it arduous for me to move without becoming exhausted. I tried not to make the pain visible in my expression, but that’s when I noticed that Viktoria's face had started to contort. It seemed that she furrowed her eyebrows in...pain?

“Lady Lancaster…” I spoke, giving her a curtsy to greet her. However, she didn’t return the greeting. The fact that she didn’t bother to reciprocate the action meant more than disrespect.

There was no argument about it. Viktoria knew all about the customs and manners of ballroom etiquette, and it seemed she knew it so well she didn’t have to take those classes at the academy. Unfortunately, my knowledge of ballroom etiquette is on the lifeline of Teresa’s assistance. However, even I knew the basics of greetings. Obviously, I expected something in return. The Lancaster family has a reputation for having the most respectful daughter within all of Whitensen’s noble circle. Sadly, it doesn’t seem like I’m going to receive any respect from her. Even Prince Caydel bowed to me as I left. At least, he tried.

I wasn’t standing for any more bullshit tonight. “Would you be kind enough to return my greeting, Lady Lancaster. Or, do you think your status as Duke Lancaster’s daughter is more than that of being Duke Carabell’s daughter?” Teresa flinched upon hearing my words. “We are equals in name,” I added.

“My Lady…” She seemed to be worried about what I was going to do. I ignored her concerns, and I knew I was going to regret it. I made up my mind that I would atone for my mistakes later.

I was more than pissed off. I wanted to go back to the estate, and guess what? I can’t!

Oh, balls are fun. Oh, the debutante is the most exciting event for young ladies. Oh, don’t stress about it.

Don’t stress?! Are you kidding me?

Despite my rage, I remained as composed as I could possibly be.

“Lady Carabell, you’ve become more reticent these days. Is it because you know you’re guilty? You don’t think you deserve respect from me, do you?” Lady Lancaster questioned me. “Oh, of course, you’re asking for it. You’re Elisabeth Madeline Carabell, of course, you would dare to ask someone to pay respect to you after having attempted to poison them. Do you think you could blame the poisoning on someone else without any repercussions?”

Is she trying to cause a ruckus? Is it because she’s bored? That couldn’t possibly be a decent reason for bothering your opponent at the academy’s debutante ball!

I had rehearsed this scenario in my head multiple times, so I had a gist of what exactly I should say. It was also because the duke had ordered Teresa to teach me what to say to evade further embarrassment and shame for the Carabell family. As selfish as it sounds, I truly didn’t care whose reputation it saved as long as it protected mine.

“Whether or not you believe it was the maid, the fact is, my former maid has been found guilty for the crime and punished for her actions. You can’t possibly be saying that the royal court failed to detect the culprit accurately.” I adjusted my stance and looked at her directly in the eyes. “You don’t mean to cause a disturbance in the middle of the debutante, right? If you have further concerns, you may contact me through a letter.”

Viktoria’s cheeks turned a bit red. “Lady Carabell, how dare you!” By now, the altercation attracted the attention of the guests surrounding us. Ladies and gentlemen have begun to whisper amongst each other. My heart began to throb with adrenaline.

Instead of snapping back at the famous noble lady, I made a display of myself by giving her my best curtsy. “Good evening, Lady Lancaster. It was quite enjoyable to speak to you today. I will take my leave.”

I was hoping she’d let me escape in peace, but it didn’t turn out that way. “Enjoyable…! You were the one that poisoned me, Lady Carabell! I will never forgive you!” she was shouting, acting so dramatically that my distress boosted the speed my heart raced at. The crowd around us began to become rowdy with the news. Teresa started to breathe laboriously, gasping for air.

Crap. Crap. Crap.

Gradually, I noticed how the crowd around us had frozen in place. Mouths were kept open, expressions remained the same, and dresses didn’t swivel. Only an elderly man moved towards us. He was dressed in a black regal robe and had his hands folded. He wasn’t tall, but his straight posture made him appear authoritative.

“Miss Lancaster and Miss Carabell, I would suggest that you refrain from causing a scene at the academy debutante ball.” When my eyes laid on this man’s face, I immediately realized that it was Headmaster Oscar!

The wrinkles in his face clearly showed his disapproval of our choices. I glanced over to look at Viktoria and saw that she could also move. Regarding everyone else, they remained immobile. It was actually quite hilarious the poses these guests were frozen in. I might have laughed, but I knew this would give the headmaster another reason why I should be expelled.

“I’m sorry, Headmaster,” I apologized, deciding that if Carabell’s lowlife didn’t say something first, she would definitely be scolded more harshly. Viktoria also thought similarly, for she also apologized, but I beat her to it. Years of learning to swiftly say sorry after every single thing I thought I might have done wrong has trained me for moments like this.

He took in a deep breath. “You two are not allowed in the same classes starting Monday. It is clear no matter where you two are, you will always have issues with one another. I hope that you can learn to resolve your differences. However, to cause such a disturbance at the debutante ball of Whitensen is entirely unacceptable.”

I didn’t even say anything that would be considered overly offensive to Viktoria. Yet, the headmaster is acting as if I did. Here we are, being scolded on equal terms even though I didn’t raise my voice.

The headmaster frowned at us, checking a shiny and golden pocket watch he pulled out from his garment. The chain dangled for a bit before he shoved it back into his robe. “I have taken the initiative to pause time in this space for you. In a matter of ten seconds, make up your mind whether or not you will resume your actions. This will determine your status of enrollment at the academy. I am greatly disappointed in you, Miss Lancaster. I had expected more from a diligent student like you. As for you, Miss Carabell, I hope that you will find some peace in your heart and stop this nonsense.”

Then, the headmaster proceeded towards me. Upon observing me, his expression deepened with concentration. “You have a buildup of stress within you. This could be detrimental to your health. I will remove some of the tension, but please do yourself a favor and properly rest.” He reached out and placed his palm over my forehead. I watched as this strange black aura was extracted from me. As he did so, I felt my body relax and feel lighter. “That should do it.”

The headache had faded away! How did he do that? Could he be a mage from Leonard?

“Time is up,” Headmaster Oscar informed us.

The crowd suddenly buzzed with commotion.

“Did you feel that?”

“Yes, I did. It was like I was stuck in place.”

“That’s so strange, I feel like I’ve forgotten something."

When I searched my surroundings, our headmaster had vanished!

Whatever Headmaster Oscar had done had erased our conversation from their memory. Meaning, I should take this opportunity to leave with Teresa immediately. Viktoria and I exchanged brief glances and proceeded off in opposite directions. I motioned for my confused and flustered maid to follow me. Teresa trailed behind me, swooping up desserts from the tables as we walked by.

To think she would still bother to take some desserts with us before we left. Sometimes, I wish Teresa would take a break more often. The minor chores should be left for me to handle. I’m really grateful for her help. If I didn’t have such a smart and attentive maid, I think I would have made plenty of foolish mistakes.

Gazing at her balancing some plates in her hands and laughing as we hightailed it out of there made my mind feel more at ease.