Chapter 75: My peaceful daily life is back

“Now, say ‘Ah~,’ Tina.”

“Ah~”

As I gently parted my tightly closed lips, a soft piece of cake slipped into my mouth.

The sweetness spread over my tongue, filling my mouth with a pleasant taste.

“Hehe, Tina, you’re just as adorable today.”

“Sharione-nim, you’re so beautiful as always!”

I looked up at her with a bright smile. What I received in return was a gaze full of warm affection.

On my left, Sharione was feeding me cake with a radiant smile, and on my right, Versha was carefully brushing my hair with a gentle hand.

“Tina, may I ask you for a small favor?”

Versha looked at me with slightly flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. Curious about what it could be, I tilted my head, and she took out a headband from her bosom to show me.

It wasn’t an ordinary headband. The usual jewels were missing, and instead, fluffy tufts were attached to both ends.

Looking closely, those tufts bore a resemblance to animal ears.

“I heard it’s a trendy accessory from a famous workshop, designed to capture animal characteristics.”

“…Is that so?”

“The moment I saw it, I thought of you, Tina. Would you try it on?”

It was a familiar item.

I had seen it several times in my previous life.

This odd item was a headband with attached cat ears.

I hadn’t expected such things to exist in this world.

‘…If cats are cute, wouldn’t it be simpler to just look at a cat?’

I couldn’t understand why anyone would separate cat ears and put them on a headband.

Well, how could I understand people with such eccentric tastes?

“Tina…won’t you just try it on, just once?”

Versha looked at me with eyes full of anticipation. Feeling a little flustered, I scratched my cheek.

“I’m not… particularly fond of things like this…”

I might play up my charm to other ladies like a pet, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up my dignity as a human.

Charm and affection are things people can express, but wearing such a headband would reduce me to a real ‘animal.’

I’d rather act charming than actually become an animal.

“Tina, please, won’t you try it on just this once? I’d love to see it, too.”

Now even Sharione looked at me with sparkling eyes.

Two women among the wealthiest of my connections were asking me earnestly, but even so, my mind hadn’t changed.

“I’m truly sorry… The truth is, I have a slight phobia of animals…”

I lowered my gaze a little and put on a sorrowful expression.

Of course, I had no such phobia, but seeing their reactions, it seemed like a reasonably effective excuse.

“Oh…”

“I’m sorry, Sharione-nim…”

“…If it’s a phobia, then it can’t be helped. Don’t worry about it, Tina.”

Sharione looked at me with disappointed eyes and gently patted my head.

Her touch was soft and warm, but there was a faint hint of disappointment that she couldn’t hide.

Even so, I still didn’t want to wear that strange thing on my head.

As I looked at Versha with slightly moist eyes, she nodded in resignation, looking a bit disappointed.

I thought she might insist a bit more, but she gave up more easily than expected.

Well, that’s fine with me.

“It’s really a shame… I spent quite a bit of money on it, but if Tina doesn’t want it, then there’s no helping it.”

“….What?”

Hearing the regret in Versha’s voice, my ears perked up involuntarily.

She spent a lot of money on it?

Versha did?

Versha is the heir of one of the wealthiest count families on the continent.

She’s someone who can buy countless dazzling jewels without batting an eye.

For her to even call something expensive…?

“Is… is that so…? Is it really that expensive?”

I couldn’t help but ask. No matter what, a cat-ear headband couldn’t be that costly… right?

“Yes, I bought it at an auction, and I believe the price went up to two hundred gold.”

“T-Two hundred gold?!”

My jaw dropped at the absurd amount.

With two hundred gold, one could afford a red diamond, which is notoriously expensive.

And yet, does this headband have that kind of value?

There must be limits to what’s believable.

“I thought it was too expensive at first, too, but there’s actually a very special magic imbued in this headband.”

“Magic?”

“Yes, it moves as if alive according to the wearer’s mood! Isn’t that fascinating?”

“Apparently, it’s a masterpiece that took a whole month of observing and studying cats at the Magic Tower. Hehe…”

At this unexpected revelation, I blinked blankly.

It was beyond ridiculous.

In this world, those who can wield mana are extremely rare, and those who study mana to create magic are even rarer.

Naturally, items infused with magic are categorized as high-priced, rare commodities.

And yet, they used such precious magic on just this headband?

How little must they have to do to waste time on something like this?

Or are all wizards just twisted perverts with eccentric tastes?

“I originally intended to give it to Tina… but I suppose I’ll have to put it back up for auction.”

“W-Wait, Miss Versha!”

Just as Versha moved to put the headband back, I quickly grabbed her arm.

I could feel her curious gaze directed at me from above.

Calming myself, I looked up at her with the most innocent, submissive eyes I could muster.

“I’m… actually terrified of animals…”

“I completely understand Tina’s feelings. It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped…”

“But… I like you that much, Miss Versha…”

Versha’s eyes widened in surprise.

Blushing slightly, I turned my head away shyly and gently held onto her sleeve.

“If you want, Miss Versha… I’ll try it on…”

“Really, Tina?”

I nodded timidly, and Versha’s eyes sparkled with renewed anticipation. She carefully picked up the headband with trembling hands and looked at me.

As I nodded to give my consent, Versha placed the headband on my head.

I felt a brief sensation, like a mild electric shock passing through my head, but it was surprisingly comfortable to wear.

Versha and Sharione took a step back and began to observe me closely.

“Uh… how is it?”

I slowly lifted my gaze and looked at them.

Wearing cat ears, I felt like a real animal, and my face grew hotter.

The reactions of the two people looking at my blushing, embarrassed face were unexpected.

“Oh… my goodness…”

Sharione put her hand on her forehead and staggered, collapsing onto the sofa.

“This is criminal, Tina.”

Versha, too, shivered intensely, displaying an exaggerated reaction similar to Sharione’s.

With their over-the-top responses, I felt even more self-conscious and shyly lowered my head.

“This… this goes far beyond what I expected. My goodness, how could anything be this adorable…!”

“Absolutely! Not a single one of those 200 gold coins feels wasted!”

…Is it really that much?

“Oh… oh my… look at those twitching ears! This is just too much for my heart.”

“Hah… I feel like kidnapping Tina and taking her to our mansion right this instant.”

Their reactions were so excessive that I felt bewildered.

Honestly, it was almost overwhelming, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything.

“This must be recorded in history. We need to call an artist immediately!”

“No, there’s an even better way. There’s a magic tool that captures scenes exactly as they are. It’s expensive, but with that…”

Hmm…

Looks like they’re going to go on about this for quite some time.

As they continued their passionate discussion, I just smiled awkwardly and looked at the blue-haired woman seated across from me.

“Um… Lady Arien, what do you think?”

Arien, who had been staring blankly at me, widened her eyes and lowered her head deeply.

“You’re… incredibly cute, Tina…”

“I’m really happy you think so, Lady Arien.”

When I smiled brightly, a slight blush appeared on Arien’s cheeks. Seeing her face turn red made me smile inwardly.

Yes, in the end, Arien chose me.

She chose me over Lillian.

Normally, Arien wouldn’t have even come to this gathering, but now she was here, sitting beside Sharione and Versha, chatting with us—all thanks to my efforts.

At my earnest request, Versha and Sharione had gladly accepted Arien into their circle.

Usually, nobles from opposing factions wouldn’t associate with each other, but there were occasional exceptions.

There’s no need to make enemies just because we belong to different factions.

After abandoning Lillian, Arien naturally freed herself from the disgraceful rumors surrounding her.

Thanks to that, the Marquess of Kaltri’s family could recover its reputation once again.

Devastated by Arien’s abandonment, Lillian left society altogether.

Her face, filled with despair after being betrayed by the friend she had trusted so deeply, was truly a sight to behold.

Looking back, not even Mardian managed to drive Lillian out of high society.

But I accomplished that.

When I think about it… I might be a pretty remarkable person.

I had no fear of future repercussions.

Lillian is the kind of person who would get angry on behalf of others, but not one to seek revenge for herself.

Moreover, Lillian probably doesn’t even know that I was the cause of her expulsion from society.

I never personally spread rumors.

All the gossip about Lillian came from the mouths of other ladies.

I simply created an atmosphere that allowed things to unfold naturally.

At first, Arien was tormented by guilt for abandoning her close friend, but over time, she adapted to our group, and now she has nearly forgotten Lillian.

In reality, I couldn’t blame Arien.

Humans are selfish creatures who always choose the path that brings them comfort.

And so, Lillian disappeared from society.

It’s already been a month since she vanished.

Not having her around feels incredibly liberating.

Without having to face her, I was able to laugh brightly once again, securing my place as a beloved lady in high society.

As you can see, my life in high society was flowing smoothly again, and I continued to capture the attention of distinguished noblewomen.

I’ve paid off all the family debt, and now, all that’s left is to collect gifts and affection from the high-ranking ladies, saving enough for a comfortable life for my mother and me.

With just a bit of charm and pleasantries, valuable items come pouring in without much effort.

I gently stroked the cat ears perched on my head.

The soft touch of the ears was more addictive than I had anticipated.

‘Should I show them to Mother?’

She wouldn’t react as extremely as Sharione or Versha, but I was still curious to see her response.

‘…I hope she finds it cute.’

Still, I lived each day clinging to my mother’s feigned affection, yearning for her love.

And I would probably continue to live this way.