Chapter 9: IPMSC

Chapter 9

“I’ve Dumped All My Stats into Charm”

The long-awaited tea party day had finally arrived.

Following the dress code written on the invitation, I wore a black dress and arrived at the Angus Count’s estate.

A servant guided me into the rose garden of the mansion.

Soon, I saw the noble ladies enjoying tea beneath a white gazebo.

At the center seat, Vivian noticed me and smiled.

“Welcome, Lady Aisha. We started drinking already since we thought you wouldn’t come.”

“Didn’t I arrive on time?”

“That can’t be. The invitation clearly says 9 a.m., doesn’t it?”

I silently looked at Vivian.

It was obvious—she had deliberately written a different time on my invitation, trying to frame me as rude for being late.

Still smiling sweetly, Vivian continued.

“But that doesn’t matter. I’m just happy you came. Please sit next to me.”

I sat beside her, and she gently introduced me to the other ladies.

“This is Lady Aisha Amybier. She’s from the countryside, so she may not know much. Please take care of her.”

The ladies in pastel-colored dresses stared at me with stiff expressions.

I looked at them and asked,

“Why are all your expressions like that?”

“…Your dress is very… beautiful.”

Despite the compliment, their tone was awkward.

It made sense. Black dresses were usually worn for mourning. Wearing black to a tea party was considered improper.

Vivian had clearly altered my invitation to make me look disrespectful.

To the uninformed ladies, I was simply a rude guest who arrived late and improperly dressed.

I said calmly,

“Thank you. It was worth putting effort into matching the dress code. Your dresses are colorful and pretty, but… they seem quite far from the dress code.”

The ladies looked at me in confusion.

“What do you mean?”

“We followed the dress code on the invitation.”

I placed my invitation on the table on purpose.

“Here is the invitation Lady Vivian sent me. It clearly says noon and black dress code.”

The ladies took turns reading it carefully.

“It’s true… even the seal is House Angus.”

“Our invitations are different.”

Vivian quickly tried to recover.

“I-It seems the scribe made a mistake. I’m sorry. I’ll fire them.”

Hmph. So that’s how you’re playing it.

While I thought she was quite good at excuses, Vivian changed the atmosphere.

“Shall we try some new tea?”

With a gesture, servants brought out new tea sets.

“I saved this cup for when Lady Aisha arrived. This tea was brought from overseas through my father’s trade contacts.”

As new refreshments were served, the atmosphere gradually settled.

The ladies began chatting again.

“The Roment Count’s ball last time was amazing. The dress code was gold—I felt like I was in the imperial palace.”

“The Marquis’ party was incredible too. I’ve never seen so many handsome young nobles gathered in one place.”

Vivian joined in.

“Shall we stop this topic here? Lady Aisha might feel left out since she probably hasn’t been invited to such events.”

This childish script wasn’t surprising.

I replied calmly,

“It’s fine. I’ve been to the imperial palace, and I see handsome men every day. I don’t feel left out at all.”

The ladies’ eyes widened.

“You’ve been to the palace?”

“What was it like? Is it really covered in gold?”

“Are there many handsome knights?”

Only nobles invited by the imperial family could enter the palace.

To ordinary noble ladies, it was a world of fantasy.

“Yes. The pillars are all gold, and the stained glass behind the throne is beautiful. There are many handsome knights as well.”

I had seen the imperial palace many times while playing through Caliton’s route.

I knew its interior very well.

The ladies continued asking excitedly.

“How did you go there?”

“I live in the Moon Tower as the disciple of Master Chifrian.”

Their eyes widened again.

“You’re Lowell Chifrian’s disciple?”

“Yes. I’m learning magic from him.”

“Unbelievable!”

“So you’re a mage!”

Their attention shifted entirely to me.

“Is Lowell Chifrian really that amazing?”

“He’s the greatest mage in the empire, right?”

Seeing the unexpected flow, Vivian bit her lip.

To redirect attention, she changed the topic.

“Have you heard the rumor about the Duke Miguel family changing their engagement?”

The ladies, more interested in romance than politics, turned toward Vivian.

“Weren’t they deeply in love?”

“The count’s daughter was caught secretly meeting a servant?”

“How shameful…”

“Lady Aisha, do you know anything about it?”

As they turned to me, Vivian added pityingly,

“Ah… you’ve only just come from the countryside, so you probably don’t know such things…”

I smirked internally.

How predictable.

I lowered my voice and whispered,

“Do you know the hottest rumor in the imperial palace right now? The secret romance between the captain of the Royal Guard and a marquis’ daughter.”

The ladies gasped.

Their swallowing breaths were almost audible.

Secret romance, status difference, the imperial palace—everything they loved.

I continued quietly,

“The captain comes from a loyal noble family and is supposed to marry someone chosen by the imperial court. But he fell in love with the marquis’ daughter… the palace won’t stay silent about it.”

This was information I had gathered from multiple playthroughs of the game.

Back then, I didn’t think it would matter.

Now, it was perfect here.

The ladies reacted with excitement.

“Oh my, that’s insane!”

“What will they do now?”

“I hope they can be happy…”

But I wasn’t done yet.

I turned to Vivian.

“Lady Vivian, you heard about His Highness Caliton’s tax reform recently, right?”

“Ah… of course.”

Her blank expression told me she didn’t know. The others likely didn’t either.

Most noble ladies cared about romance, not politics.

I explained calmly,

“On the surface it looks like tax reform, but it’s actually balancing the old nobility and rising merchant nobles. If commercial nobles gain power, traditional nobles lose influence.”

“….”

“….”

Silence fell.

Everyone stared at me, mouths slightly open.

I scratched my cheek awkwardly.

“I might have said too much. Some people think countryside-born ladies wouldn’t know these things.”

“…Lady Aisha, you really know everything.”

“You have so many interesting insights. I hope we can meet often.”

Their eyes now looked at me warmly.

Meanwhile, Vivian’s face had gone pale. Her hands trembled as she gripped her skirt.

Serves you right.

As I watched her, our eyes met.

Vivian forced a smile.

“By the way, Lady Aisha hasn’t touched her tea at all.”

Of course not. Mine was poisoned.

How creepy, watching whether I drank it or not.

“It’s a very good tea. Please try it.”

“No, I’m fine.”

“I specially prepared it for you…”

I said, acting slightly troubled,

“I think there’s a strange smell from my cup.”

“A strange smell? What about the others?”

Vivian tilted her head. The other ladies sniffed their tea.

“I don’t smell anything strange.”

“It just smells nice.”

Vivian looked at me as if to say, “See?”

“That’s a bit unpleasant. It feels like my effort is being insulted.”

The ladies nodded in agreement.

“She’s right, Lady Aisha. There’s nothing wrong with the tea.”

“You should apologize.”

I shrugged.

“Well, whatever. For reference, I just swapped my cup with Lady Vivian’s earlier.”

“…!”

Vivian’s eyes shook.

She suddenly stood up and shoved her fingers down her throat.

“Uegh! Uweeegh!”

“L-Lady?”

“Are you okay, Lady Vivian?!”

The ladies panicked.

I looked at Vivian retching on the floor and said brightly,

“Oh my, that was a joke.