Chapter 24: Oh, Won The Empress’s Friendship

The gesture was not for a formal greeting but to lead her toward the high table, the seat reserved for only the highest-ranking blood relatives and the Empress’s personal favorites.

"Today is a celebration of Midsummer," the Empress announced to the stunned assembly, "And I find that the Duchess of Alvarez is the only guest who has brought something truly fresh to my garden. From this moment, Evelina Alvarez is named my Guest of Honor for this evening. She shall sit at my right hand, and her words shall carry the weight of my own interest for the duration of this night."

A collective gasp went up from the crowd. The Snow family looked as if they had been struck by lightning. Selene was white as a sheet, her tea cup finally slipping from her nerveless fingers to shatter on the stone path.

Evelina didn’t look at their reactions as she was occupied by System notifications flooding her vision like golden rain.

[Notification: The Sovereign’s Favor Acquired!]

[Target: The Imperial Court is 100% Stunned]

[Reward: +1,000 Heart-Wrecker Points!]

[Current Balance: 3500 Heart-Wrecker Points]

[Bonus: ’The Empress’s Friendship’ (Level 1) Unlocked.]

As Evelina walked toward the high table, she finally allowed her gaze to drift toward the back of the room.

Ace was standing frozen, his mouth slightly agape, looking at his wife as if he were seeing a god manifest in human form.

He looked utterly lost, as if the woman he had married had been replaced by a star, beautiful but distant, and completely out of his reach.

Evelina didn’t even acknowledge his presence. She simply took her seat at the right hand of the most powerful woman in the kingdom, leaving the Iron Duke to stand among the common nobility, wondering how he had ever been so foolish as to think he was the one in control.

As Evelina sat at the Empress’s right hand, the position had naturally shifted the entire scale of the Empire’s social hierarchy. To the onlookers, it was as if a common sparrow had suddenly transformed into a phoenix, perching beside the sun itself.

Among the crowd, the psychological damage was visible. The Marchioness de la Croix had retreated to the shadows, her expressions clearly reflecting the envy that she felt.

But no one was suffering more than Evelina’s dear sister.

Selene Snow stood near a refreshment table, her knuckles white as she gripped the stem of a silver goblet filled with crimson wine. Her heart hammered against her ribs in jealousy and desperation.

And that gaze of hers was so sharp that Evelina couldn’t miss it, despite her not paying attention.

In their previous life, Selene had been the star, the ’Gentle Lily of the North,’ while Evelina was merely the dirt that made the lily look brighter.

Seeing Evelina now... clearly emerging as a blooming lotus had to be a physical agony for Selene.

"She’s a fraud," Selene hissed under her breath, her eyes tracking the way the gold-threaded embroidery on Evelina’s sleeves caught the light, "She’s using some trick. Some... Some sort of enchantment."

The thought took root.

If Evelina conquered the show today, it was only because of that dress and her position. If she were to be humiliated and humbled before the Empress’s very eyes, her so-called charms wouldn’t exist at all. She would go back to being the stuttering little thing.

Selene took a deep breath, smoothing her pale pink skirts and then she began to weave through the clusters of nobles. Selene looked like a worried sister coming to offer a congratulatory toast.

Ace, still standing near the perimeter, watched her approach and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

He saw the way Selene’s eyes were fixed on Evelina’s gown, not her face. And there was an unnatural tension in her shoulder.

But before he could even determine why he felt the need to protect the woman who had just publicly ignored him, Selene reached the high table.

"Your Imperial Majesty," Selene chirped as she curtsied low, the silver goblet held precariously in her hand, "I hope you can forgive my intrusion. I was simply so overwhelmed with joy for my sister. To see her so favored... I felt I must offer a toast to her health and your Majesty’s boundless wisdom."

The Empress didn’t look impressed at all. She looked as if she had just found a fly in her rare vintage.

"The Duchess’s sister," the Empress murmured, her voice dripping with boredom, "You are the one they call the Lily, yes? You seem... wilted today."

Selene’s smile flickered, but she didn’t retreat, "It is merely the heat getting to me, Your Majesty."

She turned toward Evelina, her eyes wide and watery. "Sister, I am so happy for you. You truly deserve this moment."

As she spoke, Selene made her move. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

It was an old trick, one she had used at the Snow estate many times to make Evelina look like a fool. But with Evelina’s foolishness, this trick was so easy to pull out every damn time.

Just because Evelina had rehearsed her act for this occasion didn’t mean Selene wouldn’t be able to drag her down.

Selene feigned a trip on the hem of her own gown, her body pitching forward with a dramatic gasp.

The silver goblet tilted sharply, the heavy red wine surging toward the pristine breast of Evelina’s gown.

In Selene’s mind, the victory was already won. The wine would soak into the flax-silk, the damned dark diamond would become a sodden mess, and the Empress would definitely recoil in disgust at the clumsiness.

But the world didn’t move as Selene expected.

As the wine began its arc through the air, the System windows exploded into Evelina’s vision.

[CRITICAL EVENT: MALICIOUS SABOTAGE IN PROGRESS]

[Time-Dilation Active: 0.1s]

[Detection: Target ’Selene Snow’ is attempting social defacement]

Evelina’s hand shot out with the speed of a viper striking from the tall grass. Her fingers, encased in black silk gloves, clamped around Selene’s wrist mid-air.

The force of the catch was so sudden and so absolute that it made a thud echo through the vicinity.

Not a single drop of the wine touched Evelina’s dress.