Olivia put on her sweetest smile. The party's life slowly died down as guests began to leave. Her fiance, Thomas left her side for a moment so see out guests.
Usually she'd be eager to stick close to him at all times, due to her desire to know his every move. But tonight she gave him his space.
Instead of staying by his side she went up to a secluded terrace to be alone. She knew being too clingy might annoy him. Finally she could relax tonight since that sly fox, Adrianna wasn't in attendance.
Just thinking about her red haired cousin, annoyed her to the bone. Olivia always felt, no, she knew Adrianna tried to put her down and covet all that was hers.
But there was no need to worry. Today, at breakfast, in Adrianna's absence, the Marquis had announced that Adrianna's wedding would be held tomorrow!
Although it seemed so sudden, Olivia was sure it would happen because of how strongly the Marquis had spoken about it. Despite the protests from the Marchioness, the wedding would hold.
From there on, things would go smoothly for Olivia. She'd be Countess Farret in a few months time. A perfect life here as a leading socialite with a lovely family.
During the party, nobles had already began to treat with her with such high regard. Almost as if she were already the Countess. To her, it felt like just yesterday when the Southern nobles would whisper about her and Cardin, with tones of disgust.
"Can those two even be called nobles?"
"I wonder what the Marquis wants to do, raising those orphans"
"I hear their paternal family took away all their property"
"Why do they answer the Deor name even? It's their maternal name"
"Pfft. That means they have nothing in their name!"
"What a waste it'd be, befriending them"
Eventually, Cardin's status was elevated. Nobles began treating him with respect because he was declared the successor of the Deor family.
Meanwhile, Olivia was still a subject of their scorn; Having nothing but the Deor last name linking her to high society.
In the Empire, and moreso, the precarious South, a woman's worth was evaluated based on the family she would marry into. And notable families only approached ladies who'd be of use to them.
How would, Olivia Deor, niece of the Marquis, be of any substantial use, to a noble man?
With these thoughts in mind, she always felt envious of the Marquis' only legitimate daughter, Adrianna Deor. She had seen the amount of marriage proposals pouring in for her. Various suitors vied for Adrianna's attention. Every single of one of them, turned down by the picky lady.
Maybe that was also one of the reasons she had began hating Adrianna. Her dislike for her cousin has stemmed from the envy directed towards the almighty Adrianna. Sometimes she wished that they could just trade places.
Other times, very often, she also wished Adrianna could just disappear. Her mere existence had always intimidated Olivia.
The sheer joy Olivia had, upon receiving an engagement proposal from Count Farret. It was undescribable.
Olivia suddenly was brought out from her thoughts as she bumped into somebody.
"Oh! Can't you see where you're going?!"
She became furious that someone had collided with her, making her almost fall. If it were at another venue, she might have reacted by shoving the person, but since this was the manor of Count Farret, her fiance, she barely managed to contain her calm image.
Regaining her balance, she looked up at the person who had bumped into her.
"Oh I'm so sorry"
The person gently apologized while trying to help her stand upright.
Olivia slapped away the person's hand, which tried to reach out to her. Anger bubbled in her chest and she struggled to get up. This anger was replaced by shock as she realized who had bumped into her.
"Y-you!"
Olivia's mouth hung agape, as she retreated a few steps backwards.
"Hello Lady Olivia" A kind smile spread on the lips of the person.
Olivia slowly regained herself from the initial surprise then said. "I didn't see you throughout the party. Who even invited you here?"
"It looks like you're not happy to see me" They said, with a chuckle.
Olivia clicked her tongue, her lips forming into a sneer.
"I thought you became a social recluse" She wondered how the person before her was able to attend without making a ruckus.
The person replied. "Well, that was only temporary"
As Olivia was about to walk away, the next words from the person made her halt her steps.
"I didn't think your vision was so small, seeing how giddy you've been with just this party"
Olivia swiftly turned around, already enraged with such a statement. "How dare you!" Her voice echoed in the silent balcony. The voices of the exiting guests grew fainter as anger flooded her mind. She was about to hurl abuses at the person, but they went on.
"I'm not here for banter. I'm here for a proposal" They then gestured towards Count Farret who was below the balcony and signaled to keep their voices low.
Realizing it wasn't the time to unleash her anger, Olivia crossed her arms then glared. "Ha! A proposal?" Olivia's voice dripped with disdain, her eyes narrowing as she gazed at the person. "What could someone like you offer to me? Of course I'm giddy when I'm soon going to be the Countess of Farret"
"Yes. And tomorrow, Adrianna will be the Duchess Belv. Who then will be the greater Deor lady?"
The smirk forming on Olivia's face froze. Her mind moved like clockwork as a thought she had wanted to deny, was finally pointed out.
'Even as Countess, Adrianna will still be above me'
Although she internally agreed with the person, she felt insulted by hearing such a thing. She pointed a figure angrily at the person.
"No matter, the title of Duchess Belv she'll never be greater than I. Lord Ronald isn't even Duke yet, while my dear Thomas already occupies the position as Count" Olivia said proudly. She glared hatefully at the person before her and hissed.
"I'll excuse your slow sense of reasoning. In the future, Ronald will be quick to cast aside Adrianna. And everyone knows the Farret family leads social activities in the South. Thus, I will be the more important lady of Deor"
The figure chuckled, unfazed by Olivia's haughty demeanor. "Oh, but it is you that thinks slowly. Haven't you considered why Adrianna's marriage to Belv is being done in such a haste?"
The question, made Olivia pause and think for a moment. The abrupt wedding was truly a wonder, but she had not pondered it for a moment longer.
Taking advantage of Olivia's silence in reflection the person continued.
"The truth is, even when you marry into the Farret family, you'll still be compared to the amazing Adrianna" Their tone was low and measured. In a whisper, as if it were the deepest secret they continued. "The only way to prevent this is by taking advantage of Adrianna's weakness"
Olivia snapped out of her thoughts and looked up. "Adrianna's weakness?" Her hands began to tremble. All her life, she had spent it looking for it. But each time, Adrianna proved to be invincible. The thought of Adrianna actually having a weakness shook her to her core.
"Adrianna has a weakness, one that will soon become apparent. And when it does, you'll be in the perfect position to strike."
Olivia was unsure if this was all true. The idea seemed quite distant from reality. She hated to admit it, but the confident Adrianna seemed like a perfect person. Besides, what did this person gain from telling her.
"Why are you telling me this?" She asked.
"I'm telling you this because you'll be beneficial to my plans" The person took a step forward and gestured towards the sky. "So, please take my hand and let's get to the top"
Olivia was wary, but the offer seemed tempting. "What is this weakness of Adrianna that you speak of?"
"It's only when you make a pact with me, that I'll be able to tell you. For now, you're free to ask anything else but that"
Olivia thought carefully for a moment. There was so much she had to ask. Each word spoken by the person seemed to hypnotize her into latching unto such an enigmatic plan.
A few moments passed before she finally asked a question, feeling more enthralled by each second. "What exactly do you want?"
The figure smiled, their eyes glinting in the dim evening light.
"I need this story to end perfectly. And for that to happen, Adrianna needs to disappear"