Two weeks of grueling training had passed, and Selina felt the strain deep in her bones. If there was an achievement for surviving Reinhart's regimen, she was certain she'd unlocked it tenfold.
"I'm so bored!" Selina loudly exclaims in the courtyard. All this training was driving her insane. When will the main character appear, the crown prince, the wolf boy?!
"If you're so bored, then I'll add more exercises to your routine, hm?" The crimson-haired lady points out.
"Eek! I-uh, take it back! My body really can't hold on any longer commander." Selina quickly replies in fear.
A rare chuckle escaped Reinhart's lips. "Good. His Grace has tasked me with escorting you today. The royal family's ball is approaching, and we need to ensure you're properly dressed."
"An outing? Finally! Let's go go go!" Selina excitingly blurts out.
"In that tunic?" Reinhart asks her.
"No chance."
….
Selina emerged from her chambers in a flowing silk gown embroidered with delicate gold threads, her hair elegantly styled and adorned with a small tiara. She looked every bit the noble lady, though the slippers pinching her toes reminded her of her lack of practice in such attire.
"Ready, my lady?" Reinhart, clad in her full suit of armor, stood outside the door. The polished steel gleamed under the sunlight, a striking contrast to Selina's soft, flowing gown.
"Yeah."
As they travel outside, Selina is mesmerized by the sights of the noble kingdom. The bustling streets of the noble district were a sight to behold. The kingdom's architectural grandeur, with its towering marble buildings and intricate ironwork, still left Selina in awe. In all honesty, the surrounding was the same as any usual rofan/otome manhwa, but seeing it in person was still shocking, she was a 24th century transmigrator after all.
"My lady, shall we head to the usual spot?" Reinhart asks.
The usual? Usual for Amelia probably, whatever, she'll just agree.
"Of course, why wouldn't I go?" Selina replies casually.
"Well, after your little showdown with the young lady of the Count, I would've thought you would want to go somewhere else, I guess I was mistaken."
What? She didn't recall any of that from the memories unlocked so far. Either it wasn't that important, or Selina's too far behind.
"As the lady of the Amister household, why would I runaway from the mere daughter of a Count?"
"...Let's go then." Reinhart replies, a slight smile appearing on her lips unbeknownst to Selina.
Reinhart leads Selina to a big, aristocrat clothing store. Selina enters the store with the elegance of someone who's not at all a newcomer. As she takes in the sights, a voice calls out for her.
"Amy!" A energetic young girl comes rushing at her, nearly throwing Selina off her feet. Who was this lady?
Long blonde hair, a pair of pretty amber eyes, and a slim figure. Nope, does not ring a bell whatsoever.
"It's been such a long time since we last met. You didn't even come to my tea party." The young miss points out.
Selina's mind raced. "I've been terribly busy. My apologies."
"No apologies needed, I'm just happy to see you." The girl exclaims with a bright smile.
Happy to see me but didn't dare to visit after who knows how long, interesting.
"Amy, would you like to go shopping together? It's been such a long, I would love to continue conversing with you. Did you hear about the affair between Ms. Tillan and Mr–"
"Jessica! Where did you run off to this time-Oh. Amelia." Another player enters the field in a not so friendly tone.
So, her name's Jessica, good to know.
The newly named Jessica looks at both Selina and the other girl with a look of worry.
"Bebe, I was purely catching up with Amy- I mean Lady Amelia." Jessica explains.
Who's this lady now? Eye-catching lavender colored hair and a pair of aggressive dark-blue eyes that aim right at Selina.
"Amelia, I didn't expect you to have the gall to show your face here after last time." The so called Bebe spits out.
What is this woman talking about? Selina thought, masking her confusion with a graceful smile. "What happened last time? My memory is a bit hazy when it comes to insignificant matters."
"Insignificant?! How dare you!" Beatrice's voice rose, her anger clearly present to all. The noise catching the attention of the other patrons. One of the workers walked towards the mess, hoping to find reason, but immediately hightailed after figuring out the assailants. Truth be told, Bebe and Amelia were quite a famous bickering pair in this establishment, but both were too prominent figures in high society for anyone to interfere with.
"And Jessica!" Beatrice turned to her companion. "How can you act friendly with this woman? She stole your lover!"
Selina's eyes widened briefly. What lover?! She kept her expression serene, but the accusations flew fast, with more women chiming in.
"She bewitched my lover too!"
"And mine!"
The room buzzed with indignation, but Selina, taking a closer look, noticed the glaring flaws in their appearances, the cheap fabrics, the mismatched jewels. These aren't nobles...
Selina's voice cut through the noise, calm and authoritative. "Beatrice, did you really hire commoners to tarnish my name? Do you know who I am?"
"I–what nonsense!" Beatrice sputtered.
Selina turned to the first accuser. "Who was this 'lover' of yours?"
"L-Lord Lucas," the woman stammered.
Selina raised a brow. "The same Lord Lucas who gifted you those off-brand pearls? A man of such taste surely suited you well."
The woman gasped, her hand flying to her earrings.
"And you," Selina pointed to another. "Claiming to wear topaz? My knight could use it to test her sword."
Reinhart stepped forward, unsheathing her blade. The "noble" confidently handed over her brooch, only to watch it crumble to dust with a single scratch.
"M-My brooch!" the woman shrieked.
"Beatrice!" Another turned on her. "You said these were genuine!"
The commoners descended into chaos, accusing Beatrice of deceiving them. Jessica, who remained jaw drop the entire time, drags Bebe away, not before shooting an apologetic glance at Selina and ordering her bodyguards to hold back the hoard of commoners after Bebe.
As the dust settled, Selina brushed off her gown. "Well, that was entertaining."
Reinhart's lips twitched in amusement. "You handled that well."
"Of course I did." Selina smiled. Inside, she couldn't help but feel a small thrill of victory.