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In that moment, Lady Dominica, Florin’s closest confidante and the most prominent voice at the gathering, intervened. She firmly took hold of Florin’s hand, sitting beside her, attempting to soothe her agitation, while casting a glare in Lobelia’s direction.

“Why are you going through all this trouble to ruin the party? And why are you doing it by spreading rumors about someone else’s affairs? It’s truly cowardly.” Dominica did everything in her power to shift the blame of this turmoil onto Lobelia.

With a smile, Lobelia delivered her final blow.

“I didn’t know it was an affair. Because Lady Dominica, you too are involved in an illicit relationship.”

“Wha, What…?”

“Lady Dominica is in a romantic relationship with Viscount Dorgon. His wife and their five children must be well aware of this fact, I’m sure.”

Dominica’s face turned ashen as the secret she thought she had kept buried deep came crashing down around her. With no witnesses or evidence, she had thought it was impossible for anyone to find out about her trysts with Viscount Dorgon.

But as the scandal spread and people began to whisper and point fingers, her reputation was in shambles. Viscount Dorgon, known for his love for his wife and dedication to his children, only added fuel to the fire.

“Lady Dominica?”

“Is that true?”

“Maybe it is!”

Lady Dominica denied the rumors frantically, but no one believed her.

“Lady Dominica! You need to calm down!” Florin interjected, trying to bring some semblance of order to the chaos. Despite Florin’s desperate attempts to calm her, Dominica was beyond reasoning. Her secret, one that she had been convinced would never be exposed, was now laid bare for all to see. As the consequences of her actions began to set in, Dominica’s voice lost its strength. She rose from the table and stormed out of the party room. Florin watched her go with a pained expression, and the party room fell silent.

As the room was filled with the sound of Dominica’s departure, the guests’ attention turned to Lobelia. Without hesitation, she began to reveal the secrets and scandals of the aristocracy, and each name that left her lips belonged to one of Florin’s confidants. As the revelations continued, those implicated couldn’t contain their anger and frustration.

With the destruction of Florin’s inner circle complete, Lobelia let out a sigh and took a sip of her tea. It was cold. The party room was filled with tension, unlike the coolness that filled her cup.

What a mess, Lobelia thought as she surveyed the room with a cold gaze. She couldn’t understand why they had to resort to such tactics, why they had to attack her in the first place, especially when they were having an affair themselves.

“Florin! What are you going to do about this?”

The nobles who had not yet been exposed looked desperately towards Florin. After Lady Dominica had stormed out, Florin had been in a daze, but now she finally regained her composure.

“Miss Lobelia, please stop!” Florin shouted, her voice drawing the attention of the crowd. The couples who had been fighting fiercely also turned their focus to her. Lobelia slowly put down her teacup, an unusual gesture for a noble but for some reason, people couldn’t take their eyes off of her. She had an inexplicable aura that couldn’t be traced back to its origin.

“Florin, if you stop attacking me, I’ll stop too,” Lobelia said calmly.

“Alright. That’s enough for now,” Florin relented.

“And also,” Lobelia continued, looking straight at Florin, “if you apologize sincerely for the insult earlier, I’ll let it go.”

Florin’s face hardened as she glared at Lobelia with intense hatred, as if she had been deeply insulted. It was a strange reaction considering who had truly been insulted. Florin didn’t want to apologize, not even if it killed her. But if she didn’t apologize…

“Florin, please apologize! It’s not a difficult thing to do!” The other nobles pressured Florin and she bit her lip, having nowhere to back down.

“Earlier… I… made a mistake,” Florin said with a heavy voice.

“That’s not an apology,” Lobelia shook her head.

“I-I’m sorry… I’m really sorry,” Florin forced out through gritted teeth.

“It’s okay,” Lobelia smiled brightly. “I assure you that this kind of incident won’t happen again. Of course, the other gentlemen won’t talk about my relationships, right?” Lobelia scanned the room, and the nobles stiffened as if they had been hit by an icy arrow.

“This is it,” she thought, the scandal she caused would spread throughout the social circles, and for a while, no one would dare to cross her.

“Alright then,” Lobelia said, putting down her tea cup, drawing everyone’s attention once more. “Let’s start the party again. We are here to share great poetry and music,” she said. Having put Florin in her place, it was time to salvage the party for the Countess Dora. Lobelia’s ultimate ambition was to secure the countess’ favor, and use it as a stepping stone to gain an audience with the empress herself.