The Tragic Male Lead Chose the Wrong Partner

The day before the tea party, my excellent assistant Dalia came to inform me.

“Representative Cynthia, a majority of the guests have sent notice canceling their attendance.”
Due to the widespread scandal reports, more and more people had begun to back out.
“Excluding the siblings, the number of guests still planning to attend totals eight.”

They were all people interested in securing a contract for the Nox project.
Though personal profit played a part, I had to admit—they were still loyal.
Even so, the number was much smaller than expected. Was a headline like “Princess Cynthia, Has No Friends…” going to pop up now?

I felt ashamed in front of the staff who had prepared so diligently for a larger guest list.
Dalia asked cautiously,
“Also… wasn’t there a major announcement you were secretly preparing?”

I nodded while glancing at the envelope bearing the Medeian royal seal.
“We don’t have a choice. We’ll just go ahead with it. The misunderstanding will be cleared eventually—and someone will recognize the truth.”
* * *

The Long-Awaited Tea Party
On the day of the tea party, Cynthia wore a pale blue dress reminiscent of snow-covered dawn, her silver hair braided up neatly to greet her guests.
Helene, who had just arrived, smiled sweetly upon seeing her.

“Cynthia. I was worried there would be too few people at your first social event.”
With a feigned smile, Helene added,
“As your older sister, how could I stand by? I invited some refined acquaintances to elevate the prestige of your gathering.”

Understanding Helene’s true intent, Dalia flinched and glanced at me.
In high society, attending a party without an invitation was a grave discourtesy—but guests brought by ‘family’ were an exception.
I blinked my large eyes in thought.
‘No matter how carefully I select my guest list, if Helene shows up with a squad of critics, it’s pointless, isn’t it?’

“Thank you, Sister.”
Thank you so much for the helpful tip! I’ll use that strategy myself next time!
* * *

Helene’s uninvited guests began arriving one by one, and the tea party commenced with a performance from the musicians.
Among the attendees now were only those who didn’t care what kind of person I was—or those who were excited to come laugh at someone socially ruined.
I had to focus intensely to distinguish friend from foe.

“Hahaha! To remain so calm in the face of such a scandal—truly! Her Highness is a woman of formidable mental strength!”
“Your Highness, are you alright…? To be caught up in such gossip right as Prince Carlos announces his engagement…”
The latter group were the ones reveling in my misfortune.

A closer look at their words made it clear—they were insulting me under the guise of concern.
Of course, I had already heard the news of Carlos’s engagement.
As my carefully prepared tea party continued, I could feel the guests subtly watching the dynamic between Masera and me. There was an undercurrent of judgment in their gazes.

My backers—Grand Madam Recanosa and my aunts—were all in Medeia and couldn’t attend. If they had been here, they’d have smacked some people around.
“Did you miscalculate the number of guests? The desserts seem to be in short supply.”
“She hasn’t hosted many tea parties, after all. We should be understanding if she’s inexperienced.”

Finally, the nitpicking began.
The night before, we’d drastically downsized due to cancellations—then Helene had thrown everything off by bringing unexpected guests.
‘But my kitchen staff is outstanding.’

“Leave it to us!”
I remembered the kitchen team’s solemn faces as if heading to war.
They didn’t disappoint. The staff began serving fresh new desserts.

“Oh? These are from Francia.”
The guests’ eyes widened at the beautifully presented sweets.
“Just because it looks authentic doesn’t mean it tastes like the real thing.”

But after tasting them, they had no choice but to shut their mouths.
Soon after, the ladies seated with Valeria began gossiping loud enough for everyone to hear.
“Did you read the story in Marriage Life Magazine? About the sister-in-law who tried to tag along on the honeymoon?”

“My goodness, that’s beyond reason. A sister-in-law like that should be sent straight to a convent with her head shaved.”
Excuse me? The one getting her head shaved—wasn’t that supposed to be me? This isn’t a battlefield or a romance war!
Carlos, meanwhile, silently sipped his tea amid the rumors.

‘That bastard! So he painted me as the clingy, nuisance little sister to save himself, huh?’
He better marry her and disappear into his happily ever after.
No matter what those who feed on other people’s misfortune say, I was someone who carved her own path.

“Everyone, your attention, please.”
I raised my voice firmly and drew the eyes of the room.
Though overshadowed by scandal… I had a clear purpose in hosting this tea party.

“I’ve established a charity to support war victims. If anyone is interested in donating or volunteering, please speak to me.”
Maery and Ginny, wearing blue diagonal sashes, began handing out flyers they’d made themselves.
Some of the guests glanced at the flyers, then looked at me as if they were seeing a performative hypocrite.

“Haha. A little image clean-up—or, uh, recovery effort?”
Valeria’s friend made no attempt to hide her snide tone.
This was something I’d been preparing long before—but the timing was unfortunate.

“War victims? Aren’t they just people desperate to cash in on compensation?”
Someone crossed the line with that remark.
If you’re not going to help, at least shut up.

“You, the one who just spoke—stand up.”
At my command, the man furrowed his brows and stood.
I cheerfully continued,

“Now that you’re up—head home! No need to waste dessert.”
People froze, surprised. Confused expressions spread across the room.
The man glared and snapped,

“Dismissing someone for sharing their opinion—how incredibly rude!”
Still smiling, I replied,
“This is my party at my house, so my mood comes first. Your feelings? Not my problem. If anyone else agrees with what he said, feel free to leave.”

“To treat guests who took the time to come with such discourtesy…”
“You weren’t even on the guest list, remember?”
Explanation and persuasion → ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) boring and pedantic.

So die! → fast solution.
I thought so, but decided to settle things peacefully.
My reputation was already ruined, so whether I flicked someone’s forehead or kicked them out, it didn’t matter. The ones who stayed through it all were the ones who were truly friends.

At that moment, a military officer’s wife raised her hand.
“I’m interested in volunteering. It’s a good cause.”
Others with proper minds followed her lead.

Even Major Rodriguez, who’d taken leave to attend, stepped forward.
“Yes, the Lord always said we must live to help others.”
“I’ve been volunteering and donating for years.”

They were all precious guests who had chosen to attend despite the rumors.
I took down the names of everyone who wished to join.
“Anyone else?”

Of the eight invitees, two had left. The six remaining made up a small group—but the fact that it wasn’t zero brought me joy.
“Thank you for being the founding family of the foundation.”
With my words of gratitude, Maery and Ginny handed out gifts to the volunteers.

“Oh my…!”
The officer’s wife gasped as she opened her small case.
Curious onlookers peeked inside and recoiled in shock.

Inside was a rose diamond platinum watch.
The officer’s wife cautiously asked,
“But this engraving… What is it? United Foundation?”

I smiled at the stunned crowd and explained,
“It’s a foundation established by the Crown Princess of Medeia for war victims. I’ll be heading the Lutemia branch.”
Shrugging slightly, I added,

“That watch is both a commemorative item for the foundation’s launch and a gift from the Medeian royal family.”
Silence swept through the room as people stared at the historic watch—something that couldn’t be bought, no matter how much money they had.