The carriage ride back to the Alvarez Estate was silent, save for the rhythmic clink of her guards’ armor.

Evelina spent the journey with her eyes closed, watching the golden sparks of the System interface.

[Current Heart-Wrecker Points: 2550]

[Current Gold: 1100]

"Just enough for the blueprints," she whispered to herself.

But as the silhouette of the Alvarez Estate loomed, she realized she couldn’t build an industrial empire if she was socially assassinated all the time.

As she stepped into the foyer, the air in the place seemed to have undergone a subtle change. The servants, who once moved with a certain lethargy when she passed, now stood straight, their eyes tracking her with unmistakable respect.

And that gave her heart a little peace by telling her that she had made some progress.

"Where is the Duke?" Evelina asked, handing her gloves to a butler.

"In the library, Your Grace. He has been... waiting for your return," the butler replied, sweating slightly.

Evelina pushed the heavy oak doors open. Ace was standing by the window, a glass of amber liquid in his hand. The moonlight caught the sharp line of his jaw.

"You..." Ace went silent.

He looked like a man who had spent the last several hours rehearsing a speech, only to forget the first line the moment she walked in.

"You went to the Snow Manor," Ace said, "Without an escort from my personal guard."

"I don’t need to take your direct guards, Ace," she replied, walking toward the desk to leaf through the mail, "I find they listen better when they aren’t reportin’ back to you."

Ace set his glass down with a controlled ’thud’.

He moved toward her, his presence invaded her space as his height towered over hers, "Your father sent a frantic messenger. He claims you’ve lost your mind. He says you’re threatening the family name."

Evelina looked up indifferently, "I’m not threatening the name, Ace. My father sold me to you with a lie, and I am merely collecting the interest."

"What has happened to you, Evelina?" he asked, his voice dropping into an almost desperate note, "Is this a game? To see how long it takes for me to snap?"

"You think everything is about you," Evelina said softly, "I’m not playing any game."

She walked past him, her silk skirt brushing his boots.

For a moment, Ace reached out, his hand hovering near her elbow as if he wanted to pull her back.

But he stopped, his fingers curling into a fist as she closed the door behind her.

...

The next morning, a Red Envelope arrived at Alvarez Estate. It sat on the silver breakfast tray, embossed with the Imperial crest of the Phoenix. It was the invitation for the Empress’s Midsummer Tea.

To the uninitiated, it was a social gathering for tea and light pastries. To the nobility of the Empire, it was no less than a blood sport.

It was an event where reputations were made or destroyed, seating chart dictated the next year’s political alliances, and the unfit were culled from the flock with a single raised eyebrow.

Evelina stared at the seal. A cold memory flickered at the edge of her mind.

In her previous life, this invitation had been a death sentence. She had spent weeks agonizing over a dress she couldn’t afford. Then, she had arrived at the palace in a dress that was two seasons behind the capital’s fashion, her hands trembling as she clutched a fan.

She had spent the afternoon being accidentally tripped by the daughters of Counts and hearing the stage-whispers of the Duchesses who mocked her pauper dowry.

By the end of the day, she had fled the gardens in tears, providing the capital with enough gossip to last until autumn.

Even Ace had been embarrassed by her then. He had stood at the edge of the pavilion, refusing to acknowledge the girl who was supposedly his wife.

"Your Grace?" Marta’s voice broke the silence, The maid looked at the violet seal with a mix of awe and dread. "The messenger is waiting for a confirmation. Will you... will you be declining? After all, the Duke is only just returned, and the household is still in such transition..."

Evelina looked up, a sharp, crystalline light in her eyes, "Why would I decline?’’

In her first life, this invitation had indeed been a source of pure agony to Evelina. Evelina had stood in the corner by the end, completely shaking, as Selene, who had miraculously recovered for the event was swept into the Empress’s inner circle. But that was no reason to decline this time.

’I’ve spent a fortune on grain. It’s high time I invested in a little... social capital.’

"They are expecting a lamb," Evelina murmured, tapping the red wax seal, "But I have no intention of being slaughtered this time."

Evelina dismissed the confused maid. As the maid left, Evelina sat at her desk and summoned the System.

The [Prototype Steam Engine Blueprints] were there, glowing with a seductive gold light. But her eyes drifted to the [Social & Presence] tab.

To win the Midsummer Tea, she needed help to bring a weaponized presence. With her past trauma, doing it by herself would take her quite some months of training. But luckily, she had the System.

[Item: Passive Skill-High-Class Aura]

[Cost: 2000 Points]

[Description: A permanent passive field that projects absolute sovereignty. Commoners will feel the urge to bow; enemies will feel the urge to hesitate.]

It was nearly all her points. She looked at the Steam Engine icon, then at the invitation. Evelina knew the value of a first impression.

’I cannot build the machine if the people who fund the Empire think I am a joke.’

"Purchase," she commanded.

[2000 Points deducted. Remaining Balance: 550 Points.]

[Integrating Skill: High-Class Aura...]

[Warning: Physical acclimation may cause temporary vertigo]

Evelina gasped as a sudden, freezing rush of energy flooded her veins. It felt like her spine was being straightened by iron rods, and her skin tingled with a static charge.

She looked into the full-length mirror. Her physical appearance was completely the same.

But as she stood there, she noticed the way her shadows looked deeper. Her posture was no longer just good; it was intimidating.

Evelina walked to the door and unlocked it. She wanted to see if the System’s description held true in the real world. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Marta was waiting in the hallway, holding a tray with a fresh pot of herbal tea and some biscuits. The girl was humming a small tune, her mind likely on the gossip from the kitchens.

"Marta," Evelina said, stepping out into the light of the corridor.

The maid turned, a smile forming on her lips but then she stopped.

The tray wobbled and slid from Marta’s hands. The porcelain shattered against the stone floor as the white shards flew and tea splashed, but the girl didn’t even look down.

Marta’s eyes were wide, her breath hitching in her throat.

She looked at Evelina and didn’t see the mistress she had been chatting with only twenty minutes prior. She saw a figure of such overwhelming power that her brain struggled to process it.

The air around Evelina seemed to shimmer.

"Your... Your Grace..." Marta stammered.

The girl’s knees buckled. She sank to the floor, her head bowing until her forehead nearly touched the spilled tea.