Tonight's dinner party was hosted by the Spencer family, who had invited the Yukinoshita family. The venue had been agreed upon well in advance, and the hosts had arrived early to prepare.

With black and blonde hair mingling among the crowd, the two families greeted each other warmly, wine glasses in hand, making elegant small talk about utterly boring matters.

Dressed in her finest evening gown, Emily stood quietly behind her parents, rolling her eyes in boredom where no one could see.

This — this was exactly the kind of dull, lifeless event she couldn't stand.

"I heard that recent blockbuster film was something Mrs. Yukinoshita invested in? You have quite the eye for success."

"Oh, it was just a small investment, really. And I've lost plenty on other films too. The movie industry is such a headache."

"And Mr. Yukinoshita, your overseas ventures are thriving, I hear?"

"Haha, it's all thanks to the Spencer family's support."

The adults chatted happily until the conversation inevitably turned to their children.

"Yukino, come greet your uncles and aunts."

Emily watched as the girl stepped out from behind her parents.

Even though Emily had spent the entire day preparing, determined to outshine this woman, she had to admit she'd gone all out — wearing a dress she'd sworn to keep locked away forever, with her golden hair styled to perfection and her skin as pale as porcelain.

She had always been called a rare beauty, with delicate features as if painted by an artist. In all her life, Emily had never doubted she could hold her own in a contest of looks.

But now… she wasn't so sure.

When Yukino stepped forward, everyone's gaze — Emily's included — was drawn irresistibly to her.

Her beauty was undeniable, but more than that, there was something else. An almost magnetic quality that made it impossible to look away.

It was as if the light in the room naturally gathered around her.

The flawless makeup, the evening gown worth millions of yen, the dazzling jewelry under the chandelier's glow — all of it paled in comparison.

Everything bright and beautiful in the world seemed to lose its shine in her presence.

Seriously, where did this girl get her face done?!

Beside her, another young lady from the Spencer family said something far kinder. "Miss Yukinoshita is so beautiful… No wonder Emily admires her so much. I really hope she becomes my sister-in-law."

Emily: "…"

You admire Yukinoshita? Your whole family admires Yukinoshita!

Wait… judging from the looks around, maybe her whole family really was starting to admire her.

So this woman could just breeze through life on her looks alone, huh?

To make matters worse, her cousin was whispering beside her. "Emily, do you know what kind of guy Miss Yukinoshita likes? Do you think my brother has a chance? Do you have her contact info?"

"Oh, and where's my brother? He went to change his shirt after spilling juice earlier… he's taking forever."

Emily remembered that before the party, her mother had been reluctant to attend because of Yukinoshita's somewhat questionable reputation. Emily had forced herself to praise Yukinoshita to her mother, with tears in her eyes, saying how kind, gentle, and lovable she was.

And her mother had believed every word.

Worse yet, she'd told the rest of the Spencer family — and now everyone thought Emily especially admired Miss Yukinoshita.

Her lifelong reputation, gone.

Yukinoshita, I'll make you pay for this — with interest!

But before she could finish plotting her revenge, her cousin Cynthia tried to drag her toward Yukinoshita.

"Wait, Cynthia, what are you doing?!"

"I'm not too familiar with Japanese customs. It would be better if you were by my side to help me. If Miss Yukinoshita is going to be part of the family someday, I need to get along with her."

Cynthia was the picture of a refined English lady — long, slightly wavy blonde hair, eyes as blue as the summer sky, tall and slender, with sharply defined features and a confident, decisive air.

When Emily had picked her up from the airport, countless sweet, shy girls had stolen glances at her, some even coming up to ask for her number.

But now, that same effortlessly cool cousin suddenly seemed… soft.

This hesitant, blushing demeanor — what was she doing? This wasn't her date!

Meanwhile, Cynthia was already making an effort to chat with Yukinoshita in halting Japanese. The adults, pleased with the sight of the younger generation getting along, looked on approvingly.

Emily's teeth hurt just watching them.

Compared to her older sister Haruno, Yukino was reserved to the point of seeming antisocial, but in ordinary social settings, she could hold her own.

Cynthia was both shy and talkative, so there was no risk of an awkward silence. Yukino had been listening patiently — until, out of nowhere, her long-silent system pinged her with a new task.

She glanced at the task, then lifted an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Miss Cynthia, I need to step away for a moment. Emily, you're coming with me, right?"

Emily, who'd been silently grinding her teeth, almost refused on instinct. But when she caught the challenging look in Yukinoshita's eyes, her pride flared.

Fine!

She had come here today to take Yukinoshita down — no way she was backing off now.

It was laughable to think she'd ever be afraid of her.

Once they reached the second-floor hallway, Yukino spoke calmly. "Miss Emily, I suggest you convince your cousin to come back quickly."

Her system's task was to make Emily bring back her runaway cousin.

She knows?

Good. That made things easier.

Emily folded her arms with a smug, almost taunting smile. "Beg me. Hahaha! Yukinoshita, you've finally fallen into my hands. I want to see if you can still act so high and mighty."

"Come on, beg me — on your knees, if you have to. If you do, maybe I'll be merciful—"

Before she could finish, Yukino suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them. Emily startled, instinctively backing up until she hit the wall.

What the—!

"As Kasumigaoka said… when you get emotional, you'll do all kinds of stupid things."

Her face — so breathtaking it seemed touched by the hands of God — was now inches away, her gaze carrying a cold, condescending edge it hadn't held before.

"You're so stupid, it's almost… cute, Miss Emily."

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