They are all characters I control.

“Since Miss Liya is all ready, shall we go to the banquet? The Marquis and the Marquis are already waiting for us.”

"Alright." Seeing that the other party didn't want to reveal the secret of the disguise, Claire didn't press further.

Obviously, to know someone else's secrets, you need to exchange your own secrets for them.

Knowing this, Claire didn't press the matter further.

He reached out and took the arm the other person offered, making another request: "Do you remember what I told you before? Help me find a badge and a necklace from Countess Mara."

Earl Orlando feigned ignorance: "What kind of necklace is that? If Miss Leah has lost something, I can ask Marquis Marla for you."

[Lia: What badge? What necklace? Why does Earl Orlando want to see the Marchioness?]

This is the question posed by the naive and innocent young lady; Claire has read it but is not replying.

He turned to look at the count beside him, making no attempt to hide anything, nor was there any need to.

"It's what I need, not what Leah needs. That necklace is something the Rost family owes me. Why aren't you willing to help me?"

Claire naturally knew that Earl Orlando had not given up his curiosity about him, and that revealing some things to her that were not exactly secrets would bring her greater benefits.

Since even the maid Anna knew, there was no need to hide it from Earl Orlando.

"Oh, I see." Countess Orlando got the answer she wanted and nodded with satisfaction. "No problem, I'll help you. After all, the Rost family also owes me a debt."

The two exchanged a knowing glance and reached an agreement on how to tease the Rost family.

Soon, Claire, Earl Orlando, and their maid Anna arrived at the banquet.

The Rost family's banquet hall wasn't particularly grand, but it had clearly been meticulously decorated for tonight.

The crystal chandelier reflected a dazzling light, and a snow-white tablecloth embroidered with gold was laid out on the long table. Silver cutlery and sparkling crystal glasses were arranged meticulously.

The air was filled with the aroma of food and wine, but even stronger was a deliberately created, superficial festive atmosphere.

This declining family hasn't held a banquet in a long time, and naturally, no nobles worthy of hosting one have come to visit them after their fall from grace.

The arrival of the Earl of Orlando has truly brought honor to the Rost family.

The Marquess of Rost and the Marquess of Marla were already dressed in their finest attire and waiting.

The Marquis, dressed in his most solemn marquisate, tried to straighten his habitually hunched back; Mrs. Mara, on the other hand, wore a magnificent deep red gown, adorned with a full set of ruby ​​jewelry, and wore an overly enthusiastic smile.

When they saw Earl Orlando and "Lia" approaching hand in hand, they couldn't help but smile. Mrs. Mara, in particular, lingered on their touching arms for an unusually long time.

"Oh, Earl Orlando, Leah, you've come!" Mrs. Mara rushed to greet them, her tone as warm as if Leah were her most beloved daughter.

"Lia, you child, why did you take so long? You made the Earl wait for ages, how inconsiderate of you!"

Marquis Rost chimed in, "That's right, Lia, you must treat the Earl well and not be impolite."

"Hehe, are we that close? You just call me by my name?"

Claire's words made the Marquis de Roth and the Marquise de Marla look like they'd just eaten shit.

But they dared not retaliate.

After glancing at Earl Orlando, who was standing unresponsive beside 'Lia', Marquis Rost and Marquis Marla could only grit their teeth and endure it for his sake.

"I'm sorry, Earl Orlando, Leah is like that sometimes."

"That's right, that's right. Although Leah can be impulsive at times, she has received a lady's education and can learn more about etiquette in the future."

These two people were afraid that Lia would be disliked by Earl Orlando.

However, they were clearly overthinking it.

“I think that’s what attracts me most about Miss Leah; she’s so different from the other young ladies.” Earl Orlando gently took Leah’s hand.

Perhaps because he usually drinks a lot of elegant and sophisticated red wine, he found whiskey, which is something that ordinary people usually drink, to be special.

Earl Orlando's taste is somewhat eccentric.

But the Marquess of Rost and the Marquess of Marla would certainly not say that at this time.

"Well, that's an honor. I'm glad you're happy."

"As long as you like Lia, there's no problem."

Chapter 55 The Incompetent Marquis Rost

The Rost family's dinner party began.

The banquet at this impoverished noble family's house had no entertainment; there were no classic exotic dancers swaying their hips in masked costumes or anything like that.

If I had to say, there was just a lot of food to eat.

Although the Marquis's family ate decent food on ordinary days, it couldn't be described as luxurious.

Marquis Rost has clearly gone to great lengths to entertain Earl Orlando today.

Dishes such as whole roasted peacocks and wild boars, roasted venison stuffed with blue cheese and roasted, and swan stewed with saffron peaches were served.

Claire ate peacocks when she was the emperor of the empire, but they weren't good. They were just for showing off.

Blue cheese and stuff like that smells like socks, and the swan stew is just so-so.

The only edible items were the more ordinary roasted meats; the dishes at aristocratic banquets were mostly for decoration rather than for actual taste.

Remembering that her original self in the dungeon could only eat commoner food like bread and mashed potatoes sent by the acting saintess Isabelle, Claire still started eating without restraint.

Although I couldn't eat it myself, I was satisfied mentally.

The Marquis de Rost and the Marquise de Marla looked at Lydia's wild eating habits and wanted to scold her.

"Miss Lia, do you eat poorly on a regular basis?" Earl Orlando's question made the two of them feel a little uneasy.

Looking at Earl Orlando with a smile on his face, Marquis Rost did not hesitate and quickly replied, "No, no, we eat the same things as Leah."

"That's right, that's right. Sometimes Leah really does eat a lot all of a sudden, like she is now. Oh dear, this child is really..."

Marquise Mara wiped her sweat with a handkerchief, thankfully she hadn't usually starved Leah.

Although Leah wasn't given any desserts, she was still given regular bread and a thin broth.

Claire ignored their nonsense and continued eating.

However, Lia herself was watching her current appearance through the system screen and frantically sending comments.

[Lia: My Goddess of Guidance! Please eat slowly! Mind your manners! A lady doesn't eat like that!]

[Lia: Ah! Don't use your hands!]

[Lia: Don't wipe your mouth with your sleeve! Also, don't drink too much red wine!]

[Lia: Don't wipe your hands on Anna! Anna's maid outfit isn't a handkerchief...]

At this moment, Lia was on the verge of a breakdown.

In the past, it was fine if I couldn't see the 'Guiding God' controlling my body to do anything; I simply pretended nothing had happened.

But now she can clearly see 'her own' every move, and watching 'another self' do those things makes her feel devastated.

No wonder her father, stepmother, and stepsister's attitudes towards her changed; it turns out the 'God of Guidance' has always used her body so rudely!

However, seeing 'herself' eating without any restraint, Lia felt a little pleased.

Normally she was always careful not to do anything that would provoke her stepmother's scolding, and she had never been so unrestrained before.

However, Lia was still a little worried.

[Lia: God of Guidance, you spoke so rudely to Father and Mother just now, it scared me to death.]

Claire: What's there to be afraid of? I'm just stating the facts.

[Lia: But they are, after all, my father and stepmother. I've always relied on their money to have food to eat, a bed to sleep in, and clothes to wear...]

Upon hearing this, Claire stopped using her knife and fork.

He picked up the red wine and took a sip, and his head started to feel a little dizzy and lightheaded.

This useless body of Lia needs to grow and develop.

Claire: It's only right that they support you. The money in the house now is your mother's dowry, the assets and wealth brought by the Nolan family.

[Claire: Every bite of food you eat, every piece of clothing you wear, and every item you use is still a gift from your mother.]

Claire: It's not that they raised you; it's that they're still spending your mother's money on food and drink, and you're grateful to them for raising you? They owe you that.

[Lia: ...Is this...really true?]

No, that's not true; most of these are just Claire's guesses.

This conclusion was easily reached by observing the Earl of Orlando's attitude toward the Rost family and his already well-understood character of the nobles.

Just as Claire was preparing to continue educating Leah, the Marchioness Mara gave her a helping hand.

“Count Orlando, you spent quite a while in Lia’s room just now. I hope you didn’t cause any trouble?”

“Yes, Lia has a rather stubborn personality. It seems the two of you were making quite a fuss in the room?” Marquis Rost also picked up his wine glass and looked cautiously at Earl Orlando.

[Claire: Look, this is your biological father and your stepmother who's not even related to you. They only raised you to sell you for a good price.]

[Liya:...]

Seeing that Leah remained silent and didn't send any more comments, Claire didn't disturb her.

This naive and innocent female lead needs to be patiently trained.

She's neither stupid nor dumb; she simply developed a timid and kind personality because she grew up without a mother and was bullied all the time. People with this kind of personality can become three times stronger when they turn evil.

At this moment, Earl Orlando put down his wine glass, picked up a snow-white napkin, and gently wiped the corner of his mouth, responding to the two people's questions with the utmost elegance: "Madam and Marquis are joking."

“Miss Leah is very kind. We just had a frank exchange and got to know each other better. We'll keep in touch more often in the future, I hope you two don't mind?”

This answer clearly displeased the Marquis de Rost and the Marquise de Marla.

They couldn't wait to use Leah as a fishhook to tie up Count Orlando.

However, it's clear that Earl Orlando isn't stupid and won't be so easily bound.

"That's right, that's right, we definitely won't mind!"

"Ahem, Lia, you should also be more considerate of the Earl, understand?"

Claire ignored the two idiots staring at her.

He simply gave Earl Orlando a look, reminding him to get down to business and stop these two from rambling on and on.

Earl Orlando clearly understood what he meant.

"Lia's personality is indeed a bit special, so I would like to ask you more questions, Madam. You must know Lia very well, right?"

The handsome count, whom the women of this capital all longed to be close to, rose from his seat with a wine glass in hand and gracefully walked behind the Marquise Marla.

"I wonder if you could tell me about Lia?"

Her hands wandered restlessly over the Marquise Marla’s back and shoulders, finally brushing against the married woman’s earlobe.

She even whispered the last sentence into Marquise Mara's ear.

"Of course..." Marquise Mara's face was flushed as if she were drunk, and she felt a tingling sensation all over her body from smelling the special fragrance on Earl Orlando.

"That's truly my honor. I'd like to toast you."

Earl Orlando leaned close to Marquise Mara's cheek, striking a pose like intimate lovers sharing a toast.

"This, this is my honor!" Marquise Mara's hands trembled with excitement. She hadn't expected that her charm was no less than her daughter's.

When she raised her glass, the Marquise deliberately pulled down the neckline of her evening gown.

Looking at the Marchioness Mara, who seemed to wish she could tear her apart, Claire glanced mockingly at the Marchioness Rost, who sat beside her with a dark and green face.

The incompetent husband didn't dare utter a single word at this moment, and could only pretend not to see and lower his head to drink.

Earl Orlando is truly skilled at this.

Chapter 56 Marquis Rost's Impulsiveness

At the Rost family dinner party.

At this moment, Earl Orlando was in a very pleasant mood with Marquise Mara.

In front of her husband, the Marquis de Roosevelt, the Marchioness Marquis Marquis was completely captivated by the more handsome, elegant, and younger Earl Orlando.