The walk from the Grand Hall to the adjoining Dining Hall was the longest of my life. The whispers followed me, a wave of sound that my senses picked up with perfect, agonizing clarity.
"...that's her, the crimson-haired one..."
"...vicious. Did you see Lady Felicity's face?"
"...a Briar. Aren't they bankrupt? No wonder she has no manners."
"...publicly humiliated her! And Lady Amaryllis just let her..."
I kept my "Useless Sidekick" mask firmly in place, my A-Rank `[Deceive]` skill projecting a look of mild, confused nervousness. Internally, I was cataloging every whisper. My social sacrifice had worked perfectly. I had absorbed all of Felicity's "victim" status and transferred the "bully" label directly onto myself, shielding Amaryllis completely.
I spotted Rosalie, a beacon of bright yellow in the tense, blue-uniformed crowd, waving frantically from a table near the center.
