I reached the top of the grand staircase just as my sister's voice drifted up, dripping with artificial sorrow.
"I truly apologize, Steward," Rose was saying, her voice loud enough for the Duke's messenger to hear. "My elder sister's health has taken a turn for the worse this morning. It would be a slight to the Duke for her to receive such a prestigious invitation while she is so... unsightly and frail. I will accept it on her behalf and convey her deepest regrets."
I stood in the shadows, activating the Heart-Mirror power. The messenger, a stern man in the Duke's navy-blue livery, was looking at Rose with a mix of pity and doubt.
[This Second Miss seems very eager,] the messenger's thought echoed in my mind, cold and analytical. [But the Duke specifically requested the Eldest Daughter of the Lin family. If I give it to the second-born, I might be the one who loses his head for incompetence.]
Rose reached out her hand, her fingers trembling with greedy anticipation. "Please, I will ensure it is kept safe."
[Just give it to me, you old fool! Once I have the physical invitation, I'll burn the one with Xia's name on it and tell Father that only I was invited. Then Prince Yan will only have eyes for me!]
My eyes narrowed. In my last life, this was exactly what happened. I had been "too sick" to come downstairs, Rose had stolen my chance, and she had used that banquet to enchant Prince Yan while I lay dying in the dark.
Not today.
I stepped out of the shadows, using the Phantom Step to move with a grace that shouldn't have been possible for a girl who had been "bedridden" yesterday. I didn't make a sound until I was halfway down the stairs.
"Rose? What are you saying? My health has never been better."
The three people in the foyer froze. Rose spun around, her face turning a ghostly shade of white as she stared at me. I hadn't used the Thousand-Face camouflage to look sick; instead, I let my new, radiant vitality shine. My skin glowed like the finest porcelain, and my eyes held a sharp, regal light that demanded attention.
"Xia! You... you should be in bed!" Rose stammered, her hand dropping to her side.
[How?! She looks... she looks like a celestial being! This is impossible! Where did that sickly, yellow skin go? If the Duke's messenger sees her like this, he'll never give me the lead!]
"And miss the Duke's kindness?" I asked, gliding down the final steps. I ignored Rose entirely and bowed gracefully to the messenger. "Forgive my sister's exaggeration, Sir. She has always been overly protective of me. Sometimes her worry gets the better of her... honesty."
The messenger's eyes widened. He bowed low, much lower than he had for Rose. "First Miss Lin. You look the picture of health. The rumors of your illness must have been greatly exaggerated by those who wish to keep your beauty hidden."
I smiled softly. "People will say many things in the dark. But the light has a way of revealing the truth."
I turned to Rose, whose fingernails were digging so hard into her palms that I could see the red marks.
"Rose, dear, why are you still holding your hand out?" I asked innocently. "The invitation is for the Eldest Daughter, isn't it?"
[I'll kill her. I'll rip that beautiful face off her head! How dare she humiliate me in front of the Duke's house? I have to do something... think!]
"I... I was only trying to help, Sister," Rose squeaked, her voice going up an octave. She turned to the messenger, her eyes welling with fake tears. "I was only worried because Xia was coughing blood just last night! It must be a flash of health before a deeper decline. Sir, surely it is safer to trust the one who is stable?"
The messenger hesitated. He looked between us.
I leaned in closer to Rose, using the Heart-Mirror to pinpoint her exact moment of panic. Just as she opened her mouth to tell another lie, I brushed past her, "accidentally" letting one of the Spirit-Numbing leaves from my sleeve fall into the open tea cup she was holding to calm her nerves.
The leaf dissolved instantly.
"Rose, you look parched from all that worrying," I said, my voice sweet as honey. "Drink your tea. You wouldn't want to faint in front of the Duke's representative."
Confused and desperate to look composed, Rose took a large gulp of the tea.
"Sir," Rose started, turning back to the messenger. "I must insis—urk!"
Her voice died mid-sentence. She clutched her throat, her eyes bulging. She tried to speak, but only a dry, raspy wheeze came out. It sounded like a broken flute.
"Rose? What's wrong?" I cried out, the picture of sisterly alarm. "Oh no! Sir, look! My sister has lost her voice! It must be the 'worry' she was talking about. Perhaps she is the one who has been overexerting herself?"
The messenger looked at the gasping, mute Rose with clear disgust. [A liar and a hysteric,] his mind rang out. [The Second Miss is clearly unfit for the Duke's circle.]
He turned away from her and handed me a heavy, gold-trimmed envelope. "First Miss Lin Xia, the Duke expects your presence at the Autumn Banquet. Please, do not let your sister's... condition... keep you away."
"I wouldn't dream of it," I said, clutching the invitation to my chest.
Rose tried to scream, her face turning purple with rage, but not a single sound escaped her lips. I leaned in close to her ear, the smile on my face never wavering.
"Don't worry, Rose," I whispered, so low only she could hear. "By the time your voice comes back, the whole city will know who the real invalid of the Lin family is."
I turned and walked back up the stairs, leaving her standing in the foyer, silenced and defeated in front of the man who held the keys to her social climbing.
The Autumn Banquet was in forty-eight hours. And I was just getting started.