After that, during the meal, Elizabeth inevitably cut a little too loudly, as if she mistook the meat on the plate for someone else.

She used a lot of force and tried to control herself so that the knife and fork wouldn't make a screeching sound on the plate. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the cutlery.

Circy looked at her a little cautiously.

She actually didn't understand what Elizabeth was trying to comfort her about, but when she looked at the girl who was suppressing her anger, she realized that she was looking at Mr. Rude.

No wonder.

Circy nodded gently in realization and felt relieved.

It seemed that she was still angry about what happened at the ball. Elizabeth had always been very vengeful, which was normal.

Circy was very happy to be protected.

Unlike Circy, who thought that she had learned the truth and was relaxed, Darcy had an awkward first half of the meal.

He couldn't remember how many times he had been glared at by Miss Bennett. He wasn't one to talk much at the dining table, so he could only try his best to focus on other things and ignore the daggers that were shooting at him.

As a result, when he looked up, he saw Circy, who was seriously struggling with the stew on the plate.

Circy was very focused when she ate, as if the only thing left in her eyes was the food in front of her. When she was done cutting, she would fork and stuff it into her mouth, and her eyes would narrow slightly in satisfaction. Watching her eat always whet one's appetite.

Circy looked at the entire table full of meat dishes, and only this stew suited her modern stomach. It was quite large, and a piece of meat could fill Circy.

She ate slowly, taking small bites.

Although her etiquette wasn't perfect, no one could say that she wasn't elegant.

Darcy didn't even notice the small smile on his face.

When Circy narrowed her eyes, she was like a cat stretching under the sun, making people want to stroke her fur.

Whenever Darcy was present, Miss Bentley's gaze would not fall on a second person. Naturally, she saw the change in Darcy's expression.

In the first half of the match, she was still focused on Elizabeth. Her words were full of honeyed ridicule, and Elizabeth was not to be outdone. The two of them went back and forth, and the battle of words was quite intense.

She turned her attention to Circe for the rest of the conversation.

Miss Bentley first looked at Circy carefully from head to toe, the disdain and jealousy in her heart almost overflowing.

She couldn't figure out how someone with such ordinary looks and a background that had nothing to do with nobility had caught Darcy's attention.

She knew that Darcy didn't like her at the ball!

As a result, Circy, who was eating quietly, was forcefully dragged into the women's war.

At first, Miss Bentley tried to restrain herself, but after a few words, she found that this girl was far from Elizabeth's strong fighting power. It was as if she couldn't see through the trap in her words at all.

She no longer restrained herself and attacked Circe in a roundabout way, from her appearance to her background, from her personality to her manners.

Elizabeth looked at Miss Bentley's smug face and stomped her foot in anger, but she couldn't rashly interrupt. That would be rude, and instead, it would give Miss Bentley something to use against her.

Circe, on the other hand, was able to keep her cool. If she did not notice the sarcasm in Miss Bentley's words at first, even a fool could tell.

However, she had never been a good speaker. Even when she spent a lot of time with Elizabeth, she didn't learn to be eloquent.

After all, she had lived in modern times for more than ten years, and her personality had long been set.

How could you expect a nerd who stayed in the laboratory all day to have any eloquence?

However, this didn't mean that Circy would take it lying down.

She didn't know how to say it, but couldn't she do it?

Just as she was about to cast a temporary aphasia spell on the stupid and arrogant girl, a voice spoke first.

"I still have a reply to write, so I'll take my leave first."

No one expected Darcy to speak at this time. For a moment, everyone's eyes were focused on him.

Darcy calmly got up, bowed, and left. It seemed that he really did have something important to do.

Miss Bentley's smug expression froze on her face. It was funny and ridiculous.

Darcy actually helped that country bumpkin out of trouble!

She secretly clenched her teeth, her face gloomy, and didn't say a word after that.

Bentley quickly changed the topic, and the table became lively again.

Circy blinked in confusion. She didn't expect that person to speak at all.

After thinking about it for a while, she gave up. Guessing other people's intentions had never been something she was good at. She just thought of it as owing him a favor.

Elizabeth was even more surprised. She couldn't understand how someone who had mocked her sister before would take the initiative to help her out.

However, she was happy to see Miss Bentley suffer, no matter who caused it.

That twisted expression was enough to make her laugh for a long time.

By the time Circy finished the stew on her plate, the dinner was almost over. It was really full of twists and turns.

— — —

Jane seemed to be in a better state. She had regained her appetite and ate a little.

Elizabeth sat by her bed and read a poem to her for a while. Circy held Jane's hand and listened together.

Elizabeth's voice was very clear, just like her personality, straightforward and cheerful.

When she read poems, she mostly chose those that were emotional or lighthearted. Sometimes she even gestured with her hands, which made Jane laugh uncontrollably.

As she laughed, she coughed a little. Circy patted her back to help her breathe.

Soon Jane was exhausted. She obediently held Circy's arm and lay down again. She raised her hand to touch the girl's cheek.

"Well, don't stay here. Go down and play. I'll sleep for a while." Jane pursed her lips and smiled softly.

The two waited for Jane to fall asleep before leaving the room.

Downstairs, Mr. Hesto and the others got together to play cards, and Darcy was at the table writing a letter as he said he would.

Seeing them coming down the stairs, Mr. Hristow said, "Ladies, come and have a game with us!"

Elizabeth was worried that they would win or lose too much, so she declined. "I'll just play with a book. I have to go upstairs to see Jane later."

Circy was much more straightforward. "I don't know how to play. I'll read for a while."

Miss Bentley had probably forgotten the embarrassment at the table and immediately said, "Ladies don't like playing cards. They are great scholars and are not interested in other things."

"We don't deserve such praise. We can't afford such blame. We are not great scholars. We are interested in many things." Elizabeth was not polite with her.